As the dust settles this week over a year-long ‘clear cooperation’ policy public debate, the leadership at the National Association of REALTORS has released their decision on consumer choice changes coming to our MLS and marketplace no later than September 30th.  Much is the same for Berkshire MLS users, with options built into the submission process to meet seller needs.

• SAME: New listings must be shared in MLS within 1 day of public marketing or 2 days from signature, by default.
• SAME: If an Office Exclusive is executed, a copy goes to MLS staff only and this listing stays out of the MLS and remains private
• SAME: We anticipate Coming Soon listings to be entered just as new listings, with delayed showings as usual
• NEW(ish): Delayed Marketing Period, where listing goes into the MLS but not out to IDX or Syndication sites.

Again, we find the Berkshire MLS has been doing it right all along – we have always put the broker and their client in the driver seat of marketing a listing, with the option to “opt out” of IDX or syndication built right into each listing entry. This new Delayed Marketing Period is the same as opting out of public marketing via the MLS buttons on the Data Distribution tab.  NAR has indicated that each MLS will determine length of a delayed marketing period suitable for their local marketplace.

As we implement changes, we will keep you posted, but we don’t see a significant shift in the options you currently have.  We will make sure to vet all of the changes through our local lens and keep you informed!