Obligation Reduction

One of the chief concerns about selling a home via FSBO is getting the word out to as many buyers as possible about your home. Realtors have long had the upper hand in this area thanks to their now online multiple listing service [MLS] which easily pairs buyers and sellers together. On the other hand, FSBO home owners have online tools at their disposal to increase the likelihood that a buyer will step forward. If you believe you need more than what your FSBO listing can give to you, then consider obtaining an MLS listing for your property. Read on for more helpful information concerning an MLS for your FSBO home.

You have listed your home on several FSBO sites and have gotten a few emails from inquirers. Meanwhile, you can't help but notice that your neighbor across the street who put their home on the market at the same time is getting a lot of foot traffic thanks to their relationship with a household name national realtor. Moreover, you could almost swear that one of clients of the realtor showing the home was giving your home a good look over before getting back into the realtor's car. Don't think for a moment that the realtor will walk this person over to your home for a tour!

If you feel that you are missing out as you list your home via FSBO then you should consider paying a flat fee MLS and getting your home featured to a broader audience. A flat fee multiple listing service decision means that you will pay to have your home listed with the big realtor's site and have access to thousands of buyers. Typically, this involves paying MLS a fee of $500 or more for the privilege of having your home featured with broker marketed homes.

In most cases in addition to the MLS listing you will have to agree to pay the realtor's fee if they bring a buyer to you. This means that the realtor's client who looked at the house for sale across the street from your home would visit your FSBO home under the auspices of the realtor if so requested. Sure, he could contact you independently later, but most likely if the person has retained the services of a realtor he will use that realtor to contact you.

A realtor would be more likely to bring a buyer to you if you agree to pay a commission. Many MLS stipulations require that you pay both the listing fee and agree to pay the buyer's real estate commission which can vary from 2 to 3.5% of the selling price. While this may sound steep it is still much less than the 6% real estate commission normally paid out, so consider this option if you want a broader pool of potential FSBO buyers.