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.