MLS listings for Fleming Island, FL and Greater Jacksonville housing and real estate
Fleming Island and the City of Jacksonville, Florida is served by the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) MLS system. It's called the Northeast Florida Multiple Listing Service or NEFMLS for short. The NEFAR is Florida's largest real estate association and the NEFLMS represents the combined property listings of more than 6,500 member Realtors. The NEFAR/NEFMLS is based in Jacksonville, Florida with satellite service centers in Orange Park, Jacksonville Beach, and Palatka.
So what is the Jacksonville MLS and how does it work?
In simple terms, the Jacksonville Multiple Listing Service or NEFMLS is a database of homes for sale in the Fleming Island area. While the MLS® trademark is owned by the Canada Real Estate Association (CREA) -- as is the REALTOR® trademark -- MLS systems across the country are typically set up as separate corporations. The MLS in any given area is affiliated with its local association of realtors. Now, here's where it gets tricky. Any city or region may have several associations. Jacksonville's only major association is the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. Some of these associations will integrate their MLS systems, while other will remain separate, which means neighboring areas may be listed on different systems that will not necessarily overlap. In Jacksonville, it's important to utilize NEFMLS when buying or selling a home.
The MLS also serves as a compensation offer between brokers. If one Jacksonville broker represents a buyer who purchases a property that is listed by another Jacksonville MLS broker, they will typically share the commission, and this information is listed in the MLS.
The overabundance of MLS systems available can also create confusion and frustration for many Jacksonville agents and brokers. Real estate agents who are not members of a certain MLS service have difficulty gaining access to properties that are exclusively listed with that service. The Jacksonville MLS system helps to protect the listings for a given neighborhood or larger community by controlling who has access to them. This ensures that local agents have an advantage over real estate agents from other areas. While this can be beneficial for the local agents, some also consider it to be a tactic by the MLS systems to earn more fees and recruit more members.
The cons to operating individual MLS systems (as opposed to one large MLS) mainly affect non-members. The NEFMLS is an excellent tool for participating members, buyers, and sellers. The NEFMLS offers maximum exposure to houses for sale in Jacksonville neighborhoods and it allows agents and brokers to quickly and easily find properties that are listed. Jacksonville real estate agents and brokers can also examine commission rates and browse through an extensive amount of data about any given property for sale.
It is important to keep in mind that while the Jacksonville MLS has more than 6,500 members, not all brokers participate. This means that while the Jacksonville MLS service (www.nefar.com) does list a significant number of properties for sale, it does not list all properties for sale in Fleming Island and the Jacksonville area.