Good for you JR. Telling a buyer why a seller is moving is helping a buyer. Good to know that you do right for your sellers.

Hi said:
thats a lot of posts 137

stirring the hornets nest

real estate agents are people too

sounds like banking, brokerage, and real estate not such a promising career choice at the moment.
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I think it would be cool if everybody who thinks Realtors shouldn't exist gave Realtors a shot at telling you why your job is not needed and that you are overpaid! So for all Realtor bashers out there, pony up! What do you do for a living?

...and by the way, you are overpaid and your job isn't important! :)

you will need to contact a real estate professional in your area to receive access to this data. The service is owned by the local real estate brokers. it is against the MLS rules for the public to have access to this site - much like any other proprietary information owned by other companies.

JR, I understand where your fiduciary loyalty lies. That said, would you make comments to the buyer that you know to be untrue? Such as "they are probably selling this house at a big loss..." I would think that this would come back to haunt you if the buyer had done research or will do research. Not legally, but reputation wise.
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I have no duty to disclose or surmise to a buyer why the seller is moving unless it is a possible short sale. My answer to "why are they moving" is usually, they want a different house, or I don't know.

thats a lot of posts 137

stirring the hornets nest

real estate agents are people too

sounds like banking, brokerage, and real estate not such a promising career choice at the moment.

anyways

good luck

JR: I also would not give out that information to a customer if they asked. My customers are free to find this out on their own however, and manytimes they do.
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JR, I understand where your fiduciary loyalty lies. That said, would you make comments to the buyer that you know to be untrue? Such as "they are probably selling this house at a big loss..." I would think that this would come back to haunt you if the buyer had done research or will do research. Not legally, but reputation wise.

The public wants access to mls and they do not want to talk or deal with a Realtor.
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Sorry, Jack. Sounds like you want me to compile and input this info, but you don't want to give me the opportunity to make a sale and put a roof over my head. As the great philosopher Mick Jagger once said: You can't ways get what you want.

A pet peeve of mine was when looking at houses with a Realtor, was knowing details about the house that the Realtor did not know. For example, I would know that the current owner paid $400,000 only 10 months ago, that no permits had been pulled since and that the house is now selling for $460,000. It would bother me to hear the Realtor say something to me like "they are probably selling this house at a big loss because of the market, this is a great price." With this system, the Realtor would know what houses I am interested in and can do the same level of research on them.
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The information you cite is not available on my MLS, unless the listing agent has put it into the private remarks. I can access the public record thru my MLS and find out what the last owner paid, however if you called me and asked about a particular house, I'd have to look up that information myself. Personally I don't keep details such as this memorized for every listing. I also would not give out that information to a customer if they asked. My customers are free to find this out on their own however, and manytimes they do.THis is one of the items I was talking about as a CLIENT LEVEL service. Unless the buyer has signed on as a buyer client, the seller is my client and the buyer is my customer.

I think the realtors are missing the point here. The public wants access to mls and they do not want to talk or deal with a Realtor. Willing to pay a small fee to get information.
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Jack, I'm not missing the point here. If you read further down the thread, you'll see that I'm an advocate for full free access, by the public, for VIEWING the MLS. I was just offering up a potential alternative for those agent who feel that allowing the public to view the MLS without them, sounds the death knell for Realtors as a whole. It is, as The_Bayou points out, a compromise.

We actually have something similar now... with our local MLS, I can feed a direct link to a client, that feeds them all of the homes that meet their parameters (ie: room count, price range, location, etc...) and they can change the parameters on an ongoing basis. They see the same MLS sheets that I see, with all the Realtor information, such as Days on Market, prior sales, etc... and the system does allow them to "flag" homes that they want me to know about ... as Interested, Not Interested, and allows a little commentary from them, and I can respond.

This service is totally free, and lasts up to 90 days, and can be renewed at the Realtor/Client's request.

Elvis,

That is a great suggestion/compromise. By requiring the perspective buyer to at least contact a Realtor in order to gain access, it gives the Realtor a lead that they would otherwise not have had. Maybe the access code could enable the potential buyer to flag houses for the Realtor to look at.

