What this site is
There is no single place that lists every home or rental in the United States. Large portals, local listing services, brokerage sites, auction sites and county records each show a different slice. Kestrel Home Search is a small team in Seattle that explains the options in plain English and offers search assistance for people who want help.
The guide
Fourteen kinds of resource, who runs each, what it is good for and what to watch for. Free to read.
Step-by-step guides
How to search for a home and how to rent safely, including a scam checklist.
Search help
Send us your criteria and we search, check and shortlist for you. Not a brokerage.
Where should you start?
Start with two portals plus the source. Search a large portal such as Zillow or Realtor.com for breadth, then check the same home on a local broker site fed by your MLS (in the Seattle area, NWMLS-based brokerage sites) for the latest status. Look up the parcel on the county assessor site for tax and sales history.
Use rentals-focused tools first. Apartments.com for buildings, Zumper or HotPads for a map-based search, then Zillow for houses and small landlords. Treat Craigslist and Marketplace listings with extra care and follow the scam checklist.
Know the rules before the price. HUD Home Store homes are sold through registered brokers, as-is. Auction sites often require cash and give little time to inspect. Check liens on the county recorder’s site and speak to a licensed professional before bidding.
Compare, don’t trust one number. Automated estimates differ between sites. Compare recent sales on the county site, then ask a licensed agent or appraiser for a real opinion before you rely on a figure.
That is what we do. Tell us what you need on the search help page and we will do the searching and checking and hand you a shortlist. We are not a brokerage; when you are ready to make an offer you will need a licensed agent.
Pick a goal to see where we would look first.
The main resources at a glance
Short version below. The full guide says who runs each one and what to watch for.
| Resource | Use it for | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Zillow | Buy / Rent / Sell | Third-party comparisons report that the “Contact agent” button can route to advertising agents rather than the listing agent. |
| Realtor.com | Buy / Rent | One comparison reports that homeowners cannot post their own for-sale-by-owner listings there. |
| Redfin | Buy / Rent | Brokerage services depend on where Redfin operates. |
| Homes.com | Buy / Rent | Features and agent model differ from other portals; compare listing freshness with your local MLS. |
| Trulia | Buy / Rent | Largely overlaps with Zillow’s inventory, so it rarely shows a different set of homes. |
| Apartments.com | Rent | Strongest for apartment buildings; fewer single-family or small-landlord rentals. |
| HotPads | Rent | Overlaps with Zillow Rentals; listings may be duplicated. |
| Zumper | Rent | Coverage varies by city. |
| Local MLS and broker sites | Buy | Each broker site works differently, and some details are only available through an agent. |
| Brokerage sites (e.g. Compass) | Buy | You may be asked to register or work with that brokerage to see everything. |
| HUD Home Store | Buy | Homes are sold as-is and often need repairs; rules for who may bid and when apply. |
| Auction sites | Buy | Often cash terms, limited inspection, and fees. |
| County assessor and recorder sites | Research | Records can lag recent sales and say nothing about a home’s condition. |
| Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace | Rent | Rental scams are common here. |
Ownership and features as of October 12, 2026, from the companies’ announcements and independent reporting. They change, so verify.
How our search help works
- You tell us what you need. Area, budget, buy or rent, must-haves, timing.
- We search broadly. Large portals, MLS-fed broker sites and county records, so you are not limited to one site.
- We check the details. Listing age, price changes, HOA, taxes and obvious red flags.
- You get a shortlist. With notes and questions to ask. When you are ready to act, you work with a licensed agent of your choice.
Sending a request is free and creates no obligation. Any fee is agreed in writing before work starts. Details: our search help.
What we are not
We are a search-assistance service, not a real estate brokerage. We do not list or sell property, negotiate, collect deposits or give legal, tax or financial advice. We are not affiliated with Realtor.com, Zillow, Redfin or any other site we describe, and none of them pays us.
Read our Editorial Policy and Advertising Disclosure.
Sources
- Rocket Companies press release on completing its acquisition of Redfin (2025).
- Northwest Multiple Listing Service, “What is the MLS?” and fact sheet.
- List With Clever, 2026 comparisons of real estate websites (contact routing, for-sale-by-owner listings).
- Wikipedia, Realtor.com (ownership and license).