Search the San Francisco MLS for homes

When a new property is listed for sale the listing agent gathers as much information as possible and places this data in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) computer. It often takes some time for the agent to research some of the data such as balance on mortgages and home-owner's association information. Once the listing is entered, a photographer is sent to the home to take pictures and an order is placed for a sign. A week or more has usually elapsed by the time the photos are available and the "for sale" sign is on the lawn. If this home is a "bargain" it will probably have been sold before the sign arrives. The average home in San Francisco sells quickly and bargains sell much sooner. So how is one to get at these bargains. There are two basic ways to gain access to MLS data:

1. Use Realtor.com. The search on this site contains much of our local MLS data. Here you select homes by area and a search criteria including price range, number of bedrooms etc. A few of the items that are missing include ADDRESS, HOA FEES and TAXES
2. Use your realtor. If you give your search criteria to your realtor, they can fully research all the properties on your behalf.

One of the most important factors about a listing is the listing date, or how long the home has been on the market. An older MLS# indicates an older listing and subsequently raises a red flag. Why hasn't his home sold in a timely manner? Until recently the listing date was hidden until after the home sold. Experienced agents knew that they could roughly calculate the age of the listing by its MLS number and would avoid those listings.

Although an older listing number may indicate a problem, there are a couple of legitimate reasons for this situation. The most common reason is that the home was originally listed at a very high price (and may still be) but the owners have gradually lowered the price. Another common reason is that the home went into escrow but the buyers cancelled the transaction at a later date.

If it sounds too good to be true...

Some homes look great on paper but are a big disappointment when you actually visit the site. One of the most common problems is a home located on a busy street. Maybe when the home was originally purchased the street was relatively quiet, but now it has turned into a 4-lane major thoroughfare. Another problem is a home that backs up to a commercial development or a high-rise condo. When the original owners purchased the property there was an empty field over the back fence but now they have lost all the nice bay views and gained a lot of noise. I will show you how to investigate these types of problems later in this article.

Fax your offer

You will notice that the description on many homes includes the phrase "fax your offers to xxx-xxxx." This is often an indication that the home is a repo. If this is the case, the home will be sold "as-is" with no warranty as to the condition of the property. Under these circumstances you must hire a professional home inspector! Bear in mind that when negotiating with banks and lenders that there is no sense of urgency on the seller's part. Your offer is just another piece of paper on the lenders desk. The sale will go to the best offer.

Searching public records

San Francisco County maintains one of the most sophisticated websites in the country. If you know where to look you can find tax records, ownership history, aerial photos and soil maps; in short, all sorts of pertinent data to help you research a potential purchase.

1. TAX RECORDS. If you have the address, parcel number, or owner's name, you may look at the tax record by clicking here. You can check this information against the listing to confirm its accuracy.
2. AERIAL PHOTOS. You can investigate the location of a particular property here. At this site the selected property will be circled in red and you can gain further information by clicking on each property. You may also want to "investigate" your potential neighbors :>)
3. MAPS: If you are very adventuresome you may want to explore the GIS data here