May 5th, 2011 
admin If there’s one type of listing that can help in today’s market, it’s got to be flat fee mls. When you have a home to sell, but don’t have a lot of equity, flat fee mls allows you to market your property to the widest group of potential home buyers. But, unlike conventional real estate brokerage, you don’t have to pay a 6% commission. Instead, you pay a low, flat fee for listing your property in the Realtor® MLS (which also gives you exposure on Realtor.com – the nation’s number 1 real estate property listing website).
It works like this:
- You find a flat fee broker on the Internet.
- Register and pay an upfront-fee online (usually under $500.00)
- Enter your property information and upload photos of your property
- Determine the amount you want to pay a buyer’s agent should they sell the property through your MLS listing (usually about 2.5% to 3% of the list price)
- Receive a copy of your MLS report as it appears to real estate agents in their multiple listing service system
- Agents call you directly to arrange showings
- You handle the showings (or use a lockbox and let the buyer’s agent show the house)
- The buyer’s agent prepares the purchase offer on state approved standardized forms and delivers them to you
- You negotiate directly with the buyer’s agent
- Once an offer is accepted, you proceed to closing, just as you would normally do
On a $300,000 home, you’ll save approximately $8,500.00. And, if you’re able to find a buyer on your own, you’ll save twice that amount because you don’t have to pay the buyer agent’s fee!
Recent studies have shown that sellers who use flat fee MLS listing services end up netting more from the sale of their home than sellers who listed with traditional brokers. It seems that the real estate brokerage industry has finally caught on to the reality of the economics of today’s market. With housing prices experiencing a double-dip this year, now is the best time to investigate this proven alternative.
Posted in 
Tags: 
