RISMEDIA, Sept. 21, 2007-The Northern California Real Estate Exchange (NCREX), a non-profit organization leading the consolidation of regional Northern California multiple listing systems (MLS), announced its agreement to join California MLSAlliance.In addition to joining California MLSAlliance, NCREX continues to pursue independent efforts to consolidate MLS data within a seamless entity that will make the day-to-day work of real estate professionals easier.
“We believe that data consolidation is the essential next step in MLS technology in order to make selling homes easier for brokers and agents,” said Jeanne Garde, NCREX Board of Directors Chairperson and Broker Owner of RE/MAX Today. “Until we can reach the full potential of data consolidation, NCREX is committed to providing the most available data to its subscribers. Participating in California MLSAlliance enables us to do that.”
California MLSAlliance provides a cross-MLS search engine for nearly 3 million active and off-market listings throughout California by way of a data-sharing agreement between regional MLSs in both Northern and Southern California. The system was developed and is managed by real estate technology provider eNeighborhoods, a Dominion Enterprises Company. It demonstrates that in an industry based on cooperation, the MLS Community works together to remain focused on delivering value to the MLS Subscribers and their firms.
California is a prime example of today’s real estate market. Brokers and agents conduct business throughout the state, often across traditional MLS boundaries. With the new California MLSAlliance system, brokers and agents who belong to one of the 53 local real estate associations serviced by the thirteen participating MLSs can now search one system to find listings spanning across the state.
With the addition of NCREX subscriber listings, California MLSAlliance represents listings from California MLSs with more than 180,000 subscribers.
“These twelve MLSs deserve praise for the decisive and progressive steps they have taken to improve access to real estate information in California”, said Andy Woolley, vice president of eNeighborhoods. “They’re not just talking about it, they’ve made it happen, delivering to their customers the largest compilation of MLS data anywhere in the world.”
In addition to NCREX, the other MLSs participating in the California MLSAlliance include the Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS MLS®), Bay East Association of REALTORS®, Combined L.A./Westside MLS (CLAW), Contra Costa Association of Realtors, CRISNet Regional MLS, East Bay Regional Data (EBRD), Greater South Bay Regional MLS, iTech MLS, MetroList Services, Multi-Regional MLS (MRMLS), San Francisco Association of REALTORS®, and Southern California MLS.
“NCREX continues to lay a solid foundation for a long-term data consolidation solution that works for both brokers and agents. We didn’t go for just a quick fix,” said James Harrison, President and CEO of NCREX. “Not only did we standardize and map data from several area MLS’s into a single data repository, we pounded out a common set of rules. And in the process, we proved that MLS organizations can overcome the issues of trust, money, and politics when they have the long-term interests of their broker and agent constituents at heart.”
NCREX’s official launch Sept. 12 also marked the acquisition of MLS providers RE InfoLink and Central Valley MLS. The non-profit premiered with 23,000 subscribers and a $20 million annual operating budget, making it one of the largest MLSs in the country.
The NCREX consolidation initiative is being undertaken at the request of those who benefit most from a consolidated MLS-agents and brokers. Experienced leadership from top veteran real estate professionals is driving the effort toward successful MLS consolidation.
As participants in data sharing for more than a decade, the agents and brokers representing the MLS’s participating in NCREX recognized the need to eliminate redundancy, streamlining information flow and simplifying the work of brokers and agents. The innovation of data consolidation by NCREX is leading the charge to help real estate professionals do what they do best: sell homes.
For more information, visit www.NCREX.com.
