The San Antonio Board of Realtors recently split from its local MLS in a bid to avoid legal liabilities in the wake of a legal challenge that wrought changes to the hand-in-glove relationship between brokers and the listing service.
SABOR and SABOR MLS issued a press release on July 23 to inform members and affiliates of “a strategically planned transition that will establish each organization as an independent entity.” The press release invites members to inquire further about the change, but it articulates no reasons behind it other than an effort for greater clarity and growth.
SABOR communication director Taylor Fellows attributed the move to the National Association of Realtors settlement of a case that successfully challenged long-held standards on commissions and which party pays them in a residential deal. Fellows said the local group expects new efficiencies as a byproduct of the move.
“…With the NAR settlement from last year and everything, it just helps protect the association to be separate entities,” Fellows said. “The other really positive reason too is speed to market. When an MLS needs to move quick, and decisions need to happen, in terms of programs or different types of technology within the MLS, the structure of the association can slow it down.”
The change is unlikely to affect the day-to-day work of member agents, according to Fellows and San Antonio area agents. Tyler Moore of Sage Oak Realty and Kelley Martin of Keller Williams Legacy both said they didn’t notice the change last week.
“It’s been business as usual,” Moore said.
SABOR MLS isn’t the first service to uncouple from its associated real estate board in the wake of NAR’s historic 2024 settlement. Shortly after NAR settled in court, two Denver chapters sold REcolorado, one of the nation’s largest MLSs, in an effort to avoid antitrust litigation. Closer to SABOR’s home, the Austin Board of Realtors also separated from its service, Unlock MLS, earlier this year.
“The industry is actually going in this direction. A lot of associations have separated,” Fellows said.
Fellows emphasized that SABOR maintains a stake in the MLS, and that the two operations have been largely independent for some time.
“We’re still in the same building; we’re still targeting similar missions and goals. It’s just two separate entities. And it’s actually been operating that way since 2020; we’re just establishing the governance structure,” Fellow said. “An agent gets two separate bills already, one for MLS quarterly dues and then an annual for the association. So it’s really just an effort to streamline the focus of both.”
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