Can an owner list on MLS?

There are services that provide Flat Fee MLS Listing. In this scenario, a seller pays the flat fee company a one time fee to get their property listed on the MLS. Keep in mind that when you list a property in the MLS you must offer some kind of commission to the agents. This is determined by the seller though, not the listing company, and it could cut your costs down in half compared with listing with a full service agent. Also, what's nice is that if the seller finds a buyer on their own (where a real estate agent is not involved) then they don't have to pay any commission.

When listing flat fee, keep in mind, you are self-represented in most cases (depending on the laws of the state). For example, in Florida, sellers can be for sale by owner and list on the MLS through a flat fee company and they are 100% on their own when it comes to negotiating contracts and showing the home. This is good and bad, depending on how experienced one is. But a flat fee MLS listing is still better than FSBO (for sale by owner) because of the sheer exposure since over 85% of homes are sold by agents and agents use the multiple listing database as their source for searching for homes for their buyers. The statistics of homes sold via RE agent vs FSBO prove that it's smart to get in front of the agents. You may have to give up some commission in the process but your odds of selling increase significantly when your home is listed on the MLS.

Now, the only other thing to consider is how to choose the best MLS listing company for your needs. There are two types...local companies that are owned by the brokers themselves and National companies which are just middlemen essentially for the various brokerages. Going through a national company such as Owners.com is risky since they are not the actual listing agent, but rather, are collecting the up front money and then referring the listing out to a broker who is not disclosed to you up front. (I'm not even sure how this is legal!). It's better to go with county or state-specific companies who own and operate them such as getmoreoffers.com flat fee listing company in Florida. It is typically cheaper since you eliminate the middle man plus you know who your are dealing with and what their company policies are. It is wise to call the flat fee company and ask questions about how they take calls, how they deal with your buyer leads, etc. Many of these listing companies offer add-on services such as virtual tours, signage and even broker assistance or contract negotiation which can come in very handy if faced with a tricky contract.

Currently no. But there's a new bill being reviewed in British Columbia, Canada. Some websites integrated with mls database and you can post on these websites directly such as http://www.mls.ca or http://www.realestatesearching.com