MLS listings for Woodstock, VA and Greater Richmond housing and real estate
Woodstock and the Richmond, Virginia area are served by the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service (CVRMLS). The CVRMLS is available through the Richmond Association of REALTORS (RAR), which is made up of 5,800 REALTORS, sponsors, and affiliate members. Along with two offices, including RAR North and RAR South, this makes the Richmond Association of REALTORS the largest trade association in Central Virginia.
The CVRMLS is available to member-brokers and agents only, but non-members interested in searching for homes in Central Virginia, including Richmond, may perform a limited-access home search at the Central Virginia Home Search website. The site is owned and operated by the Richmond Association of REALTORS' Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service.
So what is the Richmond Association of Realtors MLS and how does it work?
In simple terms, the Richmond Multiple Listing Service or CVRMLS is a database of homes for sale in the Woodstock area. While the MLS® trademark is owned by the Canada Real Estate Association (CREA) -- as is the REALTOR® trademark -- MLS systems across the country are typically set up as separate corporations. The MLS in any given area is affiliated with its local association of realtors. Now, here's where it gets tricky. Any city or region may have several associations. Richmond, however, only has one major association. Some of these associations will integrate their MLS systems, while other will remain separate, which means neighboring areas may be listed on different systems that will not necessarily overlap. In Richmond, it's important to utilize the CVRMLS when buying or selling a home.
The MLS also serves as a compensation offer between brokers. If one Richmond broker represents a buyer who purchases a property that is listed by another Richmond MLS broker, they will typically share the commission, and this information is listed in the MLS.
The overabundance of MLS systems available can also create confusion and frustration for many Richmond agents and brokers. Real estate agents who are not members of a certain MLS service have difficulty gaining access to properties that are exclusively listed with that service. The Richmond MLS system helps to protect the listings for a given neighborhood or larger community by controlling who has access to them. This ensures that local agents have an advantage over real estate agents from other areas. While this can be beneficial for the local agents, some also consider it to be a tactic by the MLS systems to earn more fees and recruit more members.
The cons to operating individual MLS systems (as opposed to one large MLS) mainly affect non-members. The CVRMLS (www.centralvirginiahomesearch.com) is an excellent tool for participating members, buyers, and sellers. The Richmond MLS offers maximum exposure to houses for sale in Richmond neighborhoods and it allows agents and brokers to quickly and easily find properties that are listed. Richmond real estate agents and brokers can also examine commission rates and browse through an extensive amount of data about any given property for sale.
It is important to keep in mind that while the CVRMLS has over 5,800 members, not all brokers participate. This means that while the Richmond MLS service (www.rarealtors.com) does list a significant number of properties for sale, it does not list all properties for sale in Woodstock and the Richmond area.