Verify Our Background
There are so many questionable flat fee MLS listing websites out there, it is essential that sellers do their homework to avoid a bad experience. Many sellers fail, not because they went with a flat fee multiple listing, but because they chased saving the last dollar and got burned. Don't sign up for a listing until you have taken a couple of minutes for due diligence:
- Any established flat fee listing service should have numerous past customer reviews online. These are not testimonials, which can be made up. Make sure you see reviews at an independent website where a complaint could be posted and the broker couldn't remove it. Enter the company name at http://maps.google.com, an independent website that shows reviews and complaints.
- Call, do they answer?
- Check BBB.org for complaints. Only new companies do not have a Better Business Bureau record, unless the company hasn't registered with the State as required (scary!).
- Make sure they guarantee the right MLS (used by agents in the area).
- Get a guarantee that they won't bid out the listing to the lowest bidder broker—some well-known companies are middlemen that send the seller to a completely different broker, paying them as little as $55—the seller gets stuck with a broker who needs to make more money to cover their costs, which isn't good.
Learn from other sellers' experiences-Spend your time and money wisely on your home sale. A typical flat fee seller will save $8000 when selling, where people get into trouble is trying to save $8100 by using an inferior listing service.
