Property Search Q & A Coldwell Banker Northern California
Folsom Office

How do you find the properties of highest interest to you and not the agent selling it? The search tool offered here gives you more flexibility and more timely information than any other. It's been designed to give you absolute control and it offers all properties from all brokers who are members of MLS (MetroList Services). 
 
Here's my promise:  More control than Zillow, Trulia, HomeFinder, even Realtor.com. More accurate price estimates than Zillow or Trulia. Immediate access to maps, aerial and birds-eye views, photos and compete property information.
 
To get started, link HERE.
 
In response to actual user requests, here's a list of the most common questions received.
 
Q1:  I'm really enjoying the search interface on your website, but I was wondering if there is a way to search for some more advanced criteria such as 3+ car garage and/or waterfront / creek / pond or some water feature on the property, or perhaps a good view?
 
A1:  Yes, abosolutely. You can narrow down to direction the home faces, views, horse property, granite tops, 3 car ... just about anything.  Remember, the more specific the input, the more limited the response. And, unfortunately some agents fail to accurately include information ... just be aware of that.
Here's how:
 
If you have yet not registered, link to the "SIGN UP" button at the top of the home page. You need only to enter your name (even an alias will work) with an email address (must be valid), nothing personal if you wish, and you can opt out at any time. Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and create a "User Name" and "Password". Click the "Next" button and you will be taken to your proprietary search.  Start by entering a "Name" for your search, something like, "Folsom, 4+ brm, <$450"
 
1.  IMPORTANT:  You will see several tabs "Location", "Map", "Vicinity", "MLS ID" and "Advanced".  Choose "Advanced" before you begin the search;
 
2.  under 'search locations', click on county, or better, go to the next box down 'area' and click on the 'city'.  The numbers shown as 'area' relate to zip codes but they do not use what you'd normally see.  If you choose multiple areas, be sure to hold the Ctrl+click.
 
Note:  as you move thru this, you'll see a 'properties that match your search' counter in the upper right ... this is helpful to see if your search is becoming too narrow.
 
3.  enter your criteria into the fields that follow;
 
5.  further down the page you'll find [+] Special Features.  Open this and here's where you find much more into.
 
An alternate to this is to go to the [+] Perform a Map Search.  You'll select the county first, then zoom into the area.  Use the Polygon tool to outline an area.  When doing this type of search, you do not need to put in the 'area' limiters.
 
5.  at the bottom of the page, you can also designate if you want properties in 'high to low' or 'low to high' - I prefer the latter.  Then, choose if you want notification 'immediately', 'daily', etc.  If you choose 'immediately', you will get updated information within an hour of any changes made or entered by all brokers.  This is a BIG advantage over Zillow, SacBee, Realtor.com and most others.  You can also choose to get an email if any new listings come to market or if existing listings go pending or are cancelled.
 
6.  if a particular property is of interest, simply save it back to your 'saved properties' file and you can follow it from there. 
 
Be sure to 'save search' at the end, or you'll loose the info.
 
That should get you going.  If you get stuck, give me a call at 916-960-7300; I'll walk you through the steps.  I think you'll like it.
Q2:  When I create a search, how do I get to the property information?
 
A2:  There are a couple of ways ... which is why this tool is so user friendly!
1. open the tab for your "Property Searches".  Note that your folder will provide a summary of properties available, average pricing and links.
 
2. choose your search and click on "View Listings"
 
3. you will see a list of properties adjacent to a map. You can either click on the map location and get property details, or link from the list.
 
4. when you find a property of interest, scroll down and note there are several buttons. If you choose to "save to" the property will be sent to a "Saved Properties" folder where you can access it at any time or follow it as there may be price changes, etc.