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Flat-fee MLS refers to the practice in the real estate industry of a seller entering into an "à la carte service 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 still typically offered a percentage though that could be a flat fee as well. A flat-fee MLS brokerage typically unbundles the services a traditional real estate brokerage offers and lists the property for sale in the local multiple listing service (MLS) à la carte without requiring the seller to use its services for valuation assistance, negotiating, transaction management and showing accompaniment. The primary objective of a Flat-Fee listing is to be exposed on the MLS and cut the selling side of the commission completely out by dealing directly with "buyer's agents." In most cases, the seller saves approx 1/2 of a traditional commission and maintains complete freedom to sell on their own cutting out 100% of the commission. ==History== In 1992, Edward Cambas started this process of Flat-Fee Listings as a Lic. Real Estate Broker in Tampa, Florida. Mr. Cambas worked at Buy Owner in Tampa which was a large Real Estate advertising company including having their own television show on Sundays. The "Buy Owner" concept was to pay a fee up-front to go into the magazine and on television while the homeowner fielded their own calls, worked their own contracts, and were responsible for the entire process and sellers would also be able to continue to market on their own in an attempt to find a buyer who is willing, ready and or able to purchase the property. Fees generally range between $49 - $250 and 3% to procuring agent. A Flat-fee listing on the MLS would provide the seller with a listing just like any other listing with the difference being they maintained freedom to sell on their own and had to deal directly with inquiring agents all the way through contract and closing. At first, there was an uprising by full service Real Estate companies because this service would surely cut their ability to monopolize the MLS and the ability to get Exclusive Right of Sale Listings where no matter what they would get a commission. The FTC eventually stepped in and ruled that the Flat-fee model be able to remain in place because it gave the home sellers another option which would save them money and introduce more competition to the marketplace. Traditionally real estate brokerage services in the United States have been delivered as part of a bundled package including such services as (i) assisting the seller in setting a list price for the property; (ii) marketing and advertising a property for sale, including listing the property in the MLS; (iii) handling buyer inquiries and scheduling and arranging showings of the property to prospective home buyers; (iv) holding "Open Houses" to allow the public to preview a property for sale; (v) handling contract preparation and negotiation on behalf of the seller; (vi) management of the real estate transaction to final settlement (or closing escrow). The fee structure for this bundled package of services in the United States and Canada has generally been to pay a commission on the gross sales price of the property of between 5-7%. Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt report that this typical large commission does not even benefit the average real estate broker as much as one might expect from the recent run up in housing prices because of the excessively large amount of time that the average real estate broker must spend trolling for new clients, and the relatively small percentage of their time they spend actually performing real estate services for each client. However, the fixed fee concept existed for many years before the internet became popular. There are also fixed fee broker groups that cooperate with each other across the United States. Many FSBO websites will also locate local flat fee brokers for interested sellers. Those offerings normally include a FSBO webpage to assist in advertising the property. In recent years, with the unbundling of services accelerated by the advent of the Internet, a number of brokerage models have developed to cater to the FSBO market by providing services on an "a la carte" basis. The widespread availability of information about properties for sale has caused downward pressure on real estate fees in the United States.〔("Real Estate Commissions Shrinking" from NPR's ''Morning Edition'', 14 April 2006 (retrieved 8 April 2007) )〕 For changes in the industry also read real estate trends. A useful overview of real-estate payment practices in the United States is found in an October 2006 report by the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies. The study notes that "real estate broker commissions are strangely unrelated to either the quantity or quality of the service rendered or even to the value provided." It further concludes that "consumers would benefit most from a fee-for-service approach – combining flat fees, hourly fees, and bonuses, including percentages of extra value created." It offers a number of examples of such options. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Flat-fee MLS」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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