The nation’s largest multiple listing service, California Regional MLS, is getting closer to its longstanding goal of a statewide MLS.
On June 1, Chino Hills-based CRMLS added the nearby Hesperia-based High Desert Association of Realtors (HDAOR) as a member organization, meaning the association’s 1,700 or so agent, broker and appraiser members are all now CRMLS subscribers and have complete access to all of CRMLS’s combined active and historical listing data, tech products, compliance services, training, marketing and customer support, CRMLS CEO Art Carter told Inman via email.
The deal continues a multi-year trend of MLS consolidation in the industry, as associations and MLSs seek to relieve the pain point of agents and brokers having to join multiple MLSs with their differing fees, rules and listing data fragmentation.
In March 2018, CRMLS announced an expansion of its service coverage area to include the Victor Valley region covered by High Desert AOR in an effort to offer more complete listing data. In April 2018, CRMLS and High Desert MLS signed a data share agreement.
Art Carter
“In the three-plus years we’ve been sharing data with High Desert, we’ve gotten to know many of the dedicated, hard-working members of their association and staff,” said CRMLS CEO Art Carter in a statement. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to offer our services in the High Desert area and excited to continue strengthening our relationship.”
CRMLS has more than 100,000 subscribers from 40 associations, boards and MLS organizations. High Desert AOR previously operated its own MLS under the High Desert MLS (HDMLS) name and that brand name will now retire, as with other associations that have become members of CRMLS in recent years, according to Carter.
CRMLS operates multiple front-end platforms, including Rapattoni, CoreLogic’s Matrix, Black Knight’s Paragon and FBS’s Flex. Therefore, HDAOR members will continue to be able to use their pre-existing Rapattoni MLS system to access MLS data and CRMLS expects no disruption to technical services for HDAOR members.
Some CRMLS services will be available to HDAOR members right away and others will be rolling out over the coming months, including the CRMLS dashboard which will launch for them later this year, according to CRMLS.
“This new partnership will not only provide more services and tools to our HDAOR members but also to our community of property owners, buyers, and tenants,” said HDAOR President Larry Mason in a statement.
CRMLS is a mutual benefit corporation and has no shareholders, but as an official CRMLS member, HDAOR will be able to appoint representatives to CRMLS committees and will have a right to vote for directors just like all other member associations, Carter said.
Asked what would happen to HDAOR’s historical listing data and if CRMLS will own the data, CRMLS did not respond. We will update this story if and when we hear back.
