What is an MLS and how does it help you sell a  home?

Multiple Listing Service is the National Association of REALTOR®s (NAR) computerized list of properties currently for sale.  This is an exclusive tool only available to the 700,000 members of NAR.  It is the primary tool used by REALTOR®s to find properties for their buyer clients. It is estimated that the MLS is responsible for 85% of home sales and 4 out of 5 homes sold are listed in the MLS.  If your property is listed on the MLS, an agent will locate it if it matches their client's requirements. You maximize your chances of selling your property more quickly and at a better price when it is listed in the MLS because of the broad coverage of a large number of realty offices that have access to your property via the MLS.

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How Will I save thousands by ordering a Discount MLS Listing Service to sell my home?

First let's illustrate the assumption that you list your property with Traditional Real Estate Company. (for example, RE/MAX®, Century 21®, COLDWELL BANKER®, etc.).  Under this illustration, let's assume your home sells for $200,000.  You can follow the chart below.  The example is highlighted yellow.  If your home sells for $200,000 and you've listed with a traditional Realtor®, you would owe $12,000 in commissions.  This is calculated as $200,000 X 6% = $12,000.  You can see how quickly the commissions eat into your equity.  Now, lets compare your savings if you listed your home with us, using our 4% Discount Listing Plan.  If your home is sold via an Agent bringing the buyer to you, your commission would be calculated as follows:  $200,000 X 4% = $8,000  Therefore, the savings to you would be $4,000 (calculated as $12,000 - $8,000 = $4,000).

            Remember, if you sell your own home, you do not pay the 3% Buyer's Agent commission.  

 Savings Table for 4% Discount MLS Listing (1% Listing side + 3% to the buyer's agent)

Selling Price	Traditional Realtor®	1% Listing Plan + 3% Buyer's Agent commission	Savings
$100,000	$6,000	$4,000	$2,000
$150,000	$9,000	$6,000	$3,000
$200,000	$12,000	$8,000	$4,000
$250,000	$15,000	$10,000	$5,000
$300,000	$18,000	$12,000	$6,000
$350,000	$21,000	$14,000	$7,000
$400,000	$24,000	$16,000	$8,000
$500,000	$30,000	$20,000	$10,000

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How Can You Offer Services at Such a Great Discount?    

We think that a 6% commission is way too high to sell your home.  Since we don't have the typical overhead that many of the traditional real estate companies have, we are able to pass these savings onto our clients.  We are independent contractors and work our home office to keep overhead low.  With our low real estate commission plans, we have helped our sellers save thousands in commissions.

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Will Realtors Show and Sell my home even though I'm not paying 6% Commission?

Yes. There is no way to tell how much you paid to get your home listed on the MLS. Regardless of whom you listed with or what you paid, your listing will look no different from any other listing on the MLS.  Your listing will appear the same as all other MLS property listings.   

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Will Realtors® show and sell my home if I am not listed with their company?  

Yes. The main purpose of MLS is for REALTORS® to sell each other's listings.

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Who Will Realtors® call for Showings? 

When you list your home with us, we will utilize the service of CSS-Showings to schedule showing appointments for your property.  Any Realtor who wants to show your property will call the Showing Service to make the appointment to show your property.  You, the Seller, will provide us with instructions for CSS-Showings on how you want your home to be shown.  If a child is ill or you will be out of town on a particular day, then you would simply update the instructions with the showing service stating "No showings" on that day.   

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What is a Showing Service? 

The showing service the we utilize is provided by CSS-Showings.  This service schedules all the showing appointments for your property.  CSS provides ease of scheduling for agents, which in turn means more showings for sellers.  With a simple call to CSS, the showing instructions can be updated.  After each showing of your property,  CSS automatically e-mails the agent for feedback on your property.  You will have your own personal webpage with your own id and password for which you can view your feedback.

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Is there really a benefit to listing with a traditional high-commission broker?

No!  Keep in mind that REALTORS® in all likelihood will list your property on the same MLS system, so your listing will end up in the same place if you re-list your property with a more Traditional Real Estate Agent charging you higher commissions. 

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Do I have to pay a Commission if my property sells because of the MLS?

Yes. Any REALTOR® bringing a ready, willing and able buyer with a satisfactory contract will be due a "selling" commission of your choice. This commission must be determined by Seller when completing the Listing Agreement. This Commission is shown on the MLS.  Typical commission to a Buyer's Agent is usually 3%.  

