NAR tells sellers they don’t have to list on the MLS

“A point of contention around Clear Cooperation is the requirement that, in most cases, agents must submit a listing to the MLS within one business day of publicly marketing it. In its message to consumers, however, NAR appears to take a more flexible stance, telling sellers they do not have to market their home through the MLS, but still advising them to “discuss the pros and cons with your agent.” 

Real Estate News

If the National Association of REALTORS says it okay not for home sellers not to list on the MLS, then that’s the ballgame. CCP is dead.

REcore Announces Launch of MLS Buyer Registry: Addressing Compliance, Protecting Agents, and Streamlining Workflows

“MLSs are now tasked with ensuring compliance with buyer agency agreements, and we saw the opportunity to not only solve that problem but also add real value for agents,” said Katie Smithson, Chief Revenue Officer at REcore. “The MLS Buyer Registry provides more than just compliance – it introduces new ways for agents to manage buyer relationships, resolve disputes, and streamline their processes.”

REcore

Very clever. Agents fill out a form when they have a buyer’s agreement signed (no forms need to be uploaded). When a buyer reaches out to an agent to see a property, agents can quickly check if the buyer is already represented, verified by the digits of the buyer’s phone number (not a phone call), and make a decision. Simple. Each MLS will decide whether this is mandatory or not. The Buyer Registry can be linked from the MLS dashboard, through a link in the MLS system, or integrated further with REcore’s REcenterhub product. Full disclosure, I’m on the board of REcore.

What I like about this is that REcore isn’t trying to change the world. They see a need, have a simple solution, and have put it out there. I’ve often been critical of MLS organizations trying to become vendors, but this is an example of how they can succeed. It’s ‘scratching their own itch’ on a much larger scale.

I’m sure they’ll receive feedback from their MLS customers on what to improve, but the important thing is they are offering solutions. Too often, I see companies overthink their solutions. The best product managers are your customers. So just ship!