The MLS online is a large part of how real estate is handled these days. If you’re looking to get into real estate in any capacity, whether investing, buying, selling, or renting, the MLS should be on your radar as an ally and essential part of reaching your real estate goals.
In Orlando, a bustling and rich community with a lot of prime real estate, property pops up constantly and is being bought and sold daily in various locations. When you’re thinking of buying, selling, or renting your home, or fully committed to buying, selling, or renting your home, you need to use the MLS in Orlando — or anywhere for that matter.
Here are ways to help you save money, too, while you use the online MLS to your advantage and shop smart in the real estate market.
Go FSBO
One of the best ways to maximize your profit while using the MLS is to go FSBO, or “For sale by owner.” This bypasses agent fees and commissions so you don’t have to pay up front just to be listed on the official MLS. This is a growing trend that goes against what was usually the case in the real estate market.
It’s easier than ever to have both access to and listings on the MLS as an owner. Take advantage of the online resources available at a low (or no) cost to you.
Registered agents in specific states and areas are the ones who classically have been a buyer or seller’s only access to the all-knowing MLS in their specific location. The trend has changed drastically more recently, however, especially when it comes to handling real estate online.
Now you can utilize what is available online to successfully go full-on “FSBO” and save tons of money in the process by not having to pay an agent a fee to list you on the MLS, which sometimes is included in his or her commission, or a commission fee in general.
This is especially helpful to sellers who generally have to pay both the commission to their agent as well as the buyers’ agent.
Do your market research
Knowing what’s going on in your area in Orlando while you’re attempting to buy, sell, or rent a home is a large part of how the MLS can help you.
When you’re part of many homes for sale in Orlando, you need to do your market research! Based on your specific location and neighborhood, figure out the appropriate price of your home.
You can use the MLS to do this by searching houses in your area, figuring out what their assets are, comparing that to what your property has, weighing the value of your home by physical and intangible values, and then pricing your home appropriately.
This is a large part of what saves you a lot of money, because pricing your home and putting the number out first has a lot to do with how the negotiations toward the final sale of your home really will pan out. Don’t skip or skimp on this step!
List your price and list appropriately
Once you’ve found the appropriate price of your home, you can craft your listing. Listing based on location is critical for the MLS. Make sure your photos are clear and clean and in the best light possible.
List in the appropriate location, first and foremost, and check and re-check that the price of your home for the location in Orlando is appropriate and will ultimately help you reach your profit goals
,h2>Be thorough and accurate
Buyers know exactly what they’re looking for. The more information you have on your home listing that’s available to them, the better.
Be as thorough and accurate as possible when listing on the MLS for your home sale. This will help attract the appropriate buyer and set your property apart from all the other properties listed at similar prices in the same area.
Use a flat-fee MLS service
When you have your MLS listing crafted and ready, use a flat-fee MLS service to list your property for sale by owner.
When you’re listing a home for sale in Orlando, the site beycome is a great option. They’re a Florida-based real estate startup that has the lowest flat-fee MLS listing price available on the market today.
For $79, you can be fully listed on the MLS as well as receive full customer service right up to the point of a sale. On top of that, you’ll be able to recoup all the commission dollars that would typically go to an agent; beycome recoups this cost on your behalf as your “agent” and then returns it to you at the end of the sale of your property.
Because of this, it’s hard to find a better ally when you’re going FSBO in Florida.
There are plenty of other options available to you that are entirely free as opposed to paying a small fee. A lot of times, these are embedded in social media platforms or a stand-alone free service.
Realistically, though, the official MLS is still behind some closed doors and you will need to make some sort of an investment in order to list and have access to it, even if you are entering the market strictly as “for sale by owner” or “for rent by owner.”
Do your research and find the services that provide the largest value for their cost.
Selling, Buying and Renting in Orlando
Selling, buying, or renting in Orlando can be overwhelming and potentially costly if you don’t play your cards right. Knowing that you have the option to go into the market without an agent and come out in the green is the first step to using the growing trend of the MLS to help you save when handling online real estate on your own.
Use the resources available to you today in Florida that will help your property get accessed by the appropriate buyers and save you thousands of dollars as well. Don’t bypass the MLS when you’re selling your property and end up losing money.
These tips will help keep your shopping and selling smart in real estate in Orlando — and beyond.
