Real Estate websites, private sale, media sites, realtor sites

Other Websites
Many magazines and other media provide websites with listings and/or other valuable information for buyers and sellers.

We've also thrown in a couple of U.S. sites, not for their home search capabilities but for their generic info on upgrading homes, selling homes, renovating, etc.

Scroll down to see all the sites and
editorial comments on their specialties.
New sites are added regularly.

The official site of realtors in the area, you can also link to the Ontario site (OREA) and the national site (CREA) as well as the officiating body that regulates realtors (RECO). Lots of info on local market trends, projections, stats, etc.

An alphabetical presentation of homes listed by agents who have paid to advertise, in the Greater Hamilton area, by city and town. The Hamilton Spectator is a primary source for listings in Hamilton in both print and on the web, as well as a great source for weekend Open Houses.

From the guys who brought you Auto Trader, this is a comprehensive home page that links you to the various publications you see in print all around town. From Resale Homes to Cottage Rentals and Commercial Investments, it's one of the most comprehensive sites around.

Reminds us of Yahoo! or ebay when they first started up. Great idea. Might work for some homes. But do home buyers actually shop here? We're not sure. Our Editor, Robert J. Morrow lists some investment properties here.

A resource real estate agents pay to be a part of. As a result, not comprehensive but does list homes from leading reps in the area. Also lists holiday resort sale/rentals listed by brokerages.

Our editor, Robert J. Morrow's tenure as editor for Real Estate News gave him the opportunity to meet and work with many sales rep's and brokerages in the Greater Hamilton area.
A fairly comprehensive guide to homes for sale by major brokerages, it is distributed with the Ancaster, Dundas, Flambourough, Stoney Creek and Hamilton Mountain News community publications. However, there currently is no web version.

Major up-and-coming players in the U.S. Fairly useless for Canada. But these sites will give you insight into how online real estate searches will likely be done in the future (as an alternative to the MLS system, not instead of).
Zillow was created by the same guys who brought you expedia.ca. If you've ever travelled via that site, you can appreciate the potential of this kind of thinking applied to buying and selling homes.
Trulia is the competition, and a good one at that. oodle, and Propsmart are U.S. classifieds similar to LiveDeal.
Word is, someone will unify the real estate online market into one site--kinda like iTUNES does music. These two are definite contenders.
If you're serious about buying/selling in Ontario, don't waste your time. But if you're just a Curious George, click on 'em for fun! As with most major U.S. sites, much of their generic info is valuable and applicable to us.

A great information site designed to answer the most frequently asked questions concerning buying and selling. Presented by a local Remax sales team, it offers unbiased, honest information on a lot of relative subjects.

This is a major US player who works closely with the Real Estate Book (above) for Canadian listings. You're likely better using the latter as listings appear to be the same ones. It is set up a little differently though so you may prefer the approach.

It's Canadian, and it's new!
Offering listings from what appears to be four of the leading FSBO sites, plus a smattering of MLS listings (via participating realtors), this site seems to be focused on the western provinces. Though it cites access to all of Canada, it defaults to Alberta, a common occurrence with provincially-driven websites; they try to be all-Canadian but really are populated by local/regional listings.
Give it time and keep checking...the concept has potential!

Part of the National Listing System (NLS), this is like an upgraded MLS(R). Since it's free for agents to join, it should eventually grow into a great site for finding ALL homes available in the area. The search engine is powerful and there are a lot of agents included already--including our own editor, Robert J. Morrow. Pictures are larger than usual too. The one site displays US and Canadian properties, all states, all provinces.

This one's kind of cool!
You can find homes anywhere in the world, however, whether agent or private seller, you have to pay for the listing so contents are limited. Random checks show less than 50 homes for sale in Hamilton at any given time yet there are, in fact, hundreds.
But if you're looking to buy in Spain? Hey, it might work.

Similar to LiveDeal, this site offers classified-style ads in several catagories, of which Real Estate is one. Random checks state less than 100 homes for sale in Hamilton. We all know there's more, but the one you want might pop up better with this search engine--if it's listed.

Again, this is an international site, but does have easy access to Canada, Ontario, and then Hamilton. No, not all condos for rent or sale are listed, but a good portion are. It's a good starting point if you want to narrow your search to condos. You might just find one or two that fit the bill without looking elsewhere. Some decent advice on how to sell a condo too.

