Where Should Buyers Search for Property?

The lack of an MLS (multiple listing service) in Manhattan has been the source of heated debate for years.  It continues to be a major topic of conversation as more and more websites pop-up both locally and nationally that aggregate listings information from multiple if not all databases.  

Until recently, if a buyer was interested in searching for a new home in Manhattan, they were forced to peruse a plethora of individual real estate broker web sites or they could turn to The New York Times on line as the best aggregator of property listings.  

Well those days are long gone as sites like Property Shark and StreetEasy have really taken hold in the Manhattan real estate market.  No longer can the brokerage community hold information hostage and since all co-op sales are being recorded now (back to June 2003), many of these sites provide tools that allow the consumer to do their own market analysis of property values including the search of sales history in and around specific addresses, as well as building and neighborhood information.

So if you are a buyer in today’s real estate market, stop the madness of searching individual broker websites for property as none of those individual sites can provide a complete database of available property.  At best you will see less than 50% of what is currently available.  Spend your valuable time more efficiently and take your pick of StreetEasy or PropertyShark as your one stop shop for all Manhattan listings data.  The sites are so complete at this time that many agents and brokers choose them over their own internal listings systems.