Modern Florida Homes
  • Home
  • Modern Homes for sale
  • Selling a Home
  • Inquiries
  • Why Tobias Kaiser?
  • Contact
  • "Modernist Angle" Blog
  • Services we offer
  • South Florida City Profiles
    • Boca Raton Profile
    • Delray Beach Profile
    • Palm Beach Profile
    • Fort Lauderdale Profile
    • Wilton Manors Profile
  • Intro to Modernism
  • Modern Styles explained
  • Elements of Modern Architecture
  • Preservation
  • Real Estate FAQ
  • Deutsche Seite >
  • Net-Leased Investments >
  • About Tobias Kaiser
  • Coral Ridge house

THE MODERNIST ANGLE

#1 Tool for Consumers to Find a Home

10/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Best consumer tool to search for homes
Home buyers have an incredible array of sources at their fingertips when looking for a new home, thanks to websites such as Homes.com, Realtor.com, local broker websites with search capabilities, and of course the 800 pound gorilla in the room: Zillow, which had gobbled up Trulia.com and now offers identical searches on both websites.


What is it like to search?

I recently researched property in another state, and had an educational experience using above sites and a few more.

Educational insofar, as I am – being a real estate broker and Realtor*– so used to the multiple listing service (MLS) with all its options that I very quickly discovered: not one single consumer website gave me everything I needed to conduct my search.

Three examples:

• Only two sites allowed me to draw a map outline of the area I was interested in. Realtor.com once had that capability, but inexplicably took it away. – Shame on them.
• Second example: I was searching for property with garage OR carport (which typically can easily be enclosed and converted into a garage). Not one of the consumer sites I used can perform an EITHER-OR search.
• Third example: Homes.com until recently allowed filters to be applied as “must-have” or “nice-to-have”. However, that clever feature was deleted a month or two ago. – F, sit.

And Zillow? Most of our residential clients also search that site. But what is not known to home-buyers is that Zillow recently went out of the frying pan into the fire. Voluntarily.


Modern homes in Florida for sale
What happened?

Previously, a few unethical real estate agents posted bait-and-switch properties on the internet, even after they were rented or sold. To stop that unethical and infuriating practice – a laudable endeavor – Zillow decided to switch from manual property entry for Realtors® to an automatic feed from MLS data.

That idea was good, but not great: any brokerage wishing to participate now has to grant a blanket authorisation for all of the firm’s listings. Note: a blanket authorisation. Many brokers, including me, do not agree with that policy. But: Realtors® represent over 90 percent of all residential properties for sale.

As a result, all of a sudden Zillow's number of Realtor-listed properties dropped substantially. Consumers looking for homes or condos on Zillow now see only some part of what is actually available for sale. No disclaimers on the page: understandably, the site does not publish what percentage of homes dropped out, so not tick off consumers. I wouldn’t even dare to guess how many homes a consumer is missing when looking on Zillow.

So without intention, the big Z strengthened its competition, namely Realtor.com. That site now should have the most complete list of properties for any home buyer, since:

1)  it represents the most property inventory – Realtors and all of their listings
2) with the most accuracy – Realtor.com is automatically fed multiple times every day from every MLS system in the country.

Unfortunately its filtering capabilities are sub-par, though similar to most consumer real estate sites. But: filtering becomes an issue when you, the consumer, are looking for something specific, such as a modernist home among 22,000 single family homes for sale in Southeast Florida alone (wink wink).


What to do?

You may know the saying “the best boat you ever have is your friend's boat”.

In this context, it translates into “the best home-searching website is your friendly Realtor’s MLS”, running a search for exactly the home you want.

And to stay in the marine analogy: while it’s good form to bring beer or wine when invited to a boat outing and help hosing the boat down afterwards, you are not expected to hose down your real estate agent. Buying the property he/she found for you through him/her is enough. Of course, wine or beer is always a nice addition.

––

* A Realtor® is a real estate agent or broker who has MLS privileges through his/her membership at a local Board of Realtors®. Every Realtor® has a real estate license, but not every licensee needs to have MLS access, for example commercial practitioners. 

Photo ©Tobias Kaiser, illustration ©learntospeakthai.net

0 Comments
    Tobias Kaiser, lic. Florida real estate broker and modern home specialist

    Author

    Tobias Kaiser works as an independent real estate broker and consultant in Florida since 1990. Always putting his clients' interest first, he specialises in modern Florida homes and architecture, as well as net leased investments.
    Email Tobias

    Call (+1) 954 834 3088

    Archives

    April 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    August 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    February 2018
    October 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Modern Homes for sale
  • Selling a Home
  • Inquiries
  • Why Tobias Kaiser?
  • Contact
  • "Modernist Angle" Blog
  • Services we offer
  • South Florida City Profiles
    • Boca Raton Profile
    • Delray Beach Profile
    • Palm Beach Profile
    • Fort Lauderdale Profile
    • Wilton Manors Profile
  • Intro to Modernism
  • Modern Styles explained
  • Elements of Modern Architecture
  • Preservation
  • Real Estate FAQ
  • Deutsche Seite >
  • Net-Leased Investments >
  • About Tobias Kaiser
  • Coral Ridge house