Arizona MLS Real Estate

The Arizona MLS system is comprised of many different associations. A common perception is that all of the state's listings will exist in a common area for searching. The reality is that the state has many boards and associations which contain their own distinct listings. This concept of regional listings allows for better control and accuracy when dealing with listings in a given city or county. The listings themselves in the varied MLS's contain not only homes for sale, but, also, rentals, land, businesses, and commercial properties. The purpose of having a separate AZ MLS search to match each region makes sense from the perspective of better serving each community rather than apply a blanket set of rules, just as we have separate state and federal laws.

Arizona MLS real estate listings can vary by region. One of the biggest combined systems is ARMLS (Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service) which mainly serves the area of the Phoenix Metro area in Maricopa County extending out to the areas of Maricopa, Florence, Coolidge, Buckeye and other areas near the valley. ARMLS itself is comprised of 7 separate and distinct associations all of whom share one common MLS. This consolidated system allows for all the listings in the Phoenix area to pull their resources and serve the community more effectively. With this said it is however common for Realtors to belong to multiple boards and/or associations. For this reason you may find listings in an MLS outside a given region. This is why you'll find some listings for cities such as Showlow and Pinetop in ARMLS as well as in WMAR (White Mountain Association of Realtors). To get a complete picture of all listings for these areas one should always go to the main source for these listings in this case it would be the WMAR.

The Separate AZ MLS Boards and Associations are as follows: ARMLS, Bullhead/Mohave Association of Realtors, Central Arizona Board of Realtors, Douglas Association of Realtors, Green Valley Association of Realtors, Kingman/Golden Association of Realtors, Northern Arizona Association of Realtors, Prescott Area Association of Realtors, SE Arizona Association of Realtors, Santa Cruz County MLS, Sedona Verde Association of Realtors, Tucson Association of Realtors, White Mountain Association of Realtors, and Yuma Association of Realtors. Each of these autonomous systems maintain their own set of listings and they alone are responsible for policing the entries into the Multiple Listings.

When seeking out properties a strong word of advice is that one should always choose a real estate agent who is part of the region's local board or associations. Where it is true that agents are licenced to work in the state can technically buy and sell as an agent in any region, working with someone who is familiar with the best practices of the area will serve you best. Those agents will have a more comprehensive understanding of considerations for purchase contracts and the listings themselves than someone from outside that region's jurisdiction and including home value estimates. For your protection choose an expert to do your bidding who will have the strongest understanding of the local rules and regulations. Please contact me if I can help clarify any of the points listed here or answer any other questions regarding arizona real estate.