A pet peeve of mine was when looking at houses with a Realtor, was knowing details about the house that the Realtor did not know. For example, I would know that the current owner paid $400,000 only 10 months ago, that no permits had been pulled since and that the house is now selling for $460,000. It would bother me to hear the Realtor say something to me like "they are probably selling this house at a big loss because of the market, this is a great price." With this system, the Realtor would know what houses I am interested in and can do the same level of research on them.

I think the realtors are missing the point here.
The public wants access to mls and they do not want to talk or deal with a Realtor.
Willing to pay a small fee to get information.

There's no question that giving access to your local MLS would reduce the fees that Realtors pay to their local associations.

It could even be accomplished "inclusively" by making it a requisite, that in order to access the MLS, a person would have to contact a Realtor, and get a Realtor-specific "guest code" that was time-limited, and must be updated every 30 days.

That should satisfy those agents who are concerned that they'll be left by the wayside, if MLS access were allowed.

Thanks Chris.

One comment though. Don't you think that the MLS portion of the price you pay, $2000 a year, could be reduced if non-realtors were also paying for access to the system. Say, for example, if for every Realtor that was paying for full access, there was a non-realtor paying for a slightly less detailed access (no personal information about the seller such as lock box numbers, hours the home owner works, etc...). If the non-realtors are paying $200 per year for the restricted access, that could reduce your MLS payments by close to that amount (again, assuming the 1:1 ratio and that is nothing more than a plug). There is very little cost in adding additional users to a database. Once the information is input, each additional user is almost all profit.

If "everything that they could ever want is public record and on the internet", you are paying a lot of money just to have it arranged in a desirable format. It sounds like it would be in yours, and other Realtors interest to find a way to decrease the amount you pay for this information, similar to the way investment banks sell their research to non-clients as a way of defraying costs.

Jaded answers like Alan's are unhelpful. You must have had a bad experience with a previous Realtor, and I am sorry about that.

The MLS is paid for by Realtors, not the public. That resource exists because of the $2000 or so per year that I am pumping into my association fees, MLS fees, MORE fees, etc. If you want to pay what I and every other Realtor has to pay per year to keep the MLS alive and meaningful, then have at it. You should have full access.

I don't know many people out there who are NON-Realtors who want to pay my yearly fees for the MLS. I know that you didn't think this information was free for Realtors, did you? A "real estate pro" like yourself should be aware of these things.

I can only speak for my market, but Buyers have plenty of access to our MLS and everything that they could ever want is public record and on the internet.

It may seem that Realtors want all the power, but consider this. You are a home seller. Everyone who wants access to your information can get it. They are not screened, they can come to your door at any hour of the day or night. All of a sudden, selling your home becomes a nightmare.

Access to the MLS is given to Realtors who are registered and follow a code of ethics. We follow a procedure to gain access to a home. We respect the privacy of the seller. Realtors also do a pre-screening of buyers. Most of the time Realtors try to bring only true buyers to a home.

Open houses are the way that Realtors make available to the public homes that are for sale. Look at local websites for open house announcements. Go on sites such as Realtor.com to view properties and then contact a Realtor to help you gain access. It gives sellers a confidence that they are safe in opening their home to others.

The home buying process is difficult in the best of circumstances. it is emotional to both buy and sell a home. Having a Realtor mediate a sale is both smart and economical. Realtors will negotiate hard for their clients and, in most cases, a fair price and smooth transaction transpires.

The real answer is because if everybody could have access then Realtors would lose there power. If people didn't ask them questions, they wouldn't be needed as much and their entire livelyhood would be threatened.

I would be happy to pay that nominal fee too!

The normal fee I pay for the MLS is somewhere around $70 per month, not including all the other fees I pay to the local board for this.

This service, with all the exorbitant fees, is available to you. All you need to do is pass the Real Estate exam and start forking over the big bucks like I do.

JR,
I have noticed that the Realtor Bashers tend to be loud vocals who profess knowledge, but exhibit clearly by their posts that they do not possess such. Thankfully, these represent the minority.
Deborah

My point was to illustrate that you don't understand.
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Judging from a recent thread I participated in regarding agency, I would say you've hit the nail on the head for 90% of the realtor bashers.

