As an independent property seller, the multiple listing service (MLS) is an invaluable tool to reach potential buyers. It gives you the chance to present your property to the market in a more agile way than simply working with a single agent. Not to mention that it tends to be more cost effective, with Flat Fee MLS Realty offering a range of packages to best suit your needs and budget.
One of the key features of all our packages is that your property details are uploaded to both the MLS and our own website. However, you know that the online property marketplace is more varied than this, with a range of national and local real estate websites accepting listings from sellers. Therefore, many sellers want to know whether their listing will show up on other real estate sites.
Let’s explore that question a little further.
The Simple Answer
Each flat fee real estate company has a different approach to listing on multiple sites. In most cases, the answer is yes, your listing will show up on other real estate sites. With Flat Fee MLS Realty, listings usually feature on REALTOR.com, Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com, RealEstate.com, and Aol Real Estate, among others.
It’s also important to note that listings can also show up on the websites of local real estate brokerages. This is because as part of the package you invest in, your property will appear on the local multiple listing service (MLS). Therefore, brokerages are able to pull your property details from the list and in some instances will place these on their online materials for potential buyers to find.
This isn’t to say, of course, that your listing will definitely show up on all other real estate sites. Every site has its own standards, focuses, and processes for accepting MLS property listings. Not to mention that technical issues can prevent listings from being uploaded or syndicated reliably.
Why Appearing on Other Sites Can Be Positive
The question of whether listings will appear on more than one website is frequently asked by sellers looking to sign up with the MLS. This is usually because sellers want to get as much value as possible out of their investment in an online MLS package. Others ask this because they may want to have some control over where their property is featured. However, it’s helpful to recognize that there are various positives that can come from your listing having a presence on as many sites as possible.
Firstly, having your listing feature on various websites extends your general reach. Part of the challenge of selling your home independently is that you don’t necessarily have a direct connection to potential buyers. However, by utilizing a comprehensive MLS package your listing is able to be featured by websites that have thousands of visitors every day, thereby immediately improving the visibility of your assets.
Some sites also specialize in featuring niche property styles for more targeted audiences. Therefore, if the building you’re selling has interesting aspects or popular qualities, your listing may end up being promoted in this way. While you may be able to achieve this by reaching out to sites yourself, you’ll usually find that listing on the MLS provides opportunities for specialist sites you wouldn’t otherwise have considered to find your property and feature it.
In addition, enabling other websites to upload your listing reduces the legwork you’re putting in. After all, as an independent seller, you will already have a lot of elements of presentation and sale you need to take care of personally. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time manually creating individual profiles for each property website. Listing on the MLS with Flat Fee MLS Realty can minimize unnecessary work here.
How Can Appearing on Other Sites Be Negative?
For the most part, the potential for your listing to show up on multiple websites via the MLS is a good thing. Remember that when it works best, an MLS package bridges the gap between an independent seller and the buying market in the most efficient way. Nevertheless, as a responsible property owner, it’s important to also be aware of the few downsides of being featured on multiple sites. This shouldn’t dissuade you from listing. Rather, it should empower you to take mindful actions moving forward.
Firstly, you may appear on property sites whose business approach or ethics you don’t necessarily agree with. After all, the MLS is open to all real estate professionals operating within the local area of your property, which means they can feature your listing without gaining your express permission. As some sellers have corporations and individual professionals they don’t necessarily wish to be associated with, there can be a minor risk here.
It’s difficult to assert good quality control over your listing if it is featured on multiple sites. You naturally want to present your property to buyers in the best possible light. While you can upload photos with your listing and spend time providing descriptions, this is usually where your control stops. The websites will choose which of these elements will be used and how they present them.
Another minor drawback is the potential for your listing to remain on property websites even after you’ve sold the building. Your listing will be present on the MLS for the time you specific and can be canceled at any time. However, some websites will keep the listing up beyond this time and most won’t know when you’ve completed a sale. Therefore, there’s a chance you’ll keep receiving enquiries about the property for some time after it’s sold.
What is the Most Sensible Approach?
It is natural that along with the positives of listing on multiple sites there will also be a few drawbacks. The most sensible approach is to maintain a good balance of these elements wherever possible. You can mitigate the potential issues and enhance your good experiences by taking a few simple actions.
The quality control issues can be best addressed by ensuring that every piece of supporting material you provide is in the best possible condition. Take all photographs in high definition and be certain that each room is well illuminated with natural light wherever possible. Just because you have the ability to upload 25 or more photos with Flat Fee MLS realty, this doesn’t mean you should max out with substandard photos alongside your good ones. Be selective here and only include your best. This reduces the potential for other websites to only feature the poor quality materials.
Next, take a little time each week to perform an online search surrounding your property listings. Make a note of the websites that are currently featuring your property listing. This allows you to spot any sites that you aren’t happy using and request takedowns from the owners. It also means that you have a pretty comprehensive list of sites you can contact after the sale is complete to remove the listing.
Wrapping Up
Put simply, when you sign up for any Flat Fee MLS Realty package, your listing is likely to be posted on multiple real estate sites. This is, of course, a positive thing as it means you’re likely to extend your potential reach and reduce the work you need to put into your sales process. Nevertheless, it’s important to take the time to mitigate potential negatives of this by only including high quality materials in your listing and keeping track of all websites your listing appears on. With a mindful and balanced approach, you can make the most of the MLS as a tool to meet your property sales goals.
Reach out to us at (813) 642-6030 or email florida@flatfeemlsrealty.com if you have any questions about listing your home on the MLS.
