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How do I find a list online of properties that have recently sold in my area? Is there a national website (like realtor.com)?
I know our local newspaper lists them every other week, but their website is terrible to use and I'm not sure if it's accurate (I know they have left out several homes that have sold before, so I'm not sure how they get the info or who is in charge of entering it).
Our county's property assesssor's site also has something like this, however again...it's not user friendly at all and I've had a difficult time trying to use it. I'm just looking for a plain list!
How do I find a list online of properties that have recently sold in my area? Is there a national website (like realtor.com)?
I know our local newspaper lists them every other week, but their website is terrible to use and I'm not sure if it's accurate (I know they have left out several homes that have sold before, so I'm not sure how they get the info or who is in charge of entering it).
Our county's property assesssor's site also has something like this, however again...it's not user friendly at all and I've had a difficult time trying to use it. I'm just looking for a plain list!
Any ideas?
Realtor.com is for marketing homes, and not for offering records.
You can get the information from a Realtor, from MLS closings.
To be complete, you will need to access the assessor's site, as many property transactions occur without a Realtor.
But a lot of assessors are behind in data entry.
You can try Zillow.com
T-R-Y. Don't bet the ranch on the accuracy of the data, or that the data is up to date. Since they use assessor or Tax sites for information, if the site is not up to date, Zillow will not be up to date either.
And, PLEASE, do not use Zillow's Zestimate for helping to set a value on a property. Zestimate is well-known to be false.
Also, in Texas, as a nondisclosure state, you will not be able to get the information without being the client of a real estate agent, as we are not allowed to give sold data on specific homes to anyone other than a buyer or seller to help determine the value of a specific home. (For a CMA, in other words.) Even the tax assessor does not have access to that information. Agents have gotten in big trouble for doing so. Thus, Zillow's info is even more inaccurate here than elsewhere.
Right, I didn't mean that I thought realtor.com did that, I just meant a website similar to them that listed this sort of thing in an easily readable fashion I will check out zillow again, and keep trying to use the assessor's website (yuck!) I don't think we have a non-disclosure thing in our state, since the local newspaper lists this type of thing and posts it online. Thank you for the suggestions guys!
The reason why I'm doing this without a realtor is because A) I'm not looking to sell immediately, so I'm just trying to "ball park it" for now, and B) I have contacted a couple realtors however (without hiring them) they are simply looking at comparables for size/area of town and not really looking at the details (such as, they listed off a couple of comparables that are on pretty sketchy streets and that are run-down on the outside). Just because it's also the same size as my place doesn't mean that neighborhood is good or the house is in good condition. Right? I would think those types of things would be pretty important.
So anyway, I am trying to do a little digging on my own since I'm not going to hire anyone right now, and I know my area of town very well and can at least compare my place to another one based on more info. I mentioned in another thread, I live in one of the very few condos in my otherwise residential area of town, so it's hard to find comparables (and I think without hiring someone, a realtor isn't too interested in digging very hard for me).
How do I find a list online of properties that have recently sold in my area? Is there a national website (like realtor.com)?
I know our local newspaper lists them every other week, but their website is terrible to use and I'm not sure if it's accurate (I know they have left out several homes that have sold before, so I'm not sure how they get the info or who is in charge of entering it).
Our county's property assesssor's site also has something like this, however again...it's not user friendly at all and I've had a difficult time trying to use it. I'm just looking for a plain list!
Any ideas?
If you are in an area like me (FL) which has the public records you can access it pretty easy. You just have to click on a couple of things and get a little comp. savvy and you will find it very easy. I use it all the time and I don't need a realtor unless i want to see a house that they have listed or when I need a buyer for my home.
I know some Counties or States still don't have access to public records.
The reason why I'm doing this without a realtor is because A) I'm not looking to sell immediately, so I'm just trying to "ball park it" for now, and B) I have contacted a couple realtors however (without hiring them) they are simply looking at comparables for size/area of town and not really looking at the details (such as, they listed off a couple of comparables that are on pretty sketchy streets and that are run-down on the outside). Just because it's also the same size as my place doesn't mean that neighborhood is good or the house is in good condition. Right? I would think those types of things would be pretty important.
So anyway, I am trying to do a little digging on my own since I'm not going to hire anyone right now, and I know my area of town very well and can at least compare my place to another one based on more info. I mentioned in another thread, I live in one of the very few condos in my otherwise residential area of town, so it's hard to find comparables (and I think without hiring someone, a realtor isn't too interested in digging very hard for me).
zillow and trulia have them, but I'm skeptical of their accuracy.
What you're describing is sort of a catch-22. As a profession, realtors are very protective of their data, and they want you to go through them to get it. However, if you need a really high volume of data (like when there are a few hundred homes to consider), then you'd end up on the phone with them 12 hours a day, and of course they don't want that.
As a data analysis junkie, I find it frustrating as all hell trying to figure out simple things like the DOM, when a property was listed and at what prices... I figured that I'd have reasonable access to this data if I did business with a Realtor, but that has not been the case. I'm no more informed now than I was on my own.
So I think the moral of the story is to not get your hopes up. Think of it as "Job Security through Data Obscurity" on their part.
Very good points. I think you touched on one thing, in that I feel that I have 95% of the power to access this info on my own, it will just take me longer. And, I don't want to waste someone's time by making them do hours of work for me when I know that I won't be selling my home immediately.
I actually spent my lunch hour searching for a few places for sale and individually looking up the last sales price for them and the surrounding similar homes. I'm sure a realtor could have done it a lot faster/easier, but I do like doing it on my own so that I know exactly what I'm looking at instead of someone reading off #'s to me over the phone.
Thanks again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubber_factory
zillow and trulia have them, but I'm skeptical of their accuracy.
What you're describing is sort of a catch-22. As a profession, realtors are very protective of their data, and they want you to go through them to get it. However, if you need a really high volume of data (like when there are a few hundred homes to consider), then you'd end up on the phone with them 12 hours a day, and of course they don't want that.
As a data analysis junkie, I find it frustrating as all hell trying to figure out simple things like the DOM, when a property was listed and at what prices... I figured that I'd have reasonable access to this data if I did business with a Realtor, but that has not been the case. I'm no more informed now than I was on my own.
So I think the moral of the story is to not get your hopes up. Think of it as "Job Security through Data Obscurity" on their part.
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I will check out zillow again, and keep trying to use the assessor's website (yuck!) 