I haven't read all 121 answers, so forgive me if I am not completly informed.

Why not just call a brokerage and ask the floor agent for the data you need? I imagine you aren't interested in all 3000 active listings in your area! There should be floor agents all over Chicago with a willingness to answer educated questions and do some research on your behalf.

I won't list all the good reasons why MLS data is not public access, because it looks like lots of the other replys cover this.

You have strong interest--why not get a license? Then you will have the level of responsibility required to join your MLS.

Or, find a site that carries data as close to the MLS as possible. Find someone in your area who offers to sign you onto the Home Buyers Scouting Report(R), which feeds from a local MLS several times a day, and updates the status each time. All it doesn't show you is the confidential information.

Then, search your local county assessor database for sales histories, prices, and values.

Fill in the necessary information with a phone call to a local floor agent.

Good luck! Please let me know if my advice works for you!

Gary, I understand that there are people that want "yes men", but I don't think that does anyone any good on this site. Is it a great idea? I don't know. I can see some positive and some negatives. For example, a positive is that equal access to information has always been best for economic markets. A negative would be that all MLS databases do not contain the same level of information, and this could cause frustration and a negative experience for paying non-Realtor customers.

What I am saying is not just related to this question, but the way many questions are answered on this site. The answers become monologues that address many topics, but not the one the original poster was asking. Gary, you answer many questions on this site, often with well thought out answers. But, with the amount of time you spend on this board, I would be surprised if you have not noticed the amount of answers that are really just 1) Realtor bashing without addressing the question, or 2) Realtors defending how they make a living, but without answering the question. While I am writing this, I may as well toss in pet peeve #3 on the site, Realtors that answer a question that has been answered multiple times on the same thread, just so that Realtor can advertise themselves.

But, the first instance of #1 or #2 in a thread are the kiss of death for the original poster, as they instantly force the thread off topic. And I admit that I am guilty, I have taken the bait on occasion. It is fun to take the bait, but this is what will eventually make this site a "realtor bashing" site, and will make it less useful to actual homebuyers, owners and sellers.

Of the 120+ posts on this tread, how many directly answer the poster's question, "Why not make the MLS open to the public and charge them access fee?"

"Gary, I am not sure why all the steps you mentioned are necessary"

My point exactly.......

It is such an easy thing to say...yet so hard to do.

Frankly I could care less if you had 100% total access. I would probably make my job easier. But who decides where to draw the line of who gets access.

Me? You? The President? God? Who..........?

I'll tell you who, the courts will, as soon as someone takes the access and uses it for nefarious purposes.

My point was to illustrate that you don't understand. You asked a simple question and yet have not liked even one of the answers.

There has to be a standard in life. Without standards we have a little thing called anarchy. Now don't come back with a reply that "Gary said if I get MLS access it will cause Anarchy" Because that is not what I am saying.

What I am saying is that this is just one of the hundreds of thousands of standards that you have in your life. That is all.

You see, it does not matter what answer you get until someone says, ...Hey Bayou, that is a great Idea...Call me tomorrow and I am going to make sure that we change all of the rules and give everyone total access to all of the data.

Gary, I am not sure why all the steps you mentioned are necessary. What Cameron was saying is that it would be beneficial if some of the currently existing MLS databases could be made available to the public at a price. He was not asking about creating a new database. This is what I am talking about, the question seemed pretty straight forward but yet the answers from the "real estae pros" deal with firemen and attorneys.

With regard to who owns the data, the answer would likely be whoever compiled it into a usable format. Similar to the white pages directory. I may give them my address and phone number, but I can also give that information to whoever else I want. I can put it on a billboard. But, the compiled list of names, addresses and phone numbers is owned by the publisher, and they hold the copyright to that organized data (also why they add fake names and numbers on each page so that nobody can just copy their information and sell it as their own.

I don't know who maintains the MLS databases, and organizes the output of that data from the database (hotsheets, quiries, etc...), but my guess would be that they own the data.

