National Association of Realtors Votes in Favor of Suspending Controversial No-Commingling MLS Listing Guidelines
After a meeting closed to the media, the National Association of REALTOR®s (NAR) has agreed to suspend its controversial no-commingling MLS guideline. Alternately known as the “segregation rule”, the guideline was frequently criticized as being insensitive to the client experience by making it more difficult to search for non-MLS listings. Following a June 3 vote from the Multiple Listings Issues and Policy Committee in favor of overturning the unpopular rule, it was widely speculated that NAR would make it official as early as Wednesday, June 4. Those predictions are now confirmed to have been right on the money.
What is the No-Commingling Rule?
If you’re not a real estate professional or actively searching for a home to purchase, you’re likely unfamiliar with the ban on commingling listings suggested by NAR. It states that official MLS listings are not to be displayed alongside non-MLS listings. This basically means that any MLS or service offering real estate searches that adopts the policy must either create a separate searchable page for non-MLS listings or refuse to display non-MLS listings altogether.
So why don’t these organizations just refuse the guideline? Some have done just that, like the California Regional MLS (CRMLS). But refusal excludes these services from access to the overall internet data exchange (IDX) feed. While NAR may have established the guideline, it’s the compliance of so many MLSs, reluctantly or otherwise, that has perpetuated this often-frustrating digital segregation.
As always, I stand by to offer any information/ideas/perspectives to you, your friends and your family as needed.
Photo credit: Envato