Florida Flat Fee MLS- For Sale By Owner (FSBO) List On-line

…..Florida home sellers are choosing flat fee MLS listing services, not only to save thousands of dollars in Realtor® commissions but, to get their home, condo, or land listed on Realtor.com and Homes.com, as well. Whether it’s a condo for sale on South Beach, Miami or a commercial or investment property for sale in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County, the self represented seller in today’s market is a “smart” seller---one who compares carefully their vast options prior to electing a flat fee MLS. Click here to read about the most common mistakes sellers make when choosing a flat fee MLS.

…..From Tallahassee to Jacksonville and Tampa to Miami, Florida property sellers are treading in somewhat unfamiliar territory when it comes to listing their homes for sale flat fee. Florida sellers are often jumping in “feet first,” and are selecting a flat fee MLS company motivated only by the fee itself. What Florida sellers are neglecting to realize, is that there are vast differences between flat fee MLS companies.

.....One company in Jacksonville may outsource their Miami listing to a broker who is located in Naples. (Read why flat fee MLS outsourcing is discouraged.) The Naples broker may not belong to the correct Board of Realtors® and may list the Miami home for sale with an incorrect board. Once listed for sale in the wrong MLS, the low flat fee that you paid for your MLS has served no purpose.

….. ADDvantage flat fee MLS, belongs to 18 boards and has reciprocal rights to others. If we don’t belong to the board that’s required to list your home for sale properly, then ADDvantage flat fee MLS will join. Choose to list with ADDvantage, and you’ll avoid some of the most common, messy flat fee MLS mistakes.

With the influx of flat fee MLS companies on the internet, FSBOs are advised to choose a flat fee MLS company based on certain criteria and are suggested by a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker of Advantage Real Estate Services.™ ( ADDvantage flat fee MLS )

1. For Sale By “Owner”
Sellers, you need a flat fee MLS company that respects your choice to self-represent but, at the same time one that doesn’t leave you to fend for yourself. Your flat fee MLS doesn’t have to be “flat.” When Tallahassee or Jacksonville FSBOs list with ADDvantage flat fee MLS… “For sale by owner” takes on a whole new meaning. User friendly listing software allows you to control your listing…after all; you are the “owner.” Combine great software and full control with committed MLS administrators and other staffing who will assist you if you need help-- Listing your FSBO with ADDvantage flat fee MLS feels almost like a full “real (estate) deal,” yet even better! Full service real estate companies can’t compare to ADDvantage flat fee MLS. Why? Because we are a licensed Florida Brokerage firm that offers sellers....

Real Estate by Your Rules!

2. Customer Service, Staff & Electing a Flat Fee MLS
- Ever wonder who is on the other end of your flat fee MLS listing? ADDvantage flat fee MLS employs a staff of professionals from MLS administrators to an IT department. Our full time marketing personnel work behind the scenes ensuring Florida property sellers (FSBO) the very best placement on the internet-- including International website markets.

- Our friendly customer service representatives answer the phones LIVE from 8AM to 8PM, 7 days a week including Saturday and Sunday. This is important because although we list the seller’s contact information in the MLS, many real estate agents automatically call our office first. Why? Because they fail to properly read the “agent remarks” area in the MLS. This area of your listing, instructs REALTORS® how and where to contact a seller for showing instructions. In most cases it states “call seller directly.” One missed or misdirected phone call means one missed lead. ADDvantage will NEVER allow this to occur. We'll go one step further by offering Florida sellers 100% Buyer Lead Protection. Leads will be captured then forwarded directly to the seller via e-mail, in real-time, guaranteed.

- Realtor.com, does not allow a seller’s Florida flat fee listing company to list a seller’s telephone number. In essence, your listing company’s phone number will be displayed. If you’ve made the mistake of choosing a flat fee MLS company who is uncommitted to your listing, particularly one that doesn't answer their phones, calls coming in from Realtor.com will be lost. Also, many flat fee companies outsource their MLS listings, leaving sellers wondering who or even if their Realtor.com leads will be retained. The savvy buyer who does not get through to the represented flat fee MLS company, will surely move on to the next “dream home” in their Realtor.com search results. That should never happen and won't when you list flat fee with ADDvantage.

- If you’re selling Florida property "for sale by owner," whether in Tampa or Miami, and if a REALTOR® who is interested in your home calls on a Monday or on Sunday because they’ve neglected to correctly decipher the “realtor remarks” section of your MLS listing, it’s truly imperative that your MLS listing company answers their phone and offers buyer lead protection. These two things go hand in hand when aiming for “FLAT FEE MLS…SUCCESS!”

