Flat Fee MLS Listing

According to a report in Inman News, former employees of Iggy’s House/Buy Side Realty report that they are about to shut their doors.  This flies in the face of reports in the same article by CEO Joseph Fox that they are just restructuring.

It would appear that freebies and loss leaders don’t always stimulate enough business to compensate for the expenses they incur.  This is not a free car wash with a tank full of gas.  Iggy’s would list a house for free on the hope that one or more of the buyers that called inquiring about their listing would buy a home through them.  Wishful thinking in the worst real estate market in 15 years.  That’s more like a tune up, brakes and a new set of tires with a tank full of gas and not only that….you don’t have to buy the gas until after you get all that stuff.  Now granted, today a tank full of gas is not cheap but unfortunately when they refund 75% of the buyer’s commission, their service was pretty cheap; so cheap in fact that it could never compensate for the free listings they gave away.

Where did Iggy’s go wrong?  Most likely their founders are to blame for having inflated egos in a deflated economy.  Joe and Avi Fox got lucky once.  They sold their online stock brokerage Web Street to ETrade and thought they could repeat their success in Real Estate.

ETrade bought webstreet for $45 million and the Fox brothers were reported to have earned $9 million each on the sale; certainly enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives without starting a hair brain real estate model that gives away most of it’s services for nothing or next to nothing.  Then again, these are the same two guys mentioned in a 2005 press release about launching Stand-Up Comedy TV.  Iggy’s house was certainly a comedy…..of errors.

FFMLS Staff Writer

Apollo Properties covers the following Utah MLS systems: Wasatch Front Regional MLS for Central & Northern Utah Properties,  Park City MLS for Summit County Properties, Washington County MLS for Southern Utah Properties and  the Iron County MLS for Cedar City & Central Utah Properties. Since 1999′ Over 1800+ properties have been posted.  Flat Fee Service currently offered at $295. All Real Estate marketing tools are available.

Work directly with Lynn Fillmore, the Principal Broker, UTAH License # 5478881-PB
 
For more information contact:
www.UtahBroker.net
Town & Country Apollo Properties, LLC
1360 S. Carterville Rd, Orem UT  84097
(866) 824-1559 ext. 4

MLS2U.Com is a website of Continental Real Estate Group, Inc., a licensed real estate brokerage covering several East Coast states, including Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Their listings start at $299. They offer a variety of add on services including local Realtor lockboxes, virtual tours, fax on demand, and caller ID tracking on calls.

The broker of record is Derek Eisenberg and he is licensed in CT (#REB.0756009), DC (#CO9835517), DE (#R2-0003013), FL (# BK3201465), MA (#145125), MD (#611425), NH (#062752), NJ (#8734252), NY (#32EI0910766), PA (#RM062792A), RI (#B15997) and VA (#0225 100252). For more information, contact:

mls2u.com
Continental Real Estate Group, Inc.
3 Elm Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
(877) 996-5728

Wisconsin Flat Fee MLS Listing - This company covers over 50 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.. Their listings start at $399. They offer a variety of add on services including virtual tours and showing service. The broker of record is Mark Rotherham and he is licensed in WI (#44040-090). For more information, contact:
 
www.LowFee2.com 
Quorum Enterprises, Inc.
1017 Tommark St.
Green Bay, WI  54304
866-569-3332

HomeWise Real Estate services sellers in 8 MLS areas covering 59 of Ohio’s 88 counties.  With HomeWise, consumers can choose the services they need and pay for those services.  They offer 3 listing options:
Basic for $399
Maximum for $499 
Plus for $499 & ½% at closing which includes contract negotiation.

Web Site: www.BrokerDirectMLSOhio.com
Office: 800-579-1979
Email: Sharon@HomeWiseMLS.com
Ohio Broker #358029

Real Estate Advocates is the oldest and largest flat fee company located in South Carolina. Since 1991 it serves Anderson,Beaufort,Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, and Spartanburg. It not only offers a flat fee MLS w/By Owner option, but a free Multiple Listing w/By owner option . Buyer Rebates are also offered of up to $5000 any place in the state. Their competitive advantage which differentiates them from referral companies is their 25 local agents. They offer limited to full service w/a menu of services to offer our clients every meaningful marketing avenue at a flat dollar cost rather than a percentage. Their signs and other advertising can include the owner’s phone number as an option in most markets. They require no long term listing contracts and have other flexible programs making them an excellent choice for someone who understands how real estate works.

Broker: Robert Mandel, BA , MS, Ph.D.
CEO and Broker in Charge
Company: Real Estate Advocates
Address 1818 Bull Street
Columbia,S.C. 29201
Phone: 803-779-0012
Fax: 866-885-0269
License #: S.C.18403
Website: SCFlatFeeMultipleListing.Com

MLS2U.Com is a website of Continental Real Estate Group, Inc., a licensed real estate brokerage covering several East Coast states, including Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Their listings start at $299. They offer a variety of add on services including local Realtor lockboxes, virtual tours, fax on demand, and caller ID tracking on calls.

