Selling Your Home - The Benefits of Using a Flat Fee MLS Listing Service

In an effort to sale their home more quickly, many homeowners these days are considering using the services of a flat fee listing service. Many of these people have come to the understanding that in order to sale their home quickly, they must make sure that it is advertised in such a way that it will be seen by as many buyers as possible.

The fastest way to do this is to place your home in a Multiple Listing Service. In the past the only way to accomplish this was to have your home listed with a Realtor, which also meant that they would list the home for you, and you in return would be required to pay them a listing fee, which in most cases equated to around 6% of the sales price.

In an effort to completely bypass these fees, many sellers have turned to the services of a flat fee listing service. These services offer you the benefit of having your home placed in the local MLS without paying any Realtor fees when your home is sold.

Most MLS services are basically an online compilation of available properties for sale in a specific area. Any home that is sold through a Realtor will often be listed in the MLS. Most Realtors are only going to show homes that are listed in their region's MLS, so it goes without saying, that if you want your home to sale, you must list your home in the local multiple listing service.

The savings, which can be realized through using a flat fee MLS service, can be quite substantial. Let's take for example a home being sold for $400,000. When the home makes it to closing, the homeowner is going to pay his Realtor a commission of $24,000.

If on the other hand you decided to use a flat fee listing service, you will be able to get your home listed for only a few hundred dollars instead.

But, let's not forget that if the Buyer is using their own Real Estate agent, you are still going to be required to pay a commission of 3%, which adds up to $12,000. With that being said, you will still realize a total savings of over $12,000 fees.

Many flat fee MLS services across the country also provide many extras such as lockboxes, contracts and for sale signs, which will greatly increase the chances of your home selling in a timely manner.

So if you are really interested in selling your home on your own, research some of the Real Estate companies in your local area. You may just find a company that offers a flat fee listing service, and save yourself a few dollars in the process.