MLS News

MLS Books As the large size of the residential MLS book (due to high inventory) and the decreasing number of subscribers continue to inflate the cost per book, the decision was made to split the book content and print on alternate weeks. Thus, a book with single family homes will be published one week and a book with condos and fee simple homes will publish the next week, and so on. Both books will include an index only of new listings since last publication. This change should be in place by January 1, 2006 -- sooner if possible.

Wolfnet Technology selected as CBR sole provider of IDX services MLS Street Abbreviations

IDX Guidelines to be enforced

IDX (Internet Data Exchange) is synonymous with the concept of broker reciprocity by which brokers mutually agree to allow display of their listings on each other's websites. Of course none of this can happen without well thought-out guidelines and regulations which are enforced.

As increasing numbers of violations of the IDX rules have been brought to the attention of the MLS Committee, notices were sent in early December to any participants found to be in violation. Non-complying sites will have their MLS data feed terminated on December 15, 2005 until their IDX site conforms to approved guidelines.

Here's where members are getting in trouble:

• Only MLS participants (brokers) may display the MLS database. Non-principal brokers and agents are prohibited from displaying other broker's listings on their web site. Agents that wish to allow searches against the entire MLS database must frame their broker's solution, which is referred to as a frameable IDX solution. In this case, it must be clear that the data is coming from the broker's site, not the agent's.
• When it comes to other broker's listings, IDX participants may display no more information than that which appears on Realtor.com. (i.e. no address.)
• IDX participants are encouraged to display the entire database but may exclude other brokers' listings based on objective criteria such as geography, list price, type of property, and cooperative compensation.
• IDX participants may not `frame' the data with their own company information.
• Exclusive agency listings are excluded from IDX and Realtor.com.

Virtual Tours

Up till now, virtual tours have been excluded from emails to clients as there is inherent risk for them to contain embedded branding (agent/company) information. However, as virtual tours have become more popular and the technology costs more affordable, your MLS needed to find a way to allow for their usage.

So beginning January 1, 2006, a virtual tour link can be included in the "buyer full and short reports" for emailing and printing.

Branded virtual tours continue to be prohibited on listings in the CBR TEMPOTM MLS as well as any and all links to any websites in the listing data fields or remarks' sections. If found, any violating tour link will be removed immediately from the MLS. Examples of branded tours would be tours that include, but are not limited to verbal or written information such as email addresses, websites, office-mobile-fax numbers, company affiliations, primary or ancillary advertisements, logos, agent or team names or identifiable codes or symbols.

Is that Street, Str., St., or St?

By David Foster

Over the last few months MLS Tech Support has been trying to clean up the MLS database to help standardize the information, clear up confusion and increase search accuracy. One area which definitely needed cleaning up is property address.

We've had numerous complaints from members that listings were not appearing in Archive searches or that no one seems to be calling about a listing. This is often due to how the street suffix or state route is entered. For example, "Main Street", "Main St.", and "Main St" are considered different addresses according to Tempo. Therefore, a search for "Main Street" will not display a property listed on "Main St."

The previous address abbreviation and naming system was limited by the space available in the index of the MLS Publications. However, as the index has been eliminated, this seemed like a good time to do some `street cleaning'.

Staff has been working on the archive database to ensure that street addresses comply with this new naming convention. But, from this point forward, please use these MLS Street Abbreviations when entering new listings.

Feel free to print a copy for your personal reference, and check the listing periodically for any changes that may occur.