I just did a search online, and the MLS service in my area has the following copyright:

"All right, title and interest in and to each copy of every MLS Publication and any other manifestation of any Service Compilation, and in and to the copyrights therein, shall at all times be and remain vested in the Service."

"Service" is defined as "Shall mean MLS Property Information Network, Inc.

So, it appears as if the MLS service, a for-profit service, believes that it owns the data. As the service is a for-profit corporation, the Realtors own the data to the extent that they own shares of the corporation - and it does appear that Realtors are eligible and encouraged to buy stock in the corporation.

Gospodin Bayou,

There is nothing to stop you from creating a high quality Database that will become an MLS. Encouraging REALTORS to list all the information that is important in a home search and then selling memberships to whomever you like. It may take you years and years to get it ready for version 1.0 and then getting the information input is simply a matter of convincing all of the REALTORS that it is the best thing since sliced bread. Immediately after you do that, you can simply sell memberships and sit back and rake in the cash.

Now make sure that you hire a team of attorneys so that you can ensure that the information posted does not violate any of the laws from HUD or Fair housing, and then you can again site back and count the cash. Next you may want to consider a sales department to get plenty of REALTORS to continue putting the info in. And then a marketing department to make sure that other folks know to search there. Then you can sit back and ......

I almost forgot, as soon as you get this system up and running, your Board of Directors will be named in a federal Anti trust suit. There will be a Ton of press and your name will get drug through the mud, but then it will get tossed out of court since it has no merit. There will not be a press conference this time, but that is ok, since some one will complain about you breaking a fair housing law and you will be busy defending that suit...

Then you can sit back and......

Oh, some one will want more information at a lower cost and since you really don't have any standards that you sell this information with "open to the public" then you will have to release more information....

But then someone will get broken into and robbed….OR WORSE….. and since the house is on the market, The data is in your OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SYSTEM and since you have no standards as to who can see all of the information... Bad guys are members of the public too……..you will be named as a defendant again!! Sorry..

Eventually, you will determine some sort of standard....but you have no authority to license anyone. You can't just open a school without Government Sanctions...so you will need to Borrow some other standard. So why not use This one,

“THE BAYOU MLS is now open to ATTORNEYS AND FIREMEN”. I mean it is a standard and it is not REALTORS and everyone uses an attorney anyway and everyone loves FIREFIGHTERS…..So, that is a great standard…….Right?

OK, you set the standard, but now the Anti Trust suit case can come back....

So you reopen it to the general public but hide some of the information...

But then you are where we are now....

Man, it’s a vicious circle…..

Gary De Pury
Director, Florida Association of REALTORS

Elvis,
I couldn’t agree w/ your last post more. Very well stated......again. You consisently have great content, composure, and delivery! :-)

JR,
I am hoping you are incorrect in assessing that Trulia Voices is turning into a Realtor bashing troll fest, as other forums. I share the concern, but am hoping that a recent flurry of vulgarity, snide remarks, and hostility was the result of a full moon, spring fever, too much Tequila, or some other extraneous cause. I am hoping that Trulia extends the appropriate efforts to keep Voices a place where consumers, Realtors, and other RE Pros can exchange ideas and information that aids in shaping a better real estate experience for all.

The Bayou,

The public will never come to complete agreement on what info should be available and what should not. Harryp made a very telling statement onthis thread, when he explained that what he wants to see about other sellers is different that what he wants shared about himself as a seller. Privacy advocates have raised much opposition to the volume of public record data that is too easily distributed and promoted.

While you, The Bayou, might be able to figure out that private comment areas on the MLS for member Realtors contains info on showing instructions, many other members of the public have not. On Trulia, and on other forums, public members have posted questions asking about the private info area of the MLS and asked why they couldn’t see it. In one instance the inquiring mind went on to accuse Realtors of using the private notes area for anti-consumer objectives.

On this thread, there were comparisons to other public database sites outside of the real estate industry. Many of these sites were created for the benefit of the public. The MLS was not designed for the public. It was created as a tool for listing agents to share data w/ buyer agents. It has evolved as a vehicle for use in marketing. It is not “anti-consumer” to factually look at the history and original purpose of MLS. A look at a roadmap of where we have been and where we should aim to go is “pro consumer.”

