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\n <\/div>\n \n Find a Top Listing Agent to Market Your Home<\/h3>\n
HomeLight makes it easy to connect with a top real estate agent who can develop a marketing strategy tailored to your home. Our data shows that the top 5% of agents across the U.S. sell homes for as much as 10% more than the average agent.<\/p>\n \n
What is the MLS?<\/h2>\n
The multiple listing service<\/a> (MLS) is the backbone of the real estate market. It’s a comprehensive database of property listings, providing detailed information on homes for sale. Compiled and maintained by real estate professionals, the MLS is more than just a list of homes; it includes critical details like price, property features, photos, and the home\u2019s history.<\/p>\n This centralized system enables Realtors to share information about properties with each other, ensuring that buyers and sellers have access to a wide range of options and vital market data. According to the National Association of Realtors, nearly 90% of homes sold<\/a> in the U.S. are sold on an MLS.<\/p>\n Christine Cahoon<\/a>, a top Virginia real estate agent with nearly 20 years of experience, explains that most \u2014 but not all \u2014 MLS networks are owned by the local Realtor association board that created them.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them, in different areas, are partnered with multiple associations to form a [regional] MLS,\u201d she says. \u201cOurs is a broker-owned MLS called Hampton Roads.\u201d The name refers to what\u2019s known locally as the \u201cHampton Roads region,\u201d where the MLS is made up of more than 670 broker firms<\/a> and 10,000 active members. \u201cSo each MLS is different.\u201d<\/p>\n