MLS…Multiple Listing Service for Manufactured Housing

by Boe Davis

For almost 30 years we ran what may have been the only true Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for manufactured home sales in communities. Initially called the Mobile Home Board, then as an association it was called the California Mobile Home Guardians and in its last version it was called MHMLS.org.

During this time we gained a unique perspective and unmatched experience on how a MLS should function and how it can help to generate serious revenues for manufactured housing sales professionals. In the coming months we are going to explore how a MLS functions, how it can prove to be beneficial for the existing home market and new home sales and ultimately why we need this capability for the future success of manufactured home sales.

In the beginning there was…confusion.

It has been our belief that for the most part our industry does not understand why a MLS works. We seem to be focused on the promotional aspects of having a home listed on the internet or how we can capture data to be exploited later (leads for available spaces or finance/insurance) are good examples. These things are important, and they can and should be benefits of a well run MLS. But they are just benefits.

They are not what make a MLS function in a manner that yields the desired results. That comes from cooperation enabled by a structured environment that creates trust among the participants.

Cooperation

An MLS can only work if there are participants who agree to work with each other to list and sell homes. That means that one agent would be willing to share a commission with another agent who brings a qualified buyer to their listing. This simple step of co-brokering is vital and without it there can be no MLS. We will expound in a future article on the fallacy of lower commissions being an impediment to co-brokering in much of the country.

How do we get agents to cooperate is maybe the single biggest impediment to having a successful MLS for home sales in communities – RULES AND REGULATIONS. The two R words that some in the manufactured housing industry often hates!

Structure

The structure of a MLS is in its rules and regulations. These rules govern conduct covering all aspects of how to list and sell homes. They exist so that participants can trust what each listing promotes. They exist so that the data complied over time (comparable sales, time on market, home size and amenities, etc…) are accurate and reliable. They govern how disputes that may arise are resolved. This fosters trust between agents.

What they don’t do is set prices or commissions. Instead the structure provides a neutral resource where offers are extended to all participants accurately and reliably.

Trust

If agents trust each other they will develop lasting business relationships that will lead to a growing acceptance that the MLS does work. If agents extend offers and honor those offers by sharing commissions then working together will be the norm not the exception. This will create lasting strength and value in MLS participation validating everyone’s efforts.

It’s the Little Things that Count

The core of this article has been about the principles that guide and inform MLS participation more than anything else. We can and will happily expound on more practical aspects of what a MLS can and should be. However, none of that matters unless we can convince sales professionals to work together. You have to believe and commit to the principles that are part of every successful MLS.

A MLS at its core is about cooperation, structure and trust. All the bells and whistles, hyperlinks, photos and virtual tours, all the data and all the benefits come from working together not the other way around. You build on a foundation of cooperation, structure and trust and create a system that will be the cornerstone of our industry in years to come.

It is clear to me that we can have a robust MLS capability exclusive to home sales in land lease communities. It has been done! What is holding us back is not technology or understanding how to do it. What we need is to learn how to cooperate with each other, with a structure that protects everyone’s interests and trust that by working together we can make a lasting positive change for the resale of manufactured homes in communities.

Next Up: Components of a MLS – Listings. # #

(Editor's Note: Boe is one of those industry professionals and leaders who has publicly 'signed on' in calling for the MH Alliance/Phoenix Project, which will include an MLS component as part of comprehensive plan for industry growth. To learn more, click this link.)

Boe Davis works for the MHB Group which is based in Sunnyvale California. The MHB Group has been serving manufactured communities for almost 40 years with our custom magazine service Mobile Home Park Magazines that reaches 200,000 readers every month in Arizona and California. The MHB Group administered MHMLS.org for almost 30 years helping Santa Clara Valley manufactured sales professionals organize the resale home market. You can contact Boe via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or toll free 800 828 8242 x3107.