The broker of record is Derek Eisenberg and he is licensed in CT (#REB.0756009), DC (#CO9835517), DE (#R2-0003013), FL (# BK3201465), MA (#145125), MD (#611425), NH (#062752), NJ (#8734252), NY (#32EI0910766), PA (#RM062792A), RI (#B15997) and VA (#0225 100252). For more information, contact:

mls2u.com
Continental Real Estate Group, Inc.
3 Elm Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
(877) 996-5728

This company offers a wide range of Flat Fee MLS Listing services: For $299 - $499 they will list your home in the Okahoma City and Tulsa MLS areas.  They also offer home buying services, and contract negotiations. Their Flat Fee MLS service has options such as “showcase” listings on Realtor.com^®.  The Real Estate Place is also a member of the Broker Direct MLS cooperative advertising trade group and can be found at ListByOwnerOnMLS.Com, AmeriSellRealty.Com and BrokerDirectMLS.Com.

The broker is Steve Sizemore.

Website: www.Entourage1.com

Phone:
       Oklahoma City (405) 348-1155
       Tulsa 918-398-9390
Email: Info@Entourage1.com
Fax: 866-454-2309

WhyMLS.com is a well recognized and established local Texas Flat Fee MLS Listing Company. It appears to be the largest Texas flat fee MLS provider.  This company has been in existence since 1999, saving consumers thousands in commissions. The broker of record is Jack McLemore #0460808. They service most areas in Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Tyler, Corpus Christi, Waco, College Station, Denton, and many more cities for Texas Flat Fee MLS Listing.  Minimum Service Laws is upheld and provided, as required, by Texas Sate Law, at www.WhyMLS.com 

Home office is in Texas.

Web Site: www.WhyMLS.com

Office: 1-800-433-5206 

Email: info@whymls.com

Broker Direct Company is Colorado & New Mexico’s premier Flat Fee MLS Listing firm.   Their prices start at $299 for MLS listings and they also offer full service upgrades. The broker of record is Schaunon Winter and her licenses can be verified at the Colorado Real Estate Commission and the New Mexico Real Estate Commission.
Colorada License #IC40037602
New Mexico License #16755

www.BrokerDirectCo.com
877.MLS.FSBO Toll Free
303.648.4000 Phone
877.657.3727 Fax
schaunon@brokerdirectco.com

A flat fee mls broker based in Michigan City, Indiana that offers flat fee mls services starting at $399. They serve 41 Indiana counties and 10 Illinois counties and offer additional services including full representation in negotiations starting at 1%. The principal broker is Brian Waters, and for more information contact:

Mentor Listing Realty
Indiana License #PB20600128
Illinois License #075.0116156
Principal Broker: Brian Waters: (219) 472-4457
Toll Free: (866) 269-1006
Main: (219) 472-4277
Fax: (219) 861-1049

www.Florida-Flat-Fee-MLS.com  is one of the most prevalent and dependable Flat Fee MLS listing services in the State of Florida. They have been in business since 1995 and have been providing discounted Real estate services saving sellers thousands of dollars since the year 2000 to many happy customers. They also provide Virtual tours, Real Estate signs, lockboxes and Buyer lead notification. Listings services start at $199. The Broker of record is Douglas Addeo Lic # BK0559732 and can be reached toll free at 877-273-2169.

Douglas Addeo, BROKER and REALTOR®
___________________________________________
Community Realty Associates
Office (561) 852-1341
Fax    (561)477-2465
eMail  FlaMls@Comcast.net

This company is licensed and services 2 states, Wisconsin and Colorado. In both states, major metropolitan areas are covered, include: Major Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond Du Lac, Metro Denver, Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Durango, Grand Junction, Pagosa Springs, and all surrounding areas. Their flat fee listings (MLS-Only) start at $299, and include professional signage, lockboxes, and more. If homeowners desire more assistance, they have Negotiation Packages as well as a full service plan for 3.9% (WI) or 4.3% (CO). Since their start-up in 2004, Brendy Realty has saved clients over $5.4 million in commissions & fees.
 
The broker of record is Robert Brendemuehl, and he is licensed in CO (#ER100000384) and WI (#52273-90). For more information, contact:
 
www.BrendyRealty.com 
Brendy Realty Inc
Mequon, WI
p# 888-743-1601
f# 866-433-1601

In Tennessee, folks can try Broker Direct MLS of Tennessee. They offer MLS listing packages starting at $379. The broker/Realtor of record is Susanne Flynn and her license can be verified at the Tennessee Real Estate Commission.

Also, the following testimonial was provided by one of our readers, Scotty:

“I recently used a flat fee MLS service when I sold my house last month in Tennessee. She was very good and the service is just as she described. I did all of the work and saved over $4000 by not having to pay another 3% commission. I’ve been telling everyone about what she offers.”

www.ResultsMLS.com
Tennessee License #303511
Susanne Flynn, Realtor
(615) 822-5808 Direct
(615) 855-1151 Office
(866) 232-1618 Fax
info@BrokerDirectmlsTN.com

Missouri residents have two choices to list their home on the MLS and Realtor.com.  In the St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield areas, home owners can get their house listed for $299 while maintaining their For Sale by Owner Status and receiving state mandated minimum services like assistance in accepting offers and writing counter offers.  For $500 up front and 1/3% at close, St. Louis area residents can get listed on the MLS, Realtor.com and STLToday.com.  Plus an experienced agent will come to your house to assist with staging, pricing, listing contracts and will enter your house into the MLS while you wait.  Finally, for 1/3% of the sales price at close, they will negotiate the contract on your behalf and take care of all your closing paperwork.  With both programs you can save on the buyer’s agent commission if you sell your house on your own. Johnson Realty has been highlighted in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, St. Louis Magazine and the St. Louis Business Journal.

