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1. What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?
2. How do I get my property listed in the MLS?
3. Can't I use the MLS if I sell by myself (FSBO)?
4. How can I list my property on the MLS for FREE?
5. How does using QuickMLS save me almost 50%?
6. How long does it take to get my house on the MLS?
7. Can I get a sign for my front yard?
8. Can I get flyers to market my home?
9. Do I have to use your sign, or can I use my own FSBO sign?
10. How much commission do I have to pay the Buyer's Agent?
11. What if I want to make changes to my Listing?
12. What if I sell the property myself, without a selling Realtor©?
13. Will my house be listed on Realtor.com? Why is this desirable?
14. Why should I pay QuickMLS instead of listing at the many FSBO websites?
15. What other advantages are there to listing on the MLS?
16. How long will my property be listed on the MLS?
17. Will my listing be different from the other MLS listings?
18. How will my house be shown?
19. What is a Lockbox? Do I Need One? How do I get one?
20. Will QuickMLS market my property
21. Will QuickMLS help me with the closing process?
22. What if I still have questions?
1. What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?
The Multiple Listing Service
(MLS) is your key to a fast, easy sale. It is a listing of
all properties for sale by Realtors© (real estate Brokers
and Agents across the country who are members of the National
Association of Realtors©). There are hundreds of MLS
Systems throughout the United States and Canada, one for each
local Board of Realtors©. Many different types of properties
are listed in the MLS, from homes, townhomes and condos to
commercial properties, empty lots and businesses.
More than 75% of Buyers use a Real Estate Agent to purchase
their home ... and 16% buy directly from builders, family,
friends and acquaintances. When a buyer begins working with
a Realtor©, the Realtor© will search the MLS for
homes matching their buyer's criteria. There are currently
over 1 million Realtor© members of the National Association
of Realtors©. In South Florida alone, there are over
33,670 members of the Board of Realtors©, and 5,740 Real
Estate Offices. There are 1,548 members of the Piedmont (SC)
Board of Realtors in 408 offices, and in the Charlotte Metro
Area, there are over 5,000 members in over 1,000 offices.
If your home does not appear on the MLS, you are competing for the scant 9% who may stumble upon your home by chance.
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2. How do I get my property listed in the MLS?
The process is very simple. All you need to do is:
- Choose the Services you need from the "Services" page
- Pay for your selection through PayPal (or via money order or check)
- Fill out the Listing Form on-line or print and fax back to us at (803) 561-0263
- Download the Listing Agreement and Property Disclosure, sign, and fax back to us (803) 561-0263
- Download your FREE BONUS reports on selling your home
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3. Can't I use the MLS if I sell by myself (FSBO)?
No. The MLS system is for the exclusive use of members of the National, State and Local Associations of Realtors©.
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4. How can I list my property on the MLS for FREE?
Simple. If you list your home
through QuickMLS, and also buy a home through our Buyer service,
at the closing of your new purchased home we will return to
you the entire flat-fee listing amount! See terms and conditions
under "List Your Home For Free"
in the Sellers page.
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5. How does using QuickMLS save me almost 50%?
By listing with QuickMLS, you
only pay a one-time flat fee to list your home on the MLS,
as well as to advertise it on Realtor.com. You only pay ONE
commission to the Selling agent if they bring you a ready,
willing and able buyer, not two like most sellers, and you
only pay the Selling agent's commission at the closing.
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6. How long does it take to get my house on the MLS?
Your home will be listed on
the MLS within 72 hours of receipt of all required forms and
payment. You will receive an e-mail letting you know that
your listing has been posted, and with a copy of the listing
itself. If we have any questions, we will contact you. You
must provide us at least one photo of your property. We suggest
sending digital photos using either the website or email,
but you may mail them and we can scan them for you. You may
provide up to 8 photos of either the inside or outside of
your home.
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7. Can I get a sign for my front yard?
You may pick up a sign for your
front yard by stopping by our offices. Please call first to
make an appointment and find the office nearest you.
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8. Can I get flyers to market my home?
Yes. As soon as we list your
property on the MLS, we will e-mail you a PDF flyer. Also,
as soon as the property is listed on Realtor.com, you may
go to this site, type in the City and State and the MLS number,
and print as many color copies as you want on your printer.
Or print one copy, and have them photocopied at your local
print shop.
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9. Do I have to use your sign, or can I use my own FSBO sign?
If you are able to pick up one
of our signs, we strongly recommend that you use our QuickMLS
sign with the toll-free number. Not only will it allow you
to track all the calls that come into your number, but Selling
Agents may be confused by seeing a FSBO sign on a house listed
in the MLS. You can continue to market to any buyers that
leave you a message at the toll-free number, so you still
have a good chance of selling the home yourself. The toll-free
number message will direct buyers to call you directly, and
give Agents instructions on calling the showing center.
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10. How much commission do I have to pay the Buyer's Agent?
Typical average real estate
commissions for Buyer Agents are between 2% and 4%, although
they could be lower or higher. Commissions are not set by
law, or by the Realtor© association, so they are always
negotiable with each individual Broker. We recommend a higher
commission to attract the highest number of agents to show
your home.
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11. What if I want to make changes to my Listing?
