Sign Up For Daily Alerts
With more than 2000 Cape Cod homes currently on the market, you can’t possibly see them all. So how can you be sure you’re not missing any that might have been the perfect fit? Here are some tips for power shopping the MLS.
First and foremost, make sure you are signed up for Daily Alerts. You can do this yourself by signing up on a website like ours which offers consumers direct access to the Cape & Islands MLS.
Strategic Selection Criteria
When you are filling out the MLS form indicating what you’re looking for, be sure that you are being selective enough to weed out uninteresting properties, but not SO selective that you accidentally weed out interesting ones! For example, if you feel you need 2,000 square feet or more in your new house, be sure to make your lower limit just a bit smaller than 2,000 square feet – because there may be a house that is absolutely PERFECT for you, and that is listed by the assessor as having 1,999 square feet. Do you really want to rule that one out? If your criteria said 2,000 square feet or more, you will never even receive notice of that perfect property in your email.
Similarly, if the most you can spend is $450K, be sure you are looking at houses priced up to perhaps $475K or even $500K. Depending on how long the homes have been on the market, the Seller might be “motivated” and willing to negotiate with a solid Buyer.
A good MLS site will also allow you to refine your selection with a Map Search. Sometimes you are interested in a particular section of a town rather than an entire town. The Map Search can help you hone in on your target area.
Find A Good Buyer’s Agent
If you are serious about buying a home, you should definitely have a Buyer’s Agent working on your behalf to supplement your own search efforts. There are MANY reasons for this. First, we have FULL access to the Cape & Islands MLS, which means we have access to certain data fields that you most likely don’t have through your publicly accessible MLS portal. We can help refine your search in ways that you most likely can’t.
Second, a Realtor who knows a neighborhood well may have knowledge about the area that you don’t have, and can also help set up all your appointments when you’re ready to begin looking at your “short list”. Since you don’t have to pay for a Buyer’s Agent, you may as well find one that you like and let him or her work on your behalf, at no cost to you.
Lastly, when you find the perfect home and want to make an offer, having a good Buyer’s Agent assisting you with pricing, negotiating, paperwork, and all other aspects of buying a home is invaluable. So don’t cheat yourself out of this benefit by “going rogue”.
I would welcome the opportunity to assist you in finding and purchasing the perfect home. Contact me today for expert, professional assistance.