The internet is a wonderful tool for gathering information, and these days, looking at homes for sale in your area (and anywhere else in the country) is not hard. Searching for home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or even homes for rent in Fairfield with proper property management is easier than ever. You can get an idea of the homes that are available, how much they cost, where they’re located, and many of the features available in the homes. Most sites have photos of the homes, both inside and out. It can be fun and exciting when you see the ideal home pop up -- It has the features you want in the area you like and at a price you can afford. And according to the website, it’s still available! You move quickly and call the listing agent to ask for more details, only to find the house sold a couple of months ago, or the home is just a short distance from the railroad tracks, or the seller needs to rent the home back for a couple of months after the sale. It turns out the online hunt for home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or homes for rent in Fairfield is complex. 

Home search sites like Zillow, Trulia and Homes.com are great resources for providing home searchers valuable information, but it’s important to recognize some of the limitations of these sites. Most importantly, these are listing aggregation sites, meaning they pull home listings from hundreds of multiple listing services throughout the country through periodic updates. The information you see is close to real-time in most cases (all these sites update several times a day), but there are many occasions where the information is obsolete. Approach these sites with a little caution before making any big decisions when searching for home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or homes for rent in Fairfield. 

While we’re at it, this is probably a good time to mention Craigslist. You can find homes listed for sale or rent on Craigslist, but we strongly recommend you proceed with caution or avoid listings on this site altogether. Professional licensed real estate companies do not typically list homes on this site, so there is a good potential that listings on this site are scams. Do your due diligence and investigate thoroughly if you choose to proceed this way for home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or homes for rent in Fairfield. 

If you’re ready to purchase a home, starting at these sites can be a good way to see what the market is like in the neighborhood. They can give you an idea of home prices in the areas you like, home features that you like (or don’t like), and a general idea of the neighborhood, such as nearby schools, amenities, services, etc. Once you know the basics, we recommend you contact an experienced Realtor like one of our agents at Community Real Estate Services, who are knowledgeable in home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or homes for rent in Fairfield. First, our agents can arrange for listings to be sent to you from our local Multiple Listing Service in real time, meaning that when a home hits the market meeting your specific criteria, not only will you be immediately notified, but you can be sure you are receiving the most current property information. And when you see the home rentals, Vacaville homes for sale, homes for sale in Fairfield, or homes for rent in Fairfield that interest you, a quick call to your Realtor is all it takes to get additional information on the homes and plan to see the them for yourself, because what something looks like in a photo may look totally different in real life. These are things the online search sites don’t do. Contact one of our experienced agents today for the “inside information” on our local housing market!