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The MLS® does not sell homes!  Seriously!

Hi everyone:

I’ve been watching some of the news reports coming out of Ontario, reporting that Private Home Sellers were hoping to be able to place their houses and condos onto the MLS® without having to pay REALTOR® fees.  Everyone, it seems, is aware of how effective the MLS® is at marketing homes, how integral it has become as a tool for REALTORS® to help sell the house or condo in question.  Its only natural to want to be able to access the most effective way to sell homes, and to do it for free (or nearly free) would seem like the answer to everyone’s prayers.

This issue reminds me of one of my favorite Zig Ziglar stories.  Mr. Ziglar is a well published author, having written numerous books on the ‘Art of Selling’.  One of his stories is about IBM (Big Blue, as they were called in the 1980′s).  IBM, as a computer manufacturer, had grown to be a leader in the industry.  At some point, the company promoted one of their Accountants to the position of CEO, as I recall the story.  As an Accountant, this particular gentleman was very concerned with the ‘bottom line’, and so it was that he took a close look at expenses.  “We’re already #1 in the world”, he reasoned.  “Why do we need all of these sales people, when our products basically sell themselves?”

So IBM fired several thousand sales reps, who promptly went to work at Toshiba, Sony, HP and Dell.  And guess what happened?  Over the next few years, these companies grabbed up market share which IBM was shedding at an incredible rate.  Because there really is no such thing as a ‘product that sells itself’.  EVERY product benefits from sales reps.  If it already sells fast, effective sales persons can make it sell faster and for more money.

So back to the headline:

The MLS® does NOT sell homes!  REALTORS® sell homes!

The MLS® is simply the current, and most effective method for marketing homes.  That does NOT mean it will always be so.  Things change.  They evolve.  I recently read an article which indicates that only about 1/3 of buyers are using the MLS® to find their homes.  The vast majority are working with their own REALTOR®, who currently happens to use the MLS® as their search tool.  Other search methods have been developed.  New ways of marketing have been discovered.

Hoping to place homes onto the MLS® without hiring REALTORS® to sell the house is akin to buying a Formula-1 race car but then scrimping on paying for a top notch driver, mechanics and pit crew.  You’re gonna be owner of a shiny car, but you wont win any trophies.

So no matter which marketing method home owners use, never forget: REALTORS® have been integral to the business of home-selling for over a hundred years in Canada, and in my humble opinion, will remain so for generations to come.

For a realistic evaluation of your home, and how the MLS® can benefit you, call me anytime.

Bo Kauffmann  333-2202

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Tagged as: Market Update, mls, real estate, real estate agent, real estate agents, Winnipeg Real Estate Market Update

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