Where Can I Find Home Listings?

If you're interested in purchasing a home, you might be wondering how to locate relevant listings outside of contacting a real estate agent or broker. Besides your local newspaper's classifieds section, there are several reliable online sources for home listings, and most are free.

One of the most reliable places to search for homes is the Multiple Listing Service or "MLS" online. While you won't have access to all of the information and properties available to MLS member brokers and agents, you can perform a basic property search by area, home price, number of bedrooms and baths, property type, listing price, and property age.

In order access your MLS.com search results you must register to use the service. Registration is easy. Simply enter your full name, address, work and home number and a valid email address. Registering with the MLS offers you access to listings available in more than 60 Multiple Listing Services, in more than 34 metropolitan areas across the U.S.

Realtor.com also offers a free real estate listing search. Realtor.com is the official website of The National Association of Realtors. Registration is not required and the search is simple. All you need to do is enter the city and state/province or zip code that you're interested in, along with your price range and number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

If you are a seasoned buyer and you're interested in foreclosed homes and/or fixer-uppers, visit any bank website and access the real estate owned (REO) option to search for foreclosed homes in your area. You can also visit the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website at www.hud.gov.

Good luck finding your new home!