Let’s be real. Most of us don’t wake up excited about our MLS. We get excited about a new listing, a happy buyer or a closing that finally crossed the finish line. But behind nearly every one of those wins is the data that made it possible.
Serving on the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service Board of Directors has given me a front-row seat to some big changes this year and made me even more aware of just how important this tool is that most of us take for granted. Here’s what’s happening and why it matters for how you market yourself and your listings.
Cooperation is our superpower
At the Council of Multiple Listing Services Open House, one idea kept coming up session after session: Cooperation and complete data are the MLS’s superpowers.
Think about what that means. Competitors agree to share their listings in one trusted place. Each listing gets in front of every buyer with each seller getting maximum exposure. No one else has built a dataset like it.
That cooperation is also what makes modern marketing possible. The evolution of IDX lets brokers display each other’s listings on their own websites. Today, IDX feeds and syndication send one listing to thousands of websites, portals and apps within minutes. One speaker pointed out that MLS syndication has saved agents millions of dollars. Instead of paying individually to market on websites, major search sites deliver our listings to thousands of buyers daily. However, we have a responsibility to protect that data to ensure listing agents get credit, others aren’t profiting unfairly off of our work and the data remains clean.
Most consumers have no idea what the MLS does for them, and we’re the best people to tell that story. Every time you show a seller how far their listing will travel, you’re making the case for cooperation and marketing your value.
A new way to lead
This spring, ARMLS approved a change to an independent board model. Instead of a large board of practicing Arizona agents, ARMLS is now guided by a smaller board of independent directors who aren’t competing in our market. Think of it as a professional board full of experts in finance, law and business strategy.
Why does that matter? Our industry is under a legal microscope. When the people setting MLS policy are also competing for the same clients, even the appearance of a conflict creates risk. An independent board removes that perception, protects the MLS (and every one of us who relies on it) and frees ARMLS to make objective, forward-thinking decisions. ARMLS is leading the way and the talk of the MLS industry right now.
Agents haven’t lost their voice — a shareholder advisory council of agents keeps real-world insight at the table. Independence plus practitioner wisdom is a powerful combination.
Three new tools worth your attention
Property Shield. Listing fraud is real and growing. Scammers copy legitimate listings, repost them as fake rentals or sales and take deposits from unsuspecting consumers. Property Shield now monitors the web for duplicate and fraudulent copies of listings, alerts agents and helps confirm IDX websites are displaying listing data correctly. It’s included at no extra cost to protect your legitimate marketing efforts.
Down Payment Resource. Launching Oct. 14 inside Flexmls, DPR connects eligible buyers and listings with down payment assistance and homeownership programs. For first-time buyers who think owning a home is out of reach, that’s a game changer and makes you look like a rock star as you provide info on programs that could save your client tons of money or market listings to a new audience.
Flexmls Pro app upgrades. The latest iOS update puts more power in your pocket. You can now search within a radius of an address, import contacts from your phone, swipe to compare listings at a glance and search any listing report by keyword, like “HOA.” Perfect for those of us who run our business from our car.
How smart agents use MLS data in their marketing
Now for the fun part: The best marketers I know treat MLS data like a secret ingredient. A few ideas to borrow:
- Go hyperlocal. Use RapidStats and the monthly ARMLS STAT report to create neighborhood market updates for your social channels. Opinions are easy to scroll past. Real numbers stop the thumb. They even have an infographic you can copy easily if you aren’t too techy!
- Lead with value. Cloud CMA helps you create polished CMAs and buyer tour packets that make you look like the pro you are.
- Show sellers the reach. In your listing presentation, explain how one MLS entry syndicates to thousands of sites. Sellers love knowing how much their home will be seen.
- Prospect with purpose. CurbView’s public records and mapping can help you build a smarter farm and spot opportunities before your competition.
- Open doors for buyers. Once DPR launches, highlight that a listing may be eligible for assistance programs. It widens your buyer pool and helps more families say yes.
- Keep it honest. Since June, ARMLS requires a “Digitally Altered” watermark on virtually staged or edited photos, with the original photo placed right beside it. Beautiful marketing is great. Truthful marketing builds trust that lasts.
- Protect your brand. Watch for Property Shield alerts so a scammer never gets to market your listing for you.
The bottom line
Data is only as valuable as the trust behind it. A cooperative marketplace, accuracy, honest marketing and protected consumers make all of us look good. That’s the kind of industry I want to be part of, and I’m sure you do too.
Your MLS is working hard for you. Put it to work in your marketing!
Christy Walker is a member of the ARMLS Board of Directors and broker/owner of REMAX Signature, with offices in Phoenix, Gilbert and Green Valley.