by

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

Author website

Ya think it's easy?

“It’s all fun and games, until the little dog goes for the big dog’s food.”

I don’t know how closely people are following this clear cooperation mishegoss. It boils down to this: Brokers who can’t sell without the MLS are plotting to handicap those who can. The MLS is a fall-back for good brokers and a crutch for bad ones, but it is beyond absurd to insist that good brokers must indirectly market homes they have already sold directly. If the seller’s not suing, who is aggrieved?

Typically, I do not list rental homes in the MLS. I want to meet the ultimately-successful candidate in person, early in the process, and I don’t want to pay a clueless newbie to impede my access to the prospects – or to their dogs, who I will also want to meet as a matter of due diligence.

Instead I go to Zillow. I get inundated, but I would, anyway. If we move to the supply side, I will drop the MLS and list rehabbed resale homes that way, too: I don’t have to prove maximum marketplace exposure to myself, I just have to hit my number – while not paying for third-party marketing.

The last three words are important: The MLS is third-party marketing for second-party marketers who need the help. If the agent shows up to the listing appointment with a pocket investor – as brokerages big and small are doing in response to the iBuyers – the house gets sold without there ever even being a listing contract to bitch about.

I hate the NAR, but I hate Special Olympics real estate brokers worse. If you can actually do this job, you don’t need to scheme to cripple your competition.

In other news:

The Daily Mail: Where the wealthy fled to: The rich left cities like NYC and Chicago during the pandemic and moved to ‘hidden gem’ locations including Salt Lake City and Phoenix.

Housing Wire: Amid expansion, Opendoor lost $270M in Q1. I love how “news” hide facts: They lost $110,000 per “investment” sold – in the easiest resale market in human history!

Housing Wire: Mortgage applications jump as rates fall to 2.96%.

Redstate.com: Here Is Why the Democrats Are Totally Panicked About the Arizona Audit. Why are there gas lines in Dixie? Squirrel! That’s why.

Julie Kelly: Why Is the Government Hiding January 6 Video Footage?