There are moments in our industry when we need to stop whispering, stop pretending a policy fight is just a technical disagreement, and call out what is really at stake. The current battle between MRED and Zillow is one of those moments.
Two days ago, real estate tech strategist Mike DelPrete shared screenshots on LinkedIn showing Google Sponsored Ads that appeared to contain live residential listings. On the surface, this looks like ordinary digital advertising. In reality, it cuts directly into one of the most regulated areas of real estate brokerage: advertising authority and consent. On the same post, HouseCanary indicates that the MLS has approved this (presumably without the broker’s consent).
If MLSs provide a standardized, policy-compliant way for AI systems to query listing data (with proper guardrails), then any broker or authorized app can use it and we maintain a level playing field and oversight.
Does CCP ensure that those outside the profession remain dependent on them, reinforcing a hierarchical structure where professionals hold the upper hand?
This is a wake up call to MLSs and the vendors that consume IDX data. By mutual agreement, every MLS must adopt the new standard within one year of that standard passing. The fuse was lit and there are six months to get every MLS up to speed.
Clear Cooperation is a restatement of a policy that has always been fundamental to the MLS. It's the difference between the MLS and an advertisement.
ListTrac is now reporting metrics from nearly every major IDX vendor, the major portals, and the MLS systems.
If you are considering a data share, we hope you find inspiration from WARDEX. WARDEX has positioned itself for data sharing to resolve the problems of overlapping market disorder.
All brokers and agents in the market have the option to upgrade their website to a VOW website. Given that Howard Hanna is the leading firm in the market, consumers will quickly realize that they are not seeing all the listings from IDX only sites.
In the early 90s, John Giaimo founded HomeSeekers and took the company public. Since then, Giaimo has been an active real estate entrepreneur launching Realty Times, Realty Times TV, cable and satellite TV shows, and numerous other ventures. I was able to catch up with John to learn a bit more about his new venture, BringitHomeCommunities.com.
From 2009 to 2013, WAV Group spent a significant portion of our brokerage consulting on explaining what a Virtual Office Website (VOW) is and how it is different from an Internet Data Exchange (IDX) website. Now VOW websites are being discussed again in brokerage meetings and for good reason. Digital paper only brokers have been able to build spectacularly successful businesses that leverage IDX to develop referrals that take a 30% bite out of agent commissions. Brokers who care about the income of their agents should review this carefully.
Here’s an idea to think about…. Today, we have robust rules in place that allow a broker to share their active, pending and in some cases, sold listings with their fellow practitioners via a local IDX policy. What if we took that idea to another level?
