According to U.S. Census Bureau survey, Columbus’ population has increased by 15% in the last decade, over 7 times that of Ohio as a whole.
In Ohio, The Median Home Value will be around $185,153 and the number of Home and Apartments are 4,720,503.
We have ranked and reviewed the top 5 Flat Fee MLS companies in Ohio to help you make an informed decision.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- Rankings: 5 Flat Fee MLS Ohio Listing Services
- How Much Does Flat Fee MLS Listing Ohio Cost?
- Reviews: 5 Best Ohio Flat Fee MLS Companies
- Hidden Fees in Flat Fee MLS Companies
- Final Note
- Frequently Asked Question
Rankings: 5 Flat Fee MLS Ohio Listing Services
| Flat Fee MLS Service | Price | Hidden Fees | 100% Online | Offer Management | Showing Management | 5-star Reviews | Mobile App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Houzeo | $259-$449 | None | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 2. FSBO.com | $99.95-$399.95 | None | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ |
| 3. I Sold My House | $299-$399 | None | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ |
| 4. Flat Fee Realty | $199 | 0.1%- 0.25% | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ |
| 5. Flat Fee Group | $299-$999 | None | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ | ⛔ |
How Much Does Flat Fee MLS Listing Cost?
There are 2 types of costs related to a Flat Fee MLS listing:
- Initial Flat Fee: You’ll have to pay an upfront fee to list your home on MLS. Usually, the initial fee ranges between $300 and $500.
- Closing Cost: Once a home seller strikes a deal and closes it, they have to pay a part of their equity on home inspection fee, title and home insurance fees, seller and buyer agent commissions, and home warranty as a closing cost of their property.
» Pro Tip: To know the most accurate closing cost estimate of your state or city, check out Houzeo’s Closing Cost Calculator.
Reviews: 5 Best Ohio Flat Fee MLS Companies
1. Houzeo
Houzeo is a real estate technology company that provides affordable services and is 100% online.
💼 Packages: They provide packages in Ohio that range from $229 – 399. They list quickly within 48 hrs. The basic package includes 6 photos for 3 months, including listing management.
Their premium service includes unlimited changes, custom yard sign, federal and state disclosures, showing management, pricing assistance, contract review, and closing assistance. They even compare and counter offers for you in their premium package.
📢 Exposure: They provide syndicate listings on major platforms like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor, Redfin, and more.
📱Technology: They provide high technology services like IntelliList Listing Management System, Houzeo Showings, Offers, Buyer Search, and many more.
Houzeo is our best pick with great tech features and affordable pricing.
💡 Queen’s Advice: Register with Houzeo today!
- 100% online
- Available nationwide
- Syndication to major listing platforms like Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Realtor etc.
- Mobile App available
- Quick listing within 24hrs
- Save on commission
Houzeo has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Google & Trustpilot.
» Houzeo Review: Is $349 worth it?
Houzeo is available nationwide
2. FSBO.com
💼 Packages: It provides you fixed fee MLS listing services in Ohio on the packages worth $99.95 to $399.95. It provides you with cost-effective plans to complete your real estate transactions of buying and selling properties.
It is one of the oldest real estate platforms that help to ease the process of buying and selling houses since 1997.
📢 Exposure: FSBO.com helps you list your home on their website and on MLS for a flat fee. It increases the chances of getting the properties sold faster.
📱Technology: It helps to provide fixed fee MLS listings across major cities of Ohio. It is suitable for mainly the sellers who want to list their properties on MLS and on such a huge platform as FSBO.com.
⚠️ Caution: The add-on services can add up to a significant amount. So, one needs to keep these factors in mind.
💡 Queen’s Counsel: Flat Fee MLS: The Ultimate Guide For Home Sellers!
- Allows to upload unlimited property photos
- Access to edit or re-list anytime
- Enhance the chances of selling by listing on MLS and FSBO.com website
- Assign you a broker to assist with listing instead of doing it itself
- Charges you extra for lockboxes, yard signs
- You need to pay additional charges for accessing seller disclosures
It has 3.2 out of 5-star ratings on Trustpilot (only one review).
