Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) just sent a clear message to the entire real estate industry: the future of online home search doesn’t have to belong to advertising-driven portals. It can and should be led by the professionals who make real estate happen.

With 48,000 members across Illinois and neighboring states, MRED is now the first multiple listing service in the country to lead the national relaunch of the Broker Public Portal (BPP). This is more than a product launch. It’s a decisive moment in the fight to restore control of listings, accuracy of data, and the consumer relationship to the brokers and MLSs who create and manage this marketplace every day.

AI-powered search that no national portal can match

The new BPP platform isn’t just a return to industry-led search – it’s a leap forward in what consumers can actually do with it. BPP’s AI-driven search allows buyers to find homes in ways no national advertising portal can replicate. Using natural language search, consumers can describe the exact lifestyle or features they want – from “kitchen with a farmhouse sink and open shelves” to “walkable neighborhood near parks” – and get accurate, MLS-verified results in real time.

This AI capability doesn’t just enhance convenience. It ensures the search experience is powered by the most current, most complete data straight from the MLS, and matches the national portals by creating property pages for every property in America, not just MLS records.

Why this matters

For years, national listing portals have dictated the online consumer experience, often monetizing leads through commission referral schemes and advertising in ways that dilute the connection between the listing agent and the homebuyer. The BPP takes a different approach: no ads that sell the consumer’s attention to the highest bidder, no competing agent placements, just a direct, transparent link between consumers and the professionals representing the homes they’re viewing.

MRED’s leadership sets a precedent for other MLSs to follow. As Rebecca Jensen, MRED’s President and CEO, put it: “It’s not just another listing site; it’s a solution delivered by MLSs for the brokers who create and steward real estate transactions every day with homebuyers and sellers.”

Back to the roots of real estate

Dan Troup, CEO of BPP, says MRED’s step forward is “setting the standard for how MLSs can support a national effort to realign the digital home marketplace with the values of our industry.” That standard is built on three fundamentals:

• Accuracy – data sourced directly from the MLS, updated in real time
• Transparency – no pay-to-play lead systems
• Professional representation – consumers connect directly with the listing agent or broker

Cameron Paine, a founding board member of the Broker Public Portal and now President & CEO of MARIS MLS, sees MRED’s move as the fulfillment of a vision nearly a decade in the making. “We are at a defining moment in the real estate industry,” Paine says. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to align the interests of the brokers and the MLSs. The Broker Public Portal is the only national broker-and-MLS-owned property search platform that positions brokers back at the forefront of the consumer experience.”

An invitation to the rest of the industry

BPP’s mission is straightforward: return control of online search to the professionals who live and work in these markets. The path forward is clear: if more MLSs align as MRED has, the industry will have a true nationwide alternative that prioritizes consumers and the professionals who serve them.

The cost to participate is $6 per agent per year, a fraction of what brokers and agents spend on lead-gen advertising today. And the payoff is not just in dollars saved but in a stronger, more direct relationship between consumers and their agents.

As Pat Shea, BPP Board Chair and President & CEO of Windermere Signature Properties, says: “This is about restoring the consumer relationship and delivering a better experience. It’s leadership like this that forms the glue between brokerages and the MLSs that support us.”

Press release follows.

MRED Becomes First MLS to Lead National Relaunch of Broker Public Portal

PORTAGE, Mich. – August 12, 2025 – Broker Public Portal (BPP), the industry-led initiative formed by brokerages and multiple listing services (MLSs) to deliver a transparent, accurate, and consumer-first home search experience, announced today that Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) has become the first MLS in the nation to lead the relaunch of BPP’s national home search platform.

With over 48,000 real estate professionals across Illinois and surrounding states, MRED is one of the largest and most progressive MLSs in the country. Its decision to lead this effort marks a turning point in the industry’s commitment to reclaiming the digital relationship between real estate professionals and consumers.

Rebecca Jensen, President and CEO of MRED stated, “We are proud to be the first MLS to take the lead in relaunching the national portal for our brokers and agents. It’s not just another listing site; it’s a solution delivered by MLSs for the brokers who create and steward real estate transactions every day with homebuyers and sellers.”

“MRED’s leadership signals a new era for consumer search, one where trust, accuracy, and professional representation matter again,” said Dan Troup, CEO of Broker Public Portal. “By stepping forward, MRED is setting the standard for how MLSs can support a national effort to realign the digital marketplace with the values of our industry.”

“We are at a defining moment in the real estate industry,” said Cameron Paine, a founding board member of the Broker Public Portal while CEO of the Connecticut Statewide MLS. He currently serves as President & CEO of St. Louis based MARIS MLS. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to align the interests of the brokers and the MLSs. The Broker Public Portal is the only national broker-and-MLS-owned property search platform that positions brokers back at the forefront of the consumer experience.”

Pat Shea, BPP Board Chair and President and CEO of Windermere Signature Properties and Windermere SoCal commented, “The Broker Public Portal is an important industry-led innovation and collaboration initiative. It’s a technology that gives brokers and agents the ability to serve consumers better than any of today’s national portals. This is about restoring the consumer relationship and delivering a better experience. It’s leadership like this that forms the glue between brokerages and the MLSs that support us.”

BPP invites forward-thinking MLSs to join this momentum-building movement as strategic partners for $6 dollars per agent per year. The mission of the BPP is to return control of real estate search to the professionals who know it best, giving consumers a direct line to the most accurate listings and local expertise available. To learn more about becoming an investor, please contact hello@brokerpublicportal.com. For a complete list of unit holders, visit the BPP History page.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the multiple listing service (MLS) for real estate professionals across northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northwest Indiana, and Iowa who input 250,000 listings annually. MRED connects real estate professionals with the tools, data, and support they need to serve clients and grow their businesses. To learn more, visit mredllc.com.

About Broker Public Portal

Founded in 2014, Broker Public Portal (BPP) is a nationwide alliance of MLSs and brokerages serving millions of consumers, working together to reshape how people search for homes online. Built on transparency and trust, and grounded in the Fair Display Guidelines, BPP offers a home search experience powered by the most accurate, up-to-date data, straight from the source. Its mission: to create a consumer-first alternative to the major portals to better support the professionals behind the listings.

Learn more at brokerpublicportal.com and brokerdata.com.