San Francisco MLS - MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE

The San Francisco Association of REALTORS^® is the administrator of the Multiple Listing Service. Homes are arranged into the following categories:

1. Single Family Residential a one-family home.
2. Condominium the absolute ownership of a unit within a multi-unit building plus an undivided interest in the ownership of the common elements which are owned jointly with the other condo owners.
3. Stock Cooperative ownership of real property by a corporation where each stockholder is entitled to occupancy of a unit under a lease.
4. Tenancy in Common a form of co-ownership in which each owner holds an undivided interest in real property as if she were sole owner. Each individual owner has the right to divide their interests and do not require the agreement of the co-owners.
5. Loft Condominium
6. 2-4 Units

When a home is listed for sale, the property is assigned an MLS number and is entered into the MLS computer database. All of the pertinent details of the property are noted and a picture of the home is included.

The complete information is available only to REALTORS^® and associated businesses such as lenders and appraisers. There has been a debate, in the past, about whether this information should be made available directly to the public through the internet. Here is the most comprehensive database CLICK HERE. You can get a general idea of prices in various parts of town, but that site will not give you addresses or other pertinent information. The only way to gain complete access to this information is through the services of a REALTOR^®. 

Every day, there are many changes to the database. Prices change, new listings are added, and homes are sold or withdrawn from the market. A Realtor^® must have the proper access, software, passwords and knowledge in order to procure the pertinent information that you want. The task of finding properties that fall into a certain price range is simple. However, searching for comparative "sold" properties or finding the owner of a piece of vacant land can be a more daunting task. 

Property tax records are also available. A good agent knows how to search through these records to verify such information as living area, lot size, year built and current taxes. 

MY CLIENTS

I maintain a database of residential homes on my computer that is automatically updated from the MLS every hour. So I always have current data even if the phone lines are busy. I have also created a variety of custom forms for my clients. The first forms that you will receive are usually personalized "tours" of properties that match the criteria that you have requested. These are sheets of condensed listings complete with photos of the homes. With these sheets you can take a driving tour to preview the homes and inspect the neighborhoods and local services. When you find a property that you would like to investigate further, I will send you more specific information on the home, and we can arrange a showing. All listings have an area number, which indicates a section of the city so be sure to print a copy of the  MLS Area Map . If you wish to search by zip code, click here.

For more complete tips on researching a property, visit here.