Cameron’s inquiry and post was welcomed by most of the Realtor community. The public’s ability to access info held in the various MLSs across the country will most likely increase.

Discussion about who owns the data is critical to the continued transition of placing more information in the hands of the public. Such changes cannot be effected with disregard to the ownership of the information, and acknowledgment of who and how decisions are made about what data is released where and when. Consideration of the need for consistency in delivery of information is necessary for the buyer. How many complaints will we hear if a buyer is able to access differing levels of data on 5 different properties in the same neighborhood? The Bayou suggests one seller may permit and another may deny the release of an address.

I thank Cameron for the introduction of this thread. I found many of the contributions well constructed and delivered, whether I agreed w/ the content or not. I do concur entirely w/ Elvis.....an excellent use of bandwith. There were a few posts that were unnecessarily hostile and belligerent. We could all do w/o that. I hope that Cameron found the thread informative.

Deborah Madey - Broker
Peninsula Realty Group - New Jersey
Deborah@PeninsulaFirst.com
(732) 530-6350

Agree, Elv!s. I am so sorry to see this forum is threatening to turn into another Realtor bashing troll fest, as so many other forums have.

The original poster asked... "why not make the MLS open... for an access fee"

Realtors did NOT immediately go "off topic"... Cameron's question opened up a lively conversation, exactly about "why". Some agreed, some didn't. Some had logical reasons, some emotional. Some talked ownership, some talked entitlement and image.

The conversation was a good one, often taking tangents, which is how a good conversation often functions. There were a couple of really good comments, a few cheap shots (from both sides of the fence), and lots of thumbs (both up and down).

Some opinions wavered, some changed, some were intransigent. In my opinion, an excellent thread, and good use of bandwidth.

This is crazy. The original poster simply suggested that his house searching process could benefit from access to some of the information on the MLS system which currently is not available to non-Realtors. He suggested that he would be willing to pay for that information, and tossed out a nominal amount of $15-$30.

Realtors took the question off topic immediately, suggesting that home owners wouldn't want their sleep patterns or lock box numbers made available. Despite the fact that it was obvious that this is not the type of information the poster was looking for, it should be noted that technology allows different levels of authorization to web databases. This is not an issue. Also, homeowners could advise their Realtors as to whether or not they want certain information, including the address of the house they are selling, made available to only Realtors, or all potential buyers.


Also, I understand that many Realtors pay upwards of $500 a year for this information, or $40+ per month (which in many cases must be paid yearly and upfront). But, it is not to crazy of an assumption to that if the site was open to more people, the price could come down. (If I can make $1000 charging 2 people $500 each, I can make $2000 charging 10 people 200).

Many argued that the data is owned by the Realtors. Well, great, but that is not an answer to the question. The question was "Why not make the MLS open to the public and charge them access fee [sic]?" If Realtors own the data, then the poster is directing the question to Realtors as they are the only ones who could do so. Are Realtors against making money on the data by opening it up?

He did say that is he is probably "dreaming", there was no need to the Realtor community to get so worried that non Realtors may find out more information about listed properties.

These are the types of posts that for some reason force Realtors to get defensive and argumentative for no reason, resulting in the "Realtor bashing" that many of the Realtors complain about.

Cameron, the answer to your question, in summary from the people that own the data is "because we don't want it to be."

Zack:This: 'If you are representing the buyer, the buyer is your client, the seller is the customer. " is exactly what I meant.
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Please read the links and learn more, OK? Remember I said "IF" you are representing the buyer. If the agent and the buyer do not have a conference where the agent explains he is working for YOU, and you sign a disclosure stating so and/or an exclusive buyer agency contract.....the agent is NOT working for you. Even if you two have look at 100 houses together. Especially in NY Zack. We rarely work for the buyer, where I am at least.

Thanks J R.

This: 'If you are representing the buyer, the buyer is your client, the seller is the customer. " is exactly what I meant. I understand if you're representing a buyer and their interested in your listing, it gets complicated/grey/etc, but this was all I wanted to know.

