UPDATE November 19, 2018, 1:55p.m.: The association has since reversed its decision and will “continue syndicating its MLS data to third parties,” according to a letter obtained by Inman dated November 15, 2018.
The table is cold for Zillow.
The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors is ending syndication of its members’ listings to Zillow, ListHub and “all such portals,” Inman reported. GLVAR said it “knows that protection of MLS data is a priority for its members.”
Former GLVAR president David Tina explained in a video that the group surveyed its members and 75 percent said they would like control over their own syndication. GLVAR previously allowed brokerages to shut off automatic syndication, but now the firms will choose where to send listings.
The agreements with Zillow and ListHub end next year in January and June, respectively, the report said. Last year, GLVAR cut off its feed to Realtor.com after failing to reach an agreement.
Not all agents, however, are on board with the decisions. “How is removing your listings from millions of buyers a good thing?” asked Mike Johnson, an agent at Century 21 Blue Marlin Pelican.
For its part, Zillow said the move is a disservice to both brokers and consumers.
“Independent brokers who don’t have the budget or technology to set up new, individual feeds to all the multiple different real estate portal sites in America will be significantly harmed by this decision and saddled with higher costs to their business, all of which is completely unnecessary,” Errol Samuelson, the chief industry development officer at Zillow Group, told Inman.
A spokesperson for ListHub said the move will “complicate processes for their broker members.” [Inman] — Meenal Vamburkar