Clareity Consulting is constantly researching new ideas for MLSs.  Our expert consultants are regularly engaged in the product management and development process with leading MLS vendors and home grown systems. Through end-user surveys, interaction with MLS executives and staff (80+ of top 100 MLSs have been clients of Clareity), our annual Workshop and attendance at MLS system sales demos, Clareity is constantly taking the pulse of the industry, in terms of what features are desired in an MLS system. But Clareity goes beyond this research, and is always looking ahead.

One of my favorite product-development related quotes is from Henry Ford, great automotive pioneer, who said, "If I had asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses." There's a lesson in that quote for MLSs that say, "We're member driven," and for MLS vendors too focused on the mantra, "We're customer driven." It's important to listen, but it's also important to innovate and lead.

Those who wish to keep the functionality of the MLS more limited may insist that the role of the MLS should be constrained to only those functions needed for the facilitation of cooperation and compensation between brokers. That is, of course, the core of the MLS, but it should also be recognized that the MLS is the core business platform for agents as well, and that the MLS may need to continue to expand to support their needs in a multitude of ways.

What has been described above may be of interest, perhaps may inspire, but it's up to you. We in this industry often passively ask ourselves and our peers, "What is the Future of MLS?"   I think we need to take a more active, thoughtful role. To reference a quote attributed to Allan Kay of Apple Computer, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it!" MLS vendors and regional MLS operators can create the future of MLS, both supporting and driving the way local and regional MLSs interact with each other and the rest of the industry, and enabling REALTORS® to interact with consumers in new ways, preserving and enhancing their value as well as the ongoing value of the MLS system itself.

About Clareity

Clareity Consulting was founded in 1996 to provide information technology consulting to the real estate industry and its related businesses.  Clareity Consulting provides clients an independent and unique perspective. Clareity has successfully executed a vast array of projects, including:

  • Request for Proposals (RFP) for MLS, public records, broker systems, and Transaction Management Systems (TMS)
  • Regionalization and data share facilitation
  • Contract negotiation
  • Information security and business continuity audits
  • Executive Recruiting and Placement
  • Project planning and management
  • Strategic planning
  • Software and system design and review
  • Software scalability testing
  • Mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances
  • Market research including surveys and focus groups
  • New product marketing and business plans
  • Product and integration specifications analysis

More information about Clareity Consulting is available at http://www.CallClareity.com

(Matt Cohen is Clareity Consulting's Chief Technologist. With a dozen years experience in real estate technology, Matt has spoken at many conferences, workshops and leadership retreats internationally and is a well-regarded real estate industry expert on software design, product management, project management, data center reliability, scalability, and information and network security.)