As the year 2012 begins, the issue of syndication appears to be at the forefront of discussions throughout the industry. When you take a listing and submit it to the MLS do you know where the listing information will be published? Is your principal broker monitoring the sites in which your listing appears? Are you receiving complaints from consumers who have listed their property with you about out-of-date information which appears on the internet? Are purchasers of property who have closed on homes that you offered for sale calling to ask why their property is being offered on the internet? Are you responsible as the listing agent to ensure that the information on the internet is up to date? Is the MLS responsible? Are principal brokers capable of monitoring where the firm’s listings appear, whether the information is accurate and whether the sites at which the listings appear were ever authorized to display information?
What is Syndication?
IDX (Internet Data Exchange) Rules were created by the National Association of Realtors® to facilitate advertising through the display of listings by Realtors online. The IDX Rules were intended to ensure that agents and consumers benefited by having accurate data refreshed on a timely basis pursuant to the Rules with assurance of confidentiality and prohibitions against redistribution. IDX Rules require that there be prominent identification of the listing firm with the right of the listing agent to opt-in or opt-out regarding who can publish the listings.
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