License number #2005033175
Website JohnsonRealtyofStLouis.com
14434 S Outer 40Chesterfield, MO  63017
Phone (314) 726-3174
Fax (314) 726-3184
Hours: 9:00am-6:00pm M-F
           12:00pm-4:00pm S-S

ListFor98.com a.k.a. AmeriSell Realty covers the entire state of Michigan except the western U.P. They have been a Flat Fee Realtor for over 5 years and have programs starting at just $98 to list in the local Multiple Listing Service &  Realtor.com®.

As far as ease of use, this site is it.  It goes right to the programs, lays out everything in a simple straightforward fashion and the broker even provides his cell phone; something we have not found from any other brokers on this site in all 50 states.  It appears this broker puts customer service first.

Listfor98.com provides offers several different listing programs.  In addition, they give the seller every conceivable marketing feature regardless of the program you choose.

They also offer full service as an option for only ⅓of 1% (.0033) to process the offer from start to finish. They refer all buyer leads directly to sellers. AmeriSell Realty also rebates half of their commission to buyers payable at closing if you use them as a buyers agent.  The broker of record is Jeff Kermath Lic# 6505330456

ListFor98.com
a.k.a. AmeriSell Realty
490 Hunters Crest
Saline, MI 48176
Call 888-909-LIST (5478)
Fax 866-358-1349

This 6 year-old company based in Alpharetta, GA serves the entire metro Atlanta area and has licensed its business model to over 250 cities around the country, making them accessible for referrals.

They provide 70 points of marketing, including listing clients in both MLS & FMLS, the two statewide multiple listing services, giving in-home consultations, providing expert contract negotiations and conducting property showings for $500.

Buyer clients can earn a Buyer Cash Bonus up to ½ of their commission.

Duffy Realty is brokered by nationally known radio personality and consumer advocate, Rhonda Duffy.  Join Rhonda at www.RhondaDuffyBlog.com .

They cover Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Dekalb, Forsyth, Cherokee, Clayton, Henry, Fayette, Rockdale, Douglas, Jackson, Carroll, Dawson counties.

Duffy Realty
Rhonda Duffy
License # 44692
10 Cumming St.
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Fax: 678-892-1180
Phone: 678-366-7846
Website: DuffyRealtyofAtlanta.com 
E-mail: Broker@DuffyRealtyofAtlanta.com

HomeWorksRE.com

Serving consumers since 1999 this company is one of the pioneers of the Flat Fee MLS listing model. Time tested and successful this company now serves five states, California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state.

Homeworks Real Estate embraces a service model focused on “give the consumer what they want.” Service options range from a low $259 for a basic MLS listing or $395 for a full package of services which includes a sign, forms, extended listing duration and phone support.

Homeworks Real Estate Inc. enters the client’s contact information into an automated phone database system that allows home shoppers to contact the owner directly from websites that only allow the listing agent’s phone. The idea is to give the seller the best chance to sell with the least cost.  www.HomeWorksRE.com

Prello Realty is a recognized and established Illinois based Flat Fee MLS Listing Company, they have been in business since 2001 and have sold over $150 million dollars of property in 2007. They cover all Illinois counties and their flat fee listing service is reasonably priced at $299.  They also offer a variety of add on products and services including Realtor lockboxes, virtual tours, brochure boxes, and more. The broker of record is Robert Picciariello (#075.0105900).  For more information, contact:
 
www.PrelloRealty.com
Prello Realty, Inc.
2712 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, Il. 60614
773-472-8900
Robert Picciariello
Real Estate Broker
Prello Realty, Inc,
office: 773-472-8900
fax: 312-453-0704

I just ran across Meetup.com’s real estate networking group, and was quite impressed. There are nearly 16,000 people in 166 cities available to meet with, and there’s nothing like talking about real estate to learn more about it and find people to do deals with.

Whether you are a novice or an expert, with so many people involved, there is bound to be someone that you can relate to and bounce ideas around with or swap stories. As the title says, I think real estate networking just got easier.

One of the things I most like about blogs is the fact that you can comment on them. Unfortunately, for the past couple months I have had to disable comments due to the time constraints of dealing with large volumes of spam. However, I am experimenting with some new software, and my hope is that this will allow real people to get back to the business of discussing real estate

As reported in Inman news (account required $) , California real estate sales have fallen 15%. I have to wonder if a decline in real estate will make consumers increasingly sensitive to commission rates? This could be a boon for flat fee and discount brokers.

On the other hand, frightenened consumers might decide that their best bet is to go full-service and pull out the red carpet for buyers. It doesn’t seem likely from where I stand, but only time will tell.

