Most of them couldn’t list your house if they had to.

Their business is packaging up your order and reselling it to someone in your state who can do the job.  Of course they keep some of your money, and sell it on the wholesale level.

(This article originally appeared in 2020)

Real estate licenses are issued by the state where the property is.  I am in Tennessee, for example.  If I wanted to list a house in Georgia, I would also need to be licensed by Georgia.

Many, if not most agents, do not go to the trouble of getting licensed in multiple states.

Things can get even murkier at this point.

Let’s say I was also licensed in Georgia.  There are 159 counties in Georgia.  The Chattanooga, TN mls system (where I AM a member) that provides mls coverage in Dalton Georgia, is probably not the one which covers Atlanta or Savannah.

So even if my license allowed me to list a house in Georgia, I still might not be a member of the system best suited for coverage of a different Georgia address.

What does this mean to You?

You are considering selling your own house FSBO in order to save thousands of dollars in commissions.  You are going to want to put your house in the MLS to get the maximum exposure for it.

That’s what I do.  I am mlsDon.com and I am licensed in Tennessee.  I have, however gone to the trouble and expense to be in MLS systems across the state, and not just where I live.  My listings have local mls coverage from Memphis to Knoxville, and from Chattanooga to Nashville.  But enough about me.

Selling your own house, involves work, although there are ways to save time doing it.

The very first work you need to do is break away from the lovely big map fsbo guys site.

Go to Google.  Type in your city, and at the same time be searching for “flat fee mls listing.”  Hopefully you will turn up someone close who can do the job and who will do the job.

Talk to the broker and see if you feel good about him/her.  Pay your money and get started on your listing.

Yes, I said for you to get started on your listing.  The broker is not going to do it for you.  You have to provide the broker with the details of your house.  You are selling your house.  There is work involved.  And I don’t want to insult anyone, but this must be said.

Learn how to SAVE TIME selling your house! (Click or tap HERE)

At this point, I am going to share one secret with you that few people know and fewer will share.  This will serve you in this situation and most other situations in your life.  It is a theory like gravity.  You can’t see it initially.  But you can’t argue with it.  You may even try to ignore it, but it will catch up with you.

The big secret is a three-step process.

1. Read (or listen to) the instructions thoroughly.
2. Follow the instructions thoroughly.
3. Look at what you’ve done when you think you have finished.

(Rinse and repeat if needed.)

End up with a listing you are proud of.  The world is going to see it.  It may mean many thousands of dollars to you.

At the End of the Day…

Pick a broker close to you to work with.  (Exactly what IS an MLS entry-only listing?) Pay attention to what you are doing.  Let as many people as possible know about your house.  End up with a sale and not just frustration.  I will dive deeper into other levels of this process elsewhere.  Thanks for your time for now.

 

About Don Martin

Don is the founder of Martin Properties and The Reasonable Realtor, a blog about DIY home and personal finance. He went from being a manager of a large Sports/Luxury car dealership to starting his own real estate company.  He grew it to 16 agents, and took it state-wide from Nashville, to include Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga. His business includes training agents, and counseling For-Sale-By-Owners.  He has written more than a dozen books about the subject, and his updates can be found HERE!  Join his private e-mail group (not newsletter) HERE.  

 

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