National MLS

As the comment I was writing  on the geekestateblog.com regarding “Getting Nationwide MLS Listing Data” was getting longer and longer I decided that perhaps a blog post maybe the better option.

For anyone who thought that creating their own Nationwide MLS system would be pretty straightforward, this article was a wake up call. There were 3 options for doing this and they ranged from the outlandishly expensive to the numbingly painful.

However, it certainly got me thinking about the MLS system as a whole and how each play with each other…or how they don’t.

In our real estate web design work, we are often coming up against both the inefficiencies and inequalities of the current system. The typical problem we are faced with, (though unlike the agents, only fleetingly) is where an agent has had to be a member of multiple MLSs.

Through no fault of their own, they just happen to play out their real estate careers along a MLS geographical fault line. This fragments their business, their listings and their IDX agreements.

We work with some agents who have to belong to 4 MLSs!

IDX Inefficiencies

This creates inefficiencies everywhere. Multiple places to input listings, multiple IDX agreements. Some MLSs allow co-mingling of their listings in IDX results among those from other MLSs, some do not.  However what the consumer wants is to see everything!

IDX Inequalities

There are also inequalities. An agent can be a member of two adjoining MLSs. One gives them access to the IDX feed, for $0/month, the other charges them $35/month. In addition to this, they also have to pay an IDX provider a fee to interpret this feed and display it in a digestible way.

This seems like an evolution that has resulted in something ludicrous.

Let us know what you think. Take our survey below.

Please share this with the agents you know.