Boston Entry Only serves greater Boston with flat fee MLS Listing Services.  MLS PIN, the MLS for the area offers both limited service and entry only.  Boston Entry Only fulfills  their title.  They do not act as a seller’s agent or provide any supplementary services.  They are bare bones which is appealing to some people that really don’t want any other services.  With the MLS flat fee program, the Seller will be responsible for handling his/her home sale, which includes all home showings, open houses, negotiations, and paperwork like escrow, title, inspections, disclosures, appraisals, etc. If Sellers feel that they need a professional for certain aspects of the transaction such as negotiations, drawing up contracts, holding escrow, legal advice, or advice on the official offer, they recommend hiring an attorney to assist in some or all of those areas.

Broker Edmund Wong
BostonEntryOnly.com
25 Dorchester Ave Box 52543  
Boston, MA 02205
Phone: 617-830-9870  
Fax: 617-848-2600

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently had a nice piece on the challenges that consumers still face when hunting for a house online. There’s lots of information and lots of websites, but the information that you really want may be hidden or in many cases not yet available online.

“A lot of information is hard to come by, such as lot size, (house) layout and square footage. I have to drive by a place to find out my truck won’t fit in the driveway and there’s no way I can do anything with the boat except put it diagonally across the front yard.”

This highlights one buyer’s struggles to find just the right place. Of particular note to this blog’s readers is that they also ended up going with a flat fee MLS broker that offered substantial rebates for buyers as well. The other key point that was raised was the additional information that is exclusively available to realtors in the MLS.

“Joy Busse was astounded at how much more property detail MLS supplies brokers than the general public.”

If this more detailed MLS information remains in the proprietary domain of Realtor-only access, then the real estate profession may well ensure that it continues to thrive for many years to come.

The American Real Estate Broker Alliance, formed in 2006, is a new trade association representing an alliance of flat-fee real estate brokers who are offering a variety of non-traditional real estate services such as flat fee MLS listings and other fee for service brokerage options. Many of the charter members are already listed in our directory, and we will be reviewing the others for inclusion as time permits.

MLS Entry:
• Entered into the Carolina Multiple Listing Service (CMLS) for $400
• 6 months on the initial listing term.
• Additional time is available month-to-month at NO additional charge.
• You may withdraw at any time, if not under contract.
Chester Martin
NC Broker License #171954
BestFlatFee.com

This firm’s flat fee packages start at $299 for one photo on Realtor.Com and go up to $499 with multiple photos and a Realtor.Com Showcase package. They also offer full service for $599 and $799 respectively with a ½% commission. They have been in business since 2004 and appear to be a family owned and operated firm.

Based out of North Salt Lake, Utah, this company offers limited service for $395 and full service for $745. The broker of record is John T. Armstrong of ARI Realty and Investments, holding license #6502205-CN00.

ARI Realty and Investments
650 North Main Street #120
North Salt Lake, UT 84054

Findutah@gmail.com
(801)390-4693 between the hours of 10am-5pm.

In Kansas, this company offers flat fee MLS listings for $399 for a 6 month listing. The person to contact is Edgar Davis of the Avenue Real Estate Group, license #SP00223410. For more information:

Edgar Davis
EdgarsList.com
Avenue Real Estate Group
(816) 298-0081
(913) 362-0727
ed@soldbyme.com

The cost of flat fee MLS listings in many urban markets has dropped to a few hundred dollars, and now you may even be able to get an mls listing for free! One of the leading discount brokers for real estate buyers, BuysideRealty, has changed its name and begun offering mls listings in 20 states today with 17 more coming soon.

The question that I would ask, is can a service, effectively compete with a paid service that is perceived to be free, especially when it involves the incredible risk of being the one of the largest financial transactions of your life?

SaleByOwnerTexas.com is a hybrid.  They offer both a pure For Sale By Owner (FSBO) product as well as Texas Flat Fee MLS Listing.  They offer a website, signs, flyers, and contracts to their FSBO customers and when a client wants more exposure, they can upgrade with an MLS and REALTOR.com listing.  They also promote a variety of partners sites for supplementary exposure locally, regionally and nationally. They service all the major markets in Texas, including: Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Tyler, Corpus Christi, Waco, College Station, Denton, and many more cities. Home office is in Texas.

Web Site: www.SaleByOwnerTexas.com

Flat fee mls listing, they are licensed in 9 states at the time of this update (1/15/07).  They regularly advertise on google and they offer online forms that can be immediately sent to you via e-mail. Basic Flat Fee MLS Service. Texas

Home office is in Arizona.

Alaska License # 17073
Arizona License # CO537788000
California License # 01514260
Colorado License # IR00005548
Idaho License # CO31220
Montana License # 14603
Nevada License # 57279
New Mexico License # 16640
Texas License # 0563252

Home office is in Arizona.

On April fools, as would be appropriate, the Real Estate Cafe had a great blurb on the meaning of agency in real estate. It’s an often misunderstood subject that has little in common with the advertising agency, for example, that most of us are familiar with. In real estate, agency is basically about who you are working for - ie are you a buyer’s agent, or a seller’s agent?

