Three multiple listing services (MLSs) from California’s Bay Area announced Friday they had joined forces to create a new shared database and technology solution for their combined 33,000 members.
The three trade groups have dubbed the new tech tool “RE California,” and said in a statement that it synchronizes MLS databases to support independent local MLS businesses.” Essentially, it will allow agents to input data into their own MLS, and then have that data immediately synchronized with the other MLSs.
Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, the San Francisco Association of Realtors and MetroList Services are the three MLSs that teamed up to produce RE California.
According to the statement, RE California will give all members of the three MLSs access to all of their active, off-market and sold listings. It will also provide “an initial information database of over 2.9 million MLS comparable and active listings.”
RE California is powered by software from Rapattoni Corp., a real estate technology company that, among other things, offers an MLS platform.
Bill Miller
In the statement, MetroList Services CEO Bill Miller said RE California “marks a major milestone in how MLSs are working together to improve real-time data delivery that further enhances the ability of real estate professionals to more effectively and seamlessly serve their clients.”
After the initial rollout, the participating organizations plan to make RE California available to other MLSs as well.
KB Walter
KB Walter, president and CEO of Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, added in the statement that RE California is “an exciting opportunity for all MLSs throughout California that wish to continue to operate their local MLS while providing their participants and subscribers with a single source of comprehensive MLS and public
records data over a wide geographic area.”
The launch of RE California comes at a time of increased consolidation in the world of multiple listing services. Perhaps most notably, Metropolitan Regional Information Systems and The Delaware Valley Real Estate Information Network formed Bright MLS in 2016. Today, Bright MLS has nearly 100,000 members in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Other organizations have taken less drastic measures, but have nevertheless sought to increase collaboration.
Walter Baczkowski
In the statement Friday on RE California, San Francisco Association of Realtors President and CEO Walter Baczkowski stressed the importance of collaboration.
“This is one more example of how MLSs are collaborating to enhance user services and experiences,” he explained, “without spending millions of dollars and endless hours attempting to solve issues related to ownership structures and governance.”
