Here are some tips and tricks to search the MLS in Naples, Florida to get the best results for your personalized criteria. The property listing search on our website www.StepsToTheBeach.com is directly linked to the MLS system so your results are the most accurate and up to date available. Also, a great feature of our local MLS system is that we are able to set up searches tailor made to your needs which will automatically update you discreetly via email with any new information. Feel free to use our website to search the MLS on your own or contact us to fine tune things to your customized requirements.
Click on the “Advanced Search” tab on the toolbar of our home page. You will see some of the basic criteria such as the type of housing (Single Family, Villa, Condos – Low Rise, Mid Rise, High Rise), minimum and maximum price range, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and city location.
To fine tune your search so that the results are properties that really matter to you, there are several search criteria that can help you tighten things up. Want to search only for homes that have Gulf of Mexico boating access? The view is everything to you and you would only consider a water view? Golf course view? Pet friendly is a must? Number of garage spaces? Is the age of the property a deal 
breaker? If you would only consider a purchase in one community, then use the “Development Name” to specify. If you won’t consider a home without a pool, then click on “Yes” for ‘Private Pool.’ Is an elevator mandatory in your single family home? Use the “Elevator’ search and click on “Yes.” There are also some search criteria that, honestly, are not going to yield the information that you want – you will need a Realtor with local knowledge to help you.
GEO Codes:
In the “Area” search box, you can search areas just as Realtors do when they are searching for clients. As an example, if you want only to see single family homes west of Route 41 in the neighborhoods of Seagate, Park Shore, Moorings and Coquina Sands then use the GEO code of “NA05” (Crayton Road Area). Interested only in condos along Bonita Beach? Then choose BN01 along with clicking High Rise and Mid Rise condos. Pelican Bay has its own GEO code which is NA04. The shortcut to see only canal homes in the Conners neighborhood is to click single family homes and use NA02 for the GEO code of the Vanderbilt Beach area.
View:
Lots of people want a water view but, of course, there is a premium for direct beachfront Gulf of Mexico views. Many times, buyers should consider what we call an “interesting” view which could save some money and is just as the word suggests. In the “View” search box, use your control or command button to select multiple items – Bay, Gulf, Gulf and Bay, Partial Bay and Partial Gulf.
Sub Condo Name:
Think neighborhood or a specific condominium when using the “Sub Condo Name” search criteria. If you are interested in properties only located in the Bay Villas neighborhood of Pelican Bay, then choose it to limit the results to only that neighborhood.
Pet Friendly:
This is a very popular search criteria and is the most important one for many pet owners. I will offer some words of caution here before any hearts are broken by falling in love with a property listing only to find out that Fido is too big or Kitty is not allowed at all. First of all, if you are going to use the “Pets” search box, then use that control or command button to select all three options – “Limits”, “No Approval Needed” and “With Approval.” That way you will at least start out with properties that are pet friendly.
Secondly, I am sorry to say, we all rely on the input from listing agents for accuracy of information and sometimes this fails. If a listing agent copies wrong information from another listing in the same building or community, then the problem is multiplied. Most importantly, this is where aligning yourself with an experienced real estate agent with local knowledge is worth its weight in gold.
We know the pet restrictions and policies throughout Pelican Bay, all of the high rise condos in Park Shore, Moorings and Coquina Sands as well as Vanderbilt Beach, Bonita Beach and every community in Naples and Bonita Springs. Pet friendly? Trust the experts.
Schools:
Increasingly important as more families with children relocate to Naples, you can search for schools in the MLS system. However, because this vital information is not required when activating a listing in the MLS system, you will NOT get all of the results that you should see. There is a better way.
Here is link to help guide you through the connection between real estate property addresses and the public school system.
As full-time real estate professionals, we represent both buyers and sellers in the Naples. If you are a seller, we market your home to local, national and international buyers for the best results. If you are a buyer, we listen well and will find your own “Piece of Paradise” at the best negotiated price and terms.
Tim Cranch at 239-272-4848 or Ellie Penaranda at 239-776-5077
TimCranch@StepsToTheBeach.com Ellie@StepsToTheBeach.com
