Why it matters that ListHub added 36 new MLSs in 2013

ListHub has recently been thrust into the real estate spotlight as two real estate associations’ members opted out of syndicating directly to ListHub, with some questioning what this spells for ListHub and for national syndication. Where some confusion remains is in the fact that ListHub is owned by Move, Inc. which also owns Realtor.com who has not been impacted by brokers or boards altering their syndication strategy, with most parties sticking with Realtor.com because in their operating agreement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR), they must play by the same rules as brokers.

Some have questioned whether Huntsville and Austin’s recent decisions to sever ties with ListHub will topple dominoes, but most boards we’ve spoken with assert that they are not changing their strategy – and Austin members tell us they don’t care, that they were never campaigning nationally, just pushing local brokers to make better decisions about syndication.

ListHub added 36 new MLSs this year alone

Enter ListHub’s announcement this morning that they’ve added 36 MLSs in 2013 alone. But what really matters is less that more boards are signing on than off, but that their total number of ListHub-enabled data sources is now at 450, a massive number of MLSs, covering most of the nation. So while select markets are jumping ship, the industry appears for now to be sticking with their current syndication strategy.

Through the ListHub backend, the company actually offers a scorecard on each listing company and gives users detailed filters, allowing brokers to become more educated on the ecosystem, and only syndicating data to sites that they believe are treating data fairly.

Several brokers in Austin have indicated to us that because of ListHub’s efforts to be the best information source about what syndicators are up to, they’ll be uploading directly to ListHub, and some will be adjusting their syndication strategy based on the scorecards, so there are many third party syndicators that could soon be in hot water.

Who is new?

ListHub supports hundreds of MLSs (the full list is available at ListHub), and the following MLSs formed contract agreements with ListHub in 2013:

National
EZMLS

Alabama
Lake Martin Area Association of REALTORS®

Arkansas
Hot Springs Board of REALTORS®

California
Ridgecrest Area Association of REALTORS® Inc.

Colorado
Gunnison Country Association of REALTORS® Inc.

Florida
Navarre Area Board of REALTORS®

Georgia
Middle Georgia MLS
Greater Augusta Association of REALTORS®

Idaho
Sun Valley Board of REALTORS®

Kentucky
Cumberland Valley Board of REALTORS®
Henderson Audubon Board of REALTORS®
Madison County Board of REALTORS®

Louisiana
Northwest Louisiana Association of REALTORS®/Shreveport-Bossier Board of REALTORS®

Minnesota
Lake Region Association of REALTORS®

Mississippi
Southwest Mississippi Board of REALTORS®

Missouri
Ozark Gateway Association of REALTORS®
MLS of the Three Rivers Board of REALTORS®
MultiList Services of Springfield REALTORS®, Inc.
West Central Association of REALTORS® (formerly Sedalia-Warsaw)
Randolph County Board of REALTORS®
Northeast Central Board of REALTORS®

New York
Columbia Greene and Northern Dutchess MLS
Ithaca Board of REALTORS®
Mohawk Valley Board of REALTORS®

North Carolina
Rockingham County Association of REALTORS®
Yancey-Mitchell Board of REALTORS®

Ohio
West Central Association of REALTORS®

Oklahoma
Lawton Board of REALTORS®

Pennsylvania
Bradford Sullivan Association of REALTORS®

Texas
Bryan-College Station Association of REALTORS®
Corpus Christi Association of REALTORS®
The Houston Association of REALTORS®

Virginia
Southern Piedmont Land & Lakes Board of REALTORS®
Southwest Virginia Board of REALTORS®
Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS® Inc

Washington
Northeast Washington Association of REALTORS® MLS

West Virginia
Greenbrier Valley Board of REALTORS®

This story was originally published by AGBeat on November 6, 2013.