buying used...how to determine the builder by MLS listing if it is not listed (homes)

[catluvr]

Quick question...some flyers do not list the builder when you are buying a 10 year old (approx) home. Is there a way to tell the history on the MLS? If you like a specific builder, is there a way to track neighborhoods they built in?

EX: Say I want a specific layout by Legacy homes. Can I go online and find out original communities where they were the dominant builders?

Can I assume a great builder such as Darling will have the name on the listing flyer?

[FarNorthDallas]

You could go to the appraisal district website if you have an address and look at the home's history and see who the original owner was, I guess. It should have the builder as the original owner.

[loves2read]

I would think from looking at the exterior of the home, room count and photos of the interior if you know what the floorplan you want looks like--you could tell
I have so much time viewing MLS listings that I can pretty much tell the layout of 85% of the homes I check online--and rule out those that I don't want...
particularly good for kitchen layout--certain things I am looking for and having a cooktop on a narrow, crowded island is not one of them...
and the Tarrant county appraisal district lets you check the history of ownership==you can see any homes where builders owned the lot (which is par for tract development)...if it was a lot that person bought and contracted for build, buider's name would not be on title history...sometimes just the name is not clear enough--some builders change their names more than their shirts...