Daily Real Estate News  |  October 9, 2008  |   Syndication of Listings the Top MLS Issue
The 80 organizations that responded to a recent survey by the Council of Multiple Listing Services said their top concern is syndication of property listings, but the housing downturn and data security also rank high on the list.

One respondent said, "Bridging the gap between being a private listing service for real estate practitioners and a public marketing and advertising vehicle for real estate practitioners to sell houses to and for consumers [is a major issue]."

MLS cooperation and consolidation, overlaps in market areas, data sharing and integrity, and antitrust allegations by the U.S. Justice Department were named as other top issues. Some respondents expressed concern about consumer Web sites and new Internet-based marketing and services that could possibly make MLSs irrelevant.

More than three-quarters of the respondents predicted major changes among MLSs during the next five years. Meanwhile, nearly 74 percent of respondents said membership had fallen over the last year due to the housing slump.

Source: Inman News (10/07/08)

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