There is a lot of data that is nicely formatted in an MLS listing, but if you are not sure of the whereabouts of that information, or the codes or abbreviations, you might be missing some much needed information.
The predominant MLS system in Fairfield County CT is the GFC-CMLS, and if you read my market statistics on each our town blogs (Easton, Fairfield, Norwalk, Trumbull and Westport) you will see a reference to the GFC-CMLS at the bottom of each report as to where the information in the article was obtained from.
There are six sections to a Public Format MLS sheet, which is what most agents will give you. You can most certainly spot the price of the home that is on the right hand side of the first section, but to the left of that, and on that same line is some other information that is of interest. For instance, the status of the listing and the market time. The status is either shown as ACTV (active), RAIS (raised price) REDC (reduced price) CTS (under initial deposit) BOMK (back on the market) Market Time is measured in days, and sometimes you will just see MT 25 rather than Market Time: 25 days.
The second section contains the address of the home, what town the home is located in, the market area of the town (like Coleytown or Saugatuck in Westport), whether or not the property has any waterfront features (WTFT) , and whether there is a homeowners association for this property (HOA or HO Assoc) , as well as directions to the property.
The third section contains snippet information and what I call the quick facts. The style, color, exterior finish of the house (EXT), the Year Built (YB), The second line of this section tells you the number of total rooms (RMS), bedroom count (BR), bath count*- full baths(FBA) half baths (HBA),square footage**, the lot size measured in acres (ACR), Garage count and type: ATT means attached, DET -detached, UND- under, CPT- carport. The third line of this section covers the basement information: part finished (PT/FIN) inerior access (INT/ACC) if there is a sump pump(S/PUMP), heating type and air conditioning (window unit, wall unit or central air (C/A) The fourth and fifth lines of this section note the roof type, whether or not there is city water and/or sewer, Whether the property is an Adult community (Over the age of 55 ownership restriction) and exterior features.
*Bath count. Two and one half baths would like like this 2/1. One full and two half baths would look like this 1/2
**The square footage may sometimes be estimated, or include the lower level. Be diligent on requesting that this information is what the town's tax assessor has on file as above grade.
On the first line of the fourth section is the towns assessment, the mill (tax) rate, the annual property taxes and the Property Identification number) PID. The first three digits of this number represent the numerical code for the MLS for that town, and the remainder should represent the map, block and lot number when possible. The rest of this section is intended to be descriptive for the rooms in the house itself. Each room section should denote what floor it is on, the dimensions of that room (if available), and what features that room has. Any appliances that are to be included with the sale will be listed here, interior features will be listed here, and a general one line overview of the property will be in this section as well. Since space is limited on this form, you will only see the top three features of each room. Also bear in mind that all agents do not fill this section out as completely as possible.
The fifth section is dedicated to the educational system. Grade School (GS), Middle School (MS) and High School (HS) You may see PBOE , or BOE. That stands for Per Board of Education, or simply Board of Education. In other words, the agent did not offer that information in the listing.
The sixth, and last section is Remarks. pretty self explanatory, but this is a great place to "read between the lines". If information that is already on the listig is duplicated here in a big way, there may not be any redeeming qualities about this house. This is the best place for the agent to give that house a marketing push. If the remarks section is drab and dull, you can almost count on the house being the same way. It should be descriptive and inviting.
These MLS listings are only as good as the agent that input the information. You may look at a listing with little information, and you may look at a listing with a lot of information. There are ways to read between the lines when the listing doesn't have a lot of information it. And that is precisely why I am here, and I am the best agent to assist you in your home search ...........ok, shameless plug :)
Just Contact me when you are ready