I'm a few beers in and watching the NCAA tourney so I'll check out the links tomorrow.

Thanks,
Zack

I know you aren't debating. There is different agency allowed, but the law is the same. In NY we don't have transactional agency. There are not 2 clients in dual agency: in dual agency the agent acts as a mediary, and does not represent either as a client. This sometimes happens when an agent sells their own listing and only with the agreement of both parties. Sub agency is totally different. You owe a client different fiduciary duties: obedience, loyalty, disclosure, confidentiality, accountability and reasonable care. A customer is owed fairness, basically. You may not disclose confidential information about the seller to a customer, (but you have a duty to disclose information about the customer to your client, such as how high they will go) . You must look out for your clients best interest, NOT your customer's.

They told me it was 3 weekends including the test. I took that to mean 2 classes and a test, but it may have been 3 classes, then test at the end, which would fit the 22.5 from the links K posted earlier.
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A little different, no?



No offense taken. If you're representing a buyer only, the buyer should be considered a client also IMO. The link you provided doesn't seem to address that situation at all. Is that different? If so, why? I like getting the education for the sake of knowledge.
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well, no offense again, but your opinion means nothing as far as the law is concerned. You can't have TWO clients. One is the client, one is the customer. It took the teacher in my class half the day to get a few of the students to comprehend agency. If you are representing the buyer, the buyer is your client, the seller is the customer.

There's more about agency in the link below if you really want to get confused:http://realestate.about.com/od/realestatebasics/p/agencystatus.htm
There are other links in the article that go further into agency, check them out too. This is the problem, as I see it: the public has no idea how complicated this is.

They told me it was 3 weekends including the test. I took that to mean 2 classes and a test, but it may have been 3 classes, then test at the end, which would fit the 22.5 from the links K posted earlier.

No offense taken. If you're representing a buyer only, the buyer should be considered a client also IMO. The link you provided doesn't seem to address that situation at all. Is that different? If so, why? I like getting the education for the sake of knowledge.

Thanks,
Zack

Westchester County, NY. I have two friends who got their licenses with the past couple of years. 2 saturday classes from 9-5 and a test. That was it. As for continuing education, I believe they're required to take another class every other year, maybe once every 5, I don't remember.
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Zack, that's 16 hours. It's 45 required for agent, 90 for broker, and they're doubling the hours this year. it's also 21 credits every two year. You sure DON'T remember. How can one person be so wrong? :)




J R, you didn't say doctor, your analogy was better in my opinion, although I still think its like tiling your kitchen. I've seen the manipulation of date and realize its not to be counted on either, but didn't know if you knew that it is listed on some sites. Btw, what is the difference between customer and clients you're talking about. As a realtor, I would think your clients are buyers/sellers, but it seems this is wrong. What is a client then?
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I really think you should learn more, no offense. When you list a house, the seller is your client. The buyer is your customer. You owe your client different fiduciary duties than your customer. Here ya go:
http://realestate.about.com/od/realestatebasics/p/fiduciary_…

PS..... It's Sat night and I am going to a movie now. I will take my cell, place it on vibrate, and yes, I will leave the movie theater to handle a client need, if immediate attention is needed.

I will ck back on Trulia when I return home. Have fun on the Board.....I am off to the movies now. :-)

YIkes!

The following is only a partial quote from the CG:
“be considerate of others and do not attack other community members. Be respectful at all times.”

Sharing viewpoints and different perspectives is informative for all. Name calling and accusations against another person’s personal character is childish.

Consumers, who really want and appreciate experienced insight are turned off of Voices or any forum that becomes a cesspool of mudslinging. RE Pros who have the desire and knowledge to make valuable contributions will be deterred from participation if the result is character assassination. Certainly, share your viewpoints if they differ. But, can such be done with civility?

Trulia Voices is one of the best online media sources for real estate information. Some other attempts at online forums are thought of poorly due to lack of credible content. I hope Trulia is smart enough to value integrity and enforce community guidelines accordingly.