Wouldn’t you know that this seemingly simple idea is greatly complicated by the common practices of the real estate industry, in which it is not uncommon for an agent to be both a buyer’s agent AND a seller’s agent in the same transaction… a conflict of interest, perhaps?

Ok, so you’re thinking that you just need to make sure that you have your own agent, right? Unfortunately, the potential for a conflict of interest doesn’t end there. The problem is that the general practice of the buyer’s agent being paid a commission out of the selling price is actually incentivizing the buyer’s agent to encourage the buyer to pay a higher price because then they get a higher commission.

So what do you do? As is often the case, there’s no easy answers, but a good please to start is the association of Real Estate Agents for Real Agency’s pamphlet on the subject.

This firm covers Southeastern NY and much of Connecticut.  In NY they are members of the Greater Hudson Valley MLS covering Rockland and Orange Counties and parts of Sullivan and Ulster counties. They are also in the Westchester and Putnam Counties MLS and the Long Island MLS covering Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.  In Connecticut they cover all counties but Fairfield County.

Broker: Paul Gioffre
Flat Fee Island Inc.
105 Maxess Rd Suite S124 
Melville NY 11747
CT License: REB.0758645
NY License: 31GI1160465
Website: MLSIsland.com
Phone: 800-705-0988

A southern California based company that is a member of the 5 major MLS systems. Their prices start at $249 and the broker of record is Tim Gilberg, license #01333424.

SmallFeeRealty.com
Timothy Ray Gilberg Broker
2033 San Elijo Ave Suite 254
Cardiff, CA 92007
Toll Free 888-854-2403 Extension 804, Or Phone 760-809-4347
Fax 760-476-1627

The concept of flat fee real estate services has probably been around a pretty long time, and so you’re probably wondering - what’s the big deal???

Historically the reason for the need of real estate agents was similar to the need for stock brokers - in order to have a market with some degree of liquidity, there needed to be a group of highly specialized people that pooled together the available information to both participate in and actively create the market. However, in modern times this pool of paper and indiviudal communication has largely been replaced by computer databases.

The result of this in the financial industry, for example, is that the old fashioned stock broker who took a sizable commission in order to merely execute your stock transaction via a computer interface, has been largely replaced by online trading services.

This is not to say that there were not certain stock brokers who truly added value by providing good advice, and I think it’s fairly safe to say that these same individuals who did offer good advice have adapted to the growing industry of financial consultants to continue doing what they were previously doing.

What this means, at least in the case study of the financial industry, is that if a person who was formerly a stock broker could provide truly valuable financial advice, then they could probably continue to make lots of money by charging high hourly rates for their services, similar to lawyer, doctors, and accountants. However, for the many people who were previously able to charge high rates without adding value, they have had to face finding alternative employment.

I think a similar shakeout is going to happen in the real esate industry as the growth in online information services provides consumers with increasing amounts of knowledge previously only available to real estate agents. These newly educated consumers are going to ask themselves, why should a real estate agent get thousands of dollars for entering my house into a database???

And so they will turn to the growing cadre of brokers offering flat fee MLS services, and so the revolution begins.

[tags] flat fee MLS, flat fee mls [/tags]

Well I think the name pretty much says it all, though they’ve run sales for as low as $198 for an MLS listing. They’re located in Florida, and the parent company is the United Realty Group of St Lucie County, Inc. Their license # is CQ1014881 and can be verified at MyFloridaLicense.com and their services are available in the counties of Brevard, Broward, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsboro County, Indian River, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami Dade County, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange County, Osceola, Palm Beach County, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Punta Gorda, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumpter and Volusia.

398MLS.com
8406 SOUTH U S HIGHWAY 1
PORT SAINT LUCIE Florida 34952
Tel. 772-528-6054
FAX 772-219-0332

The MSN Money jornal put online appraisals to the test in a great review of the various online appraisal services including the hot newcomer Zillow. Not too surprisingly, Electronic Appraiser, which is the most expensive service they reviewed, came out on top. Indicating that in this case at least, the old adage “you get what you pay for” holds true. Unfortunately, they did not compare such services to those of real world appraisers, which would make for an excellent academic study for any real estate PHDs looking for a dissertation topic.

Also, kudos to the fsbo primer blog for pointing me to this info.

This company claims to be the largest flat fee MLS broker in the Seattle/Tacoma area in Washington state. They recently received some good press coverage on TheNewsTribune and claim to currently sell $180 million dollars in property annually. Their prices start at $595 and the broker of record is Chris Nye and the license #13886 can be verified at the Washington Professional Licensing website. For more information:

MLS4Owners.com
Christopher Nye
License#13886
2621 70th Ave W #C
University Place WA 98466-5458
Sales@MLS4owners.com
(253) 460-1900

For $350 they will provide you with a listing in Maricopa County for up to 6 months or until your home is sold. You can extend the listing one time for an additional six month period at no extra charge

Realtor: Bobbi Herman
Brokerage: Re/Max Renaissance Realty
Address: 9059 W Lake Pleasant Parkway #B200
City, State & Zip Code: Peoria, AZ 85382
Salesperson’s License #: SA555226000
Website: Peoria-Real-Estate-Info.com/FlatFeeMLS.html

Based in Monroe, Washington, with additional offices in Kihei, Hawaii, this company offers listings in Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Their prices start at $399, and they have been offering flat fee listing services since 1999. The brokers of record are Stacie Whitfield and Angela B. Heit, who hold the following licenses:

Hawaii Real Estate Brokerage License # RB-19259
Arizona Real Estate Brokerage License #CO538791000
Washington Real Estate Brokerage License #2159
Oregon Real Estate Brokerage License #200307065

Flat List RE
204 West Main St., Suite C
Monroe, WA 98272

e-mail:
company@flatlist.com

Phone:
1-877-270-3726 toll free

 www.WhyFlatFee.com is home based in Kentucky Click on link for more information.

