What About Those MLS Programs?

I was talking to someone on the phone today, trying to explain that all MLS programs aren’t alike. Ours is the only one that gives people a decent chance of selling without paying any commission because it allows you to stay on our local website and be on the MLS at the same time. It still shocks me that the average consumer doesn’t understand the behind the scenes politics of the real estate industry.The majority of MLS flat listing programs cannot and do not differentiate themselves and their MLS listing in the market place. They simply offer the lowest price they can and capture as many people as possible with a service that ends up costing their clients more money. They do not really need the upfront fee at all because they are getting the buyers off the signs and selling them the homes for the full 3% commission. The formula goes like this: MLS fee + agent commission = Total Cost to use the MLS.If you look at the history of the MLS program with our local company SpokaneByOwner.com roughly half of the people who utilized MLS managed to find their buyer outside of the MLS, without paying a 3% fee to a buyer’s agent. This is because they were marketing on our high traffic by owner website in addition to their MLS marketing. We have a unique system in that the sellers can keep their sign, stay on our highly trafficked web site and have an excellent chance of saving thousands of dollars versus any other MLS program. If an MLS program is utilized without an additional by owner traffic source, the chance of actually selling by owner is almost none.