As in life, selling your home can take many paths, and sometimes can get confusing. Is the home for sale by owner, is it exclusively listed by a Realtor or is it on the Multiple Listings System (MLS)?

When a home is For Sale By Owner it’s up to both parties to act in a legal manner, and hopefully behave themselves to the point that the transaction goes smoothly. If it is an exclusive listing, only the listing Realtor can show and sell the property. Using the MLS, any licensed Realtor can show, sell and split the commission with the listing Realtor. It seems pretty straightforward, but sometimes things can get lost in translation.

I recently had a conversation with a very upset man who had listed and sold his home on the MLS. In his mind Realtors were all crooks, and that was that. Since I was now being thrown into his pile of criminals, I had to at least find out what happened?

It seems his home was listed at an agreed amount, and was sold within a short time period at a price he found acceptable. What had upset him was that the listing Realtor never showed the home, and didn’t bring the buyer. It was another Realtor from another agency who had showed and sold. The seller felt the Realtor had not worked for his commission, and therefore was a crook.

With the MLS system, this showing and selling scenario will happen, and happen often. By having every Realtor in town potentially showing and selling this property, it’s like getting every Realtor in town working for you. Is this a crime or a great idea? A home was sold for a good dollar and quickly. Sounds great to me!

Perhaps it was never explained to the seller how the system works, or it wasn’t understood. In either case, there was a failure of communication, and it has lead to a very unhappy customer.

As a Realtor it’s my job to explain how the system works, how it could possibly play out and help steer you down the right path. In doing so, hopefully someone won’t have the inclination to jump to conclusions.

Do you have questions about how the Muliple Listings System works? Leave me a comment or send me an email. I’ll be happy to answer your questions.