What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the database of all homes listed for sale with REALTORS. Only Realtors have access to the MLS. The public can access this same inventory through Realtor.com, the public site that includes every single home listed for sale on the MLS. Your home must be listed on the MLS in order to appear on Realtor.com.

About 85% of all homes sold are found through the MLS. That's where the vast majority of buyers and their agents are looking. Until recently, a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) missed out on this powerful exposure. However, FSBO's can now list their home on the MLS without a listing agent, thus never pay a listing commission, and retain their For Sale by Owner rights. They pay a vastly reduced commission if the MLS brings a buyer. It is the best of both worlds -- Exposure through the MLS, without the Expense!

If my home is on the MLS, how will I save money?

If you list your home with a traditional broker for $300,000 and pay a 6% commission, that is $18,000 worth of equity paid out. With the flat fee concept, you pay a small, one-time fee for entrance onto the MLS, and no commission whatsover if you sell it yourself, or a vastly reduced (typically 2-2.5%) commission to the buyer broker if they bring the buyer to you. That is a savings of from $18,000 to $12,000!

What makes your company different? Can't anyone put my home on the MLS?

Most flat-fee companies will take your money, list you on the MLS, and then not want to hear from you afterward.

Our company is locally owned and operated, and is here to assist you beyond listing your home on the MLS. We provide local knowledge, local paperwork, and local expertise. We are not an affiliate of an out of state firm who cannot properly oversee operations and practices from afar. We are not involved in flat-fee brokerage because we couldn't succeed at full service. Our principal broker is the owner of a thriving full-service brokerage and has been personally involved in hundreds of full-service brokerage sales.

Are you looking for affiliates in other areas?

No.

Who will REALTORS contact to show my home?

They will contact you to show the home. Your MLS listing will include showing instructions that include your contact information, as well as best times to call and show your home.

Won't REALTORS know that I am a flat fee listing and not show my home?

No. As long as you pay a competitive commission to them for bringing you a buyer (we recommend 2-3%), they will be eager to show and sell your home. How you got listed is not on their radar. If they have a buyer and you are going to pay them to sell your home, they will happily cooperate.

What if I don't like how my listing looks on the MLS or there is a mistake?

Simply contact us and we can change your description or photo instantly.

What is a lockbox? Do I really need one?

A lockbox is a small reinforced safe that holds your home's keys, and it hangs right on your doorknob. It allows access to your home when you are out. Only REALTORS and licensees are given the combination. We recommend it highly because it makes showing your home far easier and your life more convenient. You don't have to worry about being home whenever a buyer wishes to view the property.

I want to have an Open House. Can you help me with it, or does my $349 just put me on the MLS and that's it?

While we cannot host the open house for you, we can certainly help with open house signs, advice on how to advertise your open house, fact sheet templates to give your viewing public at the open house, sign-in sheets, and prequalification for interested buyers. This is where Home Trek Realty differs from other flat fee brokers. We are your resource, not just a rubber stamp onto the MLS.

What is your service area?

We serve Metro NY, which includes the Hudson Valley counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster & Sullivan, and Long Island counties of Nassau, Suffolk & Queens. If your home is in one of these counties, you are in our service area.

How much can I really save?

People save tens of thousands in many cases. Contact us to see how much you'll save by using a flat fee arrangement with a 2.5% single commission or 0% by bringing a buyer yourself, versus a traditional dual-commission broker. Toll-free 800-834-8589 or 914-941-0923.