Offering flat fee services starting at $349 in Massachusetts for a 12 month listing, or $399 in Rhode Island for a 6 month listing, with the option of 360 degree virtual tour for an additional $199. The website offers a list of common questions and answers and online checkout. The broker of record is Nick Larsen, holding Massachusetts license #9501739 and Rhode Island #C16353. For more information:

PeoplesMLS.com
Office: (401)726-6500
Toll free: (888)459-0001
E-mail: nick@peoplesmls.com

Starting at $249, this company claims to be the largest flat fee broker by volume in Utah. They also offer to do a price match of $99 if you can find a competing service at a lower price. The broker of record is Rebecca J Poppe, holding license #5492117-PB00. For more information, contact:

FidelityUtah.com
1290 W. 13270 S.
Riverton, Utah 84065
service@fidelityutah.com

As discussed in the real estate cafe blog, and originally from Inman news, there are signs that the year 2006 may be a tipping point in the real estate revolution. Some of the signs mentioned are Zillow’s coming out of stealth mode, and the DOJ lawsuit, which are both landmark events.

Wisconson Flat Fee MLS Listing - Redefined Realty is a broker in Southeastern Wisconsin and a member of the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors. They offer a full spectrum of services from flat fee MLS listings ($495) to customized marketing plans with negotiable commission rates. The principal broker is Paul Liebe and their license can be verified at the Wisconsin Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Redefined Realty

License #700698

P. O. Box 562

Oconomowoc, WI 53066

phone: (262) 567-9894

fax: (262) 364-2338

email: info@redefined.com

Unlimited MLS offers services start at $299 for a 1 year listing, and you can upgrade to a featured tour package on Realtor.com for $179. Their website has some nice statistics and long list of testimonials. The broker of record is Fernando Corona, holding license #3027785. For more information:

UnlimitedMLS.com
Office: 1-888-657-7768 / 1-888-MLS-SPOT
e-Fax: 305-397-0970
Email: info@unlimitedmls.com

In the metro area of Atlanta, Gerogia, this company offers flat fee MLS services starting at $499 and 1% buyer rebates. They also have a nice newsletter. The broker is Lite Realty, Inc with license # 37835 in Georgia.

VirtualRealEstateStore.com / AtlMLS.com / LiteRealty.com
(770) 886-3808
gibbard@virtualrealestatestore.com

A Florida flat fee mls broker that offers an interesting monthly payment option for $99/month or a one-time payment for $299. The broker is Mitchell Herman, florida license number BK3024104, and claims to cover the following counties:

Tampa, Saint Petersburg, Miami, Hialeah, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Port Charlotte, Clearwater, Ocala, Jacksonville, Winter Haven, Holiday, Kissimmee, Oldsmar, Lakeland, Miami Beach, Zephyrhills, North Miami Beach, New Port Richey, Longboat Key, Boca Raton, Hernando Beach, Montverde, Sarasota, Palmetto, Destin, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Miami-Dade County, Orange County, Marion County and others…

Flat Rate Realty
5310 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, Florida 33703
(727) 528-6956 / (800) 949-1MLS (1657)

Based in San Diego, California, and serving the Southern California market. They offer flat fee mls for $299 and full representation for 0.5%, and the broker of record is Elizabeth Anne Bumer with license #01700316.

eClosed.com
Contact: David Billar
info@eclosed.com
619.861.6307

A flat fee broker based out of Connecticut, they offer flat fee MLS listings in CT and referral services nationwide starting at $299. The broker also had a nice interview on NBC special reports, and her name is MaryAnn Juliano.

Hotline Properties, LLC
License REB#751914
Flat Fee Realty
(860) 674-0616
Farmington, CT 06032

They claim to offer services in the following cities and counties in Connecticut, and their license can be looked up at the Connecticut Licensing Information website.

