Flat Fee MLS Listing:
The NO Commission Alternative

Pay no commission!  Is it possible?

In today’s declining housing market sellers are looking for alternatives for selling their home.  Homes once worth $400k are selling for under $300k and many sellers have limited or no equity.  Do it yourself home owners have tried the “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO) route with limited success.  The majority resort to a traditional real estate agent and pay 5-7% commission.

Viable Alternative to Traditional Real Estate

Flat fee, no commission real estate listings are a recent development that can save thousands when selling your home.  Flat fee listings offer the same services available with a traditional real estate agent but you only purchase the marketing services you need.  The listing agent receives no commission when the sale closes.  You can expect to pay $300-700 for a flat fee listing vs $7,500 (average listing agent commission).

The flat fee mls listing will also give you control.  You decide how to market and price your property without being harassed by an agent.  Many For Sale By Owners choose this “discount listing” service to get the marketing exposure they need while still selling the home themselves.

Selling Method Comparison

For Sale By Owner:
You are responsible for everything:  purchasing signs, installing signs, lockboxes, pictures, home pricing, flyers, newspaper ads, craigslist ads, fsbo listing sites, open houses, showing feedback, sale contract paperwork, negotiations and closing.
Cost = Marketing Expenses ($200-500).  No Commission.

Flat Fee Listing:
You decide what you want and purchase the services you need.  You only pay the buyer agent commission which is generally 2.5% of sale price.
Cost = Flat Fee Listing ($300-700) + $6,300 Buyer Agent Commission (based on $250k sale price) = $6,600-7,000

Traditional Real Estate Listing:
Everything is handled by the real estate agent.  No marketing effort required by you.
Cost = $6,300 Listing Agent + $6,300 Buyer Agent = $12,600!!!

The flat fee listing will save you over $6,000!

For more information about the flat fee service:  www.byownerpdx.com

Peter Stewart is a licensed real estate broker in Portland, Oregon as well as a frequent contributing writer for OHM. Please don't hesitate to contact him with any questions you may have about buying or selling a home in the Portland area.



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