MLSs are changing. So is their relationship with Realtor associations

One of the most notable moves by an MLS this year was Canopy MLS’s appointment of Steve Byrd as its first standalone CEO who is not involved with Canopy Realtors. According to Jerry Legrand, the chief technology officer at Greater Louisville Association of Realtors/APEX MLS, this was a big win for “the people that are advocating for a separation of church and state.” An organic change However, Legrand says that Canopy MLS is more of an isolated incident, as, in his view, not as many associations and MLSs are taking such a deliberate approach to separating the two entities. “Right now, I am seeing a lot more separation coming organically from MLS mergers,” Legrand said. “Here, the MLS ownership changes to where the association may be just one shareholder of the MLS instead of the sole owner.” According to Legrand, there is a lot of momentum in the industry right now to consolidate MLSs. “I think there are a variety of reasons for this, whether that’s reducing risk by changing the MLS ownership structure and creating a joint venture between associations, or even just brokers getting tired of paying duplicate membership fees or navigating different rule sets,” Legrand said. “The indus...