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MLS Listings
The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is The National Association of Realtors (NAR) computerized list of homes currently for sale. This is an exclusive tool, only available to the 700,000 members of the NAR. The MLS is the primary tool used by Realtors to find homes for their buyers, and for most Realtors and buyers, it is the only tool they need to find the right home for them. Realtors search the MLS daily to find potential matches for their buyers, thus when new listings are entered, they are immediately evaluated by thousands of Realtors with prospective buyers, making your house rapidly popular. The MLS provides the biggest marketing advantage in selling houses. This kind of exposure to buyers is not available anywhere else. You maximize your chances of selling your property more quickly and at a better price when it is listed in the MLS. When your property is in the MLS your property receives the broad coverage of a large number of realty offices that have access via computer to your home's availability, price and features. Being listed on the Realtors MLS enables you to take advantage of the power of thousands of Realtors in your area. That means more exposure for you! Is it true that Realtors using the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
sell most houses and that they usually sell for a higher price? The MLS will give you maximum exposure and this is the key to a successful transaction. There is no other effective way to sell your property and be successful. Basically, the MLS is a big property warehouse - sort of like a "home depot." When property is available for sale, it goes in the warehouse. When it is sold, it gets taken out of the warehouse. Since real estate cannot actually be stored in a warehouse, the MLS only contains information. So the MLS is actually a database - an extremely convenient way to know what is available for sale at a given moment. That is why real estate agents developed the MLS. Quick knowledge of home inventory made agents more productive The Evolving MLSSince developing and maintaining the MLS system wasn't free, agents created local "MLS Associations," required membership, and charged each other annual dues (plus additional fees) so that they could pay for the necessary staff and materials to make it work. In the really olden days, an agent submitted listings to their local association and the MLS staff compiled the data on what was available for sale and what had been sold. Once a week (or so) MLS members received a book that showed all the current listings. Then (in the "merely" olden days) computers came along and made it easier to create the listing books. When modems came along the books were no longer necessary, though it took agents awhile to adjust. MLS members could now "dial in" directly to the computer. Finally, along comes the information age -- and the Internet. Beginning in 1996, some property information from the MLS was placed on the web. It isn't as current as dialing directly into the computer, and information on the web does not contain all the properties available in the MLS. Plus, there is no national MLS or database. Information you find on the web is compiled from local and regional MLS systems, not all of which participate on the web to the same extent. Why the MLS works for home sellersThe whole MLS idea is a boon to sellers because of "supply and demand." How can you, as a seller, get access to the largest number of buyers? Placing an ad in a newspaper? Or putting your home information into a computer accessible by every MLS member who will show your property to their qualified buyers in your price range? Being placed in the MLS expands a home seller's sales force, exposes the property to a larger pool of prospective home buyers, and creates more demand for the property. The higher the demand, the more pricing power enjoyed by the homeowner - and the quicker a home will sell. Why the MLS works for home buyersIt is extremely convenient, does not cost a penny to buyers, plus...
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MLS Listings