Unlike many flat-fee listing
brokers, QuickMLS will never charge you to make changes to
your listing. You can make any changes you want to the remarks,
the price, add special instructions - anything you want, as
long as we receive the instructions in writing via e-mail
or fax, and is within the guidelines provided. Please allow
24-48 hours for requested changes.
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12. What if I sell the property myself, without a selling Realtor©?
Congratulatons! If you sell the house yourself, you save the Selling Agent's commission. The only time you pay a commission is if the house goes to closing with a Buyer brought to you by a Selling Agent.
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13. Will
my house be listed on Realtor.com? Why is this desirable?
Yes! Although Realtor.com is NOT the MLS (sometimes there is some confusion), because your house is listed on the MLS it will also appear as a basic listing on Realtor.com - as well as other real estate websites such as MSN Homes. Realtor.com will show one photo of your home. Realtor.com is the number one web site for real estate listings, with over 5 MILLION visitors a month, and over 1.5 million nationwide listings at any one time.
For an additional fee, if you
purchase a Virtual Tour, you may also request a virtual-tour
upgraded Realtor.com listing. Because Realtor.com is an independent
site which obtains its information from the various MLS services,
we cannot control how quickly information is posted to Realtor.com.
However, on average, it takes about 3 days from the time the
property appears on the MLS.
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14. Why should I pay QuickMLS instead of listing at the many FSBO websites?
There are many FSBO websites
on the web, several of them free. Although listing your home
on these sites cannot hurt, the chances of you finding a buyer
through one of them is probably slim. If you look at many
of these sites, you will note that there are not too many
listings for your particular area ... and if you do find some,
we encourage you to call them. Many sites are so out of date
that the phone numbers have been disconnected, or the homes
long since sold or listed with a Realtor©. FSBO sites
have the same issues that selling FSBO does, as explained
in the "Why Flat Fee"
page. Most Buyers work with Realtors© ... and Realtors©
don't usually seek out FSBOs.
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15. What other advantages are there to listing on the MLS?
Statistics show that Listing
Agents sell the homes they list only 5% of the time. That
means that 95% of the time, a different Selling Agent sells
the house. Put ALL the Realtors© in your area to work
for you - selling your house! In addition, the National Association
of Realtors© conducted a study which showed that homes
listed by Realtors© result in NETsales prices
7.02% higher than those of for-sale-by-owners. That's more
money in your pocket with less work! You can't beat that!
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16. How long will my property be listed on the MLS?
Your listing contract with QuickMLS
Realty can be either 6 months or 12 months, depending on the
Package you purchase. Don't worry, we expect that your home
will sell much earlier! If you change your mind, you may cancel
your contract at ANY time, for ANY reason. However,
the initial listing fee is not refundable once the property
has been placed on the MLS, except under the FREE LISTING
program.
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17. Will my listing be different from the other MLS listings?
No. Your listing will appear
on the same MLS like any other full-service listing. The fact
that you paid a flat fee to list your property will not appear
on the MLS. Some MLS systems do require that it be disclosed
that the listing is not a full-service listing. Normally,
this is not an issue for most Agents as long as the commission
they are being paid is comparable to what other listings are
offering.
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18. How will my house be shown?
We will provide you with a Showing
service. You will give us instructions on how you would like
to make your home available to show - whether an appointment
or advance notice is necessary, whether a lockbox is available,
etc. The appointment center will call you to set up any showings,
or to get the information from any agents who wish to show
your home on a lockbox. You will be able to see everyone who
has made appointments to see your home through a special showing
web page specifically for your property.
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19. What is a Lockbox? Do I Need One? How do I get one?
A Lockbox is a secure safe-like box where a key is kept which is hung from a door handle to allow access to the home when you're not available. Although you do not need a lockbox if you will only be showing your home by appointment, the use of a lockbox does encourage more showings as agents will be able to show the home at their client's convenience. Many showings are scheduled within an hour or two. Agents are busy, and there are many homes on the market, so they may not call back if they cannot get a showing while they are in the area with their clients.
You can get a lockbox from your local home improvement center (Lowe's or Home Depot), or online from Amazon.com
20. Will QuickMLS market my home?
The premise behind QuickMLS
Realty is that, in exchange for a very low cost MLS listing,
the home seller will undertake most of the tasks normally
carried out by a traditional full-service Realtor©. That
includes marketing your property in such traditional ways
as newspaper ads, open houses, flyers, postcards, etc. However,
QuickMLS does offer a-la-carte (one at a time) marketing services
which you can purchase separately if you feel that they will
help sell your home. We also offer you a FREE Home-Marketing
Kit via PDF with every flat-fee listing, so that you will
be able to make well-informed marketing decisions before you
spend any money.
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21. Will QuickMLS help me with the closing process?
Typically, the flat-fee listing
includes only the listing of your property on the MLS. For
an additional fee, QuickMLS can help you negotiate with the
Buyers or their agents, placing the contract in escrow, contingency
issues, etc. We also suggest that you use our Contract Review
by a licensed real estate attorney. A closing agent will help
you with all your closing questions. Links to these services
can be found on our "Services" page.
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22. What if I still have questions?
Please feel free to contact
us! Go to our Contact Us page
for further assistance. You can also call us directly at the
office at (954) 213-7142.
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