Many home buyers in Orange County, CA prefer using a FREE MLS Search to find foreclosure and short sale homes.
It makes sense. Most home buyers today are internet savvy. Providing a FREE MLS Search allows those considering a home purchase to easily check foreclosure listings in their preferred area, without the obligation of having to use any particular real estate agent.
Rancho Santa Margarita Homes & Lifestyles provides a Free Home Search for all visitors. You can search as many times as you like for free. If you wish to save your search or request updates, there is a quick one-time registration. Registering will allow you to use the site to save and store all of your home searches. Your information is treated with confidentiality and you may opt out at any time. It is truly a no obligation, free MLS Search.
Using the Free MLS Home Search For Foreclosures is easy. Step by step instructions are provided below. Please feel free to contact me either by email or phone if you have any questions about setting up a search, RSS feed, or have any questions regarding the process of buying a foreclosure property in Orange County.
At the top of the page click SEARCH FOR HOMES.
Then type in the zip code or city that you’d like to search and click on the rectangular blue box that shows the city or zip code you entered. You should see a small red button with a minus sign and the zip or city you entered. Multiple zip codes or cities can be added by following this procedure. You may also add additional home search criteria, such as price range or bedroom size just underneath the City, Community, Tract, Zip box.
Click on the Foreclosure box at the bottom of the page and two additional options will appear:
- Pre-foreclosures Process (these are homes with a Notice of Default filing, many of which are short sales)
- Bank / Lender Owned (these are homes that have already gone back to the bank)
Check the box for Bank / Lender Owned and then click on Search. To search for short sales click on Pre-Foreclosure Process.
Run your cursor over the home on the map on the right side of the page. A pop-up box with basic details and the sales price of the home will appear.
Click on the Sort By drop down menu on the left to indicate your sorting preferences.
If there are too many homes clustered in one small area, you may want to focus in using the zoom tool at the top of the map.
On the left sidebar is a list of homes that meet your search criteria. Scroll over and click on a property of interest; a detailed information page will open.
From this page you can make notes, print a property flier, save, email, bookmark, save as a favorite, or send a link to the property to someone else.
You can also save your search, check for alerts or sign up for an RSS feed of listings and listing statuses. If you aren’t familiar with RSS feeds, you may wish to have properties emailed to you instead. I would be happy to help you set up automatic emails based on your search criteria with no obligation. To save your search, click on Save.
A small registration form will appear on the screen. The fields for the starred items must be completed. All other fields are optional. You can regulate the frequency of emailed updates by utilizing the drop down menu on the left toward the bottom of the registration form. Click the finish button and you are ready to search at your convenience.
This is a very user-friendly free home search and you are welcome to use it.
Shameless Plug: If you are are not currently working with another real estate agent, but are considering purchasing a home within the next year, I would love the opportunity to interview for the position of Buyer’s Agent. I hold an ABR® (Accredited Buyer’s Representative®) designation and specialize in Buyer Representation in Orange County, CA.
