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Is ADDvantage, the flat fee MLS Florida based listing company, really worth $349 for a MLS listing in Miami?

Part 1 of 5 on the reasons why ADDvantage lists more homes in Florida than any other flat fee MLS listing company offering a similar service.

The reason why the ADDvantage brand of flat fee MLS is truly the most trusted name in discount MLS listings in Florida is because we don’t misrepresent the truth about what flat fee MLS is and what is not.

We offer a service based on what we know sellers need, rather than what other companies are doing.

Our phones are answered live, by a professional MLS administrator, 7 days a week from 8:00am-8:00pm. Many people scoff at this and say “I don’t need this because all calls come directly to me.” This is 100% untrue.

Even though an ADDvantage flat fee MLS listing costs $150 more than many flat fee services in Florida, we have twice as many flat fee MLS listing in Florida than our closest state or national competitor offering a similar service.

Miami homeowners prefer listing though ADDvantage because they know the difference between an ADDvantage flat fee MLS listing compared with other offers.

There remains one flat fee MLS listing service that guarantees by owners in Florida more Realtor showings, more buyer leads and an overall better selling experience…that’s ADDvantage.

An ADDvantage flat fee MLS listing costs $349. This $349 will be your best investment when it’s time to sell your home, condo, commercial, or vacant land in Miami, Weston, South Beach, North Beach, Coral Gables, South Miami, Plantation, Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Hollywood Beach, Golden Beach, Homestead, Davie or other South Florida cities.

Flat fee MLS websites throughout Florida advertise on their websites that “all calls go directly to you” which is why so many people now believe this statement is true. Websites say this because they want you believe that phone support is not an integral part of listing flat fee in the MLS. They want you to believe this malarkey because they can’t offer reliable or “stated hours” of live phone support because it cost too much to have an MLS administrator be available 12 hours a day 7 days a week, like ADDvantage does.

If you charge just $159 for a MLS listing, there is only enough money to “input” the listing in the MLS, some phone support and changes to the listing…when they can get around to it. There are other important functions that make an ADDvantage MLS listing worth more to you such as the confidence to know that we never miss a Realtor call for a showing or an unrepresented buyer’s call for more information. This is what sells a home!

Our live phone support consistently gets more Miami homes “sold” we are able to assist “unrepresented buyers” and Realtors the instant they call us. Our guaranteed phone support results in more showings and a better overall experience.

As one of our Miami flat fee MLS clients said recently in a testimonial submitted to ADDvantage, “ADDvantage is like having a Realtor camped out at your front door.”

We have answered over 2,950 calls from Realtors or buyers in Florida over the past 12 months. This is further evidence of just how important reliable phone support truly is to a Miami flat fee MLS seller. 2,950 calls came to ADDvantage despite that fact that we publish the seller’s phone number in the MLS under the “Realtor remarks” section of the MLS for all Realtors to “call seller directly for all showings and offers 305-878-0121.” Still, many Realtors find their way to calling the flat fee MLS service. Their reasons vary as to why they call but here are a few example of what they say. The number one reason is, “Oh, I didn’t see their number.” But, there are many other explanations. Some Realtors could care less about what the MLS says and they call the listing broker because for the past 70 years, calling the listing agent has been protocol. And, if you don’t know, the listing broker (flat fee company) phone number must be in the MLS. There more examples…often, a Realtor is attempting to show a home and the seller is unavailable…in this case, we give the Realtor showing instructions for our seller, if the seller has stored a lock box combination in our system. Of course, they need to prove they are a Realtor with a valid license number.

See Part 2 blog for more reasons why ADDvantage lists more homes in Florida than any other flat fee MLS listing company offering a similar service.

Call us anytime, 1-877-232-9695

How to FSBO list your Miami home in the MLS with Powerful Internet Marketing

ADDvantage, a Florida flat fee MLS company, offers Miami sellers 3 unique and effective For Sale By Owner with MLS flat fee listing programs.

