MLS listing without a realtor (flat fee, for sale by owner, real estate)

[rossc]

Does anyone know how to go about getting a house listed on MLS without getting a realtor involved? My laywer is handling all the contract work and closing and we are available to show the house, but we would like to be coming up in MLS searches.

Thanks....Ross

[rockky]

rossc - Perhaps someone here may be able to assist you. I hope so. I like to keep things local myself.

I thought I'd remind you that there is a 'Real Estate' section in "Other Forum" here on CD. You might get a faster reply there.

Good luck! Hope things move quickly for you.

[movn2del]

If you do a search on "list house MLS" a bunch of stuff comes up. It seems you only have access to limited stuff. When we were looking for a house in DE, our realtor told us that DE is a realtor state. That means that you need a realtor for any house transaction. I don't know if that's true or not but that is what we were told. The subject came up when we saw a house that the owner had put on MLS. Our realtor told us she probably paid about $400 to list it. I wish I could provide you with more info. Good luck.

[Laural]

Originally Posted by rossc

Does anyone know how to go about getting a house listed on MLS without getting a realtor involved? My laywer is handling all the contract work and closing and we are available to show the house, but we would like to be coming up in MLS searches.

Thanks....Ross

Most MLS systems restrict membership and access to real estate brokers (and their agents) who are appropriately licensed by the state (or province); are members of a local board or association of realtors; and are members of the trade association (e.g., NAR or CREA).

A person selling his/her own property - acting as a For Sale By Owner (or FSBO) - cannot put a listing for the home directly into the MLS. Similarly, a properly licensed broker who chooses to neither join the trade association nor operate a business within the associations's rules, cannot join the MLS.

However, there are brokers and many online services which offer FSBO sellers the option of listing their property in their local MLS database by paying a flat fee or another non-traditional compensation method.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by rossc

Does anyone know how to go about getting a house listed on MLS without getting a realtor involved? My laywer is handling all the contract work and closing and we are available to show the house, but we would like to be coming up in MLS searches.
Thanks....Ross

Ross....
If you're speaking of MLS in regard to Innovia MLS or Trend MLS in Delaware, those listings can only be submitted by Realtors upon signing a listing agreement. You might try www.Zillow.com

[Charley]

Originally Posted by rdlr

Ross....
If you're speaking of MLS in regard to Innovia MLS or Trend MLS in Delaware, those listings can only be submitted by Realtors upon signing a listing agreement. You might try Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information | Zillow Real Estate

RDLR: I have what might appear to be a stupid question, but here goes:

If a home is listed on MLS, and an agent sells that home, wouldn't that generate a commission for that agent anyway? Assuming it does, doesn't the seller have to pay that? Therefore why bother listing with an MLS without an agent?

Thanks.
Charley

[Hollytree]

What you want is some company like this one.....
Delaware Flat Fee MLS Listings For Sale By Owner Realtor Multiple Listing Service for DE FSBO Home Sellers

Either their name or yours goes in as the contact person and no commission is involved beyond the listing fee if the house is sold by owner.

If you wish to invite a realtor to show and sell the house you can list a commission of 3% or less for a buyer who comes with an agent.
Most realtors won't show a listing for less than 3% because their split with their office would be too small, i.e. usually 1.5% or less. They will steer the buyer to listings where they make the most money.

You may find that only sophisticated buyers will buy without an agent- most people are too scared to do it, even though the deal can be better without commissions involved.

Google "MLS flat fee listings" for more companies. Good Luck selling your house

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by CMTAD

RDLR: I have what might appear to be a stupid question, but here goes:

If a home is listed on MLS, and an agent sells that home, wouldn't that generate a commission for that agent anyway? Assuming it does, doesn't the seller have to pay that? Therefore why bother listing with an MLS without an agent?

Thanks.
Charley

You know the old saying........there's never a stupid question

I have had no experience, and have no knowledge regarding "listing" with an MLS, such as Zillow or others. With those, no Realtor is involved, thus no commission paid by anyone. I don't know anything about their fees, or even if there are any.

On a FSBO (for sale by owner) a homeowner can not list with a local (Board of Realtors) multi list service, such as Trend or Innovia. One could "list" with a Realtor, but not the MLS. That is the benefit of listing with a local Realtor, who will then submit the listing of your property to Trend or Innovia Multi List Services.

I think the confusion may lie within the phrasing 'listing on MLS".....Which MLS? ....one of those Zillow types, or the traditional Board of Realtors MLS? I guess one could 'list' with Zillow, but one can't 'list' with Trend or Innovia. One would list with the Realtor, not the MLS.

Regarding Commission: Listing with a Realtor results in a commission being generated upon the sale of the property. The seller typically pays the commission, although sometimes, the commission is built on top of the sales price. Therefore, in that case, the seller (technically) is not paying all of the commission. There are lots of ceative means of listing/selling houses these days. Another avenue is hiring a "buyer's agent" if one wants specific representation, and an agent to actively find that buyer a property. In that case, the buyer pays a flat commission fee to that agent. The NAR also requires a document to be signed now, upon the first meeting between Realtor/Buyer or Seller, which outlines exactly which party the Realtor represents....as in, Is he/she a Buyer's Agent, or a Seller's Agent.

It's not as simple as it once was, and each transaction is unique in that various divisions of monies/commissions/services may vary.

Movin'.....I never heard that phrase "realtor state". Anybody can sell their own house (FSBO) For Sale By Owner, and a buyer and seller can complete a sales transaction between themselves, with no Realtor involvement. But, a real estate license is required to sell someone else's property, and collect a commission. As I said, I know nothing about those non-traditional 'listing companies' and fees they may charge.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by rdlr

Ross....
If you're speaking of MLS in regard to Innovia MLS or Trend MLS in Delaware, those listings can only be submitted by Realtors upon signing a listing agreement. You might try Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information | Zillow Real Estate

Keep in mind when you list with an agent in a traditional MLS, you are exposing your home to the thousands of agents who subscribe & use it as their main tool to find homes to show their clients.

In this area, Zillow is not a tool agents use to find a home so your exposure will be a whole lot less.

[rossc]

Generally speaking, listing on MLS does mean that you have to give up 2-3%, which is what we're debating right now. We just have a problem paying someone $3000 to show our house when (1) We can do the same and (2) They are not really selling the house. We would be one stop on a buyers shopping tour.

We've had some activity on CraigsList, it is listed on Zillow and we're putting up flyers. We did find one website that would list it online and provide a local MLS listing for $700 flat. We'll give it a month or two and see what happens before we do that. $700 + buyers agent fee is giving up too much.