Members have probably heard me say, “Forget we’ve paid off our $50 million building. Forget the Blanket Drive, REALTORS Care®, and all the other admirable good works we’ve done over the years. In my book, our greatest accomplishment is the building of the MLS®”.”

“Why,” you ask? Because without MLS® it’s very likely our real estate market would be even more chaotic than it is.

Imagine being unable to easily find information about recent sales, current listings, and terminated or cancelled listings. Where else can you find such comprehensive information about properties for sale and sold, along with complete historical data? Sure, it’s possible to cobble together from various websites the information you need to help your clients make great decisions. But in my book, none is as easy as going to our beloved MLS®.

I remember what it was like to work in a marketplace where exclusive listings weren’t a rarity. It was hellish, and I always wondered if there was information I’d missed and how it might affect my client’s position.

I hope I don’t need to do much of a sales job to convince you that the MLS® System we’ve built together is a marvelous accomplishment.

Which brings me to why anyone would now ever want to list a property exclusively. I can’t think of many reasons. Sometimes sellers don’t want their neighbours knowing they’re selling. Maybe the seller is “famous,” (a subjective term) and they don’t want anyone coming into their place and snooping around. Fair enough, I get that. But even the most exclusive of listings doesn’t usually stay quiet for long, in my experience. A carload of buyers pulling up and going into a house usually gives the game away.

And does wanting privacy or any other reason outweigh the massive benefit sellers get by asking their REALTOR® to put their property on MLS®? With exposure comes the best price. Money talks, so I doubt it.

Since MLS® is probably our loudest drum we can bang, it makes sense that our national organization would decide that members should have a positive obligation to use the service at every opportunity. That’s one reason CREA has written a new article into the Standards of Business Practice of the REALTOR® Code: Article 30 – Duty to Cooperate.

We’re all in this together, helping buyers and sellers get to their destinations. We’re independent contractors and work for ourselves. But we don’t work by ourselves. We need other members to help us to help our clients. Why wouldn’t we create a professional obligation to support and promote the very thing we’ve built that buyers and sellers rely on most?

MLS® has also become more valuable with the rise over the past decade of many new forms of marketing powered by social media and message apps. They’re fine to use. For example, you’re probably familiar with many of them, such as WhatsApp and WeChat. All you need to do is to create a distribution list and—presto!—you can instantly distribute jokes, memes, and to everyone in that group. Get a new listing – tell the folks about it in your private chat group. These apps are a thing of beauty, as they say.

But what if you have an exclusive listing, or a property that’s going to be listed soon, but isn’t yet on the market?

These “Coming Soon” and exclusive “pocket” listings won’t get the kind of wide exposure as an MLS® listing would. For example, you could talk up a new exclusive listing at your brokerage, send every colleague a feature sheet, and tell some of your colleagues from other brokerages about it. If you combine that with a for sale sign, maybe some Just Listed fliers, and a post on your website and social media, that would improve exposure.

But those exclusive marketing actions don’t always happen. Some are promoted, for example, only in a private chat group, resulting in just a few buyers being aware that a property is for sale. The seller loses out on all the potential buyers who would’ve been interested in the property but never got a chance to consider it because they didn’t know about it. The word “exclusionary” comes to mind.

Is that something we, as professionals, want to be a party to? I doubt it. Let’s promote and use MLS®. It gives sellers the best exposure. It gives buyers have the biggest possible market to choose from. It helps the database become the best and most comprehensive possible. And no one is excluded. Being exclusionary is absolute kryptonite in current times.

Learn more about CREA’s new REALTOR® Cooperation Policy.

I wish you the best.

Margaret Wong, Dexter Associates Realty, Vancouver, is sending you a bouquet. Here’s what she told us:

Recently, I helped my buyer in securing a lovely one-bedroom plus den in Olympic Village. The listing agent was Eric Fu. Eric was super professional and sincere to deal with from the first viewing appointment. He was patient with my buyer, always prompt with his communication, attentive to all our inquiries and document requests. After inspection, we found a few minor issues around the unit and he was incredibly helpful and proactive in assisting his seller in coordinating with trades and parts to ensure everything was addressed in a timely manner. 

On the completion date, Eric was there to meet with my buyer and me. Unfortunately, I was in a heavy traffic jam. Eric was so professional and courteous. He gave all the keys and visitor parking pass to my buyer and proceeded to take my buyer through the parking and storage locker again.

Eric went out of his way to ensure an exceptional experience was had by all parties involved. I really appreciated the opportunity to work with him in serving our respective clients in the best possible way.

Way to go, Eric!

Rick Adler, Macdonald Realty Westmar, Richmond, is sending you a bouquet. Here’s what he told us:

Thank you to Linda for calling to let me know my clients had been through her open house. This allowed me to contact my clients in a proactive fashion!

Way to go, Linda!