Redfin Shows More Homes for Sale, Faster, Than Any Other Site
No website shows all the homes for sale. But in the markets we serve, Redfin shows more listings, with less latency, than any other site:
- All broker-listed homes, from the MLS
- Homes in foreclosure, with addresses
- For-sale-by-owner homes
- Records of past sales, last week – 20 years ago
- 15-minute latency
Here are the property types we don't show:
- Pre-foreclosure properties
- Properties for sale on craigslist
- Outdated listings
- Pocket listings (brief delay)
The MLS is the Multiple Listing Service, a database of local listings shared by brokers. Redfin is a broker. Redfin synchronizes with 15 MLSs every 15 minutes, more often than any other site. Brokers update MLSs as we close deals, so MLS data is current and comprehensive. We show all MLS listings unless the seller requests that his listing not be published to the Internet. If a site is not run by a broker, it displays a partial set of listings, obtained through side-deals with individual brokers.
Redfin is the only real estate website to include foreclosure listings free of charge. Other sites claim to list foreclosure properties but actually seek to sell users a subscription to this data: the only properties shown for free are actually pre-foreclosure, where the owner has received a bank notice but is still likely to avoid foreclosure. These homes are not for sale. Other sites also withhold exact addresses until you pay for a subscription.
Redfin's for-sale-by-owner inventory comes from ForSaleByOwner.com and Oodle.com, which is itself an aggregator of listings from other sites. The only major source of for-sale-by-owner homes not included on Redfin is craigslist, which does not share its data.
Occasionally, Redfin receives complaints about listings that appear on other sites but not ours. In rare cases, these are pocket listings, where the broker has posted the listing to its site before sharing the listing with others. This situation lasts only a few hours. Brokers must share listings with Redfin and other brokers within 24 hours of the owner's agreement to sell.
Far more often, the listing has been sold, but less-frequently updated sites still show the property as being for sale. To see listings where a buyer and seller have already agreed to initial terms but the sale is not yet complete, open Redfin's search pane and change the Status dropdown from Active to Active + Under Contract.
If you see a property for sale that isn't on Redfin's site, click Report a Problem at the bottom right of the screen, and let us know where you saw the property for sale and what its address was. We will respond immediately.
Spread the word: in the markets we serve, Redfin has the most listings, most frequently updated. Friends don't let friends miss out on thousands of homes for sale.
