MLS Canada

MLS Canada

MLS Canada is the primary Multiple Listing Service, which serves Real Estate Boards throughout Canada. Salt Spring Island & the Southern Gulf Islands are within the Victoria Real Estate Board, of which I am a member.

This service gives me access to all current properties for sale, regardless of listing agent, or Real Estate firm. Thus, I can show you any listed property!

It's important to me that my buyers see "everything", so that they completely understand the marketplace, before they might consider putting in an offer on a specific property. It's important to "see it all", so that one can make that all important "informed decision".

Victoria Real Estate Board

For Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands, one of the best sources of information, for a potential buyer, perusing the internet, is to check out the mls.ca website. The Board is now charging fines to realtors if they don't remove a listing, within three days of being "firm".

It used to be that a realtor, who might have taken a six month or a year long listing, could leave it "live" on the system, even though it might have sold within 3 months of listing. Thus, a buyer had no way to tell if a property was "current". To make sure that the listing database is "true", then, the Boards now fine a realtor, if a property is not removed when it has become "subject free" (i.e., "firm" or "pending")

Since personal websites aren't always meticulously maintained, I recommend that buyers do a search of the mls.ca site. Some local companies and some local realtors, on their personal company site and their personal realtor sites, will put up "live" a "driveby list", which is offered by all companies, and usually handed out when a buyer is on Island, along with a map of the Island (naming streets), and a real estate supplement in which most realtors advertise. Sometimes, they phrase this information in such a way that it makes it sound as if this is "the" real estate information site. As a buyer/customer, though, the only way to "be sure" that you are seeing what's really for sale on Salt Spring Island, and the Southern Gulf Islands, is to go to the mls.ca online site. This really "is" the source, & not just an advertising ploy by an individual realtor or an individual company, which may or may not be properly maintained/updated!

I do maintain my site, on a daily basis, and so any of my listings, on my personal website (www.liread.com) that are "firm", show a "pending" designation beside same. It's about information, and information being "current".

www.mls.ca

If you would like further information on any MLS listing on Salt Spring Island & the Southern Gulf Islands, after viewing the mls.ca site, please contact me! I would be pleased to help to interpret the information so presented.

2007 MLS Gold Award Letter

Contact Li Read at RE/MAX Salt Spring, 131 Lower Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 2T2, Toll-Free 1-800-731-7131