In-depth coverage of the MLS industry: lawsuits, policy, data and the fight over listings.
New York's OneKey MLS signed on as a co-plaintiff in CRMLS's federal case against Compass, and the two MLSs filed an amended complaint in Manhattan federal court asking a judge to declare their clear cooperation rules lawful. OneKey points to months of emailed litigation threats from Compass leadership as the reason it joined.
OneKey MLS becomes the eighth MLS to ask a court to shield it from Compass's threatened antitrust claims, joining the case California Regional MLS filed earlier this month. The New York MLS says the brokerage's threats go back as far as March.
New York's OneKey MLS signed on as a co-plaintiff in CRMLS's federal case against Compass, and the two MLSs filed an amended complaint in Manhattan federal court asking a judge to declare their clear cooperation rules lawful. OneKey points to months of emailed litigation threats from Compass leadership as the reason it joined.
Compass CEO Robert Reffkin and executives Ashton Alexander and Cory Perkins have asked a court to throw out subpoenas issued by the National Association of Realtors in the PLS litigation. The executives argue the subpoenas are retaliatory and oppressive and are meant to discourage them from testifying.
A panel of MLS and industry leaders, including Michael Wurzer, discusses how the MLS's role is shifting amid the multi-MLS lawsuit against Compass and the brokerage's wider campaign against cooperation rules. Topics include rule design, data control and what brokers now need from their MLS.
OneKey MLS refused Compass's demand to stop enforcing its rules on publicly marketed listings. The standoff tests whether homes that are marketed to the public must also be entered into the MLS, as Compass pursues CRMLS in court and weighs further actions.
OneKey MLS became the third MLS, after CRMLS in California and Unlock MLS in Texas, to publicly refuse to change its policies under pressure from Compass. CEO Richard Haggerty said the MLS believes the law supports its cooperation rules.
A homebuyer is suing a Keller Williams franchisee, alleging it charged him a $650 flat broker fee for no services. The complaint claims the fee violated a state consumer protection law and the brokerage's fiduciary duty.
The Eighth Circuit upheld the settlements in the Gibson commission case, weeks after affirming the landmark Sitzer/Burnett deals. The Sept. 1 ruling allows settlement payments to move forward, with the two cases accounting for most of the more than $1 billion in total settlements.
A proposed merger involving a Long Island Realtor association is now the subject of a lawsuit. The complaint says only 43 members voted in favor, short of the 55 votes the association's bylaws require.
Chicago-based Midwest Real Estate Data and Iowa's NoCoast MLS agreed to share listings across state lines. Iowa members will also get MRED's technology and its private listing network when the deal goes live March 1, 2027.
Realtracs extended its Tennessee footprint by bringing in RCAR, which went live in August, and GSMAR, adding about 1,700 members to the MLS.
Open Real Estate's founders say listings must reach the MLS and consumer portals at the same time, but critics want clearer answers on who owns and controls the data and what choices sellers will have. The analysis looks at the governance questions the initiative still has to settle.
Executives behind Open Real Estate said the venture has a capital commitment, a launch timeline and rules on private listings, and said they intend to complete the project.
An explainer on the new Open Real Estate initiative. Its leaders say local MLS governance will stay in place, and the program is preparing for a rollout in the first quarter of 2027.
The idea of a shared platform where brokers enter listing data once and keep control over how it is used has been floated for years. This analysis asks whether the industry is finally ready to act on it now that brokerages are launching their own listing infrastructure.
RealScout will integrate eXp Realty's pre-market coming-soon listings into its agent-client platform later this year, extending exposure for listings before they hit the open market.
Highlights from RESO's Oct. 19–21 conference in Colorado Springs: hundreds of MLSs still lag on current data standards and certification, and speakers urged the industry to spell out coming-soon listing rules — display, syndication, showings, days on market — in explicit data fields rather than relying on inconsistent status names.
Kendra Murray has been named CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors and the Southwest Multiple Listing Service, New Mexico's largest local association and MLS.
Colorado's IRES MLS promoted 23-year veteran Julie Dahl to CEO. She succeeds Jeff Bosch, who is leaving to lead Arizona Regional MLS — one of the six MLSs now suing Compass.