Since the advent of real estate as we know it today, home owners have essentially had 2 options available to them when trying to sell their home. You could list with a real estate agent and pay the resulting commissions or you could brave the FSBO market and take a chance on selling the home yourself without the benefit of the MLS service and the advertising and connections that a realtor could provide. Finally there are more than simply 2 options.

The advent of the limited service realty company has brought a wealth of choice to home owners. A limited service company provides many of the services that a normal realtor or agent provides combined with the highly desirable savings that have made FSBO so attractive to sellers who want a bit more profit from their sales. One of the main advantages of utilizing a limited service realty company is the simple fact that your home will get far more exposure by being listed on the area's MLS service. The Multiple Listings Service is a service that previously had only been available to homes listed with an agent or realtor and as the majority of home are sold via listings on the MLS, FSBO sellers were missing out on a lot of potential customers. Blending these two concepts together seemed like a natural move as sellers had the need for access to the MLS while saving the money that is associated with FSBO selling.

Using a flat-fee listing you remain as the contact/agent for your home. You still handle all of the traditional trappings of an FSBO sale while gaining access to the most important real estate sales tool there is, the MLS. With your home listed on the MLS, other agents and realtors will be able to include your home in their searches for their clients who are looking to buy in your area. The bonus here is that you are still saving money on commissions. Also, you have the ability to show and showcase your home and after all who knows more about your home than you do?