Many MLSs have transitioned from operating as a Committee of their Shareholder Association to a stand-alone legal entity with their own bylaws, board of directors, and financials. On paper, this move allows MLSs to gain autonomy to function as a nimble, technology company while enabling the Association to focus on what it does best - education, advocacy, professional standards and community development.
Executives are working hard to improve operations, update technology, and deliver value to members. The Board wants to support those efforts but often has a different sense of what’s working and what’s not. That disconnect isn’t about politics or poor leadership. It usually comes down to something much simpler: a lack of shared data.
Ira didn’t mince words. MLSs are at a turning point. “If they don’t provide MCP servers to their participants, brokers and vendors will build their own. And those systems will bypass the MLS entirely.”
The relationship between brokers and their MLSs has evolved—and so have broker expectations. According to the WAV Group Brokerage Utilization and Access Study Part 2, brokers are no longer just looking to the MLS for listing access. They’re looking for help simplifying the overwhelming tech environment agents operate in every day.
The Mid-Carolina Regional Association of REALTORS® is seeking a dynamic Chief Executive Officer to drive strategic growth, member engagement, and operational excellence in the heart of Pinehurst, NC—a world-renowned golf destination and luxury second-home hotspot.
According to the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study, fewer than 40% of Associations include specific action plans or key performance indicators in their strategy. More than half say their strategic plan does not help the organization evolve or succeed long-term.
In the 20+ years WAV Group has been fielding MLS Customer Satisfaction Surveys we have noticed one indisputable FACT. The MLSs with CEOs that lead with their heart and demonstrate empathy and passion for their subscribers are the ones that have earned the most customer loyalty.
Most MLSs and Associations have small staffs and lean operations. They do a lot with very little. With small teams, tight budgets, and a focus on member service, it’s easy to feel pressure to assign someone internal to “handle HR.” But here's the reality: Most real estate organizations do not need a dedicated internal HR staff member until they hit at least 50 employees.
There’s a growing movement across the country - REALTOR® Associations and MLSs are pursuing formal valuations of their organizations.
The Open MLS movement isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating. As of this month, MLSs representing over 941,000 REALTORS® now offer Open MLS subscriptions, up from 888,000 just last month. This rapid growth signals a powerful shift in the real estate landscape and possibly a wake-up call top MLSs still operating under restrictive access policies.
You can’t run a forward-thinking organization if you cannot attract the right people with vision, passion, and a selfless commitment to leadership. linked According to the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study, more than one third of Associations say it’s very or extremely difficult to recruit qualified leaders to serve on the Board of Directors. And if you dig into the reasons why, it’s easy to see this isn’t a pipeline problem – it’s a governance design problem.
Congrats to Dave Howe and the team at MetroList, Northern California’s largest MLS, for investing in making it easier for agents to work with the MLS. Lundy, the latest addition to the Metrolist suite of technologies, allows agents to create and update listings directly from the property site using just their voice. With the removal of Compensation as a core benefit, smart MLSs are finding other ways to earn their monthly subscriptions and tap into the capabilities of AI to deliver increased value.