All listings go into the SE Florida Regional MLS as ADDvantage holds membership with the Greater Miami Association of Realtors and the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Association of Realtors.

Why list flat fee with ADDvantage? ADDvantage has the reputation in Florida as the most trusted name in discount real estate. We believe in corporate transparency, technology and over-the-top customer support.

The most important reason to list your South Florida property with ADDvantage is that our commitment to your success is without question the best in Florida. We are the only Miami flat fee MLS service that spends so much capital resources on phone support to ensure that our sellers never miss buyer leads or Realtor calls for showing instructions. ADDvantage answers all calls live between 8:00am and 8:00pm 7 days a week. All calls are transcribed into a email and send to our sellers in real time.

Another reason to trust the ADDvantage brand of flat fee MLS is our listing agreement contains important points that an articulate seller would want to see. We publish in our listing agreement critical service points such as: (i) times that our phones will be answered (8:00am and 8:00pm 7 days a week); (ii) never any cancellation fees; (iii) we will “unconditionally” withdraw a listing from the MLS which enables another agent/broker to re-list the property immediately; (iv) all buyer leads from Realtor.com and other Internet sources belong to the seller, not us.

Another reason to list your Miami home through ADDvantage is our innovative flat fee programs.

MLS ADDvantage is $349. This basic flat rate plan is a 9 month MLS listing in the Miami MLS.

Street Smart ADDvantage cost is $599 and offers the same services as MLS ADDvantage (above) but also includes a special email marketing campaign that reaches every Realtor within 35 miles of your Miami property twice a month. The email subject line is “Street Smart High-Commission Properties.” To qualify, sellers must offer a 4% or higher buyer’s agent commission. There is plenty of smart thinking to consider when offering a higher than average buyer’s agent commission.

ADDvantage Plus is our flat fee/full-service program. Cost $799 plus $500 at close. This flat fee plan is extraordinary for several reasons. First, ADDvantage Plus listing uses an Exclusive Right of Sale Listing agreement in the MLS (same as full-service) and not an Exclusive Agency. ADDvantage Plus comes with 100% contract-to-close representation. We negotiate all offers, negotiate the inspection report, assist with title, review the HUD settlement statement and close the transaction. Street Smart ADDvantage marketing is included in ADDvantage Plus just as long as the seller offers a 4% or > buyer’s agent commission. As well, ADDvantage takes all calls (seller’s number is not published) and schedule all appointments (showings). Plus, we include our upgraded metal yard sign.

Call us anytime for questions: 1-877-232-9695

With so many Flat Fee MLS Services in Miami, which one is the best deal?

It is an interesting topic. Do I list flat fee MLS with the company that offers a listing in the MLS for $159 for 12 months or the one that is $298, $299 or $169?

Here’s the truth behind all the smoke and mirrors of listing flat fee in the MLS.

Truth number one about listing your Miami home using flat fee MLS. Some flat fee services in South Florida are horrible; some are good and some offer over-the-top service.

To find out what type of service you need depends on what type of seller you are? If you are a home owner that is detail oriented and wants the best service possible, list with a company that has the most articulate flat fee MLS listing agreement that protects you from possible ugly surprises.

ADDvantage, a trusted Miami flat fee MLS listing service, publishes their listing agreement on their home page for all to see. Listing agreements should include every significant detail about what the flat fee broker will do and won’t do. Some flat fee services say very little in their listing agreements and some “websites” doesn’t even publish one.

Like any contract between two parties, get it in writing. Flat fee MLS is a “paid-in-advance” service. Being that you are paying in advance for a service, the service provider should tell you in advance what they are going to do for the money you have paid.

If there is no listing agreement published on a flat fee MLS website, then move on to another flat fee service because listing flat fee with no listing agreement to pre-view would be like going to visit an un-licensed lawyer.

