Your goal should be to have the most potential exposure to your property. That happens through the MLS. Real estate agents consider the MLS as the go-to inventory of homes and use it to locate properties for their clients. They rarely use newspaper ads or other advertising sources to locate available properties, even though they may use them for their own advertising.
Having your property listed in the MLS will provide needed exposure and will increase the chances that a real estate agent will find a buyer for your home. Plus, real estate agents are motivated to sell properties listed in the MLS because the seller has already agreed to pay a commission.
Learn more about why you should list on the MLS.