You can use many research tools, but not all are 100% current or accurate. Find out what research methods are available to you to get the most accurate information about how to find out how much a house sold for.
Determining House Sale Price
How do you determine how much a house sold for? Maybe you’re interested in buying a house and want to know what you can afford in your target area, or maybe you’re getting ready to sell and want to see how many similar homes have sold in your area.
Whatever your reasons, the good news is that there are many ways how to find out how much a house sold for.
The most reliable way how to find out how much a house is sold for in a certain area is to ask a real estate agent to look up the house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
DYI Approach To Finding Out How Much A House Is Sold For
You can also take a do-it-yourself approach and search the Internet for information on sites such as Zillow and Redfin, although this data may not always be 100% accurate. You can check with your country’s registrar’s office or website in some states.
Here are common reasons for finding out the sale price of a house
There are two main reasons potential buyers and sellers may wish to find out how much a house sold for.
Reason One
When it comes to real estate transactions, knowing the sale price can be a deciding factor when negotiating offers and counteroffers.
When preparing to sell your home, you may want to look at the prices of recent comparable sales in your area. Sales prices of other similar properties will be a good indicator to determine the right price for your home.
Realtors use comparable homes in the local area to create a comparative real estate market analysis. This analysis will be the basis for determining the value of the property.
Reason Two
When you are thinking about buying a home, you may want to know the average selling price of homes in your area since this can help you decide on an asking price.
Knowing a home’s previous sale price can determine how much it has gone up in value. Most likely, your buyer’s agent will also provide a CMA.
Knowing the sale prices beforehand will help make the CMA report clearer when you submit it.
More Than Just Two Ways For How To Find Out How Much A House Sold For
There are several ways to find out how much a home sold for, regardless of why you want to find out. To make the process easier, we’ll look at the best ways to get the information.
How do I know if the house is sold?
To find out if a home has been sold, you can check real estate websites such as Zillow, but these sites are notoriously inaccurate and often contain outdated information.
Your county recorder has accurate information available to the public unless you live in a state like Texas, which has non-disclosure laws.
In case you cannot find out if a home has been sold on real estate websites or through local authorities, you need to contact a local realtor who works in the area of the home you are interested in.
Best way for how to find out how much a house sold for?
The best way how to find out how much a house sold for is to ask a local real estate agent who can find the house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
The MLS is a database available to agents who use it to list homes, search for homes for sale, and exchange data with each other about the sale of any listed property.
You can also go to your county recorder’s office or website.
But if the property is in an undisclosed state (or county), you may be completely out of luck.
In many non-disclosure states, even local tax and appraisal agencies, as well as popular realtor websites such as Zillow, must obtain information from local realtors.
Current states with non-disclosure in 2022 are Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri (some counties), Montana, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
If the home you are interested in is in one of these states, contact your local realtor for any property information.
Are Zillow’s sales prices accurate?
Zillow sales prices are not 100% accurate. Zillow collects data from third-party sources that have access to publicly available records.
The site will not obtain data from county offices regulated by non-disclosure laws. They must rely directly on local agents.
Zillow also receives data when agents update their Zillow profiles.
But sometimes, this data does not reflect the seller’s true net profit.
Example
For example, Zillow sales prices most likely will not reflect any compromises made between seller and buyer.
Or they include closing costs, which may make the home appear to have sold for more than it actually was.
In addition, Zillow data may not be accurate in certain geographic areas, and some real estate sales may appear later on the Zillow website, even if they have already been updated in county records.
How to find out how much a house sold for in your neighborhood?
The easiest way to find out how much a house in your area sold is to ask the agent who sold the house.
If you don’t have information about that agent, you can check real estate websites such as Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com, but keep in mind that the information on these sites is unreliable.
Public Records Online Directory
Another option is to check to see if your county recorder’s office has a website from which you can get this information. Public Records Online Directory is a handy portal to registrar websites available to the public.
If you still come up empty-handed, you can contact a local Realtor who can access the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for your area and tell you the exact price at which the home in your area sold.
Which real estate site to choose?
You are better off checking out more than one real estate website.
Most real estate websites have either an address search tool or a map that allows you to zoom in on neighborhoods.
Standard websites include Zillow.com, Homes.com, Realtor.com and Trulia.com.
It’s best to check as many real estate sites as possible to compare results.
Having conflicting information on several sites is normal.
