Flat Fee Real Estate Listing is the practice in the real estate industry where a seller enters into a listing agreement with a real estate broker who accepts a flat fee rather than a percentage of the sale price for the listing side of the transaction. The buyer’s broker is typically still offered a percentage or a flat fee as well. A discount MLS brokerage typically un-bundles the services a traditional real estate brokerage offers and list the property for sale in the local multiple listing service (MLS) a l carte without requiring the seller to use its services for valuation assistance, negotiating, transaction management and showing accompaniment. Flat FeeBrokers are Real Estate Brokers just like the national brand names, but offer discounted or un-bundled services. Most do offer full service brokerage services, if you are uncomfortable with Flat Fee process.

The listing agreement between the North Carolina real estate broker and the property owner requires the broker to enter the property in the MLS and provide other contracted services, with the broker acting as what the traditional industry has coined as a ‘limited service broker’. However, we prefer the term ‘a la carte’ broker because the services are not limited. Instead, the seller is given a list of services
to choose from.

Within the nontraditional real estate services market, there are multiple programs offered to sellers that share the common objective of saving the consumer money by reducing the overall expense of selling real estate. A ‘nontraditional service’ does not automatically entail a ‘limited service’. For instance, some full-service brokers list properties under a full-service agreement but charge a ‘flat rate’ that is not a percentage of the sales price.

The main differences flat fee Multiple Listing Services and traditional services have is flat fee allow a seller to sell as a “For sale by owner’ and not pay a commission. With traditional commissioned real estate agents, if you sell your own property, you would owe the agent a high commission. Flat fee listing allows the customer to sell as a FSBO and with an agent, giving them the best of both worlds.

In the MLS, you are listed with an agent but still have the option to sell your own property without paying a buyer agent commission. We are a discount real estate broker from the normal 6% commission. Flat Rate or Flat Fee MLS listing services have been around for years but are becoming more popular these days when selling your property.