A Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, is an extensive database of homes for sale, land/lots for sale, and rental homes run by local brokers created for real estate agents who belong to that MLS. The term MLS is generic, and there are actually several hundred MLS services throughout the United States, but there is usually only one per local area. There is no single MLS for the nation, but each locally owned MLS system sends their listings to public websites such as Realtor.com where anyone, anywhere in the world, can view it.
According to the National Association of Realtors, only 8% of homes are sold FSBO (For Sale By Owner) without using the MLS.* That means an overwhelmingly 92% of homes are sold every year using MLS services. There are two main reasons the MLS works so well. First, most home buyers today still prefer to work with real estate agents when searching for homes. According to the NAR, 87% of buyers use an agent to purchase their home*. Agents provide a great deal of information for the home buyer, and many buyers are reluctant to enter into contract agreements without an agent. Most of the real estate agent's job is finding properties that suit the buyer's criteria. With the MLS, a real estate agent can search for homes for sale that suit their buyer's budgets, location preferences, and other requirements. From the MLS, they can quickly put together a list of suitable homes. The buyers that real estate agents work with are ready, willing, and able to buy a home, and as most sellers know, finding a serious buyer is one of the hardest things when selling your home. When listing your home in the MLS, real estate agents and buyers will know you are serious about selling your home.
Second, the internet is quickly changing how homes are bought and sold. For those home buyers not using a real estate agent, real estate sites such as Realtor.com allow them to view homes currently listed in the MLS for sale. However, as a home seller, the only way to have your home listed on many of these real estate sites is by first being listed in the MLS. The MLS system, then, in turn, sends your listing to the various real estate sites.
By listing your home in the MLS, you will be opening up a world previously unknown to For Sale by Owners. Not only will real estate agents have access to your listing with their qualified buyers, but millions worldwide will be able to view your house for sale. Listing your home for sale in the MLS cuts through the complexities of selling your home yourself, provides reassurance to buyers that you are serious about selling your home, exposes your property to those most likely to purchase it, and makes sure you won't waste time showing your home to those who aren't truly interested.
The MLS is a very powerful tool when renting your home. The exposure that you receive with an MLS listing is way beyond what any internet ad or advertisement can give you. Once listed in the MLS, your rental will appear on hundreds of high-quality real estate websites such as Realtor.com, Homes.com, Apartments.com, and real estate brokerage sites.
Agents, working with qualified renters, will typically use only the MLS to find homes for rent for their tenants. Additionally, many renters moving from out of town or with a job relocation program will only work with a local real estate agent. Out-of-town tenants rely heavily on the knowledge and expertise of an agent to show them homes that fit their moving criteria. Using the MLS is the most effective way to reach great, well-qualified tenants serious about renting your home.
