Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Santanu Barua from VestaPlus: Why your Next MLS Won’t Look Like Today’s

The Listing Bits podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson talks with Santanu Barua, CTO of Vesta Plus, the tech platform owned by the Combined LA/Westside MLS (CLAW), about his path into MLS tech, the Checkmate compliance product, and Vesta Plus’s approach to AI and MCP servers.

Key Takeaways

  • Vesta Plus is a wholly owned subsidiary of CLAW, licensing its homegrown MLS tech to other MLSs since 2018
  • Santanu’s path: EE/CS at University of Houston → mortgage tech at Countrywide (2001–06) → MLS technology since 2006
  • Checkmate, born from a talk with former CLAW COO Gigi Marina, catches violations input rules can’t (bad remarks, photo violations via computer vision) and automates follow-up
  • Products are built modular/extensible so tools like Checkmate can later be sold to other MLSs
  • Vesta Plus has its own MCP server, launching soon to members — part of the “headless MLS” trend (Flex MLS/FBS also offers this)
  • Data access runs through a controlled API layer, not direct database access, for security
  • Greg pitches a “16 core fields + AI chat for everything else” MLS interface idea
  • They discuss a possible marketplace for member-built AI tools, like custom GPTs
  • New public-facing site (in development ~6 months) will let the public search agents and listings, with agents controlling how much history/testimonials they show
  • Santanu’s AI philosophy: build deliberately on existing data strengths, prioritize security over speed

Contact Santanu: santanu@themls.com

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

MLS data isn’t perfect.
It never has been.

And when it’s off, everything downstream feels it. Pricing gets shaky. Comparables get questionable. Agents spend more time double-checking than moving deals forward.

That’s why CheckMate stands out.

VestaPlus is focused on cleaning things up, catching errors earlier and tightening data before it spreads. It’s the kind of work that sits in the background but makes everything else run better.

It’s also getting some recognition. CheckMate was recently named to the 2026 Tech100 for its approach to improving MLS data integrity, you can read more about that here:
VestaPlus’s CheckMate Software Secures 2026 Tech100 Honors

Not flashy. Just necessary.

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus MLS is an all-in-one MLS system. With greater mobility, flexibility, speed, and innovation than other “big MLS” vendors.

Take your association and MLS to the max. 

Customized to work the way real estate professionals work. Whether it’s desktop or mobile, with VestaPlusTM MLS, you have an intuitive MLS system that’s agent-proven and loved by consumers.

My thanks again to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

Nobody gets into the MLS business because they love compliance. It lives in policy manuals and staff workflows…invisible, until something breaks.

A broker questions inconsistent enforcement. Bad data circulates. Two similar listings get treated differently, and suddenly…boom… everyone has an opinion.

The real risk isn’t a single bad listing. It’s the slow erosion of confidence in whether enforcement is fair, consistent, or even possible at scale.

That’s why I paid attention when ARMLS chose CheckMate. ARMLS isn’t prone to shiny-object decisions — when they adopt operational infrastructure, it’s deliberate and worth understanding why.

What CheckMate offers: daily listing scans instead of periodic sweeps, AI-assisted photo review, centralized violation and fine tracking, and configurable rules aligned to each MLS’s specific policies.

None of that is flashy. That’s the point.

Consistency protects credibility. When enforcement feels predictable, complaints go down. When data quality improves, confidence in the marketplace follows.

Compliance done well fades into the background. Done poorly, it becomes the headline.

Most MLS leaders would strongly prefer the former.

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month of Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus™ for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month.

VestaPlus continues to push practical innovation in MLS technology with tools that help MLSs and agents work more efficiently and deliver better service to their members and clients. They offer a full suite of MLS solutions, including the VestaPlus™ MLS system, MLSGo™ mobile app, MarketSnap™, ShowingsPlus™, SearchPlus™, and CheckMate™ compliance software, all built with an emphasis on speed, usability, and real-world workflows.

This month I want to spotlight CheckMate™, their AI-powered compliance platform that’s gaining traction nationally with MLSs of all sizes. CheckMate not only flags potential listing policy issues, it uses machine learning and automation to help teams maintain data accuracy and streamline compliance workflows, reducing manual work while keeping listing data cleaner and more reliable.

If you haven’t looked at their stack recently, now’s probably a good time.

My thanks again to them for sponsoring Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus™ for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month. 

Check out ShowingPlus. Schedule and manage property showings with ease. Master your agent-to-agent communications so showings become closings! Check out the video below to find out more:

My thanks again to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month of Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus™ for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month. 

VestaPlus is a premier MLS technology provider dedicated to delivering innovative, intuitive solutions that empower real estate professionals and streamline MLS operations. Its comprehensive suite of products — including VestaPlus™ MLS, ShowingPlus™, SearchPlus™, MarketSnap™, and CheckMate™ 

I wanted to highlight MarketSnap this week. With MarketSnap (formerly Neighborhood SnapShot) agents can access real-time property data to educate their clients on today’s market conditions with one of real estate industry’s most flexible analytics tool. Check out this short video below:

My thanks again to them for sponsoring Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

If you haven’t heard VestaPlus recently announced a new hire, Jennifer Rosenblatt.

Jennifer has a diverse background in sales and marketing roles selling proprietary software, drawing from her eight years of experience in franchise and software sales, and her depth of experience working with print media and magazine sales

If you are attending the RESO conference this week and want to schedule a meeting with Jennifer just click here.

My thanks again to VestaPlus for sponsoring Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

VESTAPlus is an all-in-one MLS system, customized to work the way real estate professionals work. Whether it’s desktop or mobile, with VestaPlusTM MLS, you have an intuitive MLS system that’s agent-proven and loved by consumers.

And don’t forget CheckMate. CheckMate™ automatically detects listing violations and notifies agents. More data compliance with less effort, how great is that? 

Start each day with listing violations sorted and notices and fines ready to go.  Our smart AI detects violations in your photos.

Winner of HousingWire Real Estate Tech 100 Award 2024.

My thanks again to VestaPlus.

VestaPlus’s Checkmate adds new partner

VestaPlus™ and Staten Island Board of REALTORS® Collaborate to Propel Real Estate Data Compliance with Checkmate™

“Sandy Krueger, CEO of Staten Island MLS, said “Data integrity is the key to the service we provide to our subscribers and the consumers they serve. We look forward to enhancing our services using Checkmate™ and we are pleased with the working relationship we have already established with VestaPlus™.”

Annie Ives, CEO of VestaPlus™, shared, “We are excited to support Staten Island MLS with their goals of enhancing MLS data accuracy and streamlining internal processes.”

SIBOR and VestaPlus

VestaPlus is making some moves!

Sponsored By MLS Reset