Selling a home tends to involve a lot of people. The owners, the potential buyers, the potential buyer’s real estate agent, home inspectors, real estate attorneys, mortgage lenders, possibly professional home staging services, photographers, and even contractors for any repairs and renovations. If you’re selling your home for sale by owner (FSBO), you won’t need to work with a listing agent, but you’ll probably need to add “MLS listing company” to the list of people and places to contact. While not legally required, unlike a home inspector, and not financially required like a mortgage lender, using an MLS listing service is the best way to sell your home. As with any other vendor, and any other company involved in the selling process, you’ll need to ask, “How do I determine the best flat fee MLS listing service?”
What Is Flat Fee MLS?
A multiple listing service (MLS) is a database only accessible by licensed realtors. A MLS is a collection of more localized databases, such as the Midwest Real Estate Database, or MRED, one of the largest MLS databases in the country. MRED covers Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. After a listing is added to the MLS, the data is shared on Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Google, and other standard websites and apps.
The vast majority of home buyers use an agent to help them find their next home, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t also using the internet to assist in the search. The MLS database allows realtors to share listings with each other for their clients. Local real estate agencies, such as Prello Realty, provide Illinois flat fee MLS services. There are many options and price ranges when it comes to choosing the best MLS flat fee listing service for your home sale.
What to Look for in MLS Listing Companies
Every MLS listing company offers to add your property to the MLS database. How can you find the best flat fee MLS listing service? It’s not a question of which is the best home listing service, but which is the best flat fee MLS listing service for you.
Sticking to your budget is important, but the best flat fee MLS listing service is not always the cheapest. The cheapest services will simply add your property to the database and walk away. If you spend more on your MLS listing, you’ll receive a level of support, assistance, and access to resources as you would using a full-service listing agent.
Different home listing services offer different levels of support, durations of the listing, and a la carte services or packages that include things such as photography, yard signs, lockboxes, and scheduling showings. Determining what specific requirements and services you’ll need from a listing service will help narrow down your search from the beginning.
Service Area
Before you start looking too closely at what packages and options an MLS listing company offers, ensure they service your area. We might be biased, but if you’re looking for Illinois flat fee MLS services, specifically in the Chicagoland area, Prello Realty is the best flat fee MLS listing service around.
Price and Fees
The advertised cost of a company’s flat fee listing service is not the final number you need to look at. Compare the upfront cost, plus any additional services you’ll need, and factor in any cancellation or other possible fees. Are there fees to make changes or adjustments to the listing? Are there fees for support in handling offers or counteroffers? Services that offer extremely low prices may lack essential features or customer support.
All of Prello Realty’s Illinois flat fee MLS listing services offer free and unlimited listing changes, and free and unlimited open house advertising through the MLS. We have a dedicated team to answer your questions and offer assistance.
Inclusions and Add-Ons
What’s included in an MLS listing? On the most basic level, just the MLS listing. Common inclusions, either as a package or as an add-on include: a certain number of photos uploaded, basic customer support, yard signs, lock boxes, professional photography, virtual and video tours, and scheduling showings and open houses.
Support and Involvement
Saving money is the number one reason sellers choose to use the MLS over a full-service listing agent. Another reason? Having control over the selling process. How much support and involvement do you want or need with a home listing service? Different MLS services offer different levels, some being much more involved than others. While good customer service is crucial for everyone, the amount of additional involvement varies across sellers. Prello Realty believes MLS listings are a partnership. We’re here to answer your questions and provide support when needed, but you still have the power to control your own listing and your own home sale. Our collaborative approach makes us the best flat fee MLS listing service.
However, you shouldn’t just trust any MLS listing company that claims “We’re the best flat fee MLS service.” Ask for reviews, ratings, testimonials, and proof of success. Prello Realty has taken pride in being a Top Producer in the Chicagoland area for the past 14 years. We have reviews on our website and a 4.7-star rating on Google. When we say we’re the best, we have the experience and customer satisfaction to back it up. If you’re looking for the best MLS listing service in the Chicagoland area that provides experienced customer support, flexibility in services, and will work with you as much or as little as you want, you don’t have to look anywhere else. Contact Prello Realty to sell your home quickly, at a good price, and with our support through the process.