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

anyways

good luck

Fri Mar 21 2008, 14:19

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.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 13:52

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.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 13:00

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 sitehttp:// 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.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 10:37

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

Fri Mar 21 2008, 10:36

Cameron here is a different approach.
If you are a serious buyer in Chicago why dont you call up an agent and ask if there is a public site for mls in your area.
If there is, and you do not see what you need on that site, email the agent for supporting data you seek. Most agents are more than willing to help out with this type of information.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 09:37

harryp I like what you say about disclosure.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 08:54

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.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 08:43

I love a good thread, too... it's one of the things that makes Trulia somewhat addictive for me. And thanks for the TU... it'll help to counter the myriad of TDs I receive.

Does this mean if an agent/agency wanted to allow the public to search for listings that are in contract, pending sale, sold, basically anything that is not currently active, they could?
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Yes, on the MLS, but NO on our other sites... our main sites don't show anything other than active (sometimes even after they're under contract). But a direct answer to your question... COULD THEY?? Yes they COULD.

Are offers made and declined kept in MLS? (I don't believe this should be public data personally, but oh man, would I love to see it for some houses).
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I can't speak for all MLS, but in ours... NO... there is no indication as to whether or if a home has received a contract, declined or failed inspection... In fact we don't even share that information agent to agent... and it's definitely not in the MLS.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 07:16

This is a lively thread. Elvis, excellent post earlier (the one that starts with ... semantics ...), it received a thumbs up from me.

A follow up to the questions...
That's up to the individual agencies (Coldwell Banker, C21, ReMax) as to who they share their information with, and how they play well with others.
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Does this mean if an agent/agency wanted to allow the public to search for listings that are in contract, pending sale, sold, basically anything that is not currently active, they could?

Are offers made and declined kept in MLS? (I don't believe this should be public data personally, but oh man, would I love to see it for some houses).

Cameron's post is exactly my thoughts, only written in a much clearer and concise way.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 07:07

K,
Not all the data is at the court house. Asking price is not there, time on the market is not there, asking price reductions are not there and neither are days between contract and closing.

I agree with you that you have a right ot control the reports that can be run, and wanting to restrict it is fine, but you have to understand that a large part of the public thinks very poorly of realtors and the profession. Forbes publishes a report of jobs with the highest and lowest prestige and realtors are always in the latter group, and frequently on these forums, you see a ton of realtor bashing. People don't come here to vent, they come here because they're interested in real estate either a buyer and a seller and I think the general attitude is representative the general population. Part of this reason is stuff like this. This data is obviously easy to make available as many sites already do, and buyers know that realtors also have historical information, and the ability to look at recent local market trends that we cannot because we don't have access, so there is no way to know you're not being misled. Considering what is happening all over the country now with people feeling like they were misled by realtors, mortgage brokers, banks and everyone involved, having a protectionist attitude just adds fuel to a smoldering fire, IMO.

A few side questions....

Are realtors required to enter a listing they receive in the MLS? If so, who requires this?

Do sellers have to give you permission to enter their house in MLS? Is it common for sellers not to?

Who decides what data can appear on websites and what can't? Is this a local MLS thing or does the NAR have guidelines?

Thanks,
Zack

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:56

Richard:
J.R. I'd post anonymously as well, if I was as customer-hostile, argumentative, and unhelpful as you.

It's clear that you don't care, even slightly, about your clients or potential clients. It's clear that you don't care about the future of your profession. It's clear that your only interest is yourself, today.

You are, basically, the cartoon of the lousy real estate agent. "I know it's in my client's best interest to share this data, but who cares about that guy, I wanna be the gatekeeper to some data!"
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That's some opening salvo from someone who also has no personal data intheir profile. At least I have an email address where I can be contacted privately. And a very first post...oh my, been lurking all this time. You have no idea how helpful I have been on this forum. I've been very helpful but I am not a doormat, I also defend myself.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:54

We should be able to do what ever we want, because the world owes it to us.....
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You got it! Which is something I think about everytime I go to a seller who is upside down in their house... yet has a pool, two new cars, Waterford crystal, designer dog...

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:52

K - I was happy being a spectator in this thread but I just have to respond back after reading your thread

- The consumers on this thread aren't asking it for the whole kit-n-kaboodle free. You gotta pay to play. That's only fair.
- It's ironic that the I keep hearing arguments along the lines that we built this, thus we own it, thus we don't have share we don't want to. Fine as far as it goes. The irony is that internet you are using right now was developed by researchers for their own use in educational institutions.
- I believe eBay is a good analogy to use. They compile the listings, own the system, yet don't charge consumers to search the statuses or have varying levels of access to the data. People who aren't comfortable lising their own used clothing can hire an agent to do it. Granted that you can't compare the value of the most expensive purchase many consumers will make to the low-cost merchandise found on eBay but I just imagine if eBay had made it difficult for buyers to search for items by their status by keywords by brand etc. etc. etc.
- 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!
- The houses are a commodity and every commodity has an exchange to buy and sell it. MLS is the exchange for the houses. Yet, unlike any other exchange I can think of (NYSE, Nasdaq, CBOT, CBOE, etc..), MLS perpetuates information asymmetry in which its agents have more information than its consumers, kind of like the old days of having traders in the pit of the NYSE before their gatekeeper role got replaced by computers. I'd have to imagine that traders who made their living as gatekeepers probably didn't fair well in the long run. Traders who added value by synthesizing that data into proprietary insight would have been best positioned when that tide turned. Same for Realtors. The change is real and its coming. Realtors who don't make a living from strictly being gatekeepers will have the best chance to survive.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:50

Thankyew, Thankyew very much!

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:48

Elvis,
Nicely put....
Kudos to you!

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:47

Zack, we may be arguing semantics here...

I'll accept the fact that we own the "collection" of the data, but perhaps not the data. (not really sure what the distinction is, 'cause the sellers don't really own the data either... just because they own the house that has the "number of rooms"... and the sellers don't own the photos (we took them, we own them), nor do they own the "description" (i wrote it)... the "public record" is the "public record" neither of us owns it... we just include it (by law) in our collection... they just own the house described.

But I agree, holding the data "hostage" (as you call it) is a major part of what fuels the bad image.

Realtors were scared to death, when the internet became popular, fearing that meant the death knell for Realtors. In truth, the internet did a lot for making our clients "educated" and we've found that we now receive a real estate client 6-8 weeks further down the road, more educated and closer to their purchase.

Releasing the MLS (in a secure and limited version) can do the same thing, and yet many Realtors are afraid it'll be the death knell for Realtors. I don't believe it will... I believe it'll enhance our image and our business... but it may take a while to get there, and it may take some calmer heads (on both sides) who aren't "hating" and who aren't calling everything "idiotic", to get there.

We've made a lot of progress, and we're still progressing. I'd request your help and understanding, rather than inflammatory rhetoric that calls us consumer-hostile gatekeepers who aren't serving our clients interests.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:43

Zack,
I do educate my clients.....
There is a huge difference between customer and client..... general public and client...
My clients are in full disclosure on every home we see and if interested recieve the current and sold information on the home of interest and all of the homes in the area.
The difference is between client and other............
CLIENT being the key here.
My clients are very well educated and revieve above and behond thier expectations.

Fri Mar 21 2008, 06:37