Real Estate Search Site

[tomocox]

A point not made often enough: While searching yourself using internet web sites is convenient and fun, the very best way to find a home or home site is to employ a Realtor. Why? Two primary reasons, first, Realtors are professionals earning their living by providing a service. It's therefore our job to do it better than self-service. Second reason: If you buy from the listing agent, then you are automatically at a disadvantage. When you work with a Realtor who represents you and you alone, you are hampered by the legal requirements of dual agency. I am not suggesting that you won't get a fair deal, and I am not suggesting that dual agents won't get you a good or fair deal, I am just saying you get the best legal opportunity when there are competing brokers.

It doesn't hurt one bit to shop for a buyer broker prior to talking about the home of your dreams. Interview at least three brokers/agents prior to listing a home for sale, or hiring a buyer representative.

[spence425]

no offense to you tomocox...or any realtors out there. But, i can speak from personal experience on this. about a year and a half ago, i was offered a job in the louisville area. at that point, i was far from ready to purchase a home...and i was far from ready to even have an intelligent discussion with a realtor about such a topic. what i wanted at that time was to get an idea of what was out there...what the prices were like...what area had a lot of homes listed.

there are a lot of websites out there that provide some information. but, most don't provide information for those who have limited knowledge (if any) of the area.

a site like semonin is the perfect tool for someone trying to get a lay of the land. the map search feature is one that i found particularly useful.

at the same time, i certainly do respect the knowledge and need for a buyer's agent when purchasing a home...and i wouldn't ever go through it without one. but sometimes, it's nice to be able to do a bit of homework yourself to find some easy answers before starting the search for a realtor.

the only thing semonin is missing is a map of the "neighborhoods". i've said it on this site before, and i'll say it again...if anyone has a map of the neighborhood names, it would be extremely helpful when someone considering louisville is stumbling around sites like this trying to find information.

[Off Topic]

If you are moving to a new town, I don't think there is any substitute for a good realtor. Especially if you haven't bought a home before.

On the other hand, in my experience, the poor realtors outnumber the good ones by a healthy margin. (And in all fairness, maybe this is true in many professions.) So a reference from someone who used the realtor is essential, imo. The bad ones are worse than worthless, but a good one is worth their weight in gold.

If you are familiar with the city and have some experience in real estate or business, I think using a realtor when you are buying is highly overrated. But if you are selling, I don't see any way you can do it without a realtor.

Just my personal opinion, but I've got a fair amount of experience in this area.

[Gimme3steps]

Originally Posted by spence425

the only thing semonin is missing is a map of the "neighborhoods". i've said it on this site before, and i'll say it again...if anyone has a map of the neighborhood names, it would be extremely helpful when someone considering louisville is stumbling around sites like this trying to find information.

Something like this?
Louisville Home Prices and Heat Map - Trulia.com

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by spence425

the only thing semonin is missing is a map of the "neighborhoods". i've said it on this site before, and i'll say it again...if anyone has a map of the neighborhood names, it would be extremely helpful when someone considering louisville is stumbling around sites like this trying to find information.

Semonin does have subdivisions, which covers neighborhoods. Direct link to subdivisions is below:

Semonin Realtors

You can put a subdivision or a general neighborhood (ex. Germantown). There is no drop down menu to select the specific subdivision (you have to type in the area) but by also including area neighborhoods, it's covers more areas. The map feature also allows one to zoom into a specific area (subdivision, neighborhood, etc) so you can identify the exact location.

One more thing, listing agents occasionally make mistakes on the listing sheet or the webmaster keys in the wrong information. Meaning that a listing won't show up on a specific search since the zip is wrong, acreage is incorrect, etc. Doesn't happen too often and usually gets corrected quickly.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by spence425

no offense to you tomocox...or any realtors out there. But, i can speak from personal experience on this. about a year and a half ago, i was offered a job in the louisville area. at that point, i was far from ready to purchase a home...and i was far from ready to even have an intelligent discussion with a realtor about such a topic. what i wanted at that time was to get an idea of what was out there...what the prices were like...what area had a lot of homes listed.

there are a lot of websites out there that provide some information. but, most don't provide information for those who have limited knowledge (if any) of the area.

a site like semonin is the perfect tool for someone trying to get a lay of the land. the map search feature is one that i found particularly useful.

at the same time, i certainly do respect the knowledge and need for a buyer's agent when purchasing a home...and i wouldn't ever go through it without one. but sometimes, it's nice to be able to do a bit of homework yourself to find some easy answers before starting the search for a realtor.

the only thing semonin is missing is a map of the "neighborhoods". i've said it on this site before, and i'll say it again...if anyone has a map of the neighborhood names, it would be extremely helpful when someone considering louisville is stumbling around sites like this trying to find information.