Its reach is also limited as it serves only the major cities of Ohio.
3. I Sold My House
💼 Packages: I Sold My House is a flat-fee MLS listing service in Ohio that offers packages starting from $299 to $399. You can schedule open houses for no additional cost with their packages.
One of the best things they have is that they send all buyer leads directly the house seller. You can also pay $50 per month to have your listing featured on their homepage and sidebar.
📢 Exposure: Your property will be published on the homepage and sidebar of their website for $50 per month, which will enhance exposure for your home and maybe lead to a quick sale.
📱Technology: These packages are fairly restrictive and don’t allow for much customization, and there aren’t many a la carte possibilities.
⚠️ Caution: The add-on services can add up to a significant amount. So, one needs to keep these factors in mind.
💡Queen’s Counsel: Everything You Need to Know About Flat Fee MLS
- You save the listing agent commission
- Buyer leads are directly forwarded to the home seller
- Schedule open houses without additional fees
- You are on your own to market your property
- Many home sellers have complained about their customer support
- No customization available
- Not a lot of a-la-carte services to choose from
On the renowned review site Yelp Reviews, I Sold My House has a 1 out of 5 rating (2 total reviews).
Covers major MLSs in Ohio.
4. Flat Fee Realty
Flat Fee Realty is a good option if you are looking for affordable packages.
💼 Packages: They offer one Flat Fee MLS Ohio listing package at $179 and allows 6 photos to be uploaded for a period of 6 months. If you want to upload more photos then you have to pay an additional $50.
Their listing broker will retain 0.1% to 0.25% of the buyer’s broker commission.
📢 Exposure: They list your property on popular websites like Zillow, Trulia and other local websites.
📱Technology: They have only one flat fee MLS Ohio package $179 and no a la carte options are available.
⚠️ Caution: The add-on services can add up to a significant amount. So, one needs to keep these factors in mind.
Queen’s Counsel: 12 Best For Sale By Owner Websites (2022 Rankings)
- One of the cheapest packages for MLS listings in Ohio
- Your property gets listed on Zillow, Trulia and other local websites
- Available only in selected areas of Ohio
- Basic package allows only 6 photos
No reviews found on enough credible websites to provide a positive or negative rating for this company.
Available only in selected locations of Ohio.
5. Flat Fee Group
💼 Packages: The plans offered for flat rate MLS Ohio service cost you $499 to $5,000. The starting package of $499 provides only guidance, and you will need to do everything by yourself. On the other hand, the full-service package of $5000 does everything for you.
📢 Exposure: It syndicates your property listings to national websites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, etc. They are very transparent about their packages’ cost. They do not charge any hidden fees. This fixed fee MLS service is easily accessible if you sell a property located in the major cities within Ohio. The services are also available in almost all the other major-minor states of the U.S.
📱 Technology: This flat rate MLS listing service does not use advanced technologies. So, if you would go with a base or medium package, the major you would need to do manually in the home selling process.
⚠️ Caution: The add-on services can add up to a significant amount. So, one needs to keep these factors in mind.
- No hidden fees
- Syndication to large real-estate websites
- Diverse packages
- Good coverage
- No pricing assistance
- Expensive full-service plan
No reviews available on any reliable websites.
It covers all the major counties within Ohio.
Hidden Fees in Flat Fee MLS Companies
Some Flat Fee MLS companies are not upfront about their fees. These hidden costs could go up to thousands of dollars and have a significant impact on your savings. They might say that they take a flat fee but might charge you a percentage of commission at the time of closing.
We have compiled a list of the average hidden fees that may be charged by some Flat Fee MLS listing services.
| Types of Hidden Fees | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cancellation Fees | $50-$200 | If you need to cancel your listing, you need to pay cancellation charges. However, some companies do allow free cancellation, if you cancel before your listing goes live. Example: Flat Fee Group charges $25 for cancellation. |
| 2. Listing Changes Charge | $25-$50 | If you need to make any changes to your listing, companies charge extra for that.
Example: Flat Fee Multiple Listing Access charges $10 for listing updates. |
| 3. Expensive Listing Upgrades | $50-$100 | If you need to add more photos to your listing, post an open house or avail a showing management tool, you will be charged extra for these upgrades by some Flat Fee MLS service providers.
