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© Copyright 2003, IRED.com, Inc.
Consumers May Weigh in
on MLS Listings Access
Pat Rioux
As the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Mid-Year Meeting convenes, it
may seem as though everyone involved in the real estate industry has had
time to weigh in on the hotly debated issue of VOWs (Virtual Office
Websites) and the recent push for broker opt out provisions.
There is a group that did not weigh in on the matter nor were they asked how
they feel about the proposed changes in access to the Multiple Listing
Service (MLS) -consumers. Home buyers and sellers may have the most to lose
by the new policy and they now have a chance to weigh in on the issues.
RECALL, the Real Estate Consumer Alliance, an ad hoc coalition of real
estate consumer advocates, has addressed the information gap and has
announced an online petition drive to gather consumer opposition to the
proposed policy changes scheduled for a vote this week at the Mid-Year
meeting of the National Association of REALTORS.
Bill Wendel, spokesperson and owner of the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based
Real Estate Café, said, "The proposed changes are clearly anti-consumer and
anti-competitive. Consequently, I urge the National Association of REALTORS
(NAR) to enable their members to act in the best interest of their customers
and clients by preserving their ability to distribute and access the entire
inventory of MLS listings online. I urge the NAR to reject the proposed
changes at their annual convention in Washington, DC, May 15 to 17, 2003."
The fate of VOWs have been discussed, analyzed, and debated over the last
few years as the association directors and members wrestled with various
policy options on whether or not the listing broker could choose to opt out
of the MLS. Some say it is an industry issue and consumers have no say in
the matter. Others feel that the sellers will lose out because they will
not be advised that their properties are not being exposed to online buyers
who, in turn, will not be able to learn about the listings even when they
agree to provide their contact information to brokers.
The online petition created by RECALL, Protect Consumer Access to Real
Estate Listings, is a last-minute, grassroots effort to let consumers
register their wishes to protect access to the listings data and has the
support of Stephen Brobeck of the Consumer Federation of America, Bruce Hahn
of American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, Nancy Seats, Homeowners Against
Deficient Dwellings, LaLa Wang of MLX.com, Becky Swann of IRED, and a number
of buyer agency representatives including Tom Hathaway, The Buyers Agent,
Leo Berard, Buyer Brokers of Cape Cod, Barry Miller, Buyers Only America
Realty and Andrew Show, Buyer's Resource Realty Services, President-Elect,
National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.
Pat Rioux
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