Spence, I do take offense. I am sick and tired of people including all Realtors in the same bag. I pride myself and my associates, in listening, not in selling. I teach and coach my people to forget about the sales process, but rather to listen, ask probing questions, and then serve people's needs. If we do that we'll be successful.

As good as the Semonin site is, it's not as good as a Semonin Realtor, or as any other firm's associates.

I will tell you that someone living in Tim-buck-too can not tell by Semonin's site, my site, or any other site, what I know because I have a sense of smell, can add special history, etc that a website can't.

I wish I could repeat all the horror stories that have occured because people go on a website to find a home and use the excellent tool improperly. For example, a screw driver is not a chisel. Both are very important and very useful, but make poor substitutes for the other.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by Off Topic

If you are moving to a new town, I don't think there is any substitute for a good realtor. Especially if you haven't bought a home before. Excellent Points

On the other hand, in my experience, the poor realtors outnumber the good ones by a healthy margin. (And in all fairness, maybe this is true in many professions.) So a reference from someone who used the realtor is essential, imo. The bad ones are worse than worthless, but a good one is worth their weight in gold. Bit overkill on the number of poor verses good. The National Association of Realtors annual survey would prove your hypothesis false. Yes, I advocate that anyone planning to buy or sell a home interview several Realtors prior to listing or buying a home. Would you hire an employee without interviewing several candidates? Do the same when hiring the professional who will help you with one of your largestest lifetime investments.

If you are familiar with the city and have some experience in real estate or business, I think using a realtor when you are buying is highly overrated. But if you are selling, I don't see any way you can do it without a realtor. The biggest single reason for foreclosure is failure to use a qualified, ethical Realtor working in a buyer's behalf. Buying a home without a Realtor can be a lifetime mistake, selling a home without one, while generally costly, is normally a short-time pain.

Just my personal opinion, but I've got a fair amount of experience in this area.

There are hundreds of Realtors in the Louisville market alone that I would be comfortable in referring my family and friends to buy or sell with. It's usually a mistake to not hire a Realtor. 85% of all Realtors are hired by being first in the door. That's the biggest mistake of all.

[jbmill3]

tomocox, I recently bought a house in Louisville with a realtor who had been recommended to me. I wanted to meet with a few realtors to get a sense of personality/style and see who I would be most comfortable with, but the realtor said I couldn't do that. She said we had to just pick a single realtor to meet with, because realtors wouldn't want to waste their time meeting with me if they couldn't be assured that I would be giving them my business. My realtor actually acted fairly upset that I'd even suggested doing that, as if I were suggesting something slightly unethical or underhanded. I was very frustrated by this because it's not what I'm used to, but I called another realtor in Louisville and was told more or less the same thing, so I figured that was just the way the market worked in Louisville.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by jbmill3

tomocox, I recently bought a house in Louisville with a realtor who had been recommended to me. I wanted to meet with a few realtors to get a sense of personality/style and see who I would be most comfortable with, but the realtor said I couldn't do that. She said we had to just pick a single realtor to meet with, because realtors wouldn't want to waste their time meeting with me if they couldn't be assured that I would be giving them my business. My realtor actually acted fairly upset that I'd even suggested doing that, as if I were suggesting something slightly unethical or underhanded. I was very frustrated by this because it's not what I'm used to, but I called another realtor in Louisville and was told more or less the same thing, so I figured that was just the way the market worked in Louisville.

As a professional Realtor, I do apologize for those greedy individuals. Of course, the easy way out was for her. Tell you a bold faced truth and then a bold faced lie in the same sentence. It's the truth that Realtors don't want to "waste their time", but facts are to those still looking to hire a Realtor, we are all independent contractors by Kentucky law, and we must be "hired" by customers first. Then and only then can customers become our clients.

You should be frustrated. I might even suggest that you complain to the local association of Realtors, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors. You have good grounds to be angry and you may have even been caused damages.

[spence425]

at no point in my response did i make any disparaging remarks about realtors. In fact, i've had pleasant experiences with nearly every realtor i've ever worked with. my point was simply that having an idea of the lay of the land, what types of homes are available, what the price range is like, and seeing some examples is incredibly valuable before meeting with a realtor. that allows the conversation with a realtor (be they "selling" or "listening") to be much more productive and informative.

no, searching on my own didn't give me any idea about neighborhoods or the benefits of certain types of home construction or certain builders, but it gave me enough insight that i felt like i was prepared to talk to a realtor.

thanks 3steps for the map...that was what i was looking for, and something that i think would be useful to a lot of prospective home buyers who are not from the area.