MLS critics call it anti-competitive. These brokers say it helps them compete

While some industry leaders feel that the MLS is both “anti-consumer” and “anti-competitive,” punishing brokers who dare to do things differently by levying fines against rule breakers, others in the industry share a very different view on the MLS. “The whole purpose of the MLS originally was to be an open marketplace where brokers could bring all of their clean data, making it easier for everyone to do business so the market wasn’t so fragmented,” said Boomer Foster, the founder of Paul Wesley Real Estate and the former president of Long & Foster. “For me, the business owner of a smaller company, the MLS helps level the playing field. If a brokerage with a significant market share tries to sell its listings off the MLS, it puts agents and buyers who are represented by other brokerages at a competitive disadvantage because they don’t get to see the totality of what is on the market.” Leveling the playing field Like Foster, Steven Koleno, the vice president of consumer empowerment of Spot Real Estate and the designated broker of beycome.com, also feels the MLS, as a source of timely, accurate and complete listing data, has been key to his ability to succeed as a broker. Koleno o...