{"id":1472,"date":"2007-05-25T11:08:10","date_gmt":"2007-05-25T18:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=1472"},"modified":"2007-05-25T09:57:58","modified_gmt":"2007-05-25T16:57:58","slug":"mls-ad-crackdown-a-waste-of-time-expert-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1472\/mls-ad-crackdown-a-waste-of-time-expert-says\/","title":{"rendered":"MLS ‘ad’ crackdown a waste of time, expert says"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is me in today’s Arizona Republic<\/i><\/a> (permanent link<\/a>):<\/p>\n

MLS ‘ad’ crackdown a waste of time, expert says<\/b><\/p>\n

Here’s an interesting conundrum: MLS rules forbid one broker from advertising another’s listings without permission. The question is this: What is advertising?<\/p>\n

At first blush, you might say that advertising is paid space or time in a publication or on a broadcasting outlet and that the rule is devised to prevent Broker Paul from advertising Broker Peter’s listings as if they were his own.<\/p>\n

Surely it would be sleazy of Broker Paul to do that, but the rule itself is not without stain. Why wouldn’t Broker Peter want free advertising for his listings?<\/p>\n

Because he wants to maximize his chances for representing both the seller and the buyer, taking commissions from both.<\/p>\n

With the advent of the Internet, though, things are getting more complicated. Zillow.com, the Seattle-based real estate portal, will permit anyone, including Realtors, to announce that a particular home is for sale. Is this advertising another broker’s listings?<\/p>\n

Seattle’s Redfin.com, a discount brokerage, built weblogs devoted to reviews of listed homes. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service has ordered the company to shut these sites down, assessing a $50,000 fine, claiming that the property reviews are advertising.<\/p>\n

Two points to consider: First, nothing prevents ordinary people from saying whatever they choose, subject to libel laws, about a property. The only people to be restrained from speaking are MLS members, who presumably have the most information to share.<\/p>\n

Secondly, these conversations will go on.<\/p>\n

The Internet massively reduces the cost of sharing and acquiring information. The natural course of events for net-savvy consumers is to obtain as much information as possible before buying or selling anything.<\/p>\n

Truly, resistance to this indefatigable quest for information is futile. So, smart vendors embrace it.<\/p>\n

When you shop for a book on Amazon.com, at the bottom of the page you will find reviews by ordinary people, some positive, some negative — and the reviews themselves are rated by other users.<\/p>\n

If Realtors, through the MLS, elect to exclude themselves from Net-based conversations about particular properties for sale, they will hurt no one but themselves.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Technorati Tags: disintermediation<\/a>, real estate<\/a>, Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is me in today’s Arizona Republic (permanent link): MLS ‘ad’ crackdown a waste of time, expert says Here’s an interesting conundrum: MLS rules forbid one broker from advertising another’s listings without permission. The question is this: What is advertising? At first blush, you might say that advertising is paid space or time in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,5,19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-disintermediation","7":"category-marketing","8":"category-real-estate","9":"category-technology","11":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1444,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1444\/by-withholding-the-secrets-of-the-mystical-mls-system-are-we-betraying-the-home-buyers-interests\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":0},"title":"By withholding the secrets of the mystical MLS system are we betraying the home-buyer’s interests?","author":"Greg Swann","date":"May 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"In all my spare time, I've been working over the past few days on a real estate porn movie. The film features pictures from hundreds of homes, with loads of juicy details. We took the photos over the course of years, so it's entirely possible that some of those homes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Enduring Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Enduring Interest","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/enduring-interest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2392,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2392\/a-bolt-from-the-blue-for-the-ftc\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":1},"title":"A Bolt From the Blue for the FTC","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"December 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I have to agree with the FTC 's initial action but for all the wrong reasons. And I don't agree with them now pursuing the case further. A few days ago a Judge dismissed the complaint filed by the FTC against a Detroit area Multiple Listing Service. The position of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"bold from the blue","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/bold%20from%20the%20blue.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":333,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/333\/ask-the-broker-why-would-an-mlsidx-system-forbid-commingling-with-listings-from-other-sources\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":2},"title":"Ask the Broker: Why would an MLS\/IDX system forbid commingling with listings from other sources . . . ?","author":"Greg Swann","date":"September 14, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Giving my prominent proboscis a good hard tweak, a certain pseudonymous Scarlet Pimpernelesque semi-retired real estate weblogger asks: \"Are you trying to say that the MLS' are not fascist dictatorships???\" The question refers to a weblog entry I posted last night chastising Trulia Blog for hyperbole in its complaints about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask the Broker"","block_context":{"text":"Ask the Broker","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/ask-the-broker\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":908,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/908\/nar-doj-russ-russell-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":3},"title":"NAR & DOJ – Russ & Russell Part 2","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"January 16, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Russ Cofano responded: Russell, I appreciate the opportunity to chat with you on this subject. First, my comments should not be taken to mean that I support the DOJ's position and hope that they win. Nor do I necessarily support the NAR position with its rulemaking. As I have said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":896,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/896\/nar-doj-russ-russell-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":4},"title":"NAR & DOJ – Russ & Russell Part 1","author":"Russell Shaw","date":"January 15, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Russ Cofano responded: Hi Russell, Happy to add some background here. You ask, \"But aren't the \"anti-competitive policies\" basically who has the right to decide how and where listings will be displayed?\" Kinda. The initial DOJ complaint against NAR revolved around NAR's initial Virtual Office Website (VOW) policy that allowed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disintermediation"","block_context":{"text":"Disintermediation","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/disintermediation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":647,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/647\/new-nar-policy-allows-objective-exclusion-of-certain-listings-from-members-presentations-of-idx-feeds\/","url_meta":{"origin":1472,"position":5},"title":"New NAR policy allows “objective” exclusion of certain listings from members’ presentations of IDX feeds . . .","author":"Greg Swann","date":"November 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the news from NARdiGras -- from RealEstateJournal.com:A revised policy approved by the National Association of Realtors this week may make it harder for discount brokers to draw attention to homes they list for sale. The policy, approved by directors of the trade group at a convention in New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}