Ridgeland men launch statewide listing of homes for sale

Two Ridgeland men have started a service that lists homes for sale across the state, a move that poses a potential challenge to existing local services.

The two local multiple listing services are run by a nonprofit group on Hilton Head Island and by the Beaufort County Association of Realtors.

The new service, Palmetto State MLS, was launched July 1. Tyler Mock is CEO and his uncle, Jason Mock, is sales manager.

So far, hundreds of real estate agents have signed on to use the service, Jason Mock said. The service is also hiring additional agents to promote the service elsewhere in South Carolina, he said.

The duo decided to start the service after Jason Mock moved home about a year ago because of a family medical issue, he said

He had worked in real estate and marketing industries and was considering starting his own real estate firm before colleagues in the business encouraged him to try an MLS instead.

Yvette Acuff, CEO of the Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island, said her organization doesn't mind the competition because many of its members already belong to several other services.

"We have been exposed to it all along," she said.

Her service is more than 30 years old, has about 1,400 members and has been recognized by consultants as offering a comparable system to services in larger communities, she said.

As a nonprofit, her service can put all of its proceeds into enhancing its system with the latest technology, she said.

Officials with the Beaufort MLS could not be reached Friday.

The primary difference between the Mocks' system and those of traditional MLS competitors is its statewide emphasis that allows agents to refer business back and forth from all corners of South Carolina, Jason Mock said.

The approach makes sense because agents' licenses are valid beyond the immediate areas in which they work, he said.

"Why would you put yourself in that box?" he asked. "Why would you limit yourself smaller than the confines of your license?

"We've got to get out of that mindset of not sharing opportunities," he said. "That's not fair to a client."

The Mocks aren't encouraging agents to open offices in new places, but rather to refer clients more widely for the best interest of all, Jason Mock said.

The Mocks are confident in their idea, which Jason Mock called "a needed tool." They don't, however, wish to harm the two services that already operate in the county, he said.

"Go ask Home Depot why Lowe's is across the street from them," he said. "I think both can exist."