On Compensation for Listing Data

Jay Thompson
Published: 01/30/2012
Posted by: Thompsons Realty

Jay Thompson provides this perspective on the latest news about listing syndication:

I’ve read (and participated in) many discussions about ARG Abbott Realty Group pulling their listings from national syndication sites over the past 24 hours.

A recurring theme keeps coming up.

It is another point the “anti-syndication” crowd tends to rally around, and another point I don’t understand.

“Agents and brokers deserve compensation for their listing data.”

“In the information age, Agent’s listings data are Valuable, and they need compensation for it.”

“That listing data is valuable. They should pay us for it!”

Syndication sites take listing data “without compensation to the brokers, agents, photographers and videographers who create, pay for and own the content.”