Mere Postings on MLS® in Nova Scotia . A Description of what they are
There is a lot of talk about "Mere Postings" or " Mere Listings" on the Multiple Listing Service® or MLS® in Nova Scotia and throughout Canada. This is a brief explanation of what they are and some of the pros and cons associated with them.

A very simple description of Mere Listings or Mere Postings are MLS® listings where the Listing Brokerage has agreed to post the property on MLS® but NOT provide any other services. The services offered to the seller can vary but typically the seller is responsible for determining their own list price, making their own appointments and dealing with any offers that are made by buyers on their property without any advise from the agent. The member does not usually provide any advise whatsoever. Often the seller has to provide all the measurements and photos and any other information. The member is simply providing the service of posting the listing on the MLS® system. The seller pays an up front fee. Paying the fee up front is totally different than the typical listing where the seller only pays a commission if the property sells. With Mere Postings the fee is paid before the listing is processed regardless if the property sells or not.

What does a Mere Posting look like on MLS®?
We have been asked if the MLS® listing looks different in any way on MLS® than full service MLS® listings and the answer is yes.
The biggest difference is the amount of commission that is to be paid to the co-operating brokerage. In a typical real estate deal there is a listing brokerage and a selling or co-operating brokerage. The amount a co-operating brokerage will paid is shown only to agents. This amount is typically 2.5% of the selling price. On a mere posting the commission is typically shown as $1. So even though the property is listed on MLS® the amount of commission the selling agent is going to receive a $1 commission, unless they make arrangements with the seller directly, for selling this property.
Another difference is how the agents are to make appointments to show the property. A typical MLS® listing would have instructions to call the listing agent. A Mere Posting would have instructions to call the seller directly.

Misconceptions of Mere Posting by sellers
On the surface a mere posting looks like a huge advantage to sellers. For a small fee they can get the same exposure to MLS® as they would if they pay a full service brokerage to put their property on MLS®. This is really not the case.
When a seller lists their on property on MLS® with a full service brokerage they are not only paying for having their property listing information put on MLS® they are paying for the network of MLS® agents who have buyers that are going to try to sell their property. Although the property is listed on MLS® their if no incentive for agents to sell the property with a selling commission of only $1. Certainly an agent could still show and try to sell the property however the agents make their living by being paid a commissions for selling properties. Most would not try to sell properties if they are being paid $1
The other difference is the level of information that is posted on MLS® for the buyers and agents to see. As agents we have the opportunity to post up to 30 photos of listings on MLS®. These photos can be viewed by the public on realtor.ca. As an agent we have learned that photos are one of the most important tools to sell properties. The typical mere posting listing that is now on the MLS® in HRM has only 1 exterior photo.When you pay for a mere posting you are usually offered one photo. This is a huge disadvantage.
There is less information available to agents. On a typical MLS® listing agents would have access to documents such as taxes, assessments, location certificates, surveys, heating and electricity costs and much more. In the Mere Postings that are presently on MLS® no information is readily available to agents whatsoever.

Fee up front versus a fee if property sells
With Typical mere postings you pay an up front fee. With a typical full service MLS® listing you pay nothing if your property does not sell. If you are not successful in selling the property through a mere posting and end up going the full service route you have added extra costs to your selling. Over 25% of the properties listed on MLS® don't sell. The sellers of those properties paid no fees so their cost was nothing to try.

Risk to seller
In a Mere Posting the seller is responsible for providing the information so they will be held legal responsible for it as well. There are sections of the MLS® listing form that need explanation and advise that is not given to the seller. Many of these fields are mandatory fields so they must be filled in to process the listing. For example in Nova Scotia there are two measurement terms that are used to describe the size of the house or condo. They are MLA and TLA. The MLA stands for Main Floor Living Area and TLA stands for Total Living Area. These items can often be very difficult to calculate. For example a storey and half house or a house with many wings can be extremely difficult to calculate. Agents are trained in how to calculate these but a listing brokerage will usually not be involved in advising a seller in any way on how to calculate this. The problem is if the seller is wrong they can be successfully sued. For example if a seller stated the TLA on a property was 3000 sq ft and it turned out to be only 2500 the seller could be held liable for the difference. There are many cases in Nova Scotia where the buyer successfully sued for buying a property that had the wrong measurements.
These are not the only fields that could be difficult for the seller. There are many other fields that are complicated and could cause a seller some problems.

Requirements for a Lawyer
Most sellers will want a lawyer involved in offers since they will not be getting any advise from the listing brokerage. Lawyers typically aren't free so this extra cost must be considered. The other complication is many offers are made on weekends and at night when your lawyer will not be available to advise you. Buyers will usually want quick answers so this can cause some complications and possibly a lost sale.

What Brokerages offer Mere Postings as an option
There is no requirement for a Real Estate Brokerage to offer a Mere Posting service. There are very few companies that do offer it. Royal LePage is a "Full Service Brokerage" so we don't offer this service. If you are interested you will have to research who this service is available from.