I ran a search last month in RMLS looking for something very specific: homes for sale that were new but older than 2010.  It should have been an easy search.  But early a third of the results were either owner or tenant occupied.  Realtors clearly weren’t understanding the definition of “new”.  It can’t be new if it is lived in.  A new car is no longer a new car the second you drive it off the lot.  Live in a house and it is no longer new.  I emailed back and forth with RMLS and though I expect most of this was in the works, the date description is now required in a listing and they have clearly (re)defined what the descriptions mean:

APPROX: Approximately – Year Built indicates the approximate year in which the home was built.

FIXER: Fixer – Needs Repair.

NEW: New – Construction completed, but home has never been occupied.

PROPOSD: Proposed – Not yet under construction.

REGHIST: Home is on the Register of Historic Homes.

REMOD: Remodeled – Some or all of the home has been remodeled.

RESALE: Resale – Existing home for sale.

RESTORD: Restored – Homes restored to original condition.

UNDERCON: Under Construction – Ground broken and construction actually under way.

UNKNOWN: Unknown due to loss of county records.

I expect that all of the houses that came up in my search will now fall under the RESALE category.

Portland Real Estate |RMLS Year Built Descriptions | Presented by the Turner Realtors Team