I wanted to republish this article that my good friend Ryan Ward wrote the other day. I feel very strongly about the issue and wanted to help get the word out. The issue is NAR (National Association of Realtors) passage of a new regulation in which they can restrict the use of the term MLS on NAR members websites. The reason this is a important issue for me is that NAR has no power to restrict companies such as Zillow, Trulia, … from using the term and as such they give more power and visibility to the non NAR members at the expense of NAR members.
“Author: Ryan Ward | November 29, 2007
Fellow members of NAR (National Association of REALTORS®)… We need your help!
Our primary order of business is to provide insight and education on a recent addition to the National Association of REALTORS® code of ethics.
Our goal is to have this addition modified to clarify and strengthen our position as REALTORS® in the rapidly changing world of online real estate.
It is our opinion that this recent change to the REALTOR® code of ethics does a disservice to member brokers, agents and consumers as a whole by denying access to a term that has long been understood as a primary marketing tool for customers to buy and sell properties throughout the United States and Canada.
We seek to protect this most valuable asset by having the new code of ethics revision allow REALTORS® to continue to use the term MLS® in all marketing materials. We firmly believe that the use of the term MLS® does in fact provide consumers with a “true picture” of the MLS®.
The consequences of disallowing the use of the term MLS® are such that it permit other non-member entities and businesses to usurp the term thereby diluting the ”true” meaning of the term MLS®.
In an effort to help to protect consumers, the NAR has set on a path of unintended consequences which will be more detrimental to the consumer than the intent of the initial change.“
Please visit Ryan Wards site to sign the petition on this matter and let the NAR leadership committee know your thoughts on this matter.
Thank you,
James Boyer
NJ Realtor Associate
RE/MAX Properties Unlimited
One Madison Ave
Morristown, NJ 07960
973-647-0253 (Direct)
973-539-6300 (Office)
1 response so far ↓
1 Houston Homes (6 comments.) // Aug 16, 2008 at 11:38 am
Movements like these show just how out of touvh the NAR has become. In 2003 they were telling us to go out and get domain names using MLS in it now they want to block us from making use of it. Not just in domain names but even in mentioning it on your website.
With the DOJ breathing down the NAR’s neck there will be no way of preventing outside businesses from using the term MLS since it is not trademarked by the NAR or any of the local boards. So, in restricting agents for using the term they are allowing companies like Zillow and Trulia to get the upper hand on all that are part of the board of realtors.
The NAR has done a horrible job representing us to the public during this housing correction. They have taken part in anti-competitive behavior rather than trying to improve services provided to the consumer leading to DOJ troubles. And now they are trying to prevent agents from possitioning themselves to compete in todays market place. Seems to me we need new leaders or must disolve the organization and start over.
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