DSM RESPONSES:

Pertaining to “creative uses of MLS data” - That rule applies to every member of the MLS, and every vendor, and I fully support that rule. What would thousands of sellers think of if their info could be manipulated for another’s benefit? There are strict rules about how feeds from MLS are used (IDX); and I fully support those rules. The integrity of the data and the privacy of all citizens trumps any argument for “creative use.” The info, as input by the listing agent/broker may be shared by other MLM member brokers, and duplicated on any number of sites as determined by the MLS. Brokers may not alter any other Broker’s data that we receive in our IDX feeds.

Pertaining to the ease to which one may acquire a license. Acquiring a license and being skilled, knowledgeable and capable in your profession are not the same thing. As voiced previously on this thread, and elsewhere, I fully support raising the standards for acquiring and keeping a license. I believe that a newly licensed individual should not be able to list or sell a property alone and should have to co-list or co-sell property as part of an apprenticeship. But, I don’t get to make the rules. To be a great Realtor, you need to know your inventory, and that changes every day. There are many of us who invest substantially in our continuing education, hold advanced degrees, and come from diverse backgrounds. To belittle all agents and imply that all agents function with 2 days of training and that is the extent of their value is inappropriate, offensive and grossly incorrect. Every week, I add more information to my knowledge base.....because the list of how many hats I wear and how many things to know is endless. There are many of us with a deep commitment to education, high professionalism, and superb client experiences. Not all of us, but there are many.

Businesses try to make decisions based upon meeting and exceeding client expectation and balancing what is reasonable. I honestly believe the most the most “jump through the hoops” service in any trade or business is that which is offered by outstanding Realtors. No business, trade, or vendor that I pay $$ to jumps through hoops for clients to the extent that a dedicated Realtor does for their clients.

I do support the release of more details of the listing data via the IDX feeds. It’s a decision that meets customer wants and makes good business sense (viewing only......not data editing or input!) I don't support that position because of bullying. I support what makes sense.

I find the attacks on Realtors as being stupid, lazy and self-serving laughable and offensive concurrently.

Deborah

Elvis you deserve what you have coming to you. This site and others like it are not helping Realtors. We are already looked down upon without good reason. I am not giving anything for free here. Guess it is that Evanston liberal mindset of yours. Stop contributing here because it is not appreciated by lowlife troublemakers that are claiming to be sellers and buyers on here they are just trolls looking to start trouble on the internet.

Westchester County, NY. I have two friends who got their licenses with the past couple of years. 2 saturday classes from 9-5 and a test. That was it. As for continuing education, I believe they're required to take another class every other year, maybe once every 5, I don't remember.

J R, you didn't say doctor, your analogy was better in my opinion, although I still think its like tiling your kitchen. I've seen the manipulation of date and realize its not to be counted on either, but didn't know if you knew that it is listed on some sites. Btw, what is the difference between customer and clients you're talking about. As a realtor, I would think your clients are buyers/sellers, but it seems this is wrong. What is a client then?

Elvis, I never specified which was which in the analogy :). I'll say apples to wheat then. My point is more that you're not even comparing fruit, although I'd be lying if our recent experience which included firing our realtor yesterday did have me a little bitter at the field.

Where was the 2 saturday class. I went for several weeks and then follow on classes and then Brokerage school and then follow on classes and then continuing education every year and then professonal designations.....

Boy did I get screwed....

Again, you're lying. The whole MLS is not available through that website. A subset of the data (the IDX data) is available, and it is only available if one agrees to a license that forbids almost any sort of creative use of the data.
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Richard... wow.. there's that hostile outerwear again. What kind of creative use were you planning? I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree... I thought you simply want to be able to view all the homes listed in the area... So I guess I was lying....not intentionally, but thanks for the benefit of the doubt.

After all, you've already admitted that you are willing to work against the wishes of your clients if your trade organization thinks it's better for you.
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wow... talk about "spin"... I've made no such admission, but will spare us both by not trying to convince you any further of my good intentions. Please feel free to believe that we are customer-hostile leeches. I will clearly be unable to dissuade you from that opinion.

