MLS is made BY Realtors FOR Realtors.

In the beginning, the group of real estate agents who held themselves to a higher standard of ethics and practice, and called themselves Realtors, realized that they needed to be able to share knowledge of each other’s activities.  When Realtor A was engaged to sell a property, he often depended on the help of Realtor B and Realtor C so the total of all their efforts would be more effective.  The Multiple Listing Service, the MLS was borne out of the necessity for communication of the different Realtor’s efforts one to the other.  When Realtor A listed a property “For Sale” the details about it was available to the other members of the MLS

Then along comes the For-Sale-By-Owner, FSBO, who decides to sell his property himself to save the commission he would otherwise pay to an agent to do the job.  Not all real estate agents are Realtors and therefore not all agents are members of the MLS.  But it is becoming more and more necessary that, to sell quickly, it must be in the MLS.  The FSBO can’t be a Realtor or a member of the MLS either, of course, but they still need that exposure.

Enter the flat-fee, limited-listing broker who will let the homeowner sell his own house and still have the details about it available through the MLS by way of the membership of the flat-fee, limited-listing broker.  The FSBO now has a huge exposure for a lot less commission.

What the MLS will do for you.

In my area, just being in the MLS gets your house in front of 5000 pairs of Realtor’s eyes.  Some of them may be currently working with a prospect who would be perfect for your house.

Almost as importantly, this information is gathered by secondary and tertiary websites that expand the exposure.  These days, when people are looking for a new house, the often enjoy searching these secondary sites on their own from their living room.  Then, if they like a particular house, they proceed from there.

There is no telling how many tens or hundreds of thousands of eyes see your house on those sites.  And the speed of the home sale is often directly associated with the amount of exposure.

What you can’t do.

People are occasionally surprised and even a bit disappointed by two factors.  Their contact number will not be placed where anyone but other Members can see it.  The whole purpose of the MLS is for its members.

The homeowner is confined to the template of the MLS.  They cannot include long, flowing descriptions when the area they want it to be is a very limited area or even a multiple-choice pull-down menu.  Sometimes the pre-conceived idea gets whittles down to the bone.