Connecticut - (5/11/05 Please Note: Windham and New London counties temporarily unavailable)Hartford, Tolland, Middlesex, Litchfield, New Haven, Fairfield Counties, Andover, Ansonia, Ashford , Avon ,Bantam ,Barkhamsted,Beacon Falls,Berlin, Bethany ,Bethel,Bethlehem,Bloomfield,Bolton,Bozrah, Branford ,Bridgeport, Bridgewater, Bristol, Brookfield, Brooklyn,Burlington, Canaan, Canterbury, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Colebrook, Collinsville, Columbia, Cornwall,Cos Cob, Coventry, Cromwell, Danbury, Darien, Deep River, Derby, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Hartford, East Haven, East Lyme, East Windsor, Eastford, Easton, Ellington, Elmwood, Enfield, Essex, Fairfield, Falls Village, Farmington, Franklin, Gales Ferry, Gaylordsville, Glastonbury, Goshen, Granby, Greenwich, Griswold, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Hadlyme, Hamden, Hampton, Hartford, Harwinton, Hazardville, Hebron, Higganum, Kensington, Kent, Killingly, Killingworth, Lakeville, Lebanon, Ledyard, Litchfield, Lyme, Madison, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Milldale, Monroe, Montville, Morris, Mystic, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Hartford, New Haven, New London, New Milford, Newington, Norfolk, North Branford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Norwalk, Norwich, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Plainfield, Plainville, Plymouth, Pomfret, Portland, Preston, Prospect, Putnam, Redding, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Roxbury, Salem, Scotland, Seymour, Sharon, Shelton, Sherman, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southbury, Southington, Stafford, Stamford, Sterling, Stonington, Stratford, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Torrington, Trumbull, Union, Unionville, Vernon, Voluntown, Wallingford, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Waterford, Watertown, West Hartford, West Haven, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield, Willimantic, Willington, Wilton, Winchester, Windham, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Winsted, Wolcott, Woodbridge, Woodbury, Woodstock

According to the best-selling authors of Freakonomics, the answer is a resounding Yes. In a recent New York Times article, they support the much debated theory that real estate agents are headed for the same fate as stock brokers and travel agents. In this scenario, only a handful will survive, and most people will turn to discount brokers, flat-fee brokers, and fee-for-service agents.

Despite this ominous prediction, and their scathing review of agent behavior in their book, one might expect them to express disdain for this profession. However, in an interesting twist, they make the case that the public should feel sorry for real estate agents. Agents appear to be caught in the confluence of powerful economic currents, that are now being disrupted by the explosion of Real Estate information on the Internet.

Before people stop buying it. The New York Times just ran an article on the least affordable places to live in the country, as measured by the ratio of housing prices to income. As a California resident, I was not surprised to learn that the Top 11 most unaffordable places in the country are found in this state; next on the list was New York City at #12.

The data has been graphed and there is a nice map of the country. It seems like the big city metropolitan areas are where most of the unaffordable housing is located. Unfortunately, there is no one explanation for why California is so absurdly overpriced, but some of the reasons given are the growing population, low property taxes, and the high birth/immigration rates.

Idaho residents can try Metro Direct Realty in Meridian for affordable real estate services. They offer full service flat fee plans from $2,495, and serve the following areas:

Boise,Meridian,Eagle,Star,Kuna,Nampa,Caldwell,Middleton and Emmett

They are licensed as a corporation and their license number can be verified at the Idaho Real Estate Commission. For further information contact:

METRO DIRECT REALTY
License #CO29146
30 E. Broadway Suite #201
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 888-4299 Office
(866) 316-9658 Fax
Email: info@metrodirectrealty.com

A flat fee listing broker based out of New Orleans, Louisiana and offering services in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Their flat fee mls services start at $349, and include exposure on “Realtor.Com, AOL, Wall Street Journal, MSN, Oodle, Trulia, and more.” The broker of record is Jude Thomas Smith who holds license Arkansas/Louisisana license #PB00059873 and Mississippi license #16056.

SharpMLS.com
818 SAINT PETER STREET
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70122
Office Phone: (888) 657-5833
Office Fax: (866) 466-8629

A flat fee mls broker based in Chicago, Illinois that offers services in the northern Illinois area. Their flat fee program starts at $349 and they claim to be part of a network that has listed over $400,000,000 in homes. The broker’s name is Bruce P. Golden and his license can be checked at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Update: The second website listed below, from this same broker, has a cute dedication to his cat named Brandy.
illiniMLS.com / 4SaleMLS.com
Bruce P. Golden
773-248-4905
866-349-FSBO
list@illinimls.com

Á la carte brokers are carving out a buffer zone between selling For Sale By Owner and traditional real estate.  Do-it-yourselfers have long sought an alternative to traditional real estate.  In 2000 the term Flat Fee MLS was almost unknown. A Google search produced minimal results.  Early flat fee companies got business by targeting for sale by owner sellers.  Today that is changing.  Consumers know what flat fee mls is.  Instead of stumbling on it, they seek it out.

This would seem to model other industries.  The success of Home Depot, Lowes, Schwab, and eTrade would tend to indicate that real estate should not be any different.  There is a huge do-it-yourself sector of real estate that needs tools and à la carte brokers offer those tools; they sell the hammer but the consumer gets to swing it.

The result is that consumers are saving hundreds of millions of dollars in commission.  Real estate sales are a 60 billion dollar industry and Flat Fee MLS is 2±% of the market or about 500-600 millions dollars in saved commissions annually.  One billion dollars in annual saved commissions is in site.

