Worth Repeating

Recently I received a comment on the MLS initiatives post that I felt should be posted on the blog main page- rather than the comment section. I think that more members read the posts from the authors but not necessarily the comments. I think his/her comments were valid and probably reflect a segment of the membership. I also thought the readers should easily view my response:

From the member:Anonymous said...


Some companies belong to franchise. They pay for that privilege. With a franchise agents receive certain perks, ecards, contact programs, business plan modules, etc.
Some companies choose not to belong to franchises. They do not want to pay for the perks offered by franchises.
Is it the responsibility of OKMAR and the MLS to use everyone dues to supply those who do not want to pay for perks with a franchiese with the same perks? These perks should not be provided without fees to those wanting to use them. But there should be no cost to those already taking advantage of those programs from other sources.
These programs cost something. What is the real job of the MLS? Perhaps that job should be limited to accurately collecting and dusbursing information.

I think you raise some very interesting points. The OKCMAR dues of $125 per year fund OKCMAR -Association related activities. As for perks from the dues there are basically two- Free CE (unheard of in most associations!) and the Free Inaugural. I personally agree (CEO VIEWPOINT ONLY- PERSONAL OPINION) that these items should be paid for by the individual receiving the benefit and not by all the members through dues. The savings could be used for legislative advocacy (a benefit to the entire membership), public relations or even a fund to assist the public secure low income housing as I have seen done in other associations. However, the overwhelming thought process has been that members are so used to these perks that it would be very negatively perceived to take them away.

As to MLS, the MLS funds are used to bring every member up to the level of technology that today's consumer not only expects but demands. It assists every member in remaining relevant in the market place. Many of the extra MLS programs like Site Seer and 360 Vista are available to members at an extra charge and not part of the MLS fees. None of us pay for Listhub- the free listing syndication service- this is free from the company- how they make their money is by selling the click-through reports to the brokers. Secure MLS is a necessity for protecting the broker and MLSOK from liability- it is a part of the monthly fee.

Forms are a common offering amongst MLS's and transaction desk is included in your monthly MLS fee and over 69% of the members are using it exclusively based on data in December; current data indicates over 80% usage. REALIST, the tax data program is an integral piece of our MLS and is right in line with your statement "Accurately collecting and disbursing data", this is included in your monthly MLS fees. Showing assist, the virtual tour creator and the AML social media tool are extras whose sole purpose is to keep our REALTORS relevant in the market. Buyers & Sellers expect video, social media marketing and efficient showing procedures from today's agent. Because they get these services (or similar counterparts) everywhere else from banks to retail outlets to governmental agencies. Even if every member does not use these three features (and they should be) their existence keeps our REALTORS important and relevant and positioned as the expert in the eyes of the consumer.

Our primary job in MLS is to accurately collect and disburse data and I believe the 4 2010 initiatives do that. Using House Logic (free) gives the REALTORS an immense database of free information. Most of the services we are looking at deal directly with reports which is accurately collecting and disbursing the data. Focusing on training in the existing MLS tools helps to ensure data accuracy. Finding a means to cooperatively work with other MLS's should save the REALTORS money which means they might be able to afford a small ticket price for the inaugural.

Although initially it seems that we are on different pages we are actually not that far apart in what we both believe to be the core purpose of MLS.