In my June 10 post entitled “The Future of MLS – A Series of Posts,” I reacquainted you with the “Six Guiding Principles” for MLS created by the California Association of REALTORS (CAR) MLS Working Group and adopted by the CAR Board of Directors (BOD) in September of 2005. These Guiding Principles are an important piece to your understanding the direction that CAR is moving.

In January of 2007, the Working Group, as requested by the CAR BOD, developed a general document outlining two possible directions that would incorporate much of the “Six Guiding Principles” and define the future of MLS in California (and possibly beyond).

1. Statewide Data Aggregation or a

2. Statewide MLS

Over the last few years, three areas of California have been working on aggregation and/or consolidation of MLS data, moving toward greater MLS access for more licensees over greater geographic areas. These areas are known as:

1. CDU (Los Angeles and vicinity)

2. NCREX (San Jose, Silicon Valley, East Bay and surrounding areas), and

3. Quattro (San Francisco, North Bay, and Sacramento).

Each of the above is taking a different approach to the job of preparing their MLS for the future.
At the CAR Board of Directors meetings in Sacramento in early June, the BOD passed the following significant motions. There should be no doubt that the future of MLS is being transformed. Where it leads is another question. Why it is seen as necessary is another story.

Here are the motions:

1. That prior to the issuance of an RFP for Information Engineering, C.A.R. will meet with the current groups (NCREX, Quattro, and CDU) to review in depth their technical work and to maximize use of their work product in the Statewide Information Engineering effort.

2. That C.A.R. authorize up to $500,000 for the Information Engineering effort necessary to facilitate the development of either a Statewide Data Aggregation and/or a Statewide MLS, accelerating the implementation of either plan.

3. That C.A.R. develop more detailed implementation plans for both a Statewide Data Aggregation Service and a Statewide MLS which will be presented for consideration in October. It is understood that participation in either plan will be voluntary.

4. A motion from the floor of the Board of Directors was referred to the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, that the MLS Working Group accomplish two additional goals:

a. Hire a consultant or consultants to advise C.A.R. on how to be more Web 2.0 enabled, how to build a website that will drive, capture and serve consumers on a statewide aggregated data site or statewide MLS site, and build this into a strategic portion of the business plan.

b. Evaluate the feasibility of creating a C.A.R. statewide website that is consumer driven utilizing current IDX data feeds which can be up and running very quickly and not years out.

In future posts we will discuss the above Motions and also further define the 3 areas in California already moving forward and what exactly they are doing, knowing that a possible step forward would be these 3 entities to combine the access to their respective data.
Saul

Saul Klein
President/CEO, InternetCrusade