DictionaryThe buying process

Multiple listing service (MLS): what it means

A multiple listing service (MLS) is a database that cooperating real estate brokers create and use to share information about homes for sale. According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), it is a local marketplace used by both buyers' agents and listing agents.

In Spanish it is

MLS (servicio de listado múltiple)

Also written as: MLS · multiple listing

A man tours his new home with a housing specialist.

Verified on October 17, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

Much of its information is public, but full access, with details such as the seller's contact information, is limited to licensed agents who pay for a subscription. Under the NAR settlement, a seller can still offer to pay your agent, but that offer cannot be posted on the MLS.

An example

Gabriela's agent searches the MLS for three-bedroom homes in her area and sends her the ones that fit her budget. Gabriela also sees some of those homes on public websites.

You will see it in…

The home listings your agent sends you
Your buyer agreement with your agent
NAR's pages about its settlement

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) · Wex: multiple listing service (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. National Association of REALTORS · Homebuyers: What the NAR Settlement Means for You (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026