Author Archive

Chicago Condo Market Update

By Scott Berg at 25 October, 2010, 3:14 pm

Here is the latest data on the Chicago Condo Market per Rich Cox of ChicagoCondos online. His site details the latest information on Chicago Condo Buidings. In the first nine months of this year, city condo dollar volume has increased 14% compared to 2009. But volume in September was down 19% compared to August. According [...]

What is the MLS?

By Scott Berg at 20 October, 2010, 6:22 pm

So what exactly is the MLS? It is not a website. It would be incorrect to call it a database of properties. It is more like a trade association. Members of the MLS are real estate brokers and agents and the main function of the MLS is to provide a means for brokers to cooperate [...]

Do Brokers Show Flat Fee MLS Listings?

By Scott Berg at 18 October, 2010, 8:19 pm

Absolutely Yes. To date 1,435 of our clients have sold via a flat fee mls listings. Probably around 90% of those were sold through buyers agents. Agents do cooperate with sellers who choose to go this route though you can expect some of the agents to be rude or complain. Why any agent would choose [...]

Why don’t more sellers go the flat fee mls route versus going with a traditional broker?

By Scott Berg at 15 October, 2010, 8:05 pm

Seller’s ask me this questing all the time. It is really a marketing question. Right now the market niche for a flat fee mls listing is for sale by owners and industry insiders (commercial brokers, former agents, attorneys, appraisers, mortgage brokers, developers, and the like). Once people hear about our service many wonder why everyone [...]

Is it legal to list on the MLS for a flat fee?

By Scott Berg at 15 October, 2010, 1:09 am

It seems crazy that someone actually asked me this but the reasoning behind the question is solid. Many people do not understand how brokers like us can offer to list a home on the MLS for a few hundred dollars when other real estate brokers charge a small fortune for their services. Basically no one [...]