You may think of the MLS as just a database of homes, and you would be essentially correct. However, Realtors utilize the MLS and its power to get your home sold in ways that you may not have thought of.
The MLS ( Multiple Listing Service ) is essentially an agreement between brokers that incorporate the amount of compensation offered to the buyers agent upon completion of a sale. Listing Brokers want to get your home sold, and buyers brokers want to find their client a home, and this is a great tool for both.
In Connecticut, there are two highly dominant MLS service areas, as well as a few local MLS regions which are mostly in the southernmost part of Fairfield County.
The Greater Fairfield County MLS (GFC-CMLS) serves all of Fairfield County and 7,500 local agents (except that Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien's listings are served primarily by another MLS, and not always placed on GFC-CMLS)
The CTmls.ctreal covers the entire state, however, the Fairfield County listings are quite sparse on this site. If you are listing your home, or looking to purchase a home in New Haven County, New London County, Tolland or Litchfield Counties, this MLS is absolutely the place to be.
The other night, a seller client asked me if I would place her home on the statewide MLS. (Her home is in Fairfield County) Now while that seems to be like a good idea, the vast majority of the thousands of agents of the Fairfield County MLS (the GFC-CMLS) DO NOT BELONG to the statewide MLS, for the simple reason that it does not effectively cover their service area.
Case in point: A search for all Fairfield homes for sale in the statewide MLS (ctmls.ctreal) turned up just 15 results, where the GFC-CMLS turned up 330.
So, in order to effectively and properly represent this particular client, it is imperative to list it within the GFC-CMLS service area. That's where it would get the most exposure.
I am not saying that listing it in the statewide MLS would do any harm, it would just be in addition to. It would be most important to utilize the statewide MLS in addition to the local MLS when a home is very unique in some way.
Incidentally, if you have noticed duplicate listings on Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia, it is primarily because the home has been listed in two separate MLS areas.
PLEASE NOTE: My www.CTfeaturedHomes.com incorporates ALL of the state's MLS systems, so you won't miss any property anywhere ;)
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Buying or Selling a Home in Fairfield County? Contact us!
If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me. I know the market like the back of my hand, know marketing inside and out, am a skilled negotiator- and I'd love to be on your side :) - Judy
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