RubyPeople look to preserve gains in the sale of their home; if there are no gains, they look to preserve as much of their original equity as possible. Boise no doubt felt repercussions of the real estate boom as well as some real estate deflation afterwards. After all, who in Boise is not familiar with someone who deployed their plentiful California home sales proceeds into a Boise-area home or investment property? Likewise, some of the same investors who were buying properties in Arizona and Nevada moved on next to Boise. Years of low interest rates also allowed many more people to get into the housing market, and at higher prices than before.
Understanding Boise flat fee MLS programs requires you to first understand how real estate brokerage works in and around Boise. Brokers in Ada and Canyon Counties are members of the Intermountain MLS system. (The system is actually quite large and extends to even areas outside of these counties such as Twin Falls) This MLS system provides brokers a place to list their properties for sale. It also allows brokers the ability to offer compensation to other broker-members if they represent a buyer that purchases a listing. Being a member in this system is the main reason that a real estate licensee becomes a Realtor® and joins the local association in the first place.
Because the MLS gives agents and buyers the ability to know exactly what is for sale, what is under contract, and what has recently sold, it has become the de facto marketplace for any and all real estate for sale. Someone looking for a 4 bedroom home in Kuna, over 2000 square feet, but under a particular price point can do a targeted search and find exactly that. They can also use the MLS to see recent comparable sales in determining what they want to offer for a property.
Most Boise home sellers still hire a traditional, full commission agent to get their property on the MLS. A few, however, have discovered the fact that you can hire a flat fee MLS company to list your home on the MLS for a flat fee and no listing commission. While they are licensed by the State of Idaho as real estate brokers, they operate on a low cost, high volume model that allows them to provide this service. Sellers in Boise and virtually every submarket including Eagle, Meridian, Kuna, Caldwell, Nampa, Middleton, Star and others have successfully sold homes through these programs. The trend clearly shows an increase in these types of listings and these sorts of brokers have gotten all sorts of positive encouragement from the United States Department of Justice which is interested in increasing competition in the real estate brokerage sector. Even sellers who engage a traditional agent to sell their home will benefit from flat fee MLS programs in Boise because their agent will need to provide proof of extensive services being provided to justify the higher fees. Look for flat fee MLS listings in Boise and throughout Idaho to increase in the coming years.
