The MLS Was Built to Protect Your Data. AI Is Its Hardest Test Yet.
For 50 years, the cooperative kept listing data inside a black box. The internet opened the door. AI walked through it. Here is the roadmap back to control.
Serious About Merging? How a Letter of Intent Helps You Take the Next Step
Today, many REALTOR® associations and MLSs are getting serious about merging. They've had some productive conversations, recognize the potential benefits of coming together, and believe they could build a stronger organization by joining forces.
Kendra Murray Takes the Helm at New Mexico’s Largest Local Association and MLS – GAAR and SWMLS
Congratulations to Kendra Murray on her appointment as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® (GAAR) and Southwest Multiple Listing Service (SWMLS)! I have had the pleasure of working with Kendra in several of her previous leadership positions, and I could not be happier to see her take on this exciting new opportunity.
Your Listing Data Is Copyrighted. Start Acting Like It.
Nobody disputes that the raw facts of a transaction are not copyrightable. A house exists at an address. It sold for a price on a date. Those are facts, and facts belong to everyone. But an MLS listing is not a pile of facts. It is a curated work. An agent writes a property description that frames the home, chooses which features to emphasize, and crafts language designed to attract buyers. A photographer composes shots, selects angles, edits for light. The MLS compiles all of this into an organized database with fields, taxonomies, and search structures that took decades to build. That is editorial labor, the same kind of labor the court protected in Westlaw's headnotes.
MRED and NoCoast MLS: A New Model for MLS Collaboration Across State Lines
I love seeing two of my favorite MLSs find new ways to work together across state lines! Les Sulgrove, who leads NoCoast MLS in Iowa, is one of the most passionate and committed MLS leaders in our industry. He is always looking for ways to deliver more value to the brokers and agents he serves.
It’s Time to Get On With It: Make It Easier for Brokers to Do Business
There was one major takeaway. Sticking to historical thinking, avoiding conversations with competitive MLSs while your brokers are asking for you to simplify their businesses is not appropriate anymore.
Beyond Dues and Fees: The MLS Case for Non-Dues Revenue Done Right
Association Dues and MLS subscriptions will never fund the MLS you need to operate. MLSs and boards that keep treating non-dues revenue as a side hustle are leaving money on the table. The associations and MLSs winning this decade aren't the ones chasing the next shiny vendor deal. They're the ones building disciplined, recurring non-dues revenue programs that make membership more valuable without stepping on the one thing that keeps brokers writing checks to the MLS: their own product differentiation.
Contrary to Some People’s Beliefs, MRED’s PLN Status Has LESS Double-Ended Deals Than Active Status
For years, some have argued that allowing a private status within an MLS creates an environment where listing agents can hold properties close and capture both sides of the transaction. If that were happening systematically in MRED’s marketplace, we would expect to see higher double-ending rates in PLN Status.
IDX as We Know It Survives Thanks to MRED
MRED just prevailed in its legal battle with Zillow. In a preliminary hearing, MRED prevailed on its right to enforce its own data licensing agreement with Zillow
The Keeper of Mendota Meadows: The road nobody planned
The MLS industry is being reshaped by private listing strategies, changing rules around cooperation and public marketing, questions about who controls and licenses real estate data, and the rapid rise of AI. Against that backdrop, Daniel Jones of Hive MLS has created a new Declaration of MLS Stewardship Principles - and MLS Constitution – that defines the core tenets of an MLS and establish a framework around which MLSs could create a Federation. This certainly will be a hot topic at the upcoming CMLS Open House at the end of this month. In the story below, written by Daniel Jones, [...]
NWMLS new “First Look” Status Reflects How Real Estate Actually Works
The new settlement between Northwest MLS and Compass is important for a very practical reason. NWMLS’s new First Look status gives agents and sellers more flexibility to begin building interest in a home while it is still being prepared for sale.Homes are not always either “ready” or “not ready.” Sometimes a property is almost ready, but a few important details still need to come together.
MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld Expands Again, Proving Its Merger Model Is Built to Grow
Just over two months after completing the historic merger that created the world’s largest local REALTOR® association, MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld has reached another major milestone. Martin County REALTORS® of the Treasure Coast has officially joined MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld, expanding the unified association to approximately 94,000 members across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The latest merger creates one powerful organization serving the entire Southeast Florida marketplace and further strengthens one of the nation’s most influential real estate networks. But the real story is not simply that the association has become larger. It is that MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld has developed a disciplined, member-focused roadmap for bringing organizations together quickly, successfully, and with a clear commitment to creating greater value.