ipayone may have been ahead of its time and maybe had a few things wrong in the direction of greed over service.

ByTheOwner, from Canada, is interesting and I think similar models will be tested here…or they are being tested. I have seem some new signs for assisted for sale by owner companies, but haven’t looked into them yet.

I did read a little about the ByTheOwner in Canada. The seller’s publish their phone numbers and schedule viewings directly with buyers. Professional services are on a pay per use basis(Which is what I would like to see). http://bytheowner.com/

The MLS in nothing sacred for any of the reasons mentioned… or any other that I can think of. Craigslist warns people advertising housing of the need to know what you are doing and saying with respect to housing laws. Average FSBO’s and “Joe landlords” seem to manage.

Having the seller obligated to a big commission while the buyer gets “free representation” is a huge problem. Buyers really are not incentivized to do anything but use a Realtor. This creates a vicious cycle in which sellers are held hostage for ransom.

I am not an expert on any of this but the expensive and ridiculous inefficiencies are a pain.