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If I find my own buyer, will I still have to pay a commission?

When you sign up for our $799 Flat Fee MLS Listing package (Not the Full Service Discount Listing), you will maintain the right to sell your own home.  If you find your own buyer, you will not be obligated to pay a commission on the sale.  However, any fees you paid to us to get on the MLS, (ie, the $799 MLS Discount Listing fee) is non-refundable.

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How do I go about pricing my home?

When you list your home with us using our Discount MLS Listing plans,  we will perform a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) and research 3-5 comparable properties that have sold in your area.  This will help you determine a sales price for your property based on the past sales data in your area.

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Do I need a lockbox while house is listed on MLS? 

You can decide whether or not to use an optional key-lockbox, which is a metal container for your house key(s) and is normally hung on the front door knob or gate. The MLS Listing will advise Realtor's if they can not reach you by phone, they may use the key lockbox for showings. It provides access to Agents when the owner is away, thus assuring full exposure to prospective buyers. Without a lockbox, Agents representing buyers will have to set appointments to meet you at the house to view the home. If you do not have a lockbox, you may miss out on some potential buyers who do not have time to wait. Lockboxes are completely removable and controllable by you. Showings are most always done on an appointment only basis.  It is rare an Agent will knock on the door without first making appointment with the homeowner. 

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Why signup with Us?

• We give you more for your money--Don't pay the outrageous 6% commission!  We have several programs available to assist you in buying or selling your home.
• Your property will be listed quickly upon receipt of the listing agreement
• There are no hidden fees or charges
• FREE Comparative Market Analysis so you can price your home
• Free Forms and Necessary Disclosures
• We do everything a traditional Real Estate Company does except charge 6% commission to sell your home!       
  

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How Long will it take for my property to be entered in the MLS?

Your property will be listed in the MLS within 24 hours after we receive your signed Listing Agreement and the necessary documents to list your property such as the MLS data forms documents filled out by you, the seller.  We will provide you with the necessary forms that you will need.  Once we input your information into the MLS, your listing will appear in HAR.com. Your website will also be fed to other Websites such as Yahoo.com, MSN.com and Realtor.com, however, we do not control any of the information on their webpage.  Your listing is fed indirectly to these websites.  We will also send to you by email, link or fax a copy of your MLS Listing.

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How Many forms do I need to fill out to get my property listed in the MLS?

Four. You will need to complete:

1. The standard Listing Agreement which specifies the terms for which we will list your property and what the stated commission shall be upon the sale of your property
2. Seller's Disclosure tells the prospective buyer what you know about your property.  You disclose any known defects in your property.
3. MLS Data Input Form is what we use to input the information about your property into the MLS (i.e., number of bedrooms, baths, square footage, etc)
4. Information About Brokerage Services which informs you of your rights of your representation.  This form gives you information about the duties of the broker, depending on whom the broker represents.  A broker can represent the buyer/tenant or the seller/landlord.  The broker can also act as an intermediary with full disclosure and the written consent of each party to the transaction

There may be additional forms that need to be filled out depending on the circumstances of your property.  For example, if your home was built before 1978, you will need to fill out the Lead Based Paint Disclosure.  We will assist you in filling all these necessary forms no extra charge for for listing with us. 

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Can I make changes to my MLS listing? 

Yes you can make changes anytime.  Simply send us an email or call us.

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Can I cancel my Listing with You?

You can cancel your listing as long as it does not have a pending contract or any commissions due to a Realtor.  Any fees paid upfront to list your home on the MLS are non-refundable.

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Can I contact an Agent?  

Absolutely!  In fact, we encourage customers to call if they need more information, help with any forms or who prefer to work on a personal basis.  We can be reached at 832-928-3019

Still have more questions??  Then email us and we will get back to you!

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What are my next steps if I want to list my property?

If you choose to list your property with us, please visit our Listing Options pages.  Upon checkout, you will be returned to our website where you can start downloading the necessary forms to list your property with us.  Most people have questions, so feel free to call us. We are generally available 9am to 7pm 6 days a week, On Sunday from 2:30pm to 5:30pm.  You can contact us by email or by calling 832-928-3019.  An agent will also be in touch with you within 24 hours of registering your information.

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