Bright MLS, the nation’s largest multiple listing service, has launched Bright Solutions, a suite of six technology products designed to address common industry needs and help brokers, agents, associations and MLSs meet the challenges of a rapidly changing real estate landscape.
The initial suite includes tools for listing management, media coordination, broker administration, team collaboration, market analytics and advertising. Each product can be adopted individually or as part of a complete suite, providing flexibility for organizations of different sizes and goals.
The strategy for Bright Solutions is to move the MLS forward business-wise in ways other than what’s been standard industry practice over the years.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that in addition to having a robust and fully staffed MLS operation, we have a whole separate tech company,” Ted Mucellin, chief strategy and operations officer, told RISMedia. “It’s around 90 people between engineers, product people, data engineers and support. And we’ve been working to build a number of products initially, primarily for our own use to be the best MLS, and now to grow and expand.
“Our President and CEO Brian Donnellan started realizing a couple of years ago that we really should think about expanding our influence, supporting the industry and providing options by selling this outside our footprint.”
The launch of Bright Solutions marks the next step in an evolution for Bright MLS that began in 2017, and reflects the company’s strategic vision to realign the roles of MLSs, brokers, teams and agents in ways that strengthen the industry. The initial product suite contains six tools, which are fully customizable, can be used individually or together, and are designed to adapt quickly as industry needs evolve:
Bright Listing Manager – Next-generation tools for managing listings.
Bright Media – Streamlined media coordination for content creators.
Bright Admin – A broker dashboard for administrative oversight.
Bright Teams – Tools to support collaboration and team management.
Bright Analytics – Market research and reporting capabilities.
Bright Ads – Advertising and promotion tools for listings.
Bright MLS landed its first Bright Solutions customer, a big one. MLS Now, the largest multiple listing service in Ohio with more than 14,000 real estate professionals, has signed on, and will soon begin to integrate Bright Listing Manager into its system.
“We are proud to be the first to adopt Bright Solutions and join in this important alliance,” said Gary Marsoubian, CEO of MLS Now. “We see this partnership as a way to strengthen our services, deliver greater value to our members and ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation in the industry.”
As for cost, Mucellin said Bright would tailor the cost to the size of the MLS..
“Change in real estate is accelerating, and Bright Solutions delivers the tools professionals need to adapt and thrive,” says Donnellan. “As industry consolidation, shifting policies and heightened competition from national platforms increase pressure on organizations to show tangible value to members and clients, Bright Solutions offers them flexible and scalable technology products from a trusted partner aligned with their success.”
Mucellin hinted that Bright Solution was only the first new development for Bright MLS.
“We’re going to be announcing a very big partnership with a well-known company in the industry to create a joint venture, and market products together because our product and their product are in the same space, but have different uses,” he says. “We’re really excited about that and have some big contracts coming through already that will be part of that announcement in a couple of weeks.
“We anticipate things are going to continue to change rapidly and that includes the sort of underpinnings of real estate. And this is our thrust to have a seat at that table and to be part of the future of providing how it works.”
Being the biggest MLS gives Bright an advantage they’re taking advantage of, such as having its own tech department.
“As things change over the next couple of years, we really want to work to solidify what the MLS does, the value of the MLS to the industry,” he says. “And making sure we sort of own these parts of the software chain. And when I say we, I mean MLSs in general, not just Bright.”
For more information visit https://www.brightmls.com/home.
