I am sure there is a phone number for the Local Board of Realtors. Call the main office and ask if all Home listings are uploaded to Realtor.com or any other website, such as a public side of the local MLS.

As for getting your home on the MLS without using a realtor, forget it. That will not happen. The point of having an MLS is that when agent shows another agents listing there is guaranteed compensation because there is a compensation agreement portion in the listing contract. This compensation amount (the buyer agent commission) is disclosed in the MLS. If there is a local Real Estate Guide (Homes Magazine) You might be able to pay for a space to put an Ad in for your property. Advertising is expensive, Looking for the right home is time consuming, why not use a Realtor to help you? Did you have a bad experience?

Patti,

I think you must of left out a word in your statement "Selling your home FSBO doesn't net you the most "walk away" money." I think the word "always" should have followed "doesn't" for the statement to be factual.

You have made the right decision to not use a realtor. I have been looking at property for a awhile now and am so agog at the lack of professionalism in the realtor crowd that I will not even offer on a home when an agent is involved. Instead I let the seller know that I am interested in their property and to let me know when their listing contract ends so that we may make an offer.

Both parties need really competent real estate contract attorneys to make certain their respective interests are addressed appropriately. Cut the middle man out, reduce price to 15% below market and make a deal.

Chris. Not possible. There are a lot of misconceptions out there - driven by the "unrepresented seller" (FSBO) websites. The main goal in marketing a home for sale is exposure to attract a qualified buyer. I'd like to share how this happens. Selling your home FSBO doesn't net you the most "walk away" money. Email me and I'll explain: pattig@realtyexecutives.com

Chris
It's really not a problem. Just look for a MLS Entry Only broker, or a flat fee broker.

BTW, my question is WHY? You probably want to save money, right?

So you are assuming that you don't need a Realtor to sell your home. About 10% of homes in the US are sold without professional representation according to an NAR survey. I think if you can sell your home yourself, you should do it.

However, my experience has shown that it is likely that the ONLY way to get top dollar for your home is with a great Realtor. Not just any Realtor, but a great Realtor.

The summary is this:
I study the actual performance of Full Service, MLS Entry Only, and Discount Brokers in my MLS.

Over the past two years the following trends have remained constant:
1. Homes sold by MLS Entry Only or Discount Brokers FAIL to sell most of the time when compared to Full Service Realtors
2. The number of units sold by MLS Entry Only or Discount Brokers is VERY SMALL. The last quarter out of 931 transactions only 26 were sold by MLS Entry or Discount Brokers. Don't you think that if they were really that good for sellers they would sell more homes?
3. When the homes DO sell by MLS Entry ONLY or Discount Brokers they sell, on average for about 2.8% LESS than homes sold by Full Service brokers when you compare list price versus sale price.
4. Homes sold by MLS Entry Only and Discount take longer to sell.

I suggest interviewing a couple of REaltors. Especially if you need to sell in order to buy, then you really need to get a balanced view of what Realtors propose to meet your objectives.

Good luck.

Chris, Sarah is right on target. In order to be in MLS you have to have your home listed with a licensed realtor. Additionally, in todays market it is important that buyers and sellers alike are well represented by a realtor committed to assisting you in achieving your ultimate goal which is to sell your home for the most money in the shortest amount of time. It is important for you to have that type of representation and to have someone who knows the market and has all of the available tools to aide you in achieving this goal.

I guess I have a different take on your question than the other 2 responders. I see you listed as a buyer and a seller and assume you have a home you want listed on MLS. In Olathe, we are seved by the Heartland MLS and you must be a licensed realtor to list homes here. Having your home listed on MLS is definetely the BEST way to get your home shown and sold, and your realtor is part of that process. As professional realtors, we have the tools and the marketing experience to make sure your home is see by as many people as possible, including other realtors and buyers.

If you are a buyer and wanting to see what is available, you can VIEW MLS listings at http://www.realtor.com. I would strongly suggest you find a Realtor. We can make your home search or sale a priority.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Thank you.

Sarah Klamm
Layton Real Estate
mobile 785-248-1142
sarah@laytonre.com

Chris,

Your question, and the fact that you are listed as a buyer is somewhat confusing. While the previous post answered your question very well, I'm still going to refer you to my blog (link below) that has some info in it on the subject addressed to sellers.

Chris - as you are a home buyer I will address your question from the standpoint that you want to access the MLS for a list of homes to purchase.

MLS access is granted usually through the local Board of Realtors. Agents usually have a portal for searching the MLS on their website. Now the amount of information can be limited. You may only get the general location along with some of the details about the property, but for additonal info you would have to request it through the agent.