ForSaleByOwner Info
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Advantages of the Multiple Listing Service The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the best advertisement that a home can have. The first thing that a Realtor does when they are talking with a new customer or client is to get the basic criteria for the house this person is looking for. The Realtor will then take these criteria and put it into the MLS search. This can be a wide or as specific as the customer/client wants. The MLS listings then give a list of all houses that meet the specifications. The Realtor then chooses which houses he or she wants more detail on and can get all the information on that house.
There are over 10,000 Realtors in the Charlotte area. Each Realtor is usually working with several customers/clients at a time. That is a lot of very specific coverage.
When you put up a sign, you reach only the people who drive by and see your sign. When you advertise in the newspaper you reach some buyer's but more and more buyers want an agent, especially if they are not knowledgeable about the area. The FSBO magazines do reach some potential buyers but not nearly the number reached by the MLS.
An other advantage of working with Realtor is that most Realtors make sure that the people who they show houses to, are already pre-qualified to buy a house in that price range. Many FSBO's think that they have a contract and then find that their buyer's cannot afford their house. The house has been off the market and time has been lost.
Realtor's are also aware of the market. They know what price your home is most likely to sell for. Your house may not be worth what you think it is. House prices are not based on how much money you want, how much money you have spent on your home or how much you spent for your home. Most buyers today are very knowledgeable about the prices in the area. They know if a house is overpriced. (Also many buyers who look at FSBO's are looking for a bargain and want to pay below market for your house.)
If you have any questions about the MLS, feel free to give me a call. I promise that I will not hound you. You can also check with a website called Homegain.com. They are set up to let you get proposals from Realtors without the Realtor knowing who you are until you contact them. That way you can get the opinions of several Realtors before you choose.
NOTE: If you are afraid of getting into a listing contract and then finding that you are unhappy with your Realtor, let me tell you a little know fact. You can get out of a listing contract if you are unhappy with the service. All you have to do is write a letter to the Broker in Charge at the office that listed your home and tell them that you want to withdraw your listing and why. They may come back and ask it they may have time to rectify the problem but it is up to you if you want to withdraw your home from their listings. They can charge you for any out of pocket expenses that they have incurred but that is all and most companies will not charge you. It is unwise to keep changing companies too often, but you are not "stuck" with an unhappy situation.
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