Selling Beyond the MLS

Michael Weitzman • May 10, 2015

If you’ve ever had a bad real estate experience in the past, you may wonder what a Grand Rapids real estate agent does besides get your home listed on the MLS (Multi Listing Service). The answer? A lot. Your agent absolutely should be doing a lot more for you.

Make no mistake, the MLS – a shared list of homes for sale – is an essential part of marketing your home when you’re seriously ready to put it on the market. The MLS is the tool that every Grand Rapids real estate agent uses when they’re looking for a home to match with buyers who are interested. Buyers can even search the MLS themselves on their own through The Sprich Group’s popular home search. There are certainly other places besides the MLS to advertise your home online (like Zillow, Craigslist, or Facebook), but a sellers really needs the reach of the MLS.

Now, you may have heard of flat-fee “MLS only” services that will offer to put your home on the MLS, and nothing more – no one to market the home, show the home, handle contract negotiations, or see you through to a smooth closing. If you can imagine why those MLS only services aren’t very popular, think of this: with some agents, you may not be getting much more than that. The agent’s communication, expertise, and efforts may be spotty, and you may be left feeling helpless.

You deserve the highest level of service in selling your home, for the success of the sale and for your own sanity. When you talk to a Grand Rapids real estate agent, make sure you ask a lot of questions and reassure yourself that you are getting more than a listing. Ask how the agent plans to market your home, who the target buyer is, and how the agent will reach those buyers. And then figure out what you really need in a Grand Rapids real estate agent to sell your home. What kind of availability to you expect? Market expertise? Marketing network? Ask all the questions you need to assure yourself that you are getting the very best agent to represent you and your home in this important transaction.

Anyone with a real estate license can put your home on the MLS. But that is not when you get when you work with Tom Sprich. Let The Sprich Group make sure you’re getting the very best service you can for the successful sale of your home. Contact The Sprich Group today.

Photo: Mark Moz ( some rights reserved )

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