First MLS (FMLS) vs Georgia MLS (GAMLS) - What's The Difference?

First MLS (FMLS) and Georgia MLS (GAMLS) are competing MLSs in Georgia that have nearly identical coverage areas.

As a home seller looking to list a home on the MLS for a flat fee, it is important to know the difference between the two, as one will cost you hundreds of dollars more.

We charge a one-time fee of $95 to list on Georgia MLS.

We do not list on First MLS, for the reasons detailed below.

Georgia MLS charges brokers a flat subscription fee - currently $100/mo for a broker office. This is the only fee that Georgia MLS charges.

First MLS does not charge a monthly fee to brokers. The way First MLS makes money is by charging the broker a fee of .12% of the home sale price upon closing. Additionally, First MLS requires that broker members submit all of their listings to First MLS.

A high producing broker would prefer Georgia MLS, as the fees cap out at $1,200 per year. 

A low producing broker would prefer First MLS, as there are no fees upfront and the only time the broker pays anything is upon sale - and even then the broker may pass the fee onto the seller.

Example

Let's say a broker does 20 sales in a year and averages $500,000 per sale for a total sales volume of $10,000,000.

Here is how much they would pay to each MLS:

Note that broker using First MLS may also be able to more easily pass the MLS fee onto the seller as an additional cost.

Why We Use Georgia MLS

While we do get requests to join First MLS, most of our sellers do not want to pay the substantially higher fees, so we do not and will not join First MLS. 

There are flat fee brokers that will list your home on both Georgia MLS and First MLS, but expect to pay ~$500 in fees at closing in addition to the upfront fee you pay the broker, which is usually ~$200 for a total cost of ~$700, just for listing on the MLS.

Most of our sellers prefer to pay the single upfront fee to list on the MLS, currently $95 in Georgia.