3. Sellers Should Focus on the “Service” in a Flat Fee M L S
- The percentages of sellers using traditional brokers has been falling steadily since 2002, and "for sale by owners" have discovered new ways to save thousands of dollars in commissions. From using traditional advertising together with listing flat fee, Florida sellers who want to self-represent are quite resourceful. Some sellers (FSBOs) who have little time to manage leads and showings have returned to the traditional real estate broker because their flat fee company couldn’t offer flat fee “Real Estate Service" options. ADDvantage can, and we do. We want sellers to understand that Flat fee does not equal “sacrifice” and flat fee companies are not all equal. From pricing to plans, Florida’s flat fee industry has much as well as little to offer, depending on which one you choose. Do your homework prior to listing flat fee. Never list with an unknown Florida company. Look for one that is experienced and trustworthy... you’re sure to find ADDvantage flat fee MLS superior to the rest.

-Many Flat fee MLS companies have forgotten about “the people” that they are selling “services” to. ADDvantage spoke in detail with one of our satisfied customers who flat fee listed his Miami home for sale with us. He had actually switched over from another flat fee multiple listing company to ADDvantage flat fee MLS. When asked why he didn’t renew his listing with the other flat fee MLS he said, “Even though I would have saved a little money by renewing with them, the “service” just wasn’t available. They were hard to reach when I needed assistance, and making changes to my listing was always challenging. Further, I saw that ADDvantage offered me the options that I needed. That’s why I went with your StreetSmart ADDvantage™. This plan included all of the fantastic features of your flat fee MLS ADDvantage™ but with the StreetSmart ADDvantage upgrade, I was able to get a Realtor.com SHOWCASE, as well as the bi-monthly e-blast to REALTORS®. I was selling in Miami, so it was important for me to reach the REALTORS® directly with my commission offers and the details of my home. My Miami home was featured for sale on getmoreoffers.com rotating advertisement, as well. All of the basic services that ADDvantage offered me when I signed up, far exceeded that of the other flat fee MLS plans that I had tried previously. I’m glad I switched over to ADDvantage because my Miami house sold!” > Read More Testimonials

4. "For Sale by Owners and "Flat Fee MLS Listing “EASE”
Sellers who flat fee list with MLS ADDvantage, remain in control of their for sale by owner listings. Most flat fee companies basically operate the same way and it really comes down to how they are “managing” all aspects of a seller’s listing. Listing is one thing and that requires a company who is honest and accurate, managing your listing requires superior listing software that is user friendly.
Sure, any company can get you listed, but, not all companies can list your home for sale in the MLS properly or offer "ease" of MLS listing and MLS listing management. Whether or not a seller has an excellent flat fee listing experience depends on many things, such as simplicity in listing, editing and many other aspects of selling their home. It depends on the company they choose. ADDvantage knows how cumbersome some other listing companies’ software can be, that is, if they even offer you software. By viewing the sellers control panel, you can see that when you list with us, you can control your options quite simply. Everything a seller could need from listing tools to document and lead management can be obtained directly from one control panel!

5. Real Estate Experience & Your Flat Fee MLS Choice
With 23 years of experience in the Real Estate Industry, Broker, Keith R. Gordon had an innate desire to offer sellers a higher level of customer care. ADDvantage Real Estate Services (ADDvantage Flat Fee MLS) was born. Keith took note of everything that was wrong with the industry, combined it with the industry selling points and wrapped it all up nicely into one unbelievable Flat Fee MLS for Floridians who are selling their own homes and Florida property. Sellers generally lack trust in Real Estate Agents, and sellers in Florida have become doubtful about the industry in general.>Read more

The self-represented Florida seller has many options these days and "For sale by owners" are pretty smart and resourceful. They can surf the web and find information about how to get listed in the MLS however, we're finding that many home sellers just didn't know what to look for or more importantly
What To Look Out For when choosing a Florida flat fee MLS company.

6. Buyer Lead Protection...Does every Flat Fee MLS Company Offer It?

Whether your home needs to be listed in the Tampa or Miami-Dade, MLS---ADDvantage™ offers sellers unprecedented listing software coupled with committed customer care professionals to guide FSBOs to a successful home sale. Buyer lead protection, although a stated benefit with other flat fee MLS companies, isn't often defined similarly from one company's standard to the next. What defines it? Well, it is defined in short by protection of any buyer or agent lead that is generated that makes it's way into the listing broker's office. It begins with availability of the broker (answering the phone) and handling the lead in a professional manner (not always the case with other companies) ADDvantage immediately forwards every buyer lead via e-mail to the seller---
in real time. Leads are tracked and treated with the utmost care. In our book buyer lead protection doesn't just mean a lead that is forwarded to the seller "when we get around to it." Our lead tracking system is unique and our lead protection is 100% guaranteed. Our staff is steadfast and answering our phones 7 days a week, 8AM to 8PM, ensuring sellers that no buyer lead will go astray. Retaining the buyer leads that flat fee listed Florida sellers derive from our aggressive national and international internet marketing is what sets ADDvantage apart from the rest. > Read more

