Just ask your Realtor to check availability of the homes by phone before taking you out.

Even though information is supposed to be changed on MLS immediately, some brokers just don't do it as they are supposed to.

Tue Jul 8 2008, 14:55

I suggest that you get a local salesperson with experience and lots of smarts who is in the arena every day. From that vantage you are getting front line information. Generally, there is a lag time with online information as you can understand I'm sure. Such lag times will vary from case to case.

Tue Jul 8 2008, 14:25

Depending on the home, it is usually rare that a home that is on the market is being sold the first or second day it is available. If you are looking at below market listings, it may well be that you are not catching them as soon as they hit the market. I would have a sit down with your agent and discuss a better strategy for your requirements and or try another agent.

Tue Jul 8 2008, 13:20

Hello Audrina24. I understand your frustration. Online information can be somewhat outdated because how current the information is depends on how quickly the listing agent updates the status. Some sites such as realtor.com will no longer show properties once the agent changed the status to pending in the MLS, other sites may not reflect a status change until the agent updated the source from which the site gets its information (i.e., not all sites are dependent on the MLS).

In a market like yours where properties seem to move quickly, your agent should contact the listing agent prior all showings and inquire about the availability to avoid showing properties that are already in contract. Sometimes, you just have to pick up the phone and ask and you can't rely solely on online information as it's only as current as the listing agent makes it. I hope this helps. Don't get discouraged. It's a great time to buy and you should not let the imperfections of modern technology let you affect that much.

Tue Jul 8 2008, 12:22