“You
have
to
constantly
articulate
your
value
and
reinforce
it
because
people
that
are
just
getting
into
the
business
don’t
have
that
historical
perspective,”
Dwiggins
said.
“I
remember
when
my
parents
would
get
an
MLS
once
a
month
and
they
would
be
so
excited
to
find
out
what
was
for
sale,
but
even
then,
some
of
those
properties
were
no
longer
available
because
they
were
already
sold.
We’ve
come
a
long
way
since
then.”

With
the
business
practice
changes
having
been
implemented
a
few
months
ago,
MLS
leaders
believe
it
is
time
to
return
the
focus
on
helping
brokers
and
agents
solve
everyday
pain
points.

“We
have
to
recognize
that
people
are
cranky,”
Wilson
said.
“One
of
the
things
I
would
suggest
you
do
is
to
start
with
the
broker.
Brokers
are
the
ones
dealing
with
the
agents
and
the
consumers
and
all
their
problems
while
trying
to
keep
themselves
calm,
while
handing
over
millions
of
dollars
as
part
of
a
settlement
and
figuring
out
how
to
sell
real
estate
in
today’s
market.
Start
with
them
and
understand
what
they
are
most
challenged
with,
and
make
them
your
partner.”

Additionally,
many
in
the
MLS
space
believe
it
is
time
for
the
platforms
themselves
to
evolve.
This
could
mean
that
more
MLSs
will
sign

data
sharing
agreements,
ensuring
that
data
is
comparable
and
compatible
across
different
companies.
They
may
also
need
to
embrace
new
technology.

“Everyone
has
been
so
head
down
and
focused
on
implementing
the
business
practice
changes,
and
now
we
are
a
little
tired,
but
we
got
through
it,”
said
Denee
Evans,
CEO
of
the


Council
of
MLSs
(CMLS).

“But
now
I’m
hearing
so
many
executives
say
they
are
finally
looking
up
and
saying,
‘Let’s
get
back
to
the
business
of
growing,
evolving
and
running
our
MLS,’
and
there
are
a
lot
of
things
we
need
to
do.“

Evans
said
she
has
been
concerned
that
so
many
in
the
industry
were
“not
looking
where
the
puck
is
going”
and
planning
for
future.
Now
that
the
industry
is
past
the
initial
phase
of
implementing
the
business
practice
changes,
she
believes
that
will
change.

Data
sharing
solutions

One
way
in
which
many
MLS
executives
are
looking
to
evolve
is
through
data
sharing
agreements.

“MLS
organizations
that
do
data
sharing
told
us
that
they
do
it
because
their
customers’
borders
are
different
than
their
borders,
and
their
brokers
sometimes
are
in
multiple
markets
and
multiple
states,
and
both
consumers
and
agents
want
access
to
better
information,”
said
Sam
DeBord,
CEO
of
the

Real
Estate
Standards
Organization
(RESO).

“They
want
access
to
the
information
they
can
get
from
outside
technology
organizations,
but
they
want
to
get
it
directly
from
their
MLS
organization.”

These
agreements
can
also
help
MLSs
clean
up
their
existing
data,
said
Michael
Wurzer,
CEO
of

Financial
Business
Systems.

“One
of
the
easiest
problems
to
solve
with
a
data
share
is
for
overlapping
MLSs
where
you
may
have
duplicate
membership
and
duplicate
listing
entries,”
Wurzer
said.
“Sometimes
you
see
where
there
is
an
overlap
in
some
markets
and
you
change
the
price
in
one
MLS
but
not
in
another,
then
the
portals
don’t
know
what
the
list
price
is.
These
are
real
problems
that
are
relatively
easy
to
solve
with
data
sharing.”

Brad
Bjelke,
CEO
of

UtahRealEstate.com,
also
believes
MLSs
need
to
be
more
open
to
sharing
at
least
some
of
their
data
with
entities
outside
the
MLS
and
brokerage
space.

“I
think
a
cooperative
approach
with
some
of
the
entities
trying
to
solve
big
problems
like

affordable
housing
is
the
right
way
to
do
things,”
Bjelke
said.
“The
mindset
across
the
country
is
that
we
can’t
share
our
data
or
make
our
data
available,
and
I
think
that
has
to
change.

“I
think
there
are
certain
parts
of
our
database
that
are
confidential
and
private,
but
there
are
other
pieces
that
can
help
solve
big
problems.
And
I
think
it’s
time
to
be
a
good
partner,
not
just
with
your
brokers
and
agents,
but
with
other
organizations
in
your
communities
to
help
make
some
change.”

In
order
to
share
data,
MLSs
need
to
ensure
that
it
is
compatible
and
comparable.
While
comparing
datasets
and
displays
are
a
good
way
to
see
if
MLSs
are
compatible
for
sharing
purposes,
DeBord
also
believes
this
is
a
great
way
for
MLSs
to
gain
insights
into
other
types
of
data
they
could
provide
to
agents.

As
the
MLSs
begin
to
look
to
the
future
and
better
serve
brokers
through
added
value,
Dwiggins
believes
that
different
datasets
are
a
great
place
to
start.

“The
MLS
has
been
a
utility,”
Dwiggins
said.
“I
think
there
is
a
tremendous
opportunity
for
the
MLS
to
shift.
As
an
example,
we
should
have
a
buy-side
MLS
—
it
shouldn’t
just
be
listings.
What
about
a
reverse
prospecting
system,
where
you
can
find
out
what
a
buyer
is
looking
for
to
see
if
you
have
a
listing
that
matches?
What
about
creating
a
database
of
every
single
active
buyer
who
is
working
with
an
agent,
so
if
you
are
getting
leads,
you
can
immediately
check
to
see
if
they
are
worth
pursuing
or
if
the
buyer
is
already
working
with
someone
else?

“There
are
tons
of
opportunities
that
we
could
explore
as
an
industry
to
reinvent
the
MLS,
so
that
the
broker
and
agent
go,
‘I
can’t
do
business
without
this
service.’
We
have
to
reinvent
the
MLS
to
be
something
bigger.”