{"id":333,"date":"2006-09-14T11:25:30","date_gmt":"2006-09-14T18:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=333"},"modified":"2006-09-14T17:38:12","modified_gmt":"2006-09-15T00:38:12","slug":"ask-the-broker-why-would-an-mlsidx-system-forbid-commingling-with-listings-from-other-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/333\/ask-the-broker-why-would-an-mlsidx-system-forbid-commingling-with-listings-from-other-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask the Broker: Why would an MLS\/IDX system forbid commingling with listings from other sources . . . ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 MLS exclusivity.<\/a> I actually have a lot, lot, lot to say about MLS disintermediation — but not now. For now, I’d like to take a swing at the issue Trulia raises, treating it more seriously than they did.<\/p>\n

Here is the relevant rule from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listings Service’s IDX policies and procedures:<\/p>\n

12. An IDX Broker may not modify, enhance or manipulate a Shared Listing. In addition, listing information from other sources may not be combined with IDX Listings. For instance, property listings from other multiple listing services, for sale by owner properties and properties not in the MLS may not be combined with the IDX Database.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why would ARMLS have such a rule? I can offer some reasonable conjectures, but before I do, I should like to make a meta argument: Whether or not you agree with anything I might say, it remains that MLS systems have every right to make their own rules however they choose. If the rules make sense to the membership, they don’t have to make sense to you. In other words, quibbling with me, here, gets you nowhere.<\/p>\n

So why might an MLS IDX system forbid commingling with listings from other sources?<\/p>\n

How about to protect the MLS brand? Or to avoid confusion between fully-cooperating listings and de facto<\/i> exclusive listings? How about to preserve the cooperative system that is the sine qua non<\/i> of MLS listing?<\/p>\n

Here’s an even better reason: To maintain the quality level of displayed listings. We make fun of MLS listing quality, but egregious listings are funny precisely because they stand out<\/i> (which is what egregious means). MLS listings are amazingly detailed compared to FSBO or RealtyBot listings. The simplified ARMLS feed, which any agent can download on-line, contains 213 unique fields — and it excludes the photos, their captions, the virtual-tour link and Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 MLS exclusivity. I actually have […]<\/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":[12,3,4,6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-333","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-ask-the-broker","7":"category-blogging","8":"category-disintermediation","9":"category-marketing","10":"category-real-estate","12":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4104,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/4104\/clash-of-the-titans-women-shriek-and-children-cower-in-blood-spattered-suburban-enclaves-when-realtybots-collide\/","url_meta":{"origin":333,"position":0},"title":"Clash of the Titans: Women shriek and children cower in blood-spattered suburban enclaves — when Realty.bots collide…","author":"Greg Swann","date":"August 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"There's news and then there's news. Consider:A real estate industry study released today shows that most popular consumer real estate search engines, including Trulia, Zillow, Google and Yahoo!, offer home seekers only a small fraction of the homes actually available on the market -- and that many of the listings\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":2801,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2801\/zillowcom-makes-its-first-mls-wide-feed-agreement-and-in-the-process-disintermediates-its-first-idx-cartel\/","url_meta":{"origin":333,"position":1},"title":"Zillow.com makes its first MLS-wide feed agreement and, in the process, disintermediates its first IDX cartel","author":"Greg Swann","date":"March 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's the PR, which the vendor cheerleaders will have reported:*Leading real estate Web site Zillow.com and MLS Property Information Network today announced a partnership to feed listings from the New England area MLS to Zillow.com on a daily basis. This partnership initiates the first participation at the MLS level in\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":2531,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/2531\/is-roostcom-roosting-on-the-brass-ring-start-up-realtybot-comes-to-market-with-two-firsts-mls-listings-and-a-business-plan\/","url_meta":{"origin":333,"position":2},"title":"Is Roost.com roosting on the brass ring? Start-up Realty.bot comes to market with two firsts: MLS listings and a business plan","author":"Greg Swann","date":"January 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"What if somebody built a Realty.bot that seemed to make sense from Day 1? What kind of goof-ball strategy is that in the wacky world of Web 2.0? I don't know if Roost.com really has a business to bank on. The search.bot horizons are starting to look a little crowded.\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":8628,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8628\/truzilla-idx-na-rcom\/","url_meta":{"origin":333,"position":3},"title":"Truzilla IDX = N\/A R.Com?","author":"Ryan Hartman","date":"May 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was looking into whether or not Realtor.com was publishing scrapable rss feeds based on searches a few weeks ago, I also took a look to see if Trulia was doing the same thing. Sure enough, they are, but of course the quality and the diversity of the types\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/general\/"},"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":333,"position":4},"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":[]},{"id":8486,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/8486\/nar-board-sends-idx-policy-back-to-committee\/","url_meta":{"origin":333,"position":5},"title":"NAR Board Sends IDX Policy Back to Committee","author":"John Rowles","date":"May 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org\/2009\/05\/16\/nars-idx-rule-changes-need-more-study\/ For a few hours there, it looked like the NAR BOD was actually going to do the right thing. Then, the guy from Indianapolis stands up and says, in effect, \"Instead of doing the right thing, lets send this back to the rules committee so NAR members can enjoy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Real Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Real Estate","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/real-estate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333","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=333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}