The real estate market in San Diego county is very competitive. Thanks to the increase in the number of San Diego real estate agents, there are more options than ever for those looking to sell or purchase a home. Unless you are working with an established agency or real estate agent in San Diego, you may find it hard to effectively market and sell a property. For a very long time, the relatively new and inexperienced San Diego real estate agents found it very difficult to stamp their authority in the market and get their fair share of clients to enable their business to go forward. Thanks to the revolutionary MLS (Multiple Listing Service) though, everything has changed.

So, what exactly is the Multiple Listing Service? Of what importance is the MLS to San Diego real estate agents? Who can access the MLS?

Multiple Listing Service

The MLS is a very large database used by real estate brokers and agents to market their listings to other real estate agents. Instead of a real estate agent struggling to sell a house or a certain property on his/her own, he/she can list it on the MLS and give other real estate agents a chance to market and possibly sell the same property and give them compensation in exchange. The MLS is not just a service offered in San Diego-instead there are many different regional, national and local databases that list all the properties for sale at a particular time. All of these MLS systems are privately owned by a group of leading real estate agencies and for one to join the MLS, he/she needs to register with the service providers and will be required to pay an annual membership fee which varies from one MLS system to another depending on the scope of the MLS system and its proficiency in the market.

Who can access the MLS in San Diego?

Ideally, all San Diego real estate agents are eligible to sign up to the available MLS systems in the region and the country at large. So long as the business is registered and the required certifications are available, one can sign up to any MLS system and pay the annual membership fee to start accessing the services.

How the MLS will help you sell your San Diego Home

• By joining an MLS system in San Diego or working with an agent who has MLS access, you will be increasing the visibility of your property to the buyers and agents and will reach a larger audience as a result. Hundreds of other San Diego real estate agents who are in the MLS system will be able to see your property and if it matches the description of one of their own clients, they will not hesitate to sell it on your behalf and receive some compensation. This reduces the amount of time taken to sell property which makes selling a property in San Diego quick and painless. 

• Your listing will appear on all websites of subscribing agents who have MLS feeds and also sites like Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, and Raltor.com. Through feed plugins, all the listings made to the MLS will appear on the websites of the agents who are part of the system and this will make marketing the property very easy. People scouring the internet for a new home are therefore more likely to see your property and inquire about it.
  
  
• You will have a level playground with the big boys. All the listings made on San Diego MLS systems receive the same treatment irrespective of their source. If you are a San Diego real estate agent with a limited marketing budget therefore, you will have a chance to reach a large audience without worrying about the big boys grabbing the lion’s share.
  
  
• You can list as many properties as you want- With the San Diego MLS, you have the ability to list and possibly sell more than one property in a single day. This is not common if you decide to go the traditional  route and market the properties on your business website or newspaper. With the MLS however, this is possible because multiple brokers will be able to sell on your behalf.

The Multiple Listing Service has revolutionized the way we sell houses and made for a smoother real estate business all around. With increased visibility and marketing opportunities, houses are selling faster than ever, and customers are better able to find the house of their dreams no matter where they start their search.

If you're interested in working with an agent in the San Diego area that has access to the MLS, the team at Steele San Diego Homes can help you find your perfect home for sale. Whether you're looking for a San Diego condo in downtown or a single-family home in Del Mar, we can help you. To learn more about the home buying process, download our home buyer's checklist!