How many times have you stumbled upon a great deal, only to find that the sale had ended months ago?
Or, by the time that you find the item you have been searching for, you discover that you have just missed out because it had been purchased just the day prior?
This could happen to you if you are searching for homes using Zillow, Trulia or any of the other syndication sites.
According to a report by The WAV Group, one of the real estate industry’s leading research and analyst firms, syndicate sites such as Zillow and Trulia fail consistently to give consumers the most timely, accurate and complete information about homes for sale.
Time Matters When There’s Competition
If you are searching for the best deals and the most recent homes for sale, you might want to stay away from Trulia and Zillow.
While some homes may appear earlier, the delay between from when a home is added on the MLS and when it appears on Zillow was 7 days and even longer with Trulia, 9 days.
Median Days Between List Date and Appearing for Sale on Site Trulia.com 9 Zillow.com 7
Real estate websites updated directly from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), such as brokerage and agent sites, typically update multiple times a day.
Sorry, That Home Sold Months Ago
You fell in love with the pictures of a particular home and immediately call the agents on the right side of the screen to get more information.
Unfortunately, they regret to inform you that the home you have dreamed about, is no longer available.
This is such a common circumstance with both Zillow and Trulia, that they advise those agents how to respond. It could give you the feeling that they have done a “bait-and-switch”.
When studying the likelihood that a home listed as for sale, was in fact for sale, the report once again noted that Zillow and Trulia had missed the mark, by over 36%.
Percentage of Agent-Listed Properties Marked as Active on Each Site That Are No Longer for Sale in the Local MLS Trulia.com 37% Zillow.com 36%
Where Did All The Homes Go?
When you are searching for a home, you expect to see all the homes that meet your criteria. You are counting on them to give you the most complete list.
During a recent comparison of homes listed for sale in the 86336 zip code, both Zillow and Trulia were missing almost 34 percent of available homes for sale when compared to the MLS.
Companies such as Zillow and Trulia are not real estate agents or brokers and do not receive their listings directly from the MLS. This could mean that you’re missing 34 percent and sometimes more of the available homes for sale in Sedona.
How To Not Miss Out On Your Home
As you can see, this is a huge issue when trying to find the right home for you.
You have to be searching at the right places to really see what is available, or you may risk missing out on the home you have been dreaming of.
How can you know that you are getting the most timely, accurate and complete information about homes for sale in Sedona?
Websites such as this one, that utilize Internet Data Exchange (IDX), are a great place to start. IDX allows you to view all the properties listed on the MLS and are updated multiple times a day to maintain their accuracy.
Hope that this helps you with your search and buying the home of your dreams.
