A new Public mls?
Article from Globe and Mail…There has been a lot of pressure on the Canadian Real Estate Association to make the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) more accessible. The Competition Bureau says Agents that want to charge a flat-fee are being excluded from MLS. The Competition Bureau says this restricts competition.
This could be the case of winning the battle but losing the war. A good realtor is someone that can give you the background information about a neighborhood. All those little things that we forget to ask during the frenzy of negotiating an offer and a mortgage.
Your realtor should be able to tell you about the schools, the local businesses, crime and safety issues, industry concerns, etc. This is where the true value of a realtor comes in to play. But I also like freedom of choice… perhaps there is a compromise.
It would be a shame to see a realtor’s services diminished because their incomes go down… An interesting subject for discussion…