This will screen out truth number two about listing flat fee in the MLS which is the topic of “national” flat fee MLS ‘websites.” National flat fee “websites” are not licensed Florida real estate brokers and therefore cannot show you a listing agreement because sellers do not sign listing agreements with “websites” they sign listing agreements with licensed brokers. The point here is the “national website” only collects money and then refers the Miami home seller to a Florida licensed real estate broker. If you sign up with a national flat fee “website”, you will be signing a listing agreement of that “unknown broker” after you pay…that’s crazy…but people do it everyday because they believe what they see on the website “we are biggest national flat fee…” Conclusion…is if there is no listing agreement clearly published on the site, move on.

After you have located a listing agreement, choosing between flat fee MLS services boils down to service and technology. If a flat fee website looks homemade and lacks specific details about what they are offering, then their technology or effort they have put forth into their website will also reflect on how they display your MLS listing, search features on the website for buyers, IDX feeds, Internet marketing and customer control panel for easy edits. Crappy websites equates with crappy technology or lack of commitment into technology that supports their clients.

The next consideration is service or support. Flat fee is not just inputting a listing into the local SE Florida Regional MLS and my house magically gets sold. Flat fee is hard work and long hours. All calls do not go to the flat fee seller (see article…”Miami Flat Fee MLS Sellers should choose your South Florida flat rate MLS Broker Carefully”).

When it comes to selling a home using flat fee MLS, buyer leads and Realtor showings is what the flat fee MLS listing service should be focused on. The hours that the flat fee service keeps will directly affect the number of Realtor showings.

Cheap is cheap and selling a $1,000,000 Miami home is serious business. List with a flat fee MLS service that is serious about buyer leads and Realtor showings…one that answers the phone 12 hours a day 7 days a week…ADDvantage is Miami’s hardest working flat fee MLS service…8:00-8:00 7 days a week….2,890 showings booked through ADDvantage the past 12 months. Our basic flat fee MLS plan is $349 for a 9 month listing with excellent service.

Miami Flat Fee MLS Sellers should choose your South Florida flat rate MLS Broker Carefully

Choosing a flat fee MLS service in Miami is a very important decision. Flat fee MLS services vary greatly in South Florida and the more you know about them, in particular what’s said or what’s not said in their listing agreement, the better off you will be.

Miami-Dade residents should pay particularly close attention to three critical elements that should be in the MLS “listing agreement.”

The first critical element of a listing agreement would be who receives buyer leads from sources such as Homes.com and Realtor.com. These leads do not automatically go to the flat fee seller because no seller information is allowed in Realtor.com, therefore all leads go to the listing broker by default.

Traditional flat fee MLS means these leads should be forwarded to the flat fee seller. Not all Miami flat fee MLS brokers send these valuable buyer leads to their seller clients. Some even state this “disturbing” fact right in the listing agreement (at the bottom) and some don’t mention anything about buyer leads. An articulate flat fee listing agreement would clearly state…

“all buyer leads from Realtor.com, Homes.com and other Internet advertising sources belong to the seller and will be forwarded by email.”

Without such protection in the listing agreement, these leads may never find their way to the seller. Instead, the listing broker may take these leads for his/her own agents or refer them out to another broker for a referral commission.

One of the biggest reasons why Miamians use flat fee MLS is for the opportunity to sell “FSBO” which means selling to an un-represented buyer from sources such as Realtor.com or Homes.com. If successful, the seller pays no real estate commission at all. Without buyer leads, the seller loses this benefit of listing flat fee.

At ADDvantage, a Miami flat fee MLS service, our flat fee clients sell 30% of their properties with no Realtor involved…see our sales statistics. Our 8:00am-8:00pm 7 day a week live phone support captures many leads. Nationally, 84% of all homes sold are sold by Realtors. At ADDvantage, Realtors sell only 70% of our homes.

