Posted by Brent_IL on May 18, 2002 at 09:31:04:
It’s also a good idea for the broker to be the person that you ask for the referral. They will disregard ties of friendship and treat it as business. They’ll send you to the one person who has the best chance to get the deal done and earn them a commission.
Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by Rick H
Posted by Rick H on May 16, 2002 at 21:19:55:
Do any of you have any suggesstions on how to access the MLS if you are not a realtor? What are the necessary requirements for subscribing? I am interested in gathering comp data and developing targeted marketing lists. I have contacted a few realtors in my area but they are rather slow and in fairness to them i am asking them for quite a bit of info.
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks,
I am in Texas by the way if that matters.
Rick
Re: Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by Bruce Lawson
Posted by Bruce Lawson on May 17, 2002 at 08:10:46:
Hi Rick,
You can get software that will provide you with such data from Haines and Company,Inc. try their website www.haines.com they will send you a free trail CD Rom that will explain what you can find using their program. The downside of it they are not available everywhere there are only five or six states I am aware of, you can purchase the program or lease it for as many counties you are interested in at ~$30/area or $300 if you purchase one county. I will not go into all the information that is avaiable but I will say it will help your business, it is worth the money.
Sincerely,
Bruce Lawson
Re: Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by CDLF Capital
Posted by CDLF Capital on May 16, 2002 at 22:53:18:
From what I know you have to have a realtor?s license. Once you have your license you will pay a small annual fee for a dial up into the system and a small fee to maintain your license. There is however a few sites on the Internet that supply watered down information that you find in MLS. You will not be able to do a market analysis as fast or as easy as if you had access to the MLS database. Another option is to befriend a local agent. This is what I have done. I would suggest you read a few books get your license and pay the fees. I am currently in to process of doing this myself. Being a broker can help you in many other ways also. If you find a property that you are interested in you can?t write a contract with the owner to list and conduct the sale the property for a 6%-12% commission. You can then turn around and buy that same property yourself and you have 6%-12% of your down payment up front.
Re: Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by Rick H
Posted by Rick H on May 17, 2002 at 08:25:47:
Hi Bruce,
Thanks for sharing the info. Unfortunately they do not cover my area (San Antonio, Texas) Are there any other similar companies out there?
Rick in San Antonio
Re: Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by Rick H
Posted by Rick H on May 17, 2002 at 08:07:01:
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have considered getting my re license. I am a little concerned that the disclosure in the ads and on the phone may turn off both buyers and sellers. What are your thoughts?
Re: Need help accessing the MLS - Posted by Scott Ewing S.W. MIch
Posted by Scott Ewing S.W. MIch on May 17, 2002 at 09:27:47:
You do need to be licenced and a member of the local board around here to get the access. I have been an investor first outside the loop and then as a licencee, and I am now a broker candidate. I feel that going through the licencing process is very worthwhile and more than offsets any disclosure requirements. In fact you could gain more credibility by being licenced and run the “I buy homes” ads as part of a marketing campaign. i.e. “Trading up? if your home doesn’t sell in 60 days, I’ll buy it.” or you can have a best buddy field calls and then take up the leads from there.
Reply to wireman - Posted by Scott Ewing S.W. Mich
Posted by Scott Ewing S.W. Mich on May 18, 2002 at 07:36:36:
Per you e-mail: It’s harder to get respect if you come off as an investor right off the bat. Her’s why: Every week 2-3 newbies come into the office with a gleam in their eyes because they have seen the light. They then take all the cheap listings and dissappear. Often you find out later that they either went to the listing agent or tried to circumvent the system entirely to cut their own deal with the owner- not smart. Can you see why Realtors are gun-shy? The point of the MLS system is that any customer can go to any office and get all the listings that meet their requirements. The unwritten understanding is that they should go back to the Realtor that helped them and view properties and write offers through them. I think the biggest misunderstanding is that there is some kind of extra cost with using 2 Realtors. Here’s what I would reccommend: 1. Go to a mortgage company and get a letter of pre-approval. This does not obligate you to doing a traditional purchase, but does raise your credibility. Besides if you do find a property that is a great deal traditional purchase or not, you’re all set to go. 2. Interview several agents and not ask for listings but rather state your criteria and that you are looking for one agent to do all your purchases with and mean it. Don’t mention creative financing but rather ask what kind of experiences they have had with your type of property. (Repos, junkers, whatever) If they don’t seem very interested, simply ask them if their is specialist in thier office that deals with your kind of property. Virtually every office has one. The point is that if you can show them repeat business they might be more inclined to assist you. Hope this helps.