And Zack, while I agree that we shouldn't be comparing our business model with Doctors and Lawyers... was it really necessary to go the "apples and BAT GUANO" route?? hmmm... really?

First of all, I never said anything about realtors being like doctors. I made the plumber analogy.

Some people do try to manipulate the DOM on MLS. With the Listing Book service you can also see if a house was listed previously. If you are a client, that is.

J R, some sites show Active Date which i've compared with MLS lists I've gotten from my realtor which shows days on the market. This can be changed by removing and re-entering something in MLS which happens semi-frequently but still this data is available.

People really need to stop with this realtor/doctor analogy. Its lunacy. It takes 7 years of school to become an MD and another 3-10 years of residency to become a surgeon. To become a realtor takes 2 saturday classes and passing a test. Comparing apples and bat guano.

Dear Cameron,
With each profession comes responsibility, honesty and integrity. I would like to think that most of us in the Real Estate field feel the same way. We pride ourselves on doing a super job for our clients and in tern, offer our services in the hopes and doing a great job that we will be referred to others to whom we have done a job well done. So, that brings me to the answer to your questions as to why the public does not have access to MLS. Would you want to operate on a person that has a serious illness? No, if you are not a doctor. Our Real Estate Licenses are sacret to us because there is major responsibility that we take on for our seller's and buyer's. We pledge to keep confidential every aspect of their personal information. That is why it is advisable to use a Realtor, for their honesty, integrity, professionalism. I am sure you understand. Thanks, That was a great question.

It's sad that you can't see how wrong you are. Sad, but unsurprising. After all, you've already admitted that you are willing to work against the wishes of your clients
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I actually have a service called Listing Book that allows my customers and clients to access the MLS the same exact way I do. They get their own name and password, for free. I pay for them to have this service yearly. It includes days on the market and comparable sales. However, if a buyer is a customer, they cannot access those two items. As I said, those are client level services, not customer level services.

I do not understand your statement that we are working against the wishes of our CLIENTS. Do you know the difference between a client and a customer in agency law?

Cameron,
Wait a few years to buy a house
Are you in a hurry to lose money?

anyways

good luck

ELVIS: Again, you're lying. The whole MLS is not available through that website. A subset of the data (the IDX data) is available, and it is only available if one agrees to a license that forbids almost any sort of creative use of the data.

It's sad that you can't see how wrong you are. Sad, but unsurprising. After all, you've already admitted that you are willing to work against the wishes of your clients if your trade organization thinks it's better for you.

I assume you will have more useless spin pretending that you and J.R. are something other than customer-hostile leeches, but I will continue not to believe it.

Cameron
Realtor's are a monopoly, plain and simple. Glib answers by JR purporting that having Realtor.com means MLS isn't a de facto monopoly are just silly. In the end, it's the MLS that powers everything, including Realtor.com. Think of the MLS, the platform, as Microsoft Windows. There is no t even a threat for a Linux, Apple OS (for the tech geeks out there) because of the network effects that gives MLS its power also ensure that nothing will come close to replacing it. If it did, it would become another MLS!
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The fact is though, Cameron, that some of the information on the MLS is not to be shared with the public because of agency law. That includes days on the market. If I am working with a customer I am not supposed to tell them how long a house is on the market, that is client level information. In the remarks we may also say "bring all offers", "offer feel through" or even "accepted offer". This information is for other agents to use as they see fit, not for the public.

The local Chicago free public access to the MLS is posted below. You don't even need to walk into "the lion's den" by making a phone call. The Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois publishes a public website (and has for many years) with no fee, and no membership, or registration required.

You can also search the entire local MLS at our regional site http://www.coldwellbankeronline.com with no registration required.... FREE, FREE, FREE and have been able to for years. Cause that's just the kind of access we believe in.

I think that Cameron is just a troublemaker. Go find something by owner and hope that you don't overpay.

As a buyer, I want to see all I can see. As a seller, I would not authorize my property to be placed in mulitple listing databases if too much information was made available for every Tom, Dick and Harry to have at it. Push too hard and you will end up with nothing. I heard in some areas a few big brokers pulled out of mls already.