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Follow @bokauffmann“New” MLS® rules …. not so new after all!
Hi everyone:
By now, I’m sure everyone has heard about the recent agreement which had been reached between CREA® , (Canadian Real Estate Association) and the Canadian Competition Bureau. In an excellent post on this matter, my colleague Norm Fisher of Royal LePage in Saskatoon, explained the highlights of this agreement. It’s a very informative article, one I won’t be able to improve upon, but merely wanted to point out a couple of highlights.
First of all, there really is nothing “NEW” in this agreement. REALTORS® have been able to set their own fees and offer any range of services. I have recently seen a couple of reports where Private Sales companies, you know: “www.youdontneednorelator.com’ have been wringing their hands in anticipation of being able to place their private sales onto the MLS®. Let me be emphatic about this:
No Private Sales Companies on the MLS®.
What I find comical is that for years, these companies have been trashing the ‘in-effectiveness of the MLS®’, and now, at the mere thought that they might have free access to our system, have entered into an orgasmic trance unheard of since the times of Caligula. However, the agreement stipulates that the posting of listings onto the MLS® can only be done by a licensed REALTOR®.
Conspiracy?
Now before anyone starts to cry ‘conspiracy” or “Fix”, there are a number of very valid reasons for keeping the MLS® a member-to-member service. First and foremost, we need to maintain the accuracy and integrity of that system. Here is why: Next week, Mr. and Mrs. Smith of 187 Tuxedo Dr may call me to list their home. In order to establish an accurate price, I need instant and accurate information on any home which sold in that same neighborhood. That information is available to me via the MLS®.
The following week, I might act as a Buyer Agent for another couple, who wish to make an offer on a listed house. Again, in order for me to represent them, I need to know the value of that house, and I can guide my buyers with the information I receive from the MLS®.
Lets also remember that the MLS® is simply a website.... a tool used by REALTORS® to market and sell their clients homes. The analogy I draw is that of a carpenter and his hammer. The hammer is simply a tool, and the quality of the home it helps to build depends greatly on the carpenters skills. Without the REALTOR®, the MLS® is simply a tool…. and reduced in effectiveness to the level of any of a dozen private sales websites.
To discuss your options in selling your house or condo, please call me anytime.
Bo Kauffmann of Remax Performance Realty…. 333-2202
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