Let’s face it, no one likes to pay a real estate agent 6% to sell their home. Tired of paying such high commissions, many home owners attempt to sell their homes themselves (For Sale By Owner or FSBO). However, many of them realize that not being listed by a REALTOR® means not being able to take advantage of the most powerful marketing method in the history of real estate: the Realtor® Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Here are 10 things agents don’t want you to know about selling homes in today’s real estate market:

1. Technology has reduced the advertising costs agents incur when listing a home. Most agents don’t spend very much money in print advertising because of the Internet. Buyers find homes online, so print ads are obsolete!

2. Open houses rarely, if ever, bring a qualified buyer to the table for your home. Agents love to use open houses to find buyers to work with that are not already working with agents.

3. Some sources estimate the MLS is responsible for 85%-95% of all home sales. What many people don’t realize is that they can have the benefits of the MLS and pay half the traditional commission.

4. Realtor.com offers enhanced listing services to agents that pay for it. Many Realtors don’t tell you that and want you to pay them a full commission even when your home will not be showcased on Realtor.com. We are licensed brokers in CT and subscribe to the Realtor.com enhanced listing package, therefore we have the ability to showcase your home better then many “traditional” agents.

5. It’s just more convenient for you to set up showings for your home directly with the buyers agent. Why do you need to pay the listing agent to call you?

6. Who better than you, can tell someone all the great features of your home, so when it comes to showing it to buyers, there is nothing better than having you there. Note: just don’t be too aggressive or pushy and let the buyers agent lead the tour through your home.

7. You don’t need a Realtor to negotiate a contract in your favor. Most folks know what their bottom line is and don’t need any help making decisions about their home sale.

8. Agents can not give legal advice so we recommend using a good real estate attorney if you decide to use our service. They will guide you through the contract process and make sure your best interests are being considered.

9. Over 95% of the time, the listing agent is NOT the person who brings the buyer. Today’s real estate work different than 10-20 years ago! Don’t be fooled into believing that you need to list with an agent that sells a lot of homes. It’s really all about the “Buyers” agent. With our MLS Flat Fee service, your listing will look the same as any other Realtor listing and the buyers agent will still earn the same commission!

10. Homeowners listed with our MLS service make more net profit than FSBO’s because they have greater exposure and harness the power of the Internet to get the word out! The MLS data distribution channels can’t be beat. Your listing will be displayed on dozens of major websites and thousands of broker and agent sites just by listing with our MLS Flat Fee service.

DO NOT PAY 6% TO LIST!!!