FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

WHAT ARE THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I NEED TO SELL MY HOME?
Price, Condition, Location, and Exposure.  You control the first three, and we can provide the fourth!  If your home is priced right for its condition and location, and exposed through the multiple listing service, it will sell.  And that’s the bottom line.

IS MLS4OWNERS A LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER?
Yes, MLS4owners is licensed as a real estate broker by the State of Washington.  Our designated broker has been licensed to sell real estate in Washington since 1992.

WHAT IS AN MLS?
A multiple listing service (MLS) is a effort among real estate brokers to share data about homes for sale, and to cooperate with and compensate each other for assisting with the sale.  MLSs create the most comprehensive computerized database of homes for sale, and the majority of real estate sales are a direct result of MLS exposure.  When you see a home for sale on any real estate website, that information probably came from the MLS database.  The MLS is the tool real estate professionals use to keep informed.  Through MLS4owners.com, this “prized possession” of real estate brokers is now available to homesellers at a fraction of the price. 

IS MLS4OWNERS.COM A MEMBER OF A MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE?
Yes, MLS4owners.com is a member of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), which serves virtually all of Western Washington, including King, Pierce, Lewis, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Snohomish, Island, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Cowlitz, Wahkiakim, Kittitas and Grant Counties, as well as RMLS, which serves the Clark County - Vancouver area, Yakima MLS, and the Spokane MLS.

IS THIS THE SAME MLS USED BY AGENTS AT THE BIG REAL ESTATE COMPANIES?
Yes, homes advertised by MLS4owners.com will be exposed to over 16,000 members of the NWMLS.

WILL MY HOME SELL FASTER AND FOR MORE MONEY IF I EXPOSE IT THROUGH THE MLS?
Yes, the MLS is the marketplace for real estate.  Until MLS4owners.com, people like you had no way to get maximum exposure without paying a high commission.  Lack of market exposure is the biggest obstacle facing For Sale By Owners (FSBOs).

HOW LONG WILL MLS4OWNERS.COM ADVERTISE MY HOME?
The advertisement is good until your home sells, up to one year.  You may stop the advertising at any time. 

WHAT IF I SELL MY HOME ON MY OWN?
GREAT!  You owe no commission.  About one quarter of our customers' sales are completed this way.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET INTO THE MLS AND ON THE WEBSITES?
We will send your information to the multiple listing service within one business day of receiving your agreement and required data.  Within hours, your home will be exposed to the 16,000 member agents of the multiple listing service.  Within 24-48 hours, most local real estate websites (including MLS4owners.com) will have linked to the MLS data.  Within 3 business days the national websites normally link to the MLS data.  (NOTE:  Due to the thousands of pictures managed by the NWMLS, it can take a bit longer for pictures to show.  It also takes a couple of days for email addresses and phone numbers to show on the MLS4owners.com website.  If a buyer contacts us in the meantime, we will direct them to you.)

HOW CAN I EDIT MY ADVERTISEMENT?
Just send us an email at sales@mls4owners.com, and we will make your changes free of charge.  All changes to price and commission need to be in writing, so email is the preferred method of notification.

I HAVE A GREAT PICTURE OF MY HOME.  CAN I USE IT?
Yes, you can email up to 15 photos to "sales (at) mls4owners.com" when you submit your advertising agreement.   We are required to post at least one photo of the exterior or the view upon activation, and we can add other photos at your convenience.  Photos must be in .jpg (JPEG) format and should be in normal landscape orientation (because upright "portrait" photos and panoromas tend to get distorted or stretched to fit the space avaialble).  We can accept any size, but anything larger than 448 pixels wide will be compressed to about that size.  Anything larger would take too long for users to download, so you don't need to send high resolution photos.  Extra photos will appear on MLS4owners.com AND in the multiple listing database that real estate agents use; they may not appear on other real estate websites.

I DON'T HAVE ANY DIGITAL PICTURES.  DO I HAVE OTHER OPTIONS?

Many stores can create photo disks from prints, including Costco. 

You can also scan a photo and email it to us.

HOW DO AGENTS KNOW WHAT COMMISSION I AM OFFERING?
The buyer’s agent’s fee (also known as the selling office commission) is advertised in the NWMLS database, so agents know before they call you what you are willing to pay them to show and sell your home. 