Staff Writer

In Florida you can try Ideal Properties Realty, who offers listings in the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Their prices start at $349 and they are currently offering a special rate of $199. The brokers are Barry Fienberg, license number 3174397, and Scott Efron, whose license number is 3111711. They can be reached at:

MLSsellForLess.com
5957 W Oakland Park Blvd
Lauderhill, FL 33313
Tel.: (561) 603 4005
Tel.: (954) 793 5808
Tel.: (954) 677 9292
Fax.: (954) 677 9282
e-mail: Barry@MLSsellForLess.com

A flat fee broker based out of Lisle, Illinois with programs starting at $249 and they list on the Chicago Tribune website, as well as Realtor.com and the local MLS affiliate websites. The broker of record is Chris Broderick of Consumers Choice Realty, Inc and has been licensed since 2004. Their website offers helpful information, including an overview of some Illinois specific legal requirements.

Consumers Choice Realty, Inc.
4300 Commerce Court, Suite 300-7
Lisle, Illinois 60532
Phone: (630) 300-8962
Fax: (630) 839-5655
Email: info@mls-4less.com

Wisconson Flat Fee MLS Listing - A broker in Wisconsin is experimenting with offering a free 30-day trial MLS access, and if the seller gets 4 or more calls during the trial and wishes to continue the service then they pay a fee of $275. The broker of record is Matthew Trenkle who holds license #53924-90. For more information, contact:

Standardres.com
2214 N Holton St.  MKE   53212
262 607 1983
mtt@brewtownbrokers.com

In North Carolina, this company offers flat fee services starting at $299 and 1.5% buyer rebates. They offer services in Charlotte, South Carolina, Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Stanley, Lincoln, York, Lancaster, Mint Hill, Matthews, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Raleigh, Wilmington, Greensboro, and other surrounding areas. The broker is Bernard A. Kaminsky, of Golf Realty Inc., and the license #’s are 191844 in North Carolina and 37917 in South Carolina, the latter of which can be checked at the South Carolina Real Estate Commission.

CharlotteFlatFee.com
Phone: 704-545-7522
Email: flatfee@carolina.rr.com

By FFMLSM Staff Writer:

Flat Fee MLS Listing - In January of 2004 a savvy group of brokers had a novel concept.  At the time, IP based searching was in its infancy and Texas Broker Jack McLemore (WhyMLS.com) noticed that national advertisers had an advantage in Pay Per Click advertising (PPC) that local IP based advertising could not compete with.  Shortly thereafter he teamed up with Schaunon Winter (BrokerDirectMLSCo.com), and Derek Eisenberg (MultipleListingSystem.com) to form the first cooperative advertising group to market Flat Fee MLS listings on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.  Soon after, Jeff Kermath (AmeriSellIt.com) and Richard Webber (HomeworksRE.com) joined as partners followed by over 20 affiliates in over 42 states.

 Coops have been around for years.  They are found in small pharmacies and hardware stores that want to compete with the big chains but they are somewhat new to PPC advertising.  Through Broker Direct’s cooperative efforts, an affiliate of Broker Direct is usually in the top two sponsored link positions at any given time for all key flat fee mls list advertising terms.

The Broker Direct Group, LLC currently operates several websites including AmeriOwner.com, ForSaleByOwnerMart.com, ListByOwnerOnMLS.com, ListFlatFeeMLS.com, and SaleByOwnerAmerica.com.

A flat fee mls broker based in Fayetteville, GA and that offers services in the Atlanta area. Their flat fee program starts at $399 and they have a creative program where if you or your buyer get their mortgage through Residential Mortgage Associates then they will rebate the entire fee. The broker’s name is Carolyn West and the license is #176989 which can be checked at the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

Total Choice Realty, Inc.
Carolyn West
License #176989
550 E. Lanier Avenue
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Fax: 770-716-5067
Phone: 770-716-5009
E-mail: carolyn@gaforsalebyowner.com

IHS-Bloomkey offers MLS in a number of states.  In all their coverage areas they do not seem to be the best price in town.  They bundle a bunch of items that do not add much value.  For example they tout podcasts.  The question is, are buyers going to download a description of your home and then play it in an iPod like music or is this a worthless add on that sounds kind of cool but add no real value to the offering?   It’s also not clear whether their gold package, a $200 upgrade and their lowest package with multiple photos gets your extra photos on Realtor.com.   The site is vague on that topic as of this publication but we encourage them to clarify it.

They also appear to put listings in Realtor.com in states where they do not have a license and with no collaberation from a local licensee.  It remains to be seen whether this is legal but it’s certainly a good idea to research this with the local licensing commission before signing up.  It’s probably a safe bet to call your state’s licensing commission and ask them if they approve of Bloomkey being located in Virginia and taking national Realtor.com listings in a state where they have no license and no local agent they collaberate with.  Maybe it’s okay but maybe it’s not but you certainly would not want any surprises later or to find out your property was delisted so do your homework now.

Georgia Real Estate Broker’s License # H-52656
Maryland Real Estate Broker’s License # 521350
North Carolina Real Estate Broker’s License # C17343
South Carolina Real Estate Broker’s License # 13602
Pennsylvania Real Estate Broker’s License # RB066040
Virginia Real Estate Broker’s License #0226 007102
California Real Estate Broker’s License #01526048