The Purpose of the MLS is to provide Participants of the MLS (Realtors) with a means of making offers of compensation to other MLS Participants (Realtors) in respect to properties exclusively listed by them so that they may better serve the buying and selling public. Please Note: If a Realtor shows your property to the Buyer that ultimately purchases your property, that Realtor is the Procuring Realtor and is due the commission.

The Owner/Seller agrees to these terms and conditions. The Listing fee is earned when the property is posted in the MLS. Owner/Seller agrees that once their listing is posted in the MLS it is fully understood that there is no refund and the Seller waives their right to a merchant charge back if paid using a credit card.

Furthermore, service level disclosures have sometimes been a normal aspect of the contractual terms of all real estate brokers. Practicality dictates the need to outline the scope of services provided in order to create any kind of listing agreement. Therefore, both full service and limited service brokers have described the services they are providing. Over the years even full service brokers have offered various service options such as "agency listings" and, in some states, "open listings".

These alternative service options existed long before flat fee brokers introduced them on the internet. In some cases, such services were offered to friends or relatives of real estate brokers and to institutions such as banks or investors that could find a broker to provide such options. It is the proliferation of these services on the internet that has drawn attention from the real estate industry and legislatures.