MAY I ADVERTISE THE COMMISSION ON PUBLIC WEBSITES? 
No, multiple listing service rules prohibit including commissions in the remarks that show up on public websites.  However, real estate agents will know what you are offering because they have access to the multiple listing service database.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I OFFER TO AGENTS WHO PROCURE OR REPRESENT MY BUYER?
The most common commission offered by our customers is 3%.  The amount you offer is totally up to you based on the value you place on an agent delivering or representing your buyer.  By law, you can offer any amount you choose if you find a broker willing to do so.  You may want to set the commission at the level that is most likely to get your home sold AND maximize your profit on the sale.  Many people choose to offer a commission that is competitive for their neighborhood, so that agents will not be discouraged from working with them.  We have seen people offer as little as $500 and as much as 5%.    The choice is yours!

CAN I JUST SAY THE COMMISSION IS "NEGOTIABLE"?
Multiple listing service rules require that you disclose the commission in your listing.  You are agreeing that you will pay that commission if an agent represents a buyer on the terms and conditions you advertise.

WHAT DO REAL ESTATE AGENTS THINK OF MLS4OWNERS.COM?
Many buyer agents recognize that we bring inventory into the marketplace that would otherwise be a For Sale By Owner, and they have earned millions of dollars in commissions by helping our customers save many more millions when they sell their homes.  Some listing agents do not like our program, because they would rather that you signed up with them, and frankly we aren't on many Christmas Card lists.  Some agents are under the mistaken impression that limited service is not allowed; but Rule 4(e) of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service specifically says we can offer this service as long as we disclose the limitations, and the Revised Code of Washington says the same thing.  Some agents think they have to do more work when there is no listing agent, but our experience over the last decade says that isn't so .  Of course, most agents love to work with honest, cooperative, friendly sellers who are offering a compeitive commission, and you can maximize your sales potential by treating all interested parties in a professional manner.

CAN I CANCEL AND GET A NEW MLS# TO GENERATE MORE ACTIVITY?
No.  The NWMLS now tracks cumulative days on market (regardless of previous cancellations), so getting a new MLS number no longer has the advantage it once did.

WHAT IF I WANT TO TAKE MY HOME OFF THE MARKET FOR A SHORT TIME?
No problem.  Here are the options:

1.  We can keep you active continuously for up to a year, with no additional charge.
2.  We can put you in a Temporarily Off The Market status, based on your written request on an official NWMLS form that we can fax or email to you.  The NWMLS will allow us to use this status for up to 30 days at no charge, and the reasons they will accept include vacation, illness, repairs and similar issues.  Refinancing a mortgage is not one of the reasons, because mortgage companies appear to require that mortgaged properties not be subject to a listing agreement.
3.  If your situation does fit the above, the current listing would be canceled.  If at any time in the following year you wanted to go back on the market, you could start a new listing at half the prevailing cost of a new listing.  Your property would get a new MLS number and your listing could stay active for up to 12 more months under the new Agreement.  We find this option may be useful for people who decide to do major remodeling or take their house off the market for other reasons,  or whose listings have expired, or those who would like to come back to MLS4owners.com after trying another method for selling their home.

As always, we can make changes for you within one business day.

WHAT IS A KEYBOX, AND HOW DO I GET IT?
A keybox is a device that holds a key to your house.  Only licensed real estate agents have access to this device.  If you want your home available for viewings even when you aren’t home, lock boxes are wonderful and a real convenience for real estate agents and homebuyers.  If you want to maintain control of who is showing your home, you should not have a lock box.

If you would like to rent one for $95, we will mail it to you with return postage paid.  Please don't put your only key in the box, as only real estate agents have access to the box through their secure codes.

CAN I DO ADDITIONAL MARKETING ON MY OWN?
Sure, you can advertise wherever you choose.  Newspaper ads can be part of a marketing program, but only 1% of sales are a direct result of newspaper advertising.  Most For Sale By Owner ads result in many calls from real estate agents looking for listings, and few calls from qualified buyers. 

