Williamsburgs Real Estate Blog and more!

I've gone down this path before and find myself doing it again after another frustrating week of showings,feedback,lack of respect for the seller and buyer and just plain misinformation.

If your REALTOR is not concerned with wasting their time, how concerned are they about wasting your time? In our area betwen Williamsburg and Virginia Beach VA, we have two MLS systems. From a consumer standpoint this might not appear to have a big effect on on you but it is HUGE!

REALTORS and real estate agents have to belong to an MLS system to post their listings and get the most complete information to help you locate your next home. The MLS costs us money every month. If you belong to two, the cost almost doubles. Belong to three-it triples. So an agent or REALTOR who might be pinching pennies, chooses not to join one or the other. That's fine, until you call them and want to see homes for sale in Williamsburg, and they live in Hampton. You do want to know their areas of expertise don't you? You do want to know that they have access to ALL of the homes for sale in order to narrow down your search and help you find the perfect home if it is out there right?

Well they probably aren't telling you, and you don't know enough to ask. I want you to know there is a problem in our area. Only about 25% of Williamsburgs (WMLS) listings apppear on the tidewater MLS (REIN). So if you are working with a REIN agent looking in Williamsburg, they will only show you what they can find in their MLS, unless they belong to both. So you need to ask that question of your agent/REALTOR! Likewise, a Williamsburg agent may ot belong to REIN but I can tell you that the majority of the full time full service Williamsburg agents I know, do belong to both.

We have different lockboxes to secure our listings keys. This is another huge expense as we need separate lockboxes and keys to open them. With any luck, in the next ten years the entire MLS model will adapt and become more consistent for all of us as consumers and REALTORS/agents. 

Please qualify your agent/REALTOR. You are making a huge investment when buying. Whether you are working with a brand new agent or one that's done hundreds of transactions you expect them to have the knowledge and tools to promote and protect your best interests. It is far too easy to get a real estate license with no apprenticeship or experience requirement, so interview more than one. If you are going to work with a relative or friend who just got their license to help you buy or sell a home, you might want to ask that they work alongside with a more experienced agent while doing so. Both of you will benefit!