Throughout the United States, the percentage of homeowners choosing to sell their properties for sale by owner or FSBO continues to grow. In 2022, approximately 10% of the nation's home sales were sold as FSBO. FSBO sellers attempt to lower costs by cutting out the middleman and avoiding commission fees. However, they don't always budget for the expenses associated with advertising, marketing, and staging.

FSBO sellers must incorporate a flat fee MLS listing through a brokerage company such as HomeZu to take care of multiple listing exposure and marketing and advertising costs to stay competitive. Using a flat fee MLS listing service is relatively easy. It saves money by covering incidental costs and increasing the number of offers, especially those at and over the asking price.

Understanding MLS Listing Service

The housing market is an industry that, though competitive, benefits when real estate agents and other industry players cooperate to create profits for everyone. This cooperative nature led to the shared multiple listing service concept as far back as the 1880s.

In today's modern housing industry, multiple listing services extend to a digital collaborative database with constant updates. Real estate agents pay a monthly fee to access the detailed information these listings provide, such as square footage, photos, and other details such as amenities, schools available, and other neighborhood businesses. The monthly fee realtors pay to the MLS broker is on top of their membership dues to the National Association of Realtors or NAR.

Individual MLS brokers may establish their own policies and procedures as long as they adhere to the rules of the NAR.

How to Qualify for Access to Multiple Listing Services

An individual with a real estate license and up-to-date with fees and membership views is entitled to access the MLS. However, those selling their homes FSBO don't hire a real estate agent to save the commission cost. Is it worth earning a real estate license for the individual homeowner? Unless they work in a closely related field such as mortgage underwriting, the time, effort, and money that goes into earning the real estate license would not make sense. Real estate courses may take several months and cost up to $1700.00.

The more practical way for the homeowner to access the listings is to go through a flat fee MLS listing service such as HomeZu. In addition to listing their home for sale, they may access similar properties and receive additional marketing and advertising services.

Benefits of MLS for FSBO Property

If you intend to sell your house to a family member and have pre-arranged terms, you may not need an MLS service. But if you're selling your home to the general public FSBO, advertising on social media probably won't get you a speedy or lucrative sale.

For a flat fee of $399, HomeZu will list your home for six months and provide access to other houses in the area. This MLS listing not only saves time but may also save you thousands of dollars since it gets your property in front of countless interested buyers. This exposure usually translates to a faster sale and competitive offers.

How does an MLS Listing Work?

Approximately 600 MLS regions exist throughout the United States. When signing up for a flat fee MLS service, you first select your state and region and choose the services you want from that point. If you want to expand your search to more than one region, you may also need to purchase the MLS services from that region.

The flat fee MLS listing service from HomeZu provides five easy steps to start and finish selling your home:

1. Select your state and region and sign up for the service.

2. Create your listing with a user-friendly platform.

3. Show your home by scheduling your own appointments or give access to your property to agents through a lockbox.

4. Review offers and accept the one that best meets your needs. You may also continue to show your home after accepting an offer if the sale falls through.

5. Close and celebrate.

For the flat fee of $399, HomeZu includes listing your home for six months through a state-licensed broker on reputable sites such as Realtor.com, Zillow, and Redfin. They also allow up to 25 pictures of your property. HomeZu provides physical handouts and purchase and disclosure forms. HomeZu offers reasonably priced upgrades, such as a 12-month listing and website domain. If you decide to sell your home FSBO, flat fee services provide the same MLS services you would expect through a real estate agent at a fraction of the cost.