On Fair Input Guidelines

Mitch Skinner of the law firm Larson Skinner did a wonderful post on their website that drafted a framework around MLS Fair Input Guidelines. This is a major topic for our nation's MLSs and it is time for collaboration and thought leadership.

Let me begin by complimenting Skinner on his efforts. If you have not seen the post, you may want to buzz over and look at A Conversation About Fair Input Guidelines before contemplating this article.

First of all, it is probably helpful to frame the conversation a little bit by defining what Fair Input Guidelines is all about. Since the very early days of multiple listing services, brokers (called MLS participants) and agents (called subscribers) have had alternatives on how listing information was contributed to the MLS for the purposes of cooperation and compensation. Listing input was first done by association or MLS staff. Listing brokers would bring in listing sheets and drop them off. Over time, they dropped off photos too. As MLSs systems evolved, brokers could fax in their data, and eventually send files via email. Along the way, direct listing input to the MLS database emerged.

There is a requirement that brokers contribute their listings to the MLS – but the method is not necessarily singular. There are many MLSs that allow broker feeds. Last time I checked, Delaware brokerage Patterson Schwartz continues to provide a data feed to their MLS. Until a recent MLS conversion, Ebby Halliday Realtors of Dallas region also followed this process. Broker data feeds to MLSs are not a new thing.

Many MLSs have also developed alternative listing input software that is separate from the MLS system. MRIS/BrightMLS developed Keystone listing input. Zillow purchased Bridge Interactive, the listing input system popular in Atlanta, where data is entered once and published to both Georgia MLS and FMLS at the same time. NorthstarMLS in Minnesota used Bridge but recently cut over to an in-house solution. External listing input software is not a new thing.

Another way that MLSs ingest data is from other MLS systems. This happens during a system conversion when the MLS software is running in parallel. Data is entered into one system and imported into the new system until members have had a chance to acclimate. After awhile, listing input moves over to the new system. This is usually the same process used in data sharing too. When MLSs exchange data with others, the data is not keyed in twice. Rather, a data connection is set up between the sharing MLSs. The largest data share was CARETS in Los Angeles whereby a handful of MLSs were sharing data. Again, this is not new.

These three circumstances warrant the conversation about fair input.

To be clear, there are no technical barriers facing MLSs to accept listings from another database. The only reason why an MLS would not want to accept a broker data feed is political. Brokers are still held to the high standard of listing compliance regardless of how the data gets into the MLS.

A Real Problem

Would you believe that most MLSs do not have documentation on their listing requirements? Most of the large MLSs do, but that is about it. I would be willing to wager that fewer than 50 MLSs can hand the broker a document with all of their fields, all of the field enumerations, and their business rules.

Moreover, some MLSs believe that their data schema and business rules are their intellectual property that the broker is not permitted to know! I am fine with the IP. In fact, I would insist upon it as a participating broker in an MLS. Without copyrighting the data schema, the MLS is limited in their ability to protect the data from theft. Every MLS has a unique selection, compilation, and arrangement. That's good. But broker participants and their appointed technology vendors should be permitted to use the schema for the purposes of entering listings using a data feed.

Our industry is built around the spirit of collaboration. For our MLSs to thrive, they need to work together to develop solutions that benefit everyone. If our MLSs are disparate one-off stepchildren that cannot socialize with other MLSs or their brokers, our industry will remain a disassociated and broken foundation. Please review Mr. Skinner's thoughts. Discuss them in your broker groups and MLS forums. Join in the process of collaboration to make MLS great. Let's Be Better!

Skinner outlines thoughtful guidelines – read them here.

To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.