Multiple listing service
The private database where real estate agents share listings with each other. It powers most of what shows up on Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com. Access is usually restricted to licensed members.
Every term like this one lights up in the step you're on.
Free to set up. No credit card.Part 1 of 4
Why a seller cares
It is where agents find homes for their buyers and where the portals pull their listings from. Getting on it generally takes a member; flat-fee brokers offer that entry without the rest of the service.
Part 2 of 4
A simple example
A seller without an agent pays a flat fee to have the home entered on the MLS. It appears on the big portals within a day; everything else about the sale is still theirs to do.
| How the home reaches the MLS | What it costs, roughly |
|---|---|
| A full-service listing agent | A percentage of the price, for the whole job |
| A flat-fee MLS broker | A few hundred dollars, for the entry alone |
| Not on the MLS | Nothing, and the portals and most buyers' agents never see it |
The MLS is the distribution. Everything else about selling is separate from it.
Part 3 of 4
What people get wrong
That the portals are the market. They are copies of the MLS, and a home not on the MLS is on none of them.
Part 4 of 4 · where to read next
Where it appears in the sale
What a definition is, and what it isn't
Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.
Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish
One piece of your sale. Here is where all the pieces live.
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