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Tips For Getting The Most From The MLS
The Multiple Listing Service for each region in the country is a privately-owned subscription service. Real Estate firms and professionals such as YourLancasterHome pay to participate in the service. Participating companies "list" the properties they have for sale. (Used to be that there was a actual paper list book, hence the term "list"). The MLS company maintains a database of these properties which is accessible through the internet.
You, as a searcher, have easy access to every home that is available on the local MLS through YourLancasterHome. Our local MLS also covers Lebanon and parts of Dauphin, York, Berks and Chester Counties. The data on our site is directly off the MLS - not filtered through 3rd-party sites that include spam and pop-up ads. You can search with peace and confidence! The most-used search terms are included for your use.
An easy way to search areas is by using the school district option. In the Lancaster area, districts cover large geographic spreads and/or are specific to municipal areas (such as Lancaster, Manheim Township or Columbia). Other districts cover multiple townships (like Penn Manor, Hempfield or Eastern Lancaster). If you are shopping for a good school, then once you've narrowed your choices down use the school district tool.
Be sure to include your ideal number of bedrooms, etc. as it will help narrow the listings down. Use the smallest number you think you could accept, though. This is especially true with acres - in Lancaster County the typical lot is .25 acres. Looking for 4 acres, for example, will eliminate 80-95% of eligible homes right away.
Use the Year Built option to estimate your preferred age and condition of a home. Keep in mind that homes in the area fall largely into broad categories: pre-1920 (brick 2-stories), 1920-1945 (stick 2-stories), 1945-1960 (brick ranchers), 1960-1975 (stick colonial 2-stories), 1975-1990 (stick bi-levels & split levels) and 1990-present (stick newer colonials). Homes prior to 1920 may be big but need more work. Homes between 1920-1975 may be smaller. Homes newer than 1975 are getting bigger all the time...
We will add more help as you ask us to: please feel free to comment here on improvements you might suggest. When you are ready to have a professional buyer agent help you with specific properties or questions, let us know.
Search the Lancaster PA MLS here.
