The “mulitple listing system”, called the MLS, gives the broadest exposure possible to homes for sale. In today’s competitive market, you need the most marketing exposure possible, but attempting to sell without the benefit of the MLS can be a like trying to sell shares of stock without the stock exchange. Or, proverbially, “like trying to find a needle in a haystack”. Advertising to the public is a high cost proposition and since you only have one property to sell, the economies of scale work against you. Realtors® have the benefit of having thousands of properties to sell. The MLS creates an efficient marketing system through which Realtors® can cooperate to assist each other in selling each other’s listings.
And through the Realtors® trade organization, the National Association of Realtors®, an MLS listing also gets exposure on Realtor.com, the nation’s leading real estate web portal, you’ll reach even more potential buyers when your property is listed in the MLS by owner. According to a recent survey, over 75% of buyers now start their search for a home on the Internet, most of them on Realtor.com.
Now you can list your home or property in the same MLS used by Realtors® without having to pay a listing commission. List by owner on the MLS with a flat fee MLS listing company like Bloomkey® and you can have the best of both worlds. More exposure to help you sell your home for the highest possible price and still retain the right to sell on your own and not pay a commission.
By admin
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Posted in Flat Fee MLS, Local MLS, MLS, MLS, MLS Service, MLS entry, Real Estate, by owner, flat fee MLS borkers, flat fee MLS companies, flat fee mls broker, flat fee mls brokers, flat fee mls company, flat fee mls listing, home sale, home sales, home seller, home sellers, home selling, home selling alternatives, limited service providers, limited service real estate, list house, list property, listing agent, listing broker, low cost real estate, mls entry only, mls listing, mls listing service, mls listings, mls only, multi list, multiple listing, multiple listing service, mutliple listing service
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Tagged by owner mls, Flat Fee MLS, mls listing, real estate marketing
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Yet another State considers Minimum Service Legislation
In another blow to consumer choice, the Idaho Real Estate Commission is considering a proposed legislation initiative that would require home sellers to purchase a bundle of real estate services if they want professional assistance from a real estate agent or broker.
Following in lock-step with state Realtor associations and real estate commissions around the country, the Idaho real estate commission’s proposal effectively eliminates new business models that offer consumers the ability to pick and choose just the real estate services they want.
Why would a governmental body with the primary purpose of the protecting the consumer want to limit consumer choice and increase the amount that consumers have to pay for real estate services? The answer lies in how real estate commissions and Realtor associations are comprised. Generally the majority of real estate commission members (and Realtor associations members) are traditional real estate brokers who own or work for companies whose businesses are being threatened by newer business models that offer reduced or limited services to consumers for lower fees.
Their ‘modus operandi‘, which has been effective in many states so far, has been to introduce legislation under the guise of "consumer protection". By enforcing so-called ‘minimum standards’ on real estate brokers, such as having to prepare, review and present real estate contracts and counter-offers, these laws eliminate the ability of the consumer to choose not to have those services if they so wish. And they effectively require real estate brokers to charge more for their services.
If, for instance, you just want to list your home in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), you must not only purchase that service, but all of the other services enumerated by the "minimum service" laws. Without access to the MLS, demand for a property is lowered and, of course, demand affects the final sales price.
These laws have drawn the ire of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, yet, once approved, federal agencies are unable to sue even if the laws are violations of federal anti-trust laws.
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