Posted by admin on May 28th, 2008
In the real estate world, MLS stands for multiple listing service. MLS is like a big book of houses for sale. If you have a home for sale through a realtor, unless you specifically request that your home not be in this listing, you should be currently listed in your local MLS. Listing your home in the MLS database is one of the services you are paying a realtor to perform for you.
Having your home in the MLS listing is not a bad thing. The multiple listing service is how realtors and prospective home owners are able to find your home. It would be impossible for someone to drive around town and write down all the houses for sale, the MLS gives realtors a listing of ever home available at any given point in time.
If you have decided to sell your home yourself and are not receiving as many showings as you would like, you need to get listed in your local MLS database. Being listed in the MLS database will help you market your home locally as well as nationwide. More marketing means more viewings which will aid you in selling your home quicker.
Do not fear the MLS. The marketing potential of this service is mind bending. The MLS database is used by many realtors to provide content on their websites and your home could be seen by potential buyers across the country and around the world. Next time you a realtor or potential home buyer asks if your home is listed in the MLS, tell them yes.
Posted by Manager on May 11th, 2008
Many people, when they are making the choice to sell their homes with a real estate agent find that there are difficulties that they come up against. Their real estate agent tells them that they need to make some changes to the home before putting it on the market; the agent says that there’s no need to have a home inspection up front so the seller assumes that everything must be in order.
For sale by owner sellers, however, will find that they are able to make their own decisions without being forced to do something - or anything - that just doesn’t seem right to them.
With a for sale by owner listing, sellers are able to make their own choices. They can look at the information that they need to help them to sell their homes - details about why the right price is essential and why having a home inspection before putting the home on the market is a good idea - and determine which course of action they want to take.
Because of this, for sale by owners find themselves in a better position to understand the process and to know which options are available to them; when you are a FSBO seller, you’ll find that you are able to focus on selling your home, not on those thins that will put more money in your real estate agent’s pocket.
Posted by Manager on May 9th, 2008
When you not only want to be able to sell your home but you want to be sure that you can sell your home quickly, some people will tell you to turn to a real estate agent. They’ll tell you things like “agents have more experience selling homes” than you do or that “most people who try selling FSBO find that it takes so long that they end up turning to an agent.” The challenge is that selling with a real estate agent can slow the process down.
When you make the choice to sell on your own with flat fee MLS, you’ll find that there are a number of advantages over selling with an agent. The most notable advantage is that, when you sell with flat fee MLS, you’ll be in charge of the process.
When you are going to be working with an agent, not only are you going to have to share the profits from the sale in the form of a commission, but you just might find that the agent is into suggesting changes and improvements to drive up the selling price. Every suggestion that you follow up on is going to add to the amount of time that it takes to sell your home.
When selling your home quickly is important to you - and you want to be able to make the best profit possible - flat fee MLS is a great option. Not only will you be able to market your home like a pro, but also you’ll be the one who is in control throughout the process - and you’ll save thousands in the process.
Posted by Manager on May 7th, 2008
When you’re going to be selling your home on your own using a for sale by owner listing, it’s important to know what needs to be done in order to make the process go as smoothly as possible.
How can you bring the whole for sale by owner process together?
Make sure that you understand what it takes to sell on your own.If you’ve never sold a home or been involved in the process, it’s important to understand all that is involved.
Make sure that you understand how to get your home ready for the sale.
Make sure that you know how to price your home correctly and that you have access to those individuals who can help you set the right price for your home.
Make sure that you are going to be able to get the exposure that your home needs (a flat fee MLS listing can ensure that buyers and the real estate agents that they are working with know that your home is on the market).
Make sure that you understand the process of showing your home.
Make sure that, if you are going to need help when someone closes on the property that you are selling for sale by owner, you’ll be able to get it.
By understanding the overall process of selling a home on your own - for sale by owner - you’ll find that the process goes much more smoothly. By bringing the big picture into focus it’s easier to see your goal: a successful for sale by owner sale.
Posted by Manager on May 5th, 2008
When you have made the decision to sell your home, there are going to be a wide variety of questions that you have to ask and have answered. This is particularly true when you’re looking into selling your home with flat fee MLS. In part, this is simply because flat fee MLS is relatively new in terms of ways in which you can sell a home.
However, whether your questions are as simple and basic as “what it flat fee MLS?” or as complex as “where do I turn when it’s time for help with the real estate contract at closing,” it’s important that you are able to get the answers that you need.
Ideally, when you are looking into flat fee MLS as a way to sell your home, you’ll be making an effort to sell with a reputable broker; the right flat fee MLS broker will be there with answers to all of the questions that you have - and that simplifies the process far more than you might suspect.
By getting answers to your questions about selling with flat fee MLS, you’ll find that understanding the process is simple as is every other step of the process of selling your home.
Posted by Manager on May 3rd, 2008
One of the biggest challenges that many for sale by owner sellers come across is getting the word out about their home. These sellers want to believe that all it’s going to take to sell their home is putting the for sale by owner sign out in the front lawn and making sure that the phone number is visible from the street.
While that is true in some sellers markets, for sale by owner sellers who take that approach now are probably going to find themselves struggling to figure out why no one has called. Simply put, a for sale by owner lawn sign is just not enough to get the word out that a home is available with current market conditions.
Instead, for sale by owner sellers need to focus on what their other options are. This is going to mean making sure that they are advertising their home in the local newspaper and that they are making an effort to put up flyers in local coffeehouses and laundromats where people do make an effort to look at the signs that are posted.
Additionally, for sale by owner sellers should make an effort to list their home in the local MLS - something that can be done for a low fee with a flat rate real estate broker. When your home is listed in the MLS, you’ll know that real estate agents are seeing your home and that buyers who search sites like Realtor.com will know that your home is on the market.
For sale by owner sellers used to face a number of challenges when it came to marketing their homes; thanks to flat fee MLS, this is no longer the case.
Posted by Manager on May 1st, 2008
The process of selling a home is the same, whether you choose flat fee MLS selling, or you decide to sell with a traditional real estate agency. The major difference in flat fee MLS selling is that you won’t pay a commission on the sale of his home to a listing agent.
The flat fee MLS selling process starts when you list your home with a flat fee broker. If you’re just investigating the flat fee MLS approach to selling your home, focus on finding a service that focuses on the seller’s interests.
Creating an attractive listing is an important component for selling your home with flat fee MLS. Be sure to include photos that show the outside and inside of your home. List the home size, lot size and highlight the features that make your home attractive to buyers. Also, consider adding a virtual tour - a video tour of your home - for those who live further away.
Flat fee MLS selling ultimately requires all of the same documentation that homes listed with real estate agents do. An accurate sellers disclosure can be provided on the listing site, but you’ll need to verify that your buyer has actually received it when it comes time to close the deal.
With a purchase agreement in hand, you as a flat fee MLS seller will want to have a real estate attorney review the sales documentation, and may want to have the attorney present at the closing. You’ll also need to verify that all of the appropriate documentation is collected prior to closing, and copies have been forwarded to (or prepared for) the buyer.
As a flat fee MLS seller, you’ll also want to make certain the buyer knows when and where the closing has been scheduled, and the exact amount of the
