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I always wanted to know that too, "How to find out sold prices".
Not because I'm going to buy something without a Realtor but because we are exploring so many areas and states that it would be nice to just go online and find the information myself. Especially because if we are just curious about an area and are not ready to fly out there to look at properties. I hate to bother an agent and make them do all this work for me and I may change my mind on the area in a week.
But I would always recommend, when buying a home or something, to use an agent.
Check the county assessor's website. Some counties are better than others and of coarse those lagging behind the times won't be online. My county (Dakota Co., MN) has the best I have seen. You can see the current owner, yearly tax bill, photo, size of home, foundation & garage and last sale date and price. As a mortgage guy/banker I use this site almost everyday.
Dakota County Real Estate Inquiry (http://gis.co.dakota.mn.us/scripts/esrimap.dll?Name=webq1&Cmd=Map& - broken link)
just enter a house number in the box and click on the tabs.
Depending on your state, you can EASILY go and take your RE license exam and get your license, pay the yearly/monthly dues and have complete MLS access which gives you sold prices for every property ever sold under your local MLS system going back several years (I think even more than 10 - 15 years depending on the age and technology of your local board's MLS system). If you plan on doing this (buying properties) professionally, it's worth the relatively small investment.
Is this true? I would kill to have access to the MLS. It is one of the most frustrating things when you are a buyer - that the information is kept away from you.
Doesn't the NAR or Trend or whatever require that you work for a firm as well? I know they do everything they can to keep info hidden from the consumer.
Is this true? I would kill to have access to the MLS. It is one of the most frustrating things when you are a buyer - that the information is kept away from you.
Doesn't the NAR or Trend or whatever require that you work for a firm as well? I know they do everything they can to keep info hidden from the consumer.
Relatively small investment? It costs $1,200 just for yearly membership in my local MLS. That doesn't include the costs of the initial classes, test, and then continuing education. Add onto that Broker and office fees and splits, ymmv.
And if you think you can get a license today, pay your registration and dues, fees to hang your license and then represent yourself with confidence tomorrow.....well, good luck with that. And then, when you finally do buy your home, be prepared to split the commish with the office, pay E/O, taxes, etc. And there are a lot of other hidden expenses, too, depending on the state and franchise.
All that for one or two purchases? Doesn't sound like a relatively small investment to me.
As far as keeping info hidden from the public, all the information is a matter of public record. Go to the local Registry or Town Hall. It's all there. Wear a mask to protect your lungs from the dust
Is this true? I would kill to have access to the MLS. It is one of the most frustrating things when you are a buyer - that the information is kept away from you...
The MLS was built and owned by Realtors. That's why it's kept away from those who aren't Realtors.
Become a Realtor and you have access at the same price as every other Realtor pays.
Relatively small investment? It costs $1,200 just for yearly membership in my local MLS. That doesn't include the costs of the initial classes, test, and then continuing education. Add onto that Broker and office fees and splits, ymmv.
And if you think you can get a license today, pay your registration and dues, fees to hang your license and then represent yourself with confidence tomorrow.....well, good luck with that. And then, when you finally do buy your home, be prepared to split the commish with the office, pay E/O, taxes, etc. And there are a lot of other hidden expenses, too, depending on the state and franchise.
All that for one or two purchases? Doesn't sound like a relatively small investment to me.
As far as keeping info hidden from the public, all the information is a matter of public record. Go to the local Registry or Town Hall. It's all there. Wear a mask to protect your lungs from the dust
My relatively small investment is $600 for a system built by Realtors for Realtors. I don't see people busting on the keebler elves for not sharing their recipe.
The OP asked how do you find "sold prices" on homes.
I googled "zillow competition" and got "cyberhomes dot com"
If you click on comparibles to a certain address, it has "sold" prices from homes that sold as recently as december. I was pretty impressed... (and no, I don't have any connection to the site...I was just looking for an alternate to zillow which isn't great IMO)
So, basically, to bring this thread to a close, what one needs to do to find out comps for a local area is by asking a realtor that specializes in that area? Or, can it be any realtor in the state?
Lastly, is it rude to ask a realtor this info and then don't do anything further? Does it take a long time for him/her to look this info up?
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