Maximize Flat Fee MLS Listings with Temporarily Withdrawn Status

Each autumn, as Massachusetts stretches towards winter, the real estate market slows down. There are simply less homes that are listed for sale during the season, and as a result, less homes that close.

FSBOs oftentimes don’t know what to do during the fall and winter months.

Should a home be left on the market, listed on the MLS, despite an entirely natural slowdown in the annual ebb and flow of real estate in Massachusetts, or, should the cold temperatures and short days be a sign that a home is to hibernate until the early spring?

Unfortunately for homeowners, there’s no crystal ball.

A case could be made for the fact that, during the fall and winter months in Massachusetts, there’s less inventory and supply of homes for sale so the chances of selling are increased.

While at the same time, one could argue that there are less buyers in the market who want to brave the cold and therefore the possibility of selling at a desirable price is reduced.

Clearly, there’s no definitive answer.

But, FSBOs have a choice, they have control over the status of their listings on the MLS.

An MLS listing can hold a number of different MLS Listing Property Status Types (PDF), and one of those, called Temporarily Withdrawn, allows a home to be taken off the market, only temporarily as the name suggests, and then reactivated for sale on the MLS to bring it back on the market at a later date.

MLS Temporarily Withdrawn Status

FSBOs can utilize a Temporarily Withdrawn property status to remove an MLS listing from the market during the fall and winter months, and then reactivate the listing on the MLS once they believe the market is heating back up.

Before using Temporarily Withdrawn, a FSBO should have an overall plan and timeline for when they will reactivate their MLS listing, taking into consideration when their MLS listing coverage period expires – ensure there’s ample runway in the flat fee MLS listing agreement following reactivation for the property to sell.

At Entry Only New England, FSBOs can update the property status of their MLS listing as many times as they’d like, at no charge, within the listing agreement coverage period.

Whether a FSBO leverages a Temporarily Withdrawn status for their MLS listing during the fall and winter seasons is a choice they have, and if used, Temporarily Withdrawn status can assist in maximizing the effectiveness of a flat fee MLS listing for FSBOs selling their own home.

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