If you’re planning to sell your home, having your property appear on the MLS gives you a big advantage. An MLS listing that can be accessed in an online search on any number of real estate sites by anyone, anywhere, makes it easier for prospective buyers to find your home. The more people who see your home listing, the faster you will sell and the more likely you are to get the true market value of your home in the sales price. Many people want to know how to list their property on the MLS for free to enjoy the benefits of this listing without hurting their wallet. Yes, it is possible to get an MLS listing without hiring a real estate agent who charges a big commission. Keep the following tips in mind for getting a Flat Fee MLS listing and selling your home at a low cost to you.
Options for Selling Your Home
When it comes to selling their home, most sellers historically have hired a real estate agent to represent them. When you hire a real estate agent, they handle all aspects of the selling process, but this comes at a cost. Real estate agent commissions typically take up to 6 percent of the selling price of your home, which cuts into the funds you receive on the sale of your home. Savvy sellers consider taking control of their home sale and avoiding the sales commission by selling For Sale By Owner (FSBO).
FSBO means no sales commissions, but if you want realtor exposure as well, there’s still a way to get your home on the MLS. Because only realtors have access to list on the MLS, your best way to get an MLS listing is to pay for a low cost flat fee MLS listing service by a discount FSBO realtor like FSBO VA. Along with your MLS listing, you will get a package of useful seller services that will come in handy as you go through the process of marketing and selling your home on your own.
How FSBO Works
Real estate agents normally take care of all aspects of selling a home, including marketing your property, doing showings and open houses, the countering and negotiations and assisting you to closing, in addition to providing your MLS listing. When you sell your home FSBO, you don’t hire a real estate agent to sell your home. You are in charge of the selling process, but on your own you won’t have access to list your property on the MLS. You can list the property on sites like Craigslist, but this limited exposure makes it hard to sell quickly and to attract potential buyers who are willing to pay the full value of your home. Finding a way to list your FSBO home on the MLS, the broadly available professional home selling platform, is important to a successful home sale that will meet your expectations.
The best solution is to find an FSBO package that provides you access to set up an MLS listing for a small, flat fee. This will get you the same MLS visibility as sellers paying full commission to their agent. Your property shows up alongside all the comparable homes for sale and will be seen by potentially thousands of buyers looking in your area and price range. Best of all, for this important listing, you’ll just pay a small fee with no hidden costs and no commissions. Please remember, you are only FSBO on FSBO Sites. You are NOT FSBO when you are in the MLS. You are then listed with a Discount Real Estate Broker for a Flat Fee.
Flat Fee MLS Listing Packages
Having your property appear on the MLS requires getting a realtor to handle the listing. In order to do this, you’ll need to find a realtor who specializes in working with FSBO sellers and offers a flat fee MLS listing package. For example, if you’re selling a home in the Virginia, Maryland or DC area, For Sale By Owner of Virginia is the go to FSBO discount realtor. The founder, Debbie Kent, has been helping FSBO sellers and buyers since 1994. The website offers a number of packages as well as loads of informational videos and articles. We work with sellers, buyers and buyers agents and offer a number of packages so that we can meet anyone’s needs and budget.
With a flat fee MLS package, you will get supplies and the support you need to make your home-selling process easier and more effective. FSBO sellers know that getting targeted support for things as simple as a Professional looking “For Sale” sign, or producing flyers, or getting guidance on the close process are valuable help that lets the seller focus on showing the home and getting the sale.
Flat fee selling packages offer amazing value at low cost, compared to the thousands of dollars sellers typically pay to real estate agents. Check out the long list of items that are included in Flat Fee MLS Listing Plans, and you’ll see you get a lot more than just an MLS listing. Here’s a sample of some of the services available in our FSBO seller packages:
● 6, 12 month or Until Sold MLS listing
● Listings on local Virginia-DC-Maryland MLS sites
● Listings on major nationwide real estate sites like Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia
● Online home selling success kit
● Online advertising
● Professional printable flyers
● Your own FSBO webpage to better showcase your home
● “Comps” or market analysis of similar local homes to help you price your home
● For Sale sign, and lockbox so buyers’ agents can show your home when you are not around
● Showing service and feedback
● Countering and Negotiation Service
● Closing assistance option program
Keep in mind that the support services you get depend on which package you purchase. Plans range from just the basics, including your MLS listing to full service, all at an affordable flat fee price. We can help you determine which Flat Fee MLS Listing plan would work best for you based on your needs and situation.
If you’re interested in learning more about listing your property in the Virginia, Maryland or DC area, please contact For Sale By Owner of Virginia Realtor Debbie Kent at 540-582-5777.
If you’re interested in learning more about listing your property in the Maryland, Virginia, or DC area, please contact For Sale By Owner of Virginia realtor Debbie Kent at 540-582-5777.
I appreciated it when you shared that it is important to hire a realtor who is specialized in MLS listing if you want your property to appear on it. My friend just mentioned the other day that she is thinking of selling her house that she no longer lives in since she already got herself a new property. I will suggest to her looking for a reliable service that can offer her to promote her house at MLS listing.