We are interviewing Moisés Ruiz, the director of CENIC (a forum for professional training and consulting in the real estate sector) and leader of several MLS associations in particular the ACTIVAT MLS of Barcelona. Beside, Moisés is founder of the Fecinmo (Federación Empresarial de Cooperación Inmobiliaria) and the ASI (Acción Social Inmobiliaria) as well as consultant of the Ampsi (Asociación de Mujeres Profesionales del Sector Inmobiliario).

Moisés, let’s talk about MLS. What is MLS?

MLS means „Multiple Listing Service“ and is a real estate system of sharing exculsively selling contracts among all professional agents that are member of the MLS. The idea is simple: The agents share the comission equally, 50% for the agent representing the seller, 50% for the agent representing the buyer.

 

Is this something new?

Not really, the concept of MLS already exists over a 100 hundred years and was invented in the US. In North America almost 90% of the property sales are realized within MLS groups. Today MLS can be found in Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brasil, but also in Europe, in France, Italy and Spain. In Spain there are already over 70 MLS and first steps have been taken for creating a Spanish state federation of MLS.

What is special about the ACTIVAT MLS Barcelona?

ACTIVAT is outstanding due to its 15 years of experience and high amount of colaborating agents. Today over 120 independant and franchise agencies have joined ACTIVAT, with about 750 real estate experts working together based on one ethic code, equipped with the latest technology and trained in modern selling and marketing techniques.

 

What advantages do I have as a seller?

When an owner contracts the sale of his property with an agent who is member in the ACTIVAT MLS, he is also commissioning his sale at the same time to all real estate experts of the same MLS, supervised by the agent with whom he has the contract. The advantages are obvious:

Accelerate the sale: Publishing and advertising of the property is multiplied by the high amount of agents

Wider and deeper service: The contract with an ACTIVAT agent gives the owner a guarantee of an exclusive service by the agent. The structured collaboration within the MLS creates a real relation of representation between agent and seller.

The combination of exclusivity and MLS gives the agent more possibilities to invest in new and unusual marketing which might make the difference for finding the best buyer.

ACTIVAT agents are continuously trained in different areas which also benefits the seller:

• Market research
• Photographical presentationSale concept plan
• Advertisement of the property in over 30 portals and other real estate websites
• Legal and fiscal consultancy
• Financing services
• Purchaser and investors index
• Marketing consultancy
• After sale services

What advantages do I have as a buyer?

In all ACTIVAT agencies you will find a large amount of properties offered in your area. You receive all information you need fast, comfortable and transparent at a glance. The possibility of finding the house which fits your requirements is obviously higher by visiting only one office of an MLS agent.

Information quantity: In ACTIVAT you have access to an exclusive offer of properties for sale in your area, managed by all member agencies. This helps greatly in preselecting and optimizing time for viewing properties.

Information quality: All properties offered through ACTIVAT have the same selling terms & conditions, independent of the agency they is represented from. This gives you the best transparency of the market.

Legal security: For all properties there is always a written mandate by the owner. This includes all legal information such as the register and the urbanistic situation.

ACTIVAT agents are continuously trained in different areas:

• Financing services
• Valuation services
• Investment management
• Legal and fiscal consultancy
• Selling current property for purchasing a new one
• Management of guaranteed rentals
• Administration services
• Market research
• After sale services

And how does this work in practice?

It is more than simple. Buyer as well as seller always deal only with their selected ACTIVAT agency. Viewings, negotiations and questions are always organized and managed by your personal contact person.

Thanks for your time and those detailed informations, Moisés. If you are interested in selling or buying a property via the ACTIVAT MLS, please contact us here.