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Steve 1956 · Oct 1, 2006, 06:02 AM

I am considering selling my farm and would like to subscribe to the local MLS sales information so I can find out what farm land has been selling for. Can I do so if I'm not a real estate agent? I'd prefer to see the data myself rather than rely upon the word of a local realtor. I'm in SE Minnesota and the two organizations I assume provide such information are the Minnesota Association of Realtors and the Southeast Minnesota Association of Realtors. I'm not having luck finding an answer to my question on their web sites. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for looking.

Fr_Chuck · Oct 1, 2006, 08:44 AM

You can try http://www.supermls.com/

But honestly if you want a real value of your home, you need to get a professional appraisal. They will inspect the property, then go back to court house records of similar properties selling in that area.

What others list their property for is not really telling you anything, what they actually sell for is another.

And what questions do you have ? Remember with farm land there is normally a lot of differeneces in what it was used for, the layout, the soil texture and so much more. Condition of outbuildings,

A farm of the same acreage within a few miles of each other can have a lot of difference in value.

Working with a local realitor is really your best bet.

borderplex · Oct 1, 2006, 08:06 PM

You can access LIMITED information from the MLS as a non-agent. You will not be able to access all the information you need, such as Days On Market, or if more than one broker had the property listed before the current one.

You can have a real estate broker prepare a "comparative market analysis" (CMA) for free. I say for free, but he or she will do it with the expectation of listing your property with their firm. If it were me I would have more than one broker prepare a CMA. Maybe even three.

An appraisal, as suggested by Fr. Chuck, will cost you money. A thousand dollars or more, maybe.

I am a retired real estate agent. I have prepared thousands of CMA's for folks just like you. See your friendly Realtor. They can sell your property for more money and in less time than you can yourself.

Good luck, John