Finding the right home to buy is hard. First-time buyers innocently sit down in front of their computer to do a simple search for a 3 bed/2 bath only to be found shaking uncontrollably twenty minutes later. "I don't know if I want in-ground septic," they cry. "Or a slate roof versus an asphalt shingled one!"
The local Multiple Listing Service, MRIS, has just launched an improved version of their consumer search engine that aims to make things less overwhelming for people who would like to find a house using search terms they want. There are seventeen self-selectable categories for refining a search and, perhaps the biggest plus of all, the public database is automatically linked to the local Multiple Listing Service—the professional database where real estate agents upload all their active listings and have to make any changes. So far this is the only consumer site to have this affiliation. The biggest impact for us common folk is that any changes in price will be reflected on this site before any other. Users can receive an email alert about any changes to properties they have flagged, cutting down on the need to obsessively check each listing. Sighs of relief can now be heard all over the region.
· Homesdatabase [Official Site]