Larry Cragun posted yesterday on a Pittsburgh report that applying for a home loan could result in the sale of your personal information. What about listing your property in the MLS?
I got a call yesterday on my cell phone. Hello, this is Kris Berg. The surprised voice on the other end said, “Oh, you’re the agent. I was trying to reach the owners”. Why? “I am from (ABC Moving Company). I see that they sold their home, and we want to set up a time to give them a quote. I will just find their number somewhere else.” Click. Dial tone.
I could kick myself for not remembering the name of the company or saving the phone number. I want to report them. Now I know that last time I moved, I got a daily mailbox full of generous offers to sell me everything from moving services to mini-storage space to new living room furniture, but I didn’t stop to question how they might have been tipped off to my impending relocation. My address was not a secret, nor was the fact that my home was in escrow. What bothered me in this instance was that someone, who I can only presume was not a licensed agent, had access to the MLS printout for my client’s pending listing. Since this home was a “call listing agent to show” situation, they could have only gotten that information through MLS access.
We have “agent” printouts and “client” printouts of MLS listings, with the latter excluding the personal information of the sellers and the confidential remarks, for very good reason. Confidential remarks often include things such as gate codes, security system codes for disarming, and other personal information which is not considered appropriate for public consumption. While listing information can be found in many, many other places than through the local MLS, the personal information including client phone number can only be found there. In this case, the helpful service provider either was given the information by an agent (a big Board no-no), was licensed themself and was using this information to (illegally?) solicit business, or someone is out there selling these lists. In any event, I find it troubling. I would be curious to know if anyone out there has had a similar experience or can shed some light the subject.
Brian Brady says:
Kris:
I’ll share some inside info with you about the MLS content. It’s easy to get.
Now, maybe the moving company drove by the For Sale sign and cross referenced the owner’s information. The call to you might have been an honest mistake.
I doubt it. The former conclusion (illegal use of MLS data) is much more likely.
January 6, 2007 — 11:02 am
Kris Berg says:
Brian, I know it wasn’t an honest mistake, because if they had bagged my number from the sign, they wouldn’t have been surprised to hear me answer the phone! I, for one, rarely put my client’s home phone number on the yard sign. 🙂
Now, explain how MLS content is “easy to get” unless someone is giving it to you.
January 6, 2007 — 11:35 am
John says:
And THAT is why there will never be a free-for-all national MLS that Zillow and others are trying to create. Imagine if you’re the homeowner who wants to list a house for sale. You either exclude all personal info and make it very hard for interested buyers to reach you, or you list personal info and get to deal with this crap.
At least with realtors, there’s a central body regulating all that info, takes care of licensing to access it, and hands out fines to those who break the rules.
January 6, 2007 — 1:06 pm
David Saks says:
The swindlers can also search the county registers database, on-line, for social security numbers embedded in mortgage documents, deeds of trust, quit claim, etc., unless legislation has been passed and enacted in the host state or county to begin the process of document redaction for security, which few do because of the massive undertaking it involves. 🙁
January 6, 2007 — 1:14 pm
Kris Berg says:
John, All that!
January 6, 2007 — 1:57 pm
Brian Brady says:
You nailed it, Kris. It’s given to you (or me in this case). Many Realtors disregard their contract with the board and hand those codes out like water.
I’ve heard stories of mortgage originators joing the board for the sole purpose of obtaining the MLS info.
January 6, 2007 — 5:27 pm
Jeff W says:
MLS information can be easily accessable if not properly controlled by the local board. In the city that I live in, the board controls MLS ftp access (this is how mls listings are updated on websites) to ten approved web design companies. Years ago, any webdesigner who was working on a website for local board member was given the ftp information. It didn’t take long before one of these webdesigners were selling listing expiration dates to other realtors in the area. Hence, now only a limited number of companies are given the MLS ftp information and they are closely watched.
January 7, 2007 — 5:23 pm