Checking comps ?

Question

Is there any other sites/ways to check what recently sold houses have sold for other than through the MLS? I work with an agent and have a good relationship with him but I don't want to bother him run comps for me every time I need to check a house especially if I am doing a wholesale deal or keeping it myself as a rental (he wont be making any money).

Realtor.com seems to work great if I want to check what is listed for sale in the MLS, and I noticed they added a "recently sold" option, however it doesn't seem to be working (at least not in my area as it shows 0 results for broad searches).

I've heard of deed fax services and I am sure I could figure out how to check my local clerk of court's records for recorded sales, but was hoping to find something a little easier, if anything exists.

How do you guys check for recent sales ?

Thanks

Michael Quarles · Answer

If anyone needs access to a national data site let me know.  I like it better than my local MLS for all data however local MLS is great for actives and pended listings.

Shane Woods · Answer

HeyWill Sifert, I may not have been really clear there.  The actual MLS will always have real sold prices, regardless of Disclosure or non-disclosure state.  The "other" places you might look (Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, etc) brought up here are the ones that are affected.  Non-disclosure states will ONLY have listed sold prices in the MLS, and if it's a private sale, there's no way to know.

Ann Bellamy · Answer

Will Sifert, I pay per report, so I don't know what their subscriptions are.  Call them and ask about the per report option.  Each different report is a different price, you can get sold houses within your specified criteria, and can get an AVM, and various other reports.

Will Sifert · Answer

Do you know how much realquest costs (per month I assume). I looked all over their site and I can't find anything that mentions pricing, which usually means its very expensive lol.

Will Sifert · Answer

When my real estate agent pulls comps for me I see list price, original list price, and sale price.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I will check them all out.

Ann Bellamy · Answer

Try RealQuest.com

This is the title insurers database, I believe from First American.  They have different subscriptions, but they also have an option where you can pay by the report, although they don't advertise it.  You'll have to ask about it.

Shane Woods · Answer

Another thing to think about, knowing you don't want to "bother" your agent with lots of comps requests, is find someone who might be an agent's assistant who has access to the MLS.  Ask around, you'd be surprised who you'll find with MLS access that you wouldn't expect, and they might help you if there could be some type of mutual gain.  Maybe you could do some leg work for them of some kind.

Shane Woods · Answer

I'll vouch for Redfin.  I don't know if Louisiana is a "non-disclosure" state like Texas. If it's NOT non-disclosure, then  the sold records (actual sales price) are updated straight from the MLS every couple of days, sometimes sooner.  You'll just have to check if they service your area.

If it's a Non-Disclosure state like TX, you'll only be able to see the "last list price" of the property.  Which will get you in the ball park, but not exact.  REO's will sell for less than list most of the time, retail sometimes more if there's a bidding war...so use at your own risk.  In my personal experience in TX with "last list price", on non-REO's they're within 5-8% on most solds.

Mike G. · Answer

I've never seen a 90 day lag with Redfin.  And they seem to use both the mls and public records (which for some reason don't always match on Redfin).  However, Redfin only covers certain areas in the USA, I think.

Mike H. · Answer

I'll add realtor.com as well.

But that 90 day lag is a bit interesting. Are there any sites that get the data any sooner without having MLS-access?