The next important element to look for in a flat fee listing agreement would be the word “conditional withdrawal.” This has to do with the seller’s right to cancel their flat fee listing at will. The words that a Miami seller wants to see in their listing agreement would be “unconditional withdrawal” which means the listing broker will remove the listing from the MLS and allow another broker to re-list the property immediately. The words “conditional withdrawal” mean the listing broker will “temporarily suspend” the listing from being “seen” by other Realtors searching the MLS but no other broker can re-list the property until some further action is taken by the listing broker. The reason some brokers use this language in their listing agreements is because the broker wants is a “fee” or “penalty” from the seller for canceling the listing. This same ploy applies to full-service real estate companies as well. So, “conditional withdrawal” has to due with forcing a seller into paying a “cancellation fee.” The odd thing is flat fee is a “paid-in-advance service” so why would a flat fee service care if a seller wants to try a different broker? The answer is they are unscrupulous.

The last critical component of the listing agreement has to do with the hours of operation, in particular, the hours that the flat fee broker answers the phone. The biggest misconception about listing flat fee in the MLS is that all calls go to the seller. Many sellers believe that the flat fee listing broker’s primary job is to list the property in the SE Florida MLS and make changes to the listing as requested by the seller. This is totally incorrect.

ADDvantage, a member of Greater Miami Association of Realtors and a flat fee MLS specialist, has fielded over 2890 calls from Realtors and buyers over the past 12 months. Our 12 hour work days make listing flat fee through ADDvantage a big benefit for sellers…8:00am-8:00pm 7 days. Why do so many Realtors call ADDvantage when it says in the MLS under “Realtor Remarks” to call seller directly for all showing requests. The reasons will surprise you…below are the top 10 sited reasons why Miami Realtors call ADDvantage…

Hello, I see a listing on Homes.com and can you tell me how much the seller is asking and when can see it?

Hi, I’m a Realtor with Remax in Miami and I don’t have the MLS listing sheet with me and I need to know if I can show the property at 1413 Sunset Harbour Drive #209 in South? Beach

Hello, I’, Mike Gordon from the South Miami Realty, you have a listing at 2101 Brickell Ave. #Unit 3002…can I show it at 2:30-3:30 on Friday?

Hello, I’m Bill Peterson from Sunset Realty in Miami, I showed your listing on 5425 Hammock Drive Coral Gables yesterday and would like to fax over an offer…what is your fax number?

Hey, Keith Gordon here, from ADDvantage in Coconut Grove, I have tried to reach the seller as instructed in the MLS for property 1145 San Pedro Avenue Coral Gables but I can’t reach them…can you assist me with showing instructions please.

Hi, it’s Bill Taylor of Century 21 in Miami, I need a seller’s disclosure statement on 5656 Pinetree Drive on Miami Beach, can you email me one please?

“Hi, it’s Oscar B. Smith from Coldwell Banker, do you know if the dock at 1145 San Pedro Avenue in Gables By the Sea, can handle a 65” Sun Seeker?

“Hello, my name is Mr. Romeriz of Pinecrest Realty in Pinecrest, Fl… I am presently in front of 720 South Mashta Drive Key Biscayne with my buyers. Can you assist me with showing instructions.

“I am running late to my appointment to show your listing at 1400 Pennsylvania Ave #apt 35 Miami Beach, would you so kind as to call the seller and let them know.”

“Hi, I’m Gilligan from Pembroke Pines Realty, I can’t find 1009 Gilligan’s Way. Can you direct me into this listing?

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Category: Uncategorized

How to FSBO list your Miami home in the MLS with Powerful Internet Marketing

With so many Flat Fee MLS Services in Miami, which one is the best deal?

When it comes to selling a home using flat fee MLS, buyer leads and Realtor showings is what the flat fee MLS listing service should be focused on. The hours that the flat fee service keeps will directly affect the number of Realtor showings.

Miami Flat Fee MLS Sellers should choose your South Florida flat rate MLS Broker Carefully

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