Real Estate Websites Can Lead You Astray

Naples is a beautiful city with gorgeous homes for sale. If you are thinking about buying a home, click here to view all our listings, or if you want to sell, we can provide a Home Price Evaluation. If you have any questions or are interested in meeting for a home buying or selling consultation, please call us at 239-595-8500.

Are Online Home Searches Trustworthy?

Today we are going to talk about real estate websites because so many people are going online to search for homes these days. Whether it's shopping for shoes, searching for information, or browsing for homes, people are now turning to the World Wide Web as their #1 resource.

People often use websites like Realtor.com, Trulia, or Zillow to search for properties online. However, there are major pitfalls to using these websites when you're searching for a home in Naples, and this is what we want to address for you today.

Real Estate Websites are not Always Accurate or Updated
There are many times when we receive a call from one of our clients who is very excited to see a particular property in Naples. We will then speak with this client and get the information about the property, including the MLS number. The MLS is the home search engine that real estate professionals use to list homes and mark them as closed. This updated information helps us track sales data.

Websites like Trulia or Zillow will not have accurate and updated information on properties like the MLS will. We often find that a home that one of our clients saw on these websites is already sold or already under contract. Websites like these can waste your precious time, and this can end up costing you money as well as a good home.

Another downfall to these websites is that they use what is called an 'Automated Estimation Value System'. In fact, the NABOR listing contract specifically allows sellers to opt out of them, and most of our sellers choose to do this. This is because the automated value system that these websites utilize is often not accurate or up-to-date. This system does not always pull directly from the public records or the recent sales in your local area, so it gives people an inaccurate portrait of the market. 

One more reason we do not recommend these websites to our customers is because they will actually take your information and sell it to real estate agents. Real estate agents can then 'buy' opportunities to get leads on listings by purchasing your information. This information is often sold to multiple agents who do not have your best interests in mind.

So, when you're looking to buy, sell or invest in a home, be sure to contact The Saad Team, your professional team of real estate agents. We can provide you with accurate information - and most importantly - a customized service to find the perfect home that will suit all of your needs.

We look forward to helping you find your dream home in Naples! As always, if you have any questions about the real estate landscape here in Collier County, please feel free to contact us and we would love to provide you with all of our updated information.

If you would like to buy, sell, or invest, give us a call at (239) 595-8500 or email us at sold@thesaadteam.com.