Before really searching for particular units, I checked out listings on Realtor.com.  This is where I was easily able to check out what you’d get in my price range in different areas.  My first searches were in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Tempe.

I was surprised to find a better selection in Scottsdale than the other two areas.  I think I also checked out Mesa and Chandler because my parents lived in Mesa and our friends live in Chandler.  But I’d always go back to Scottsdale.

I just think Scottsdale will offer more of the lifestyle we want and the ease of renting our condo out if we want to. Basically, it is our future retirement condo and we’re just getting it in advance. We want to use it and share it and we want to have access to shopping and dining and entertainment. I’m a city girl and I’m not interested in living too far out.

Realtor.com can leave a lot to be desired

They have since upgraded their website and it’s better and I can’t blame the site for the lack of information and photos.  That is how the listing agent presented their listing on their MLS.  I can’t understand why some agents provide zero or only one photograph.  Sometimes the one photo was of the community pool and not even the unit for sale.

Since I was just in the beginning stages of my search, I spent the most time on Scottsdale condos for sale with a description and multiple photos.  I wasn’t ready to buy yet and at this point was simply window shopping, just to see what was being offered.  I was pleansantly surprised to see that we could get a decent place in our price range.

I started my search probably about a year prior to actually looking.  This is how many buyers begin their search.  They go to a national site and do a search, just to get an idea.

Potential buyers need to understand that these large real estate portals do not carry every available property for sale.  They’re fine in the beginning stages of house hunting.  But when it gets down to the time when you’re ready to buy and really start choosing your properties to view inside and out, you need to utilize a local MLS search. 

Some of these portals do not clean up their listings and you could be interested in a property that was sold and closed a long time ago.  Realtor.com used to do this but they are more timely and once a property closes it is removed from the site.  Other sites do not do this as they don’t have direct MLS access like R.com does.

Better yet, get on an automated e-mail search where properties are sent directly to your e-mail, or a website set up for the listings in your price range and with the amenities you want.  To do that, you’ll need to have chosen the real estate agent that you will work with.  Happy Scottsdale real estate house hunting!

Let me know if you need a great Scottsdale REALTOR so I can refer you.  Call me at 708-536-8200 or leave a reply below.