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Tri-Valley real estate brokers, agents and appraisers have formed an alliance with peers throughout north-central California for shared access to data in their respective multiple listing services (MLSs), according to the Pleasanton-based Bay East Association of Realtors.
Launched this week, the NORCAL MLS Alliance creates a one-stop, single-login access to thousands of property listings in more than 20 counties from the greater Bay Area and Silicon Valley down as far south as Monterey County and up as far north as Mendocino and Nevada counties.
“What this means for homebuyers and sellers is expanded property listing search options and more marketing exposure for their properties,” officials said in a joint press release ahead of Wednesday’s public unveiling.
Efficiency and usability were at the heart of the partnership, according to Walt Baczkowski, CEO of the San Francisco Association of Realtors.
“This collaboration, along with new innovations in MLS technology, enables us to provide our members and subscribers with easier access to a familiar platform and comprehensive data from neighboring markets,” Baczkowski said in a statement. “The simplicity of a single-login, single-pay MLS membership/subscription gives real estate professionals comprehensive access to more data.”
“This alliance is a win-win for local MLSs and their participants and subscribers as it builds on a collaborative history of data sharing initiatives and also allows each individual MLS to continue providing localized governance and services,” he added.
The NORCAL MLS Alliance, which includes seven member organizations’ MLSs representing 22 counties, grew out of the existing MLS reciprocal access model and aims to improve and expand up on it. The alliance will support more than 55,000 brokers and agents when fully implemented, officials said.
In addition to the benefits of expanded data access, the users will see a reduction in the number of “data feeds necessary to run their businesses and eliminate the need for multiple entry of listings into various regional MLS systems, saving time and money,” officials said.
The alliance will unite four separate MLS operating systems and databases — Rapattoni, Black Knight’s Paragon, dynaConnections’ connectMLS System, and CoreLogic’s Matrix systems. Lockbox and key systems, rules and protocols will not change, and coverage areas will maintain separate key codes, according to officials.
The alliance will include properties in Alameda, Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus and Yolo counties.
To learn more, visit www.norcalmlsalliance.com.
This huge market data sharing is something many of us Realtors have wanted for decades. We used to have to join out-of-area boards, pay multiple annual membership fees to those boards, and overcome parochial attitudes naturally inherent to local fiefdoms. On balance this massive new consolidation seems to be a good thing for us.
No doubt there will be problems that still need to be addressed.
Mind you, this is primarily benefiting the residential markets from single family to maybe 4 units.
We can list and sell a lot more than residential.
We can list anything including residential, multifamily, lots, land, horse property, farm land, industrial development lands and buildings, industrial, oil and gas rights, leasehold interests only, mineral rights (Gold mines anyone? How about some incorporeal hereditaments held in gross?) water rights, commercial, business opportunities, air rights, rentals and leases in each of those broader categories, and anything that legally falls under a real estate interest physically domiciled in California.
From a practical standpoint the real estate boards all need to do a huge amount of real estate board to real estate board diplomacy to raise the bar on data sharing in these other categories. Some of these other marketing areas (other than residential properties) are controlled by private near-monopolies that want to force us to pay huge yearly fees to them.
Affiliate members do not have to be licensed Realtors. They nearly need to perceive themselves as serving our real estate markets (I think). They join as affiliates not as members. They pay us fees to join as affiliates not members. They seem to migrate into positions of influence. They are often big financially powerful NYSE and/or NASDAQ listed entities. The jury is still out as to whether their participation in our boards as affiliates will be a good thing for little individual Realtor.
On balance I think we are slowly making progress that better serves the public and helps the little Realtor.