Jul. 31, 2006 - "MLS" Comment Spam
Below is a comment left on an April entry on my blog about MLS (multiple listing service.) The comment was left on the blog entry three times last week. The three comments were identical. The three comments had three links to a URL for a brokerage in Illinois, for a total of nine links to their website.
Inexpensive search engine optimization?
 My April entry "Search MLS"
My point was you are searching advertising derived from the MLS via IDX.
Alphabet soup!
re: "Search MLS"
Posted by Anonymous at 7:13 AM, Jul. 28, 2006
All links to the Illinois broker spammer's website have been removed
"What is MLS listing and how to get its membership? MLS listing is a database that allows a real estate broker representing a seller to widely share the information about the property for sale with real estate brokers representing buyers. It enables a real estate broker to list all the property he wants to sell to the potential buyers. The real estate broker can also retrieve all the information about the properties for sale in a particular area, whether listed by his own brokerage or others.
The MLS acts as an exchange for the real estate agents. But the realtors need to take membership to the MLS in order to put information or to collect information about the other real estate agents. Membership to MLS exchange is only for those people who are part of a trade union. A properly licensed broker, who chooses to neither join the trade association nor operate a business within the association’s rules, cannot join the MLS. Similarly, a person who is selling his/her own property cannot put up a listing directly into the MLS.
The realtors in United States can join the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in order to list their property on the MLS. But the NAR restricts the limit of information shown on the MLS by the real estate agents. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit, claiming that NAR’s policy restricts brokers from establishing websites that show home sellers information that is in the MLS. The DOJ's antitrust claims also include NAR rules that exclude certain kinds of brokers from membership in MLSs. *The real estate brokers in Canada can put their listing by membership to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).
There are alternatives available for MLS listing. There are websites which allow the licensed realtors or non-realtors to put up their property for sale as well as allow the prospective buyers to search for House/property, without any cost. "
It is spelled REALTORS®.
Real estate associations are not trade unions, they are trade associations.
Real estate is local. In some parts of the country you do not have to be a member of the local real estate board to be a member of the multiple listing service (MLS), south east US, and Washington State come to mind. Real estate licensing is on a state level. Real estate licensees do not have to become REALTORS® to sell real estate in any state that I know of. REALTORS® are members of the local association of REALTORS®, State associations and the National Association, NAR. The local boards, a trade association, does limit use of the multiple listing service to members. An MLS (multiple listing service) is not a public utility. There are brokers who have tried to become members of a local mls (multiple listing service) without being members of the local REALTOR® associations. Recent court cases in Wisconsin and Kentucky were decided in favor of the local and state REALTOR® associations. A third case in Florida was thrown out as the licensee passed away. The attorney could not find a licensee in the state of Florida to carry on the class action lawsuit against the local and state association of REALTORS®.
Anonymous wrote:
"There are websites which allow the licensed realtors or non-realtors to put up their property for sale as well as allow the prospective buyers to search for House/property, without any cost. "
Yes! Consumers committed to not paying real estate commissions to market their properties have lists they can put their properties on lists of homes offered for sale with out traditional real estate agents, without the Multiple Listing Service (MLS.) Consumers have choices.
There is no cost to search for "House/property" on http://MaureenMcCabe.com
There is no cost to search for "House/property" on http://www.ColumbusOHHomes4Sale.com
There is no cost to search for "House/property" on http://www.HERRealtors.com
Prospective buyers can search away at NO cost at many real estate websites across the US! Real estate is local.
Consumers can sell their own automobiles. Consumers who are selling their own automobiles don't expect local car dealers Ricart, Germain, MAG, etc. to let the sellers drop the car off on the dealers lot to let buyers view the car. We have CarMax in town now.... I don't think they will let me drop off my car and let me sell it on their lot either.
Maybe that is different in Illinois?
Many smart consumers choose traditional real estate companies that invest in using the internet to enhance their business like Real Living. Anonymous may want to familiarize himself, herself, botself (?) with some of the innovative real estate systems that were nominated as Innovators by Inman News! Lots of different business models were nominated. The internet offers so much more than just the opportunity to spread spam links to your website!!
Anonymous wrote:
*The real estate brokers in Canada can put their listing by membership to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)."
Move to Canada?
Copyright 2006 Columbus Best Blog and Maureen McCabe
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Columbus Best Blog is not even really a real estate blog. I don't want to solve all the problems in the real estate world locally much less nationally. So thanks Gene (and the other RT bloggers... you know who you are) for all your help. 
