Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Art Carter talks data consolidation


 
“If the MLS industry had a face, that face would have a facial tick – because it’s always threatened by something or someone.”

With such constant scrutiny, you’ve got to have a pretty thick skin in the MLS business. And if your goal is to consolidate, let’s say the listings for the entire state of California, you’d better be even tougher. Today’s guest on Listing Bits faces such across-the-board resistance daily as he works to convince real estate professionals that giving up a little local control is worth it in the long run.

Art Carter is the CEO of California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (CRMLS), providing products and services to over 82,000 subscribers. CRMLS works to connect real estate professionals throughout the state of California via access to the most data at the lowest cost possible.

Carter spent nine years working for the Pacific West Association of Realtors as they pushed the envelope on innovation and brought the association world to a new level before moving to CRMLS in 2005. For the past 11 years, he has been dedicated to making a difference in the daily lives of Real Estate Professionals. He is best known for leading the data share revolution in Southern California.

Carter has been named one of Inman News’ 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders twice, and he is a member of the Dr. Almon R. “Bud” Smith, RCE, AE Leadership Society in recognition of dedicated service and commitment to advancing the association management profession. Listen in as he shares the progress CRMLS has made toward listings consolidation in California.

What’s Discussed: 

The disparity between consumers and agents/brokers when it comes to data access
How agents and brokers respond to the prospect of listings consolidation
The unraveling of CALRED
The history of CARETS
The advantages of data shares over an aggregated database
Why CRMLS seeks to consolidate listings for the entire state of California
The politics preventing consolidation
Where the resistance to consolidation comes from
The progress CRMLS is making toward consolidation
– From 21,013 members in 2005 to 82,037 today
– Working to grow another 10% this year
The benefit of implementing a ‘system of choice’
– Eliminates the need to convert
– Allows agents to access data with the tool they prefer
Solutions for the permissioning issue
– Unified contracts
– Online process
Why the MLS industry itself should resolve the permissioning issue
The primary purpose of the MTP Project
Carter’s advice for MLSs seeking to consolidate
– Build relationships
– Consider every ‘no’ a ‘not yet’

Connect with Art Carter:

CRMLS Website

Tipping point for Cali MLS consolidation?

Gregg Larson, of Clareity Consulting, thinks so….
MLS Consolidation in Southern California – Finally?

“I recently had the privilege of being on the “MLS Symposium” program to talk about MLS trends and the future of MLS held in northern San Diego and I saw first-hand how ready the brokers there are for their MLS to merge with CRMLS. Normally I don’t discuss these types of meetings on the blog, but between the news stories about the legal conflict in San Diego and the video of the event that has been released, it seems like the right thing to do.”

The video put together by Jim Klinge (local San Diego REALTOR) is a must watch.

Slow and steady…

Message from Art Carter from August Partners on Vimeo.

Andrea Brambila reporting for Inman News.
The nation’s biggest MLS gets even biggerCalifornia Regional MLS takes another step toward becoming a statewide entity

“As part of their agreements with CRMLS, the North Bay Association of Realtors and the Marin Association of Realtors will be offering CRMLS’s MLS service to their combined 4,500 members. The North Bay association covers Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties while the Marin association covers Marin County.

Members of the two associations currently belong to broker-owned MLS Bay Area Real Estate Information Service (BAREIS). Brokers and their agents will have the option of staying with BAREIS, switching to CRMLS, or belonging to both MLSs.”

It’s interesting to see CRMLS take a less dogmatic approach to their goal of a state-wide MLS, they just try to find a way to win, market by market.

Art Carter…

“Given the slow-moving nature of politics, we absolutely want to respect local marketplaces’ wishes, but we do feel the whole entire state should be served by a single database that contains every listing in the state of California.”

He believes it will happen someday. “Whether it’s through our efforts or some of the other initiatives going on, I believe at some point the brokerage community will get what they want and need out of aggregated data,” he said.”

I want to believe that brokers see this, but listening the various Upstream panels it seems that aggregating all market data is something that might be a casualty if half the market is on Upstream and other is not.

Art again…

“There is a better way. There is the possibility of tearing down these borders. We’re not going to go anyplace that we’re not asked, but I think brokers and agents up and down the state need to know there are solutions to the pains that they’re facing and if they find those solutions viable, they need to talk to the leadership of their local associations,” he said.

I still think the ItsMyBusiness campaign is well executed, its more about “listing access” than CRMLS. Smart.

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