do realtors dislike showing houses listed on mls by an owner using flat fee? (percentage, seller)

[Brandon Hoffman]

Originally Posted by longhornswin

I'd gladly pay the annual MLS fee to get access to comps.


Oh, but wait, the MLS Mafia won't let me pay for a service I want to purchase because I'm not a licensed agent.

So, your argument holds no water.

The MLS was created by Realtors to share information with other Realtors. It's not for the public whether you pay for it or not. The MLS serves as an agreement between agents to co-broke listings. We go through training and background checks because peoples personal information is on there. I doubt sellers with a property listed wants every Tom, Dick, and Harry willing to fork over a few bucks to have access to their personal information.

If you want comps you can certainly head down to the tax assessors office and have at it.

[TexasHorseLady]

Not in Texas - Texas is a nondisclosure state (we value our privacy here), so the average Tom, Dick or Harry can only find the tax assessment, which has precious little to do with market value for the most part, at the tax assessor's office.

And it's not just a matter of paying the fees - you forget (or conveniently ignore) the part about who creates the MLS in the first place, much like, as I said, an author writes a book. By your reasoning, anyone who creates anything should be required to give it to you because you want it. Again, turn that around, take your own work product, and see how you feel about people thinking that you should be required to just give it to them because they want to have it. Be honest, now.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by longhornswin

I'd gladly pay the annual MLS fee to get access to comps.


Oh, but wait, the MLS Mafia won't let me pay for a service I want to purchase because I'm not a licensed agent.

So, your argument holds no water.

I think we live in a country where there were laws that say you don't get to unilaterally decide the terms under which you will take what belongs to others.
Frustrating, and losing traction in the entitlement society, but still a fundamental that is nodded to by some Americans.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by longhornswin

I'd gladly pay the annual MLS fee to get access to comps.


Oh, but wait, the MLS Mafia won't let me pay for a service I want to purchase because I'm not a licensed agent.

So, your argument holds no water.

Licensed agents have (nowadays) had FBI background checks and fingerprinting. There is private information in the MLS about the house such as security codes, vacant or occupied, phone numbers, etc that the public should never have access to.

You've not been screened, you've not passed our states FBI check or been fingerprinted. You answer to no broker or company, you've never input data into the system or know fair housing laws on what you can say and not say.

These are the reasons the public cannot be given open access to the MLS in their area. Want access? Get licensed, take the educational courses required to understand it then pay your quarterly payments that may run $300-600 a year.

Besides, it's private and the people who create it can determine what is done with the information.

[chaotix]

Originally Posted by manderly6

How is it someone who only has had a few experiences with agents is qualified to make a statement on the odds of someone finding an honest/competent agent?

My handful of experiences coupled with the high turnover rate is a qualified indicator.

Originally Posted by Rakin

It amazes me that if I needed a plumber 5 times in 5 years and everyone I hired was a crappy plumber I would not say all the plumbers were crappy. I'd really need to look at how I hired plumbers. Did I ask around and get recommendations from friends, check references, etc or did I hire the guy that was the cheapest or had the biggest yellow page ad ?

Originally Posted by Rakin

Maybe it's the poor hiring procedures.

Plumber is a poor example, the average person does not purchase a home 5 times in 5years.

Poor hiring procedures? Easy to say from your vantage point

Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman

Seriously...such venom with so little knowledge. Like an earlier poster said, if real estate was easy everyone would do it (and make it past a year). In my market we have about a 92% failure rate, mostly because, to the shock of many would be agents, it's actually hard work. Gasp!

I have to agree, Real estate is not easy, everything but, however, this entrepreneurial sales position where most lack education/experience, commitment and funds, attributes to the high turnover, fact is most will fail within the first several years.

Originally Posted by manderly6

I would have also said the same thing if you had said all your agents were great and therefore the odds of getting a good agent are good. Just way to small of a sample size to make broad generalizations about.

I am your average consumer not a statistician, these are my opinions from my experiences, observations and finite knowledge.

I gather you are looking for stats and datum, again I will disappoint, not my expertise, please enlighten us, do the research and let us know your findings, hey, better yet, maybe you can use Brandon Hoffmans area 92% failure turnover rate as a sample.

[manderly6]

I'm not looking for anything. Simply pointing out you clearly don't have enough knowledge to make your statement meaningful in any way.

[chaotix]

Originally Posted by manderly6

I'm not looking for anything. Simply pointing out you clearly don't have enough knowledge to make your statement meaningful in any way.

Alrighty then, what amount of knowledge is enough to make my statement meaningful in any way?

[Advocate13]

Locally: the common law of agency prevails and buyers agents, under contract have a fiduciary duty to their client to show any and all properties as may interest their client. The Buyers Representation Agreement executed has a provision, whereby the buyer agrees to make up any short-fall in the agreed commission, the same agreement also binds the agent in a fiduciary relationship to the client.

Buyer’s agents are subject to a great deal of liability and must fulfill all the legal and fiduciary requirement of their role in the same manner that a lawyer is required to fulfill his or her fiduciary obligations to a client. Further, if they breach their fiduciary duty to a client, they may not only forfeit their entitlement to remuneration, but may be held legally liable for damages suffered by their client due to their failure to act in the best interest of their client.

Important Notice: This information is provided as basic educational information by the author and is not a substitute for the advice of an expert and/or the advice of a lawyer. There is NO representation as to legality, accuracy, correctness of the herein information and the reader is strongly urged to consult a lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction to ensure accuracy before acting on this information .

[Joelle Coughlin]

Yes, flat fee mls listing works. Home owners are selling their own home with selling agents or buyers agents OR on their own thru the MLS. PRicing is important, location, and condition with an traditional listing agent or utilizing flat fee brokerage. But, yes a home owner can sell their own home in this market, it may take a little longer and require patience. Agents try to discourage sellers against the flat fee model because it is killing "their" business, that is what one said to one of my flat fee clients. What I don't understand is.... what does it matter what fee was paid to the flat fee broker in order to be on the MLS? The co-op broker or selling agent or buyer agent is getting a commission of 2% or better? The same as the traditional listing agent indicates on the mls listing. Nobody is killing "their" business. It is called competition. And the traditional listing agents hate that.. even amongst themselves.

[Brandon Hoffman]

Nah, I just hate unskilled agents. It just happens most of those are part timers.