Realtor.com is notorious for boasting how many listings they have on their site and driving consumers to use their site as their only home search site. Consumers see all the homes they have for sale, as compared to other home search sites and think Realtor.com must know of some properties that the other sites don’t. In reality, a lot of the properties listed for sale on Realtor.com are either pending sales, have incorrect information, or have already sold.
How Many Homes Have Already Been Sold?
Take Belmont for example. Today, Realtor.com showed 99 properties for sale in Belmont. In reality, there are only 55 homes for sale today. That is 44 homes on Realtor.com that are not even for sale.
How About San Mateo?
How about San Mateo? Realtor.com shows 531 homes listed for sale, whereas there are really only 234 homes actively listed for sale. The other 297 homes listed on Realtor.com have sold.
Why Does Realtor.com Have More Listings?
Realtor.com’s main business is selling advertising to Realtors and other companies in related industries, not providing accurate information to consumers. The Realtor who is listing the property for sale that has already sold is hoping you’ll see that house, like it, call them up and then they’ll say I’m sorry that house is already sold, but we have others in your price range. Would you like to take a look at those? Mission accomplished. They got you to call them and start a dialogue from an ad for a house that was never available to begin with.
Are There “Secret Properties”?
Reality is, there are no secret homes listed for sale. If the home is for sale, it will be on the MLS. Rarely do we have a listing that is not marketed through the MLS. When that does happen, and it isn’t often, most Realtors who are active in the business will know about the property through word of mouth, emails or the Board. Don’t believe any person or website that claims to have more listings as another website or person. Anyone who tells you this is not being truthful.
Want Accurate Information about Homes Currently for Sale?
If you want accurate information, it is best to visit a site like SanMateoHomesInfo.com, which pulls directly from the MLS (the database where Realtors get their information). All of the properties shown on SanMateoHomesInfo.com are currently available. If they’re not available, they will say Pending Sale, which effectively means that house has sold. Sites like SanMateoHomesInfo.com have an interest in providing accurate information to consumers. We feel your time is important and don’t want you to waste it looking at inventory that is no longer available.
In the Market to Buy or Sell?
Contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation. We’ll tell you about our exclusive Buyer Representation Program that is All About You! and our Stress Free Home Listing that is guaranteed to get your home sold fast, even in a Buyer’s Market.
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