There is a significant development in the world of real estate these days which involves the ability for sellers to list their homes on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Canada’s Competition Bureau has been urging the industry to open up its listing service to the public. Recently the Canadian Real Estate Association took a step in that direction by proposing a change in the rules that would allow agents to post listings on the MLS for a flat fee. The agent would then step aside and leave the rest to the seller.
For some people this will be attractive. Like online stock trading or arranging your family vacation through the Internet without the assistance of a professional travel agent, the new regulations would allow homeowners to sell their property without the help of an agent and avoid paying the agent’s commission or fees. Perhaps some home sellers will find the savings worth the work and inconvenience they will endure while trying to sell their home. But is it worth it? Do those people fully understand, or appreciate, what exactly is involved in selling a home? Simply listing your home on the MLS is no guarantee it will sell. A photo and description will sit there with thousands of other listings, and you just hope the right buyer sees it.
A qualified, experienced and knowledgeable Broker, on the other hand, is a master at marketing properties so that your home sells quickly and for top dollar. Knowing the community, what buyers are looking for, how to market your home and how to stage it will help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar – this is what we are good at. When working with the Dan Cooper Team of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage, you are working with a Broker who has developed innovative and carefully selected methods of showcasing your home for optimum exposure. These methods involve selecting the prime advertising spots in a variety of publications and using the Internet creatively to ensure your home sells quickly and for top dollar. For example, my unique DanCooperTV.com website is bringing properties to life through a video-based platform. I’m proud to be one of the first to tap into this exciting form of marketing to provide you with a competitive edge when selling your home.
This comes at a cost and that’s where some of our commission is invested. People trying to sell their homes themselves are not spending thousands of dollars a week to advertise in the various real estate magazines or to develop a website to showcase their home. But a good Broker is spending that amount to market your property. Besides superior exposure for your home, there are a host of other benefits when dealing with the Dan Cooper Team, such as complimentary home staging consultation; instant access to our team of lawyers, home inspectors, mortgage brokers, appraisers and contractors; ongoing updates and progress reports as part of our in-depth communications; and being served by a team of multi-disciplined professionals with more than 40 years of combined experience. Having a listing on the MLS may only cost a few hundred dollars, but it is a very small part of the whole picture when it comes to effectively selling your home.
Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.