If you've never heard of this one, you should check it out--for lots of reasons, real estate being one of them. Our editor, Robert J. Morrow, lists his homes on this site as it is searched by international as well as national and local buyers. FYI: It's one of the most linked-to sites in the world because of its incredible content. Once again, it's not comprehensive, not due to cost (it's free for agents), but because a lot of agents/brokers haven't realized its potential yet.

Primarily a U.S. site, it has grown to include Canada to some degree. Several Hamilton Realtors(R) are part of the site so when you check out Hamilton listings, there are quite a few. There isn't much info on the listings though and they encourage you to send requests for more info to an agent who will get back to you. Some of the features (find a realtor) and a lot of the info (mortgages, etc.) is U.S. based so much of it is useless. Try realtor.ca for more accurate Canadian stats.

This Canadian site tries a different angle. Primarily a Financial Services Company, they provide mortgages, and specialize in investment properties etc. By offering agents free listings on the site, they feel they can put mortgages, agents and buyers together. Not a bad premise and worth a look, especially if financing is part of your future housing plans. Our editor, Robert J. Morrow, lists most properties on this site as it does link to a company with good mortgage rates.

A relatively new player (2005) the idea and search engine are good but the number of listings are at newcomer level. At last check, there were only 18 listings for Toronto (!) and none for Hamilton. A little better out west, down east and in certain Ontario towns, but still not a large number anywhere, though they claim to have the world's largest inventory of online homes for sale. Perhaps they are a franchise and are only big in purchased territories? We can't tell from the site.

Brand new and looks exciting. Agents are listing homes on the site and it is growing fast, though they do pay to advertise listings which will limit its acceptability until it becomes a major player. Part of the canada.com network which is owned by CanWest Mediaworks Publications Inc., it has the power to become a leader in the future. However, when you click "About Us" all you get is bio's on the executives. Signs of bueracracy. But they've got the money, the influence and the power to do a good job. Time will tell. At last look, only 70 houses were listed for Hamilton. Keep in mind this is a Beta version though. Things will improve and they could become a contender quickly.

Good looking site but at last check only five homes were for sale in Hamilton (actually two had sold signs on them). Seems to be national in scope and is likely better in other provinces. Doesn't hurt to add it to your list though.

A new player in the marketplace, based in London ON. Currently only listings from London are shown, though they are aggressively seeking agents to advertise in Hamilton. A booklet (remarkably similar to the "Real Estate Book" is published simultaneously, though we are currently unaware of distribution in the Hamilton area.The website search engine looks good and they could be a contender when and if agents get on board. Keep checking in on them.

You know the guy. Here's his take on finding homes. The site partners with other media providers to offer homes for sale and it's simply another way to see existing listings.
But the site has lots of good info on other home-related items and is a great "starting point" for home reno research. The listing search engine is powerful (because its borrowed from one of the big guns) but you won't see any homes here that you haven't seen elsewhere.

This is a big-looking website, ostensibly offering listings all over the globe. Here's the blurb from the home page:
"WorldProperties.com is backed by the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA), which is comprised of more than 30 leading national real estate organizations, representing 2 million brokers and agents worldwide, each of whom adhere to a code of conduct."
That's great but there are still "0" homes listed in Hamilton, once you get to it. Does offer a direct link to mls.ca(R) for out of country buyers(?)

Here's one of the big US sites that actually has over 50 listings in Hamilton (at last check). They are associated with Network Communications Group, the company that publishes the "Real Estate Book" around North America (including Hamilton. See their listing above). They boast over 1 million properties but that includes all of North America. Powerful search engine though.

Just in case you're in the market for a home costing $1 million or more, this is the site for you. Properties worldwide and displayed in magazine format. For the rest of us, it's a great dreambuilding tool! (Also an NCI site)

Genworth Financial
www.HomeOwnership.ca
You've probably heard the radio ads. Genworth Financial is a leading mortgage insurance company that works closely with many lenders. They are now aggressively marketing directly to the consumer, especially first time homebuyers.
If you have questions or want to know more about things like "100% financing" or "$0 down" as it used to be called, this site has some answers.

This is a new one as of Summer 08 and promises to be a sturdy entry into the market. At the moment there are few properties but they are aggressively attracting brokerages to participate. Give it a few months to a year and it could be a viable option.

Another US-based entry trying to service Canada. As with all the others, only time will tell whether it has any value for Buyers and Sellers here in Canada. It IS a FREE listing, however, so you've got nothing to lose but the few minutes it takes to upload.