I hope the Department of Justice finally puts a knife through the heart of this monopoly, and lets information do what it does best - be free.
Once that great day happens (no matter how much the NAR contributes to corrupt Congressmen), the death of the realtor profession will finally be here.
Come on Google - launch a pre-emptive strike against these bastards, and allow any homedebtor to list their home on a free database for all to see. And do it for the entire world - especially the even more inefficient and controlled UK.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has set policies that permit brokers to show only limited MLS information on their websites. NAR has an ownership interest in the company, Homestore, which operates a website that has been given exclusive rights to display significant MLS information. The site is Realtor.com.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit in September 2005 against the National Association of Realtors over NAR's policy which would have allowed brokers to restrict access to their MLS information from appearing on the websites of certain brokers which operate solely on the web.
This policy would also have applied to commercial entities (who are also licensed brokerages) such as Homegain which solicit clients by internet advertising and then provide referrals to local agents in return for a fee of 25% to 35% of the commission.
The DOJ's antitrust claims also include NAR rules that exclude certain kinds of brokers from membership in MLSs.
December 04, 2006
If it's just a freaking database, why does the MLS (and evil NAR) still have a stranglehold over the American consumer?
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That really would be great Keith. I remember searching and searching and searching over the net and on the phone before we moved here, it sucked. The squealingwhores really do have a monopoly going there.
Hey, just had a Calif realtwhore tell me, "Buy Calif real estate....it never goes down, and better buy before it goes up"!
NO S**T!!!!
this cnbc lady gets it
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837671
'homedebtors' can already post their listing on Google for free.
More worrying, I've noticed a lot of 'missing' street numbers coming on the Los Angeles MLS - you know, froo-froo titles like "PARADISE - Topange 90290".
They'll list the street, but not the number - effectively forcing you to ask a Real-TOHR for the full address, in order to find out anything about the house.
Of course, being 'precious' about the information is really going to put a fire under my a$$...
...to skip the property and move on to places that I can research myself, in my own time and under my own steam.
Anyone else seeing this kind of manipulation/screening going in thier towns?
Seems to me that the bigger issue is not that MLS data be free, but that the Realtor(r) industry be investigated for collusion in setting their commission at 6%.
C'mon, many of these folks have been little more than order takers for the last 5 years!
Anyone else seeing this kind of manipulation/screening going in their towns?
Yep, and I would never list with an agent like that. They want to bring in buyers to represent more than they want to sell your house. Realtwhores® = suck.
Anon said:"Anyone else seeing this kind of manipulation/screening going in their towns"?
Here in Reno we have those for sale shows" on TV - I've noticed, if the listing isnt in the better areas of Reno, they won't tell the city or zip code, so as get the viewer courious where the property is located and want to call the agent for more information.
We just laugh, we're on to their tricks. Another trick I have noticed is to say "for a limited time, the buyer can get 6 months free mortgage payments"!
Wow, let me over pay for a stucco POS - its all good because I get 6 month free mortgage! NOT!
These must be very desperate times for sellers and developers. They should just reduce the price by 200k instead. Thats what will happen at some point anyway.
I went to buy a house back in '94. I found what I thought was a buyer's agent. She showed me one house (hers). We made it clear that we weren't interested in that house and we never heard from her again.
Here in Toronto, Canada one of the major discount realtors had to cease operations due to proposed changes to mls that would restrict their access to mls.
"One of Canada's largest discount real estate brokers suspended operations yesterday, saying it could no longer operate in the face of proposed changes to how homes are listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service."
http://tinyurl.com/y4kwwv
Suffice to say it is taking legal action and the federal competition bureau is an interested party as well.
What's interesting is that this discount brokerage was founded by a former director of the CREA (Canada's NAR) and a powerful real estate lawyer. They provide a service where you can list on mls for $695 with limited realtor involvement.
Much as this makes me want to rail away against the whorishness of realtors, the actionable lesson here is a call to arms for proper regulatory oversight. I'm not a fan of big government but this is one area where intervention is needed.
You just can't let these whores do this to the honest consumer.
I hope to God the State wins this one and that industry is cleaned up to make it an honest way to make a living again. There actually is a place for an honest realtor in this world but the industry is set up to reward the sharks and thieves and discourage those with a conscience.
I've noticed on Realtor.com some of the listings contain street addresses while others don't. But it seems to hold true almost uniformly by town. Some have never indicated street addresses, while others always have. This has been true for years.
The one thing I do find pretty consistent is in the ad copy, if a listing is in a desirable area, it's ALWAYS listed first. If the location isn't that hot, you never hear anything about it.
And if it's really bad, it'll say something like great commuter location. Meaning an exit ramp is right next door or you can hop the tracks in the back yard and catch the train.
base.google.com
craigslist.org
hundreds of FSBO sites.
Homeowners already can post their listings on Google and literally hundreds of other web sites. It's not that hard to do.
MLS.google.com
a website where EVERYONE goes for listings, and all the listings are there
nobody knows what the hell 'base' is
Folks, I think what Keith is saying here is that there needs to be ONE mls site that is readily accessible by everybody. Having properties searchable by zip code, price range, single/multi family, ect.
zillow could eat MLS's lunch
>>zillow could eat MLS's lunch
Maybe... if they had accurate data. The race is on and those that govern the MLS will likely lose as we are too entrenched in tradition in an already changed environment. By the time we wake up it will likely be too late.
And whoever posted the 6% thingy... you bet, the broker have no inclination to see that change anytime soon. Another reason to send out the dinosaurs in my industry as soon as possible.
A realtor should just get a flat rate like $300 for filling out the paperwork for a house sale.
"I've noticed on Realtor.com some of the listings contain street addresses while others don't. But it seems to hold true almost uniformly by town. Some have never indicated street addresses, while others always have."
Some MLSs actually require, as a condition of sending their data to Realtor.com, that their listings' addresses not be displayed on Realtor.com. Some even require that their listings not be displayed on maps. All so that the user will feel forced to call the Realtor for the information.
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