What Should the Scope of MLS Services Be? At the 2013 Council of MLS conference, The Realty Alliance (TRA), a group of large brokerages, put MLSs on notice that a number of MLS practices were angering some participant firms. In TRA’s brokers’ eyes, MLSs were providing products and services out of the MLSs’ scope … Read more
As a consultant often called on by MLSs for help with VOW and IDX compliance audits as someone who is always pushing for improved information security in the real estate industry, I love that information security is featured prominently in the VOW rules, section 19.5: “A Participant’s VOW must employ reasonable efforts to monitor … Read more
Buyers and Sellers Deserve Better Agent-Client collaboration inside the MLS has mostly been stalled since 1998, when MLS systems first started providing an area for clients to view agent-saved searches and suggested listings and provide listing ratings back to the agent. Since that time, some systems have added minor enhancements, such as built-in messaging … Read more
Is it Time for a Syndication Bill of Rights? The MLS industry is a buzz about syndication, especially after Clareity Consulting’s MLS Executive Workshop in March teed up the topic and a vibrant discussion among MLS executives ensued. Matt Cohen, the Chief Technologist at Clareity, gave an overview of syndication today and blew up … Read more
Matt Cohen’s Kickoff Speech for CMLS 2008 The long-term relevance of MLS organizations has been questioned at numerous conferences and on Internet sites over the past few years, but I believe these organizations are uniquely qualified and positioned to deliver technology and support needed by the industry. If we determine strategically what the MLSs … Read more
