I have some very close friends in Texas who are attempting to sell their home themselves. Of course, I've given them the reasons why it's best to have an agent. And, frankly, I believe it's all about the almighty dollar for them. But here's the thing that I cannot believe. They said they found a company in the Dallas area that will post their listing to the MLS for free. FOR FREE!?!?
Ok, so I don't know what business practices are being using in the DFW area. I know that here in Baton Rouge we do have business practices that range from very small fees up to much higher fees to put a listing in MLS and represent a client. There's definitley a healthy range here. But "Free" doesn't make any sense. In order to belong to MLS you have to pay fees, so how can anyone do it for free....
.... Unless, it's not really the MLS? My suspision is that there is some company out there claiming to put people's listing on the "MLS" or something that they conveniently call the "MLS" but it may not be the same database that agents actually use and search.
To all of you out there... are you experiencing scams from outside companies claiming to be affiliated with "THE MLS"? What can we do as REALTORS to protect the quality of the term "MLS" so that people are not "had" by cons. And, am I overreacting? Maybe there's no harm in it for my friends if it's free and it's a con, but there's definitely a perception that the home will be "in the MLS".
Oh, and just in case there's any question about my use of the term MLS I do not mean Major League Soccer or Minor Listing Service.... nevermind - I think you know what I mean.
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