If you find different selling prices for the same home, you will need to confirm the results with a local Realtor.
Enter your desired area
At Zillow.com, enter the property in the search box.
If the information on Zillow is correct and updated, you can get a valid sale price. The procedure is similar to other real estate sites.
For example, when you visit the County Recorder’s site, you most likely first be asked for a zip code.
Then, if a new real estate transaction is associated with the property, it will show up if it is in the system.
What if they don’t name a price?
If you have tried local real estate websites and still can’t find the price the house is selling for, you need to contact a local realtor who can access the price for you.
Real estate websites contain limited and often incorrect information.
Sometimes real estate transactions take time to update all websites, including state websites.
In non-disclosure states, the sale price of a particular home may not be available to the public at all.
That’s why the fastest and most accurate results most likely will come from a local agency who has access to deals in real-time.
What are the next steps?
Suppose you have exhausted your efforts to find out how much a house sold online using real estate websites.
In that case, you can contact the Realtor who sold the home or a local real estate agency that handles that particular local market and ask the listing agent to find the most current multiple listing service (MLS) for the home.
How to find out how much a house sold for by yourself?
If you want to find out in person how much a home sold for, contact your county recorder’s office.
The county recorder’s office keeps all records of real estate sales in the area it serves.
In most counties, you will be able to look up the records yourself, while in others, the office staff can find them for you.
If for some reason, your county public office does not yet have the information, or you live in a state with non-disclosure laws, the only option for you is to contact the lead agent in your area, such as an agent.
Agents have years of experience in local markets and access to any relevant information about local properties.
Top frequently asked questions about how to find out how much a house sold for
If you are researching home prices, you have several options depending on what information you need.
Real estate websites can give you a general idea of home prices, but you can’t count on their accuracy.
These frequently asked questions about home prices will help you get started.
How do I find out if someone owns the property?
You can find out who owns a parcel of land from the county record office or its website governing the area you are interested in.
The local government keeps track of all property records, what contains contains the property address, lot number, what the property sold for, and all past and present owners.
You can also try the online Public Record database.
In addition, the PropertyShark.com Web site will allow you to perform one free search that can display the name of the current property owner if you have the full address.
Keep in mind that some states have non-disclosure laws that prohibit government agencies from sharing real estate information with the public.
Are real estate transactions publicly available?
In most states, real estate transactions are publicly available.
Many county offices even have websites so that you can access the data online.
In some cases, you may need to visit their local office.
County recorder’s offices often charge a small administrative fee for the information.
But there are some states and counties that have non-disclosure laws and do not publish real estate transactions.
If you are interested in a real estate transaction in a state or county with non-disclosure, you should contact your local realtor.
How do I find out the history of my home?
If you want to know a home’s history, you can do a fair amount of research online.
The website homedisclosure.com can give you some information, especially about the neighborhood, but will not delve into previous owners.
Check The Property Statement At Your County Recorder’s Office
To get a most accurate information, check the property statement at your county recorder’s office and ask to see the chain of title.
You can also ask for legal documents such as mortgages, wills, deeds, tax sales, probate records, and even court proceedings.
These documents will also include the names of all previous owners of the house, how long they owned it, and how much they paid for it.
If you live in a state that does not disclose information and records are not published, you should contact your local Realtor.
How do I find real estate deals?
If you want to find real estate deals, you can get a ballpark figure using real estate websites, but they are random.
Look for homes in the same neighborhood or by zip code.
The more information you can get about the house, the better.
For example, search for homes that are the same square footage and number/type of rooms.
Pay attention to the condition, age, and features.
Great importance is the exact location of the house.
Homes near industrial areas or motorways will be worth less, and homes on corner lots will probably be valued more.
Remember that appraisals and historical data on free real estate sites are often incorrect or misdated, so the values you find may be wrong.
The best way to find real estate offers is to contact a local agent in your area and ask for a Comparative Market Analysis.
Top local real estate agents are the most thorough and accurate sources of information when searching for real estate.
So, if you’re wondering how to find out how much a house sold for, you have several options:
- Just ask a realtor. This is the easiest way how to find out how much a house sold for, but not every realtor can be trusted. Look for the most experienced and reliable realtors.
- Search the relevant websites. You’ll be lucky if you find the information you need there. True, not all states are willing to provide such information.
- Ask neighbors in the area where you want to find out how much a house sold for.
- The county recorder’s office can also give you information about when a house sold and for how much.
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