As you probably have read, we like to keep you up-to-date with things in the Spanish Property market. 2007 was not a good year for a lot of agents and many have fallen by the wayside in the flat property sales market.

As we start 2008 there are signs for optimism as AMLA, The MLS dealing with Spanish property for sale has announced record visitors for the first two weeks of the year.

Costa Blanca Property and especially Moraira property and Javea property have shown double-digit increases in visitors.

The proff of the pudding though is whether these visitors or ‘browsers will turn into buyers. It was confidence in the global mortgage market that made purchasers wary in the second half of 2007. Many came to look but left without purchasing. With interest rates in both the USA and possibly UK on the decline there may now be confidence returning to investors looking to cash in on purchases at the perveived ‘bottom’ of the market cycle.

As you probably have read, we like to keep you up-to-date with things in the Spanish Property market. 2007 was not a good year for a lot of agents and many have fallen by the wayside in the flat property sales market.

As we start 2008 there are signs for optimism as AMLA, The MLS dealing with Spanish property for sale has announced record visitors for the first two weeks of the year.

Costa Blanca Property and especially Moraira property and Javea property have shown double-digit increases in visitors.

The proff of the pudding though is whether these visitors or ‘browsers will turn into buyers. It was confidence in the global mortgage market that made purchasers wary in the second half of 2007. Many came to look but left without purchasing. With interest rates in both the USA and possibly UK on the decline there may now be confidence returning to investors looking to cash in on purchases at the perveived ‘bottom’ of the market cycle. 

As mentioned previously in an article on this blog MLS listings are now starting to be offerred by agents on a flat fee basis effectively giving owners access to the MLS through the back door. One such service is operating in Georgia. Flat fee Georgia MLS listings mean that it you were thinking of selling your property as FSBO but want to list it on the MLS…now you can.

The Agent is basically selling a 1 point service giving you access to what used to be the bastion of the Real Estate Agent. Whether this is a case of hard times influencing the market or a move in trends due to a fluid expansion of the ever-changing market is yet to be seen.

If more MLS offers start to pop up then there could be a rush for market position.

It had to happen at sometime. Maybe it was the downturn in the Real Estate Market that has shown that the power of the internet is starting to usurp the value of the Real Estate Agent service. Whichever is true, the Flat Fee MLS has emerged and is here to stay.

The Flat Fee MLS is a merger of ideas, taking the ability to list on a property on the MLS with the FSBO method of an individual property owner selling their house without a Real Estate Agent. MLS listings have  in recent years always been the bastion of the agents. The increase in internet use has meant that to get good exposure for a property then an MLS listing was almost essential.

Now we are seeing the emergence of brokers ’selling their birthright’ for a flat fee, allowing the individual the access to the MLS through their brokerage but not offering any other service.

In hard times  it is something that may spread!

It had to happen at sometime. Maybe it was the downturn in the Real Estate Market that has shown that the power of the internet is starting to usurp the value of the Real Estate Agent service. Whichever is true, the Flat Fee MLS has emerged and is here to stay.

The Flat Fee MLS is a merger of ideas, taking the ability to list on a property on the MLS with the FSBO method of an individual property owner selling their house without a Real Estate Agent. MLS listings have  in recent years always been the bastion of the agents. The increase in internet use has meant that to get good exposure for a property then an MLS listing was almost essential.

Now we are seeing the emergence of brokers ’selling their birthright’ for a flat fee, allowing the individual the access to the MLS through their brokerage but not offering any other service.

In hard times  it is something that may spread!