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Mobile Area Association of REALTORS®

HOT OFF THE PRESS! MAAR to remove MLS Areas

In the recent GCMLS Board of Directors meeting, the Directors voted to remove the MLS areas and replace them with the latest map search options. There are a variety of reasons behind the decision. Please read the attached article for some historical perspective.

 

Plan to attend one or more of our spot-on training sessions to learn how to improve your search results using the finest map search features. No limit on the number of sessions you can attend.

 

Be looking for our schedule of “Improve your Results by Searching With Your Map” sessions taught by Matrix and FMLS professional trainers. We will also have continuing sessions taught either one-on-one, by the office or by Zoom.

 

Sam DeBord is CEO of the Real Estate Standards Organization. Contact him at sam@reso.org(link sends e-mail)

 

MLS areas.
MLS listing areas—the traditional codes agents have used to classify listings geographically—are functionally obsolete. Yet listing a property in 520 versus 530 is so ingrained that mentioning the eventual demise of the practice leaves some agents feeling bereft.

Whether MLS listing areas should be used to define a property’s location is no longer just a question of personal preference. It causes damage to the credibility of the MLS, the broker, and the agent. Consider the facts:

  • These static areas don’t keep up with changing neighborhood or school boundaries. They’re dated and arbitrary, and they often split subdivisions and neighborhoods.
  • Areas are often based on older government maps that defined redlining areas—possibly the greatest concern that the MLS should consider.
  • Agents consistently “game” areas with listings that should be elsewhere or request to double-list in different areas. This puts an undue burden on the MLS to support an outdated practice.
  • Agents give clients more refined searches—and therefore, higher-quality results and experiences—with map-based searches.

Some agents will continue to list and search by area. They’ll miss listings, and so will their clients. Clients who miss their dream home will conclude—rightly— that the MLS didn’t serve them or their agents well. The MLS should consider its reputation and liability when discussing the retirement of MLS listing areas. Map-based search superiority makes the MLS a higher-value service provider.