Non realtor access to the mls?

Question

is there a way, outside of becoming a realtor,  to get access to the MLS? I don't think my agent does a good job at getting me listings.  She does excellent on many other things, communication,  looking over the  houses, etc., so I want to keep her around. She won't let me have access,  is there another way?

William Morrison · Answer

I was talking to @Russell Brazil at a Meetup about two weeks ago here in Maryland about the MLS. I thought they were all connected. Well he and another explained they are not.
I have a buyer agent in an other state. They use a different MLS and he sends me a buyer's access (my term) and he may have to renew it every 3 months. It does not have all the features he has but it's pretty good. Then I checked around and that's not common in other areas.

Melroy D'Souza · Answer

@Jeffery Waicak ,

Consider becoming a member of the board of realtors to get access to the MLS. Approx. $1K a year in fees for Central Ohio, probably about the same in your area. Around $1.6K in tuitions, app fees, etc.  I've just started on that route. Just find a broker that does not charge a desk fee/monthly fee.

Another option is to have your agent set you up with multiple queries - you can go for very specific or just make them very generic. Then you can play around with what the system sends you. They can also set you up with instant email every time a property is added or modified on the MLS, as opposed to a daily feed. Perhaps she can sit with you for an hour or so and the both of you set up the exact criteria you want.

Rafael Floresta · Answer

Access to MLS is more than just to sign up for listing notifications. I have MLS access and I still use redfin to browse the map and see what is going on in my neighborhood. It is fundamental for me to comp properties properly.

What I use MLS the most, and I find it mostly useful is to see information from expired, settled listings. That give you so much information when evaluating a purchase or trying to understand a person motivation to sell.

Another way to get access without being a licensed real estate sales person is to become a unlicensed assistant to someone that has a license.  But it is a major risk to have an assistant, because basically any error you make while assisting your sales person will be his responsibility.

I would not expect your agent to let you have access to MLS being his assistant.

http://reitips.com/mls-access-without-license/

David Dachtera · Answer

@Jeffery Waicak, et al,

One point to remember is that once a property hits the MLS, Everyone can see it - agent, brokers and - eventually - users of realtor.com, Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, ... So, you're competing against "the world" at that point.

You're actually better off developing ways to find properties which aren't listed yet - pre-foreclosures, probates, divorce, bankruptcy, incarcerations, etc.

My $0.02 ...

David J Dachtera

"Success is not a destination. Failure is not an event. Success is a process, failure is a choice."- DJ Benedict

Christina Yoon · Answer

Many websites feed offthe mls,  and when I check,  they update within ten minutes from when I uploaded the listing.

Hope that helps.

Christina Yoon · Answer

Unsure about ohio.

In my area, access to mls is not cheap and they ask which broker the agent is affiliated andalso association of realtor membership  information.   When you say "access", I'm assuming  you do mean computer and not physical entry with scheduling appointments...

Zillow and trulia update with the mls,  and can be a good source of information.

Jeffery Waicak · Answer

@ Russell Brazil. Thanks. That's.what she said too.  So with that said, what website or websites,  would give me the most up to the minute mls listings?

Russell Brazil · Answer

I am a member of MLS's in 7 states.....there is no guest login in any of the states I am in, and the assistant access is only for assistants actually employed by the agent.

There are plenty of websites though that have syndication deals with the MLS, however an agent listing a property and prohibit their property from being syndicated to a third part website, at least in all the states I use the MLS.

Non realtor access to the mls?

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