What is a Multiple Listing Service?
In the last 10-20 years Real Estate has gone through many technological changes. 100 years ago, real estate listings belonged solely to one office and information was not willing shared between competing offices. As our economy and technology advanced, REALTORS recognized the need to share information among themselves to better serve their clients. To meet this need they formed databases called Multiple Listing Services. From these databases, Real Estate offices are able to share information with other members of their respective MLS's. By doing this they benefit buyers by having a larger number of listings to show them, and sellers by exposing their property to a larger number of people. One benefit of this sharing of information is that REALTORS also "share" listings in the sense that it is a general rule that one member of a MLS (provided they are a REALTOR) is able to show the listing of another REALTOR. We can show you any house listed for sale in the Multiple Listing Service or in the State of Ohio. It is always up the client to choose whom he or she deals with. Please keep this in mind while visiting an MLS. If you are working with a REALTOR, he or she will be more than happy to find out more information on a property for you, after all it's their job!