Michael Wurzer Earlier this week, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman published a post titled Real Estate Brokers Can Coexist With National Portals by Changing the Way We Share Data. In that post, Kelman outlines several ways in which syndication of listing data can be improved. As has been advocated many times here on the FBS Blog, Kelman also asserts that brokers should “work together” and that they “have a framework in the MLSs” for fostering that cooperation.
Preceding this advice, our customer the Arizona Regional MLS has begun using the listing export functions in Flexmls to help brokers syndicate listings to selected sites. As ARMLS stated in announcing a new syndication option to Trulia:
As with any business decision, brokers must weigh the pros and cons of sending their listings to each destination. If the benefits of sending their listings to a publisher outweigh concerns they have, they will send the listings. If their concerns are too great, we would suggest the broker voice those concerns to the publisher, and if not satisfied with the outcome cease to send their listings there.
Providing brokers syndication options has been possible through Flexmls for a few years and we’re excited to see MLSs like ARMLS putting that functionality to use. FBS soon will be publishing a guide on how MLSs can set up these options within Flexmls and we’ll be conducting some webinars as well, so stay tuned.
P.S. For our MLS customers wanting to get a jump start, you can add export options under Admin/General/Listing Export. Just add a new syndication option and specify “opt out,” which will add this destination to the Export tab in Listing Maintenance, give brokers an option under their Preferences to control syndication to that destination, and add a special feed type to your RETS Manager which you can use to control the feed to the destination. Again, we’ll be publishing a guide detailing how this works soon, so stay tuned.