I’m sure you’ve all heard of this high and almighty multiple listing service that all Realtors talk about. You know…that one that daunts you, the one that you, as a For Sale by Owner, may have nightmares about? But, you may ask…what the heck is this MLS thing anyway? And, why is it so important? Well, let me just give you a little lesson on the ABC’s of the MLS.
Why List Your Home on the MLS?
A. It’s Where Agents Search for Home Inventory
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So, where do real estate agents find homes to sell to their clients? You know we aren’t out there driving around neighborhood to neighborhood all day looking for a sign in a yard. Not with these gas prices! We find them on our computers. We, as agents are all members of a multiple listing service (MLS). This allows us to search listed homes by specific categories, set up personal searches for clients and find homes to show our clients. Honestly, without the MLS, we’d be lost. The MLS puts an army of local agents to work. They’re all running ads for houses, maybe not YOUR house….but, any one of them could end up selling your house. If it’s listed on the local MLS of course.
B. It’s How to get Your Home EVERYWHERE on the Internet
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Sure, you can list your home on Craigslist every other minute in hopes to get it in in front of a potential buyer. But, this honestly is just a waste of time. It will just get lost in the hundreds of other daily postings. What you need is to get more internet impressions. Get your home on the screen in front of more people. Basically, once a property has been listed for sale with a licensed agent and added to the MLS, the home is now exposed to all broker members and their agents. The property is also broadcasted to various other websites, including all member brokers that have a website. That means that a listed property will appear on searches that other member brokers offer as a function on their website. Also, most real estate websites that allow users to search homes, use the MLS as a hub. Those listings will appear on most brokers’ sites, major real estate companies’ sites and other sites such as Realtor.com and Zillow.com. So, the internet traffic you will get will be unreal!
C. One sentence…
...”According to the NAR (National Association of Realtors) over 90% of all properties sold in the US are a result of the MLS listing exposure.”
So, in a nutshell, MLS is where it’s at when it comes to getting exposure and traffic for your home. Without listing a home with a Realtor and getting your home in the MLS, it’s like playing the lottery. The odds of getting your home in front of a serious, potential buyer are not in your favor. Unless you’re that one person who is extremely lucky…you know, that person who is always winning those work party raffles. Secretly, I hate that person.
Emily Benner l PalmerHouse Properties Realty
678-458-2284 l emilysells@gmail.com