Example: Congress Realty charges $50 for listing extension; whereas List With Freedom charges $25 for Open House postings and $59 for Showing Scheduler. |
| 4. Additional Upgrades | $50-$200 | Any service that is not part of the package you sign up for. These are additional services that you need to pay for separately, i.e, Photography, Market Research, Contract Review, etc.
Example: Flat Fee Group which offers pro photography at $290. |
| 5. Expensive Yard Signs | $100-$150+ $120 (deposit) | Expensive charge for yard signs, even though these yard signs are given on a rental basis.
Example: Homecoin charges $99 for a rental yard sign. |
| 6. Lockbox Charges | $100-$200 | Lockboxes are given on rental for a small charge. However, some Flat Fee MLS companies charge a huge sum as lockbox rental fees.
Example: Homecoin charges $125 for lockbox even though it is on a rental basis. |
| 7. Commission at Closing | 0.1-0.5% | Some Flat Fee MLS companies charge a commission at the time of closing, as a hidden seller agent fee. This fee is often undisclosed and charged to the seller once they close a deal. Sometimes this fee is also masked as a compliance fee.
Example: Flat Fee Realty which charges 0.1%- 0.25% at closing in some states. |
| 8. Flat Fee at Closing | $750 | Fixed Fee companies charge an additional flat fee at closing which is not mentioned upfront.
Example: FlatFeeMLSRealty which charges a flat fee at closing ($350 + $400) |
| 9. Escrow Charges | $1K-$2K | Some Flat Rate companies charge for escrow at the time of closing.
Example: Vegas Flat Fee charges $995 compliance fees at closing |
| 10. Seller Disclosures | $100-$200 | State-required seller disclosures are unavoidable. Few companies charge for this service as well.
Example: Yager Realty has seller disclosure feature only in their premium packages. Since seller disclosures are imperative to listing, you need to only go for their premium packages! |
| 11. Application Fees | $50-$100 | Few companies charge non-refundable application fees.
Example: List with Freedom charges $50 as application fee. |
Note: This table is a generic list of all the hidden charges that various Flat Fee MLS companies charge. It will vary depending on the company you choose.
While some of these services are mentioned in their a-la-carte services, if you still need a lot of support for selling your house, you might need to consider going with a realtor.
Final Note
In Ohio, if you would go with a flat rate MLS service, it will cost you between $199-$999 but that’s only an average price. On the lower side, you can buy an MLS listing package for $199 and on the higher side, a comprehensive MLS listing service package can cost as much as $999.
When it comes to listing on Flat Fee MLS in Ohio, Houzeo ranks first among the top fixed fee MLS companies as it checks all of the boxes, including digitized paperwork, offer management, easy and rapid listings, painless alterations, and much more.
» Want to learn more? Read these exclusive Houzeo reviews to find out why it is one of the best For Sale By Owner Websites in America.
Frequently Asked Question
What is a Flat Fee MLS?
Flat-fee MLS refers to the practice in the real estate industry of a seller entering into an "à la carte service agreement" with a real estate broker who accepts a flat fee rather than a percentage of the sale price for the listing side of the transaction.
Is Flat Fee MLS Legal?
Flat Fee MLS is legal all over the United States, including in Ohio. In fact, the US DOJ just updated their bulletin highlighting the benefits of Flat Fee MLS for For Sale By Owner home sellers.
What is the difference between Flat Fee MLS and Traditional Agent?
A traditional broker commission model is usually 6% on closing, which is going to cost more for you as home seller. A Flat Fee MLS on the other hand, asks you a flat fee instead.
Which is the best Flat Fee MLS in Ohio?
The best Flat Fee MLS in Ohio is:
1) Houzeo
2) FSBO.com
3) I Sold My House
4) Flat Fee Realty
5) Flat Fee Group
How much do Flat Fee services cost in Ohio?
Flat Fee services in Ohio could cost you around $199-$999.
Related: benefits of for sale by owner, homes for sale by owner websites, real estate websites
