Anyone have experience with those flat fee mls sites? I'm considering heading that direction with my business, I do appreciate my agent but let's face it, realtor fees ad up fast when you are flipping 20+ homes a year.. with a bit of a softer market I know we all need to make sure to keep as much in our pockets so we can to try and make them bigger... I do have a lot of experience in sales..
2. If you are a regular repeating client an agent will OFTEN be more than willing to give you a discount because they don't have to spend as much time prospecting for business with yours coming in regularly.
3. You can offer less to the buyer's side. Since the big upheaval, it seems more common now to offer a bit less when listing to the buyer's agent and let the buyer pick up more of that cost.
4. So, if you would have paid a 6% commission (3% to the buyer's agent and 3% to the seller's agent), today with your volume discount you might be able to negotiate something around 4-4.5% total. Just examples, maybe you could do even better, who knows.
5. You mention having "sales experience"! I personally smile at that because although real estate agents are often called "salespeople", they aren't even really allowed to "sell" anything like a salesperson. Even saying something like "Great house for a professional couple" could be considered taboo.
6. An agent's value is mostly representational, a little bit like a lawyer, but with a much more limited scope.
7. Think about all the ways real estate deals go sideways and there are MANY! An agent is there to not only try to get the deal closed for you, but also to protect your interests. There are so many things a seller could do these days that can get them sued. I was speaking to a buyer from Bigger Pockets yesterday who is moving towards suing the seller of their home because of a lack of clear/accurate disclosure of a water issue.
At that volume, I would evaluate the provider based on operational consistency rather than just the lowest upfront price. Important questions include local MLS coverage, turnaround time, showing-service integration, how quickly listing changes are made, offer delivery, cancellation terms and whether additional fees are charged at closing.
You may also find that some properties are suited to MLS-only while others justify lower-cost full representation depending on condition, price point and how much transaction work your team wants to handle.
Hinton, WV · Member since 2026 · 132 posts · 40 votes
2w
for high-volume flipping, the commission you save on the listing side with flat-fee mls often gets eaten up by your own time and potentially longer holding costs if the deal sits.
you're still paying the buyer's agent 2.5-3%, so the real savings are only half of what you think. the biggest cost is the time you'll spend marketing, showing, and negotiating yourself.
if you’re doing 20+ deals, your agent should be giving you a volume discount already. have you tried negotiating a lower full-service fee with them, or even a lower percentage on the buyer's side for a guaranteed quick close?
your time is better spent finding the next deal, not acting as your own listing agent for every flip. have you considered what a day of your time is worth versus what you’d pay for a professional to handle those aspects?