Selling Online For Sale By Owner In Florida?
It's the little things that sellers want to know about...and no question is a silly question. Here are some of the most common topics sellers ask us about when placing their Florida property for sale on the market.> Read More

Flat Fee MLS & Your Local MLS (Board of Realtors®)
Florida has 30 MLS boards and sellers need to be listed in an appropriate local board where MLS data will be seen by the local Realtors® in the area where they have their home for sale. For example, if you are selling your home in Miami and your flat fee company lists your home in the NE Florida MLS, you have been listed incorrectly and very possibly, wasted your time and money. Each MLS covers a specific geographic area and it takes a trusted, committed and professional flat fee MLS company like ADDvantage flat fee MLS, to list your home accurately.
Some MLS databases overlap areas. For example, Navarre, FL is included in the Pensacola MLS and the Emerald Coast MLS. Some Realtor® boards share data or “reciprocate” with each other. For example, Hernando County reciprocates with W. Pasco. Members of either board have the passwords to access each other's MLS and search listings. The bottom line on getting your Florida home, condominium or rental property listed correctly is to first make sure you are listing with a trusted source. We suggest that sellers ask questions. If you sign up with a flat fee listing company that doesn't belong to the board required to list your home properly, how will that company handle it? ADDvantage knows what the *answer to that question should be....and we act on it.
(*Answer: Although we belong to 18 boards and have reciprocal rights to others, if we don't belong to the board that is required to get you listed...WE'LL JOIN in order to list your home accurately.> Read More

For Sale By Owner Signs
Florida for sale by owners…If you are listed flat fee and realize that agents aren’t responding to your FSBO signs... ADDvantage knows why. The message the “For Sale by Owner” sign conveys to a Florida Realtor® damages and dilutes the marketing efforts of the flat fee company that you are using. Realtors® will drive up to a home with their clients and see a FSBO sign...immediately they assume that the seller is flat fee listed. This is not the message a seller wants to convey. Florida Realtors® equate this type of advertising with either no commission or no service. The truth is that REALTORS® want security and they fear their buyer will approach the seller directly in an attempt to circumvent a commission…ADDvantage flat fee MLS provides a solution for Florida flat fee sellers. By providing our flat fee listed sellers with ADDvantage Real Estate Network’s custom signs, the seller can manage the information on the sign without deterring Realtors® from showing their home.> Read More

A Note About Your Realtor.com Listing
Sure, we’ll list your Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Tallahassee or Orlando home on Realtor.com but what really matters is the combination advertising and multiple market exposure. ADDvantage is “wired” into real estate e-business world! We’ll list you nationally and internationally. Flat fee listing your home and advertising your home on the web, doesn’t get any better than this and it shouldn't stop with Realtor.com. Although it is a must for any seller, other advertising is equally as important. Your home will be seen on the MLS, Realtor.com, Homes.com, themovechannel.co.uk, MSN, AOL, MonsterMoving, Wall Street Journal.com, Netscape, Homestore, Tampabay On-line, Trulia, CityCribs, PropSmart, Google & Google adwords, Yahoo classified, Buyer'sKEY (coming soon) getmoreoffers.com and many more! > Read More

To Virtual Tour or Not To Virtual Tour...
Tampa to Miami...Seller's Want to Know!
Some Florida sellers love the idea of including a virtual tour with their flat fee listing, other sellers feel it’s an unnecessary expense. But, all sellers agree that a flat fee MLS company that provides options, is the flat fee MLS they’ll list with. Virtual tours are a very nice feature for FSBOs and at any rate…all of the “pro’s” are using them! And, virtual tours can be an advantage. If you’re serious about selling your home in Tampa and there is a buyer relocating from Miami-Dade who is relying on virtual tours for previewing purposes, then it can be of benefit to the seller in the long run. Many sellers feel that covering all of their bases is the smart thing to do. ADDvantage offers flat fee listed sellers exemplary service and better yet, superior service OPTIONS. > Read More

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Florida, It's Still A Great Place To Be
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One really doesn't have to go far to get away to relax. Visit the balmy beaches, warm waters and excitement of Miami's South Beach or take a river cruise in Jacksonville...after all it is referred to as Florida's River City by the Sea!--- Tampa Bay, home of the Tampa Bay Bucs , The Tampa Bay Lightning and The Devil Rays definitely offers sports enthusiasts much to cheer about. But, if you prefer escaping from the hustle, are a "beach-bum" at heart who simply enjoys the outdoors, then Pinellas County is quite simply....
a perfect place to be. There's something for everyone who lives in or visits Tampa Bay, Miami or Jacksonville that's for sure...But, have you tried looking to explore more of Florida's out of the way treasures...they might be but a tank of gas away.... > Read More