WHY DO OTHER REAL ESTATE BROKERS LET YOU ADVERTISE MLS4OWNERS LISTINGS ON THEIR WEBSITES?
Like MLS4owners.com, most brokerages have download agreements with the NWMLS, enabling them to display all homes for sale in the entire system.  This gives visitors to their websites a better selection and increases the broker’s chance of earning the business of the homebuyer.

WILL ADVERTISING WITH MLS4OWNERS REALLY SELL MY HOME?
Yes, if your home is in the multiple listing service and priced correctly for the market, your home will have the broadest possible exposure.  Price, location, and condition are the most important factors.  Please view our results and our testimonials – our past customers are our best sales people!

HOW DO AGENTS SHOW MY HOME?
Agents will see your home in the multiple listing service, or one of their clients will find your home on one of many websites.  The agent will then call you for showing instructions or follow the instructions posted in your advertisement.

WHAT IF A REAL ESTATE AGENT CALLS MLS4OWNERS DIRECTLY ABOUT YOUR HOME?
We will refer all agent inquiries directly to you, the seller.  You will never pay a commission to MLS4owners.com.

WHAT IF A BUYER CALLS MLS4OWNERS DIRECTLY ABOUT YOUR HOME?
Unlike our competitors, we direct all buyer inquiries to you, and you will not owe any commission to MLS4owners for introducing you to the buyer. 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I RECEIVE AN OFFER?
Congratulations!  You should negotiate directly with the buyer or the buyer’s agent.  When you have completed negotiations and accepted an offer, you MUST notify MLS4owners so we can update your MLS advertisement to show that you have a pending sale.  If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney.  You might find what you need at our Legal Center.

WHAT IF MY SALE FALLS THROUGH?
Let us know immediately and we'll reactivate your advertisement, FREE.

DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS?
No.  In order to maximize the security of your personal credit information, and to keep our costs down, we request that you mail your check to the address on the advertising agreement.  This does not slow down the activation process, as we can activate you upon receipt of the necessary listing information.

HOW CAN I SAVE MONEY BUYING A HOME ADVERTISED BY MLS4OWNERS?
If you are not working with a real estate agent, you can save money by negotiating directly with the seller.

WHAT IF I HAVE A BUYER AGENCY AGREEMENT WITH A REAL ESTATE AGENT?
That agreement may give the agent an exclusive right to negotiate on your behalf for any house listed in the multiple listing service.  All homes advertised by MLS4owners are probably covered by your agreement, and you should ask your agent to contact the seller.

I'M A BUYER.   WHAT IF I NEED HELP PRESENTING AN OFFER?
MLS4owners can refer you to a qualified real estate professional who can represent you in your purchase.  MLS4owners will not represent you, but you and the seller might be able to save money by selecting from our additional services.

I'M A BUYER.  HOW DOES MY REAL ESTATE AGENT GET PAID?
Every seller has agreed to pay a commission to your agent’s broker at the time the home sells, and the amount of that commission is disclosed to agents in the MLS database.

I'M A BUYER.  WHAT’S THE CATCH?
There is no catch.  Our sellers have simply chosen to save some money by paying a small upfront advertising fee rather than a large commission at closing. Their savings may be your opportunity!

HOW DOES MLS4OWNERS HELP REAL ESTATE AGENTS?
Many of our customers would otherwise be FSBO’s.  We help them by maximizing their exposure, and we help you and your clients by bringing you qualified sellers who see the value of paying a commission to people who bring them a buyer.

WILL THE SELLER PAY A COMMISSION?
Our advertising agreements include a statement that the seller will pay a selling office or buyer agent fee if the buyer is represented by an agent.  The fee is set by the seller and is disclosed in the MLS database.

MAY REALTORS® CONTACT THE SELLER DIRECTLY?
Yes, feel free to talk directly to the seller for all questions, showing appointments, presentation of offers, and disclosure forms.  You will not violate an agency relationship by doing so.  Of course, REALTORS® should not solicit our sellers, as they have an existing agreement with MLS4owners.com, and soliciting the seller would be a violation of licensing law, NWMLS rules and REALTOR® Code of Ethics.

WHAT HAPPENS ONCE THE PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT IS SIGNED?
When you have a mutually agreed contract, please call or email MLS4owners so we can update the MLS database.  If you are a REALTOR® , please include your office’s NWMLS number.