MLS is a cooperative, not merely an advertising venue

MLS is a cooperative. It is not merely a method of advertising. To that end, REALTORS® should be able to rely on the honesty of descriptions, instead of having to write off everything as hype. When we get to the point that the hype is all that counts, we have nothing left that is useful.

We are more than cheerleaders. Information in an MLS listing sheet is not just about personal promotion, listing promotion, or even personal credibility and integrity—it is about the continued usefulness of the cooperative effort that MLS represents. After all, the MLS information used to be limited to statistics that could be entered into a display that in most MLS books was no more than a 4 inch X 4 inch space. It conveyed BASIC INFORMATION about the listing. Information sharing is now morphing more and more into what looks like advertising copy.

Pressure to provide advertising copy over fact is increased by the reality that MLS listing information not only feeds into IDX for other real estate companies, but it also now spins out all over the web onto company websites, REALTOR.com, Trulia, and dozens of other sites. That means the MLS copy is reaching the public, as well as real estate agents. Who, then, is the primary audience? It is a blurry line.

How Important Is Your Credibility by Karen Anne Stone inspired this article (and a comment I wrote). That article and its predecessor, What You Write in the Comments Section, primarily dealt with honesty in the agent remarks section of a listing. Those two blogs generated a total of 141 responses (as of 1/22/2011) and some disagreement, with most of the respondents addressing the idea of agent credibility and reputation.

Ultimately, I believe the basic issue is also one of credibility for the MLS system itself. While there is room for putting the best face on the attributes of a house, the overall consideration should be conveying accurate information. We all lose, if we lose sight of that basic truth. The shift toward hype makes MLS increasingly unreliable. That is not a very cooperative attitude!