Secrets of the MLS Revealed

Many people including my clients call me up and say that they have seen a home on the Multiple Listing Service or “MLS” for short, and that they want to look at it. After looking up the property for myself, I find out that the property is under contract or even sold…so what gives?

The truth is that if you are not a Realtor who is also a member of MLS, then you do not have the instant streaming access to the data.

You see when I enter a listing or change a price, all agents who have access to the MLS can see that change immediately. All others, such as Homes.com, Realtor.com, or even the actual agents website that says “Search the MLS”, is really not the MLS.

It has the data that is downloaded from the MLS, but since these sites only download certain amounts of information at certain times. It may take a week or so to get all the updates. By that time there are many more changes that are missing from the information.

The best advice I can give you is have your agent set you up as a prospect and enter your criteria that you are looking for. The prospect program will email you the listings as soon as they come out or there is a price change.

Taking Advantage of Property Tax Exemptions

Remember to file for your homeowner property tax exemptions this year!
There are many exemptions Irving Las Colinas residents might qualify for depending on your situation. The most common is the General Homestead Exemption.

Requirements and information regarding each exemption can be found online at the Dallas Central Appraisal District website. You can also easily file your exemption by going once again to the DCAD website and searching for your property. You can then print out an exemption form for that specific property.

Depending on the exemption your tax savings can be quite significant. It is important that you take advantage of these savings. If you have filed in the past and your status has not changed it may not be necessary to re-file. Although I have found it is always a good idea to check your property on DCAD yearly and view which exemptions you currently have, as your status might have changed and you would be able to take advantage of other exemptions.

Below is a list of homeowner property tax exemptions.

General Residential Homestead Exemption
Over-65 Exemption
Surviving Spouse of Person Who Received Over-65 Exemption
Disability Homestead Exemption
Surviving Spouse of Person Who Received the Disability Exemption

Las Colinas New Construction

Looking for new construction?

Here are some of the projects in and around Las Colinas.
These include some wonderful areas and gorgeous subdivisions.
Easy access to Highway 114 and the 635 Loop.

La Villita
K. Hovnanian Homes & CityHomes

Positano
North American Properties

Versailles Villas
David Weekly Homes

Emerald Valley
Monterey Homes & Ryland Homes