HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE

To use the most powerful feature of this website, saved search, simply register under SIGN IN, in the upper right corner of the Home page. You only do this once. Thereafter you can:

  1. Sign In
  2. Set Filters
  3. Search
  4. Save Search

After you register, SIGN IN will change to My Dashboard which has a menu where you can select one of the searches you have saved to either run it or delete it. If you would like step-by-step instructions for Searching, Filters, and Saving Searches, read on. 



SEARCHING.  The search bar allows you to search by Lake, County, Township, City, Address, Zip, or MLS#.  In each case, the map adjusts to that area. 



FILTERS.  Click the LISTINGS heading on the Home page. In the menu that appears choose Search Listings, and click the green box in the upper left. Clicking “Filter” makes them appear, or disappear. The filters are preset for a general search, but you can turn any choice on or off by checking or unchecking its box. Remember that every time you add a restriction by checking a box, you reduce the number of properties that the search will return. You may search by:



Price Range.  This is the first selection to make on most searches Set the high end for a bit higher than you plan to pay, as the seller may accept a lower price. 



City.  Check a city if you only want to see listings in that area. 



Property Type.  The website is set by default to search Vacant Land and Single Family homes. You can change the choices by clicking them. The search choices are Vacant Land, Single Family (home), Commercial, Multi-family, or Rental.



Body of Water. A selection of the major lakes and rivers in this MLS area is covered.

Waterfront. (Yes or No) This toggles.



Condominiums. (Yes or No) This toggles too.  Note that there is a separate heading on the Home page that displays just condominiums.



LISTING STATUS

  • Active.  A listing that is available on the market for sale.
  • Active U/C Taking Backups.  A contract has been signed, but you can still submit a backup offer. If the current contract fails to close for any reason your offer will be first in line for consideration by the seller if he accepts your backup.
  • Back on the Market.  There was a contract, which fell through, and there were no acceptable backup offers.
  • Extend.  The length of the listing has been extended.
  • New.  A listing that went on the market this week. In a hot market, you watch this category. The fastest, most efficient way is to let this website do it for you.
  • Pending.  You are too late. A contract is signed to buy this property, and the listing broker expects it will close.
  • Price Change.  The seller has raised or more often lowered the asking price. This may make a property that was originally too expensive for you a good match at the new price.

In the detail for any listing, Listing Status is abbreviated by the MLS to ACT = Active, New = New, PCH = Price Change, EXT = Extended, BOM = Back on the Market, ATB = Active Under Contract But Taking Backups.



SAVE SEARCH


You must be registered (it’s free!) to use this powerful search option. When you save a search and leave our website, it will continue to monitor the MLS for new listings with the features you have selected. When it finds one or more it will notify you by email on whatever frequency you select (weekly, daily, etc.) If you select “Immediate” you will be notified by email within seconds of the time a new MLS listing enters our database. In a hot market like the one we have now, this gives you the opportunity to be first. 



Steps to search. Click on:

  1. SIGN IN.
  2. LISTINGS.  On the Home page menu that appears, click on SEARCH LISTINGS.
  3. FILTERS.  Click the green box in the upper left. When it opens you'll see your choices, the fewer boxes you check, the more listings will appear. Clicking boxes narrow your choices. For example, if you click on a CITY, only listings in that area will show up.
  4. SAVE SEARCH.  Click the black box, upper right. Try this. You can delete a search at any stage. And you can save multiple searches. If you save a search you later decide should be changed or canceled, you can do it with a click in MY DASHBOARD, which is in the upper right on both the search page, and the Home page.

Immediately or Email Results Immediately. What they do, and how they differ:

"Immediately" in the dropdown menu is one of five frequency choices. Choosing it here will send updates whenever new listings enter the database rather than daily/weekly/monthly. If you always want to hear right away when new listings that fit your criteria appear, chose "Immediately" in the dropdown menu.

The "Email Results Immediately" box below does not affect or change your frequency choice. It is a one-time action. So for example, if you have chosen weekly, but then check the "Email Results Immediately" box, the system will send an email right away if there are new listings. Thereafter it will send them weekly.

If a search is set to be "daily", after checking "Email Results Immediately" you will get an immediate email if any properties match your criteria, but thereafter you will be notified "daily" (unless the frequency field is changed). 

It's confusing, I know. You can also choose to ignore all of this. Just don't check the "Email Results Immediately" box.

Or try this once. You won't break anything.  ;)

More about how the website works, and the area it covers:



Browse the listings to see what's available or to consider new locations. If you do not see what you want a different location or type of property could meet your needs. If you’ve only been considering a house, browse condos. If you’ve only been considering condos, browse houses. (Condominium is a legal term, NOT a type of housing. A condo can actually be a single-family house, or a vacant lot.) If you still can’t find something that meets your needs, consider vacant land to build exactly what you want, now or in the future.



By default, the web page is set to search Vacant Land and Single Family Homes for all listings available to buy. This includes new listings, listings extended for an additional time period, listings that were under contract but failed to close and are now back on the market, and listings with a price change. Two categories of listings are not checked to search, but you can add them. Check “Active Under Contract/Taking Offers” if you want to make a backup offer on a listing that is already under contract if it fails to close (because, for example, the buyer can not get a mortgage.) “Pending” is not checked because these listings are already under contract and are expected to close. The only reason to check that box would be to see what’s selling.



The Northern Great Lakes Realtors Multiple Listing Service is the largest, most comprehensive MLS in Northern Michigan. It covers the five-county Grand Traverse area, which includes Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Benzie counties, plus the immediate surrounding counties of Missaukee, Wexford, Manistee, and Charlevoix. This covers most of Northwestern Michigan. Realtors may also submit listings located outside this area in Michigan.