Author: Alvaro

While browsing for a home can be overwhelming, Homes.com makes it easier for you by helping you narrow down what house is perfect for you based on your needs and wants. But have you ever wondered where Homes.com gets all its information? Or how when you type in a specific location, thousands of homes are available at your fingertips? Well, this is because the majority of listings on Homes.com come from a network of multiple listing service (MLS) providers who have the information about these homes.  

The History of MLS 

To gain a better understanding of what an MLS is, it’s important to learn about its history first. Before the internet, real estate brokers would have to meet at their offices to share information about properties they were trying to sell. In every transaction when buying a home, there’s a broker helping their client buy a home and a broker who helps their client sell a home. So for brokers trying to find a house, they would have to go to different real estate offices and meet with different brokers to see what kind of homes were on the market and determine if they met the needs and wants of their clients. Brokers would share information and agree to pay other brokers who helped them sell properties, eventually leading to the MLS’s creation.  

MLS, Today 

Today, every broker who joins the MLS agrees to help other brokers sell their listings, and they do the same. Therefore, the MLS system is special because everyone has to cooperate to complete the transaction. According to the Real Estate Standards Organization, “as of 2020, there are 597 MLSs in the United States,” but the number has likely shrunk since then “due to regional consolidation of MLSs.” Many Brokerages that are a part of many marketplaces join multiple MLSs. But only Brokers can be a part of the MLS, while Agents cannot unless their broker does so first. 

How Can I Put My Home on an MLS? 

Unless you are a broker, you cannot list your home on an MLS. But when looking for a broker or brokerage, they should be a part of the MLS so you can ensure that your home is exposed to as many buyers as possible. Once your home is on an MLS, you can rest assured that almost any and every broker in that marketplace will now be able to see your home to get it sold as quickly as possible.  

How Do Homes.com and MLSs Work Together? 

Even though Homes.com and an MLS sound very similar, they are different. Homes.com is not an MLS, but we get a lot of our listing data from MLSs. One of our goals at Homes.com is to reach independent brokers and agents and provide consumers with an easy and stress-free way to buy the home of their dreams. Having listings from MLSs and placing them on Homes.com allows consumers to go to one place to find their home instead of having to go to several different MLSs, resulting in chaos and disorganization.  

By having MLSs, brokerages ensure that a home’s buying and selling process is less stressful and time-consuming for them and their clients, making MLSs one of the greatest resources in the real estate industry and one of Homes.com’s greatest assets. 

When searching for a home, knowing everything you can about the home and the neighborhood you may move into is important. One thing that home buyers should look for is whether or not they would like to live in a neighborhood or community with an HOA. HOA stands for Homeowner’s Association, and many homes are located within HOAs due to their rise in popularity in recent years.

Common Questions About HOAs 

What is an HOA? 

HOAs are a group of Homeowners in the area that are typically elected or volunteered. Then they form a board of directors that govern common interests in their community or neighborhood. Homeowners in areas with HOAs typically have to pay fees to cover the use and maintenance of amenities in the area. For example, if you owned a home with an HOA in a community or neighborhood with a pool and park, you would be paying the fee for the maintenance of that pool and park. The board of directors for the HOA will not receive any of the money from the monthly fees; they are unpaid. Instead, the fees go to the maintenance, and the HOA makes decisions on the maintenance that needs to be done and who should do it.  

How much do HOAs cost? 

HOAs usually charge a fee monthly. How much this fee is will depend on where you live. Therefore, the cost of every HOA fee varies drastically. But if you want to live in a neighborhood with an HOA, expect the fees to typically cost you hundreds of dollars a year.  

What do HOA fees cover? 

HOA fees typically cover: 

• Maintenance of Pool 
• Maintenance of Parks  
• Trash Removal  
• Landscaping of Community Areas 
• Pest Control of Community Areas

What are the typical responsibilities of an HOA?  

The responsibilities of the HOA include the maintenance of the neighborhood along with making any rules that serve common interests. For rules, the board of directors would be responsible for setting these rules as well as listening to complaints from the community and handling them. Plus, if a community member broke a rule, they would be in charge of notifying them and/or issuing them a fine. Along with maintenance and rules, HOA board members are also in charge of holding meetings to address issues and concerns with everyone in the neighborhood. These meetings would be open to the community who pays fees, so anyone should be able to voice any concerns they have. And if you don’t like the board of directors for the HOA in your area, it’s important to note that you can always volunteer to join or be elected to the board. 

What are some pros and cons of having an HOA? 

No matter what choice you make in life, there are always some pros and cons. It’s up to you to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons of living in a community or neighborhood with an HOA. The pros of the HOA are that the amenities in your area, such as the pool or the park, will be maintained and taken care of. A con of an HOA could be the excessive number of rules those amenities may have because of the HOA.  

Something that could be a pro or a con of having an HOA is the monthly fee you have to pay. The HOA fee could be a pro because of everything it covers, but it could be a con if it costs too much or the HOA does not keep up with maintenance or residents of that area like they are supposed to. One final con is that the HOA may issue too many fines, such as you not maintaining your lawn or having a clothesline, or even having too many pieces of outdoor furniture. If your HOA is like this, you may not enjoy living in your home. That’s why it’s important to talk to your neighbors about the HOA before buying the home.  

Whether you’re buying a house for the first time or the third time, it’s essential to know whether or not your home is in an HOA to ensure you and your family are getting the perfect experience inside and outside your home. We buy houses in Folsom Ca