Huntsville MLS Address Issue was Addressed Again Yesterday... (home search, neighborhood)

[Seth Parker]

Well, I just thought I would inform everyone here that I brought up addresses/latitude/longitude at the MLS meeting yesterday afternoon. We got the motion as well as a 2nd. Two of the opponents to addresses spoke up and made a motion to table my motion. Of course, they got their 2nd as well. The vote was held immediately, and my motion was overwhelmingly tabled. So, I didn't even get a vote. Awesome, right?

Unfortunately, these meetings are only held every 3 months, so the next one is in October. Guess we'll try again then.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Seth Parker

Well, I just thought I would inform everyone here that I brought up addresses/latitude/longitude at the MLS meeting yesterday afternoon. We got the motion as well as a 2nd. Two of the opponents to addresses spoke up and made a motion to table my motion. Of course, they got their 2nd as well. The vote was held immediately, and my motion was overwhelmingly tabled. So, I didn't even get a vote. Awesome, right?

Unfortunately, these meetings are only held every 3 months, so the next one is in October. Guess we'll try again then.

Thanks for trying anyway.

The thing I don't understand is why some MLS districts (Southern California for example) are in favor of it and NAMLS is not. Wouldn't the same economic and business logic and arguments apply to everyone? Also, why would some realtors within the NAMLS be for it and others not?

[Mawoods]

I don't understand either. We just returned from south Florida and addresses are listed there as well as Wisconsin and Georgia where we have lived. what is it over here about listing addresses?

[Huntsville82]

I hope they realize they are shooting themselves in the foot. More and more people are using the internet for their home search than ever before. That doesn't mean they aren't going to go through a a realtor for the transaction, though. It just means that they are narrowing down their search prior to going to the realtor. Who wants to view 100 homes in person when you can do it online? If I had the address information available in the MLS, I could have saved myself and my realtor loads of time.

Does it disqualify homes prior to them being seen? Sure, but if the address was in a neighborhood I didn't want, looking at it wouldn't change my mind.

[Elizabeth_G]

Many of us are beating our heads against the wall over this issue. Makes NO sense to us, what so ever! (Obviously, not enough of us care). I get calls everyday from buyers, trying to find an address. I certainly don't mind helping them, however, it would save me time AND cell phone charges if we could just display the addresses, for goodness sake.

I think too many agents believe it gives us the upper hand, by "holding out" this information. When I lived in Nashville, we displayed addresses. My business did not lack because of it. It saved me wasted time.

I appreciate Seth fighting SO hard for us and continually being shot down.

[Seth Parker]

Well, here's the thing. Almost ALL MLS's that I know of display addresses. The last major market that did not was Portland, and I think they decided to allow them some time last year.

Based on the meeting, here's why the major opponents of addresses don't want them shown.

1. It generates a call. They think that they can convert that call into a potential sale.
2. It makes them feel more powerful.
3. They think that the MLS is for our members and who gives a damn about the public. MLS members should be able to do whatever they want with the info.
4. They think it would make them look less important to display addresses.
5. They think it would give listing agents more power.

Boiled down? Ignorance and fear.

"Also, why would some realtors within the NAMLS be for it and others not?"

Some agents have more sense than others....lol. I'm for them, as well as Elizabeth_G because we understand that providing the most amount of information to the public is the best route. It saves everyone's time.

I keep telling everyone that will listen: "**** off your customers for long enough and they will find or develop a better way of doing it."

[DvlsAdvc8]

Are the votes publicly available? I absolutely would not choose a Realtor I knew voted against showing the addresses.

[33458]

Originally Posted by DvlsAdvc8

Are the votes publicly available? I absolutely would not choose a Realtor I knew voted against showing the addresses.

I second that notion.

All in favor, say Aye.

[shaken8]

Aye!

[Seth Parker]

"Are the votes publicly available? I absolutely would not choose a Realtor I knew voted against showing the addresses."

I could only wish! The vote that I brought up was voted down by a majority of the MLS committee members. Now, you can view a list of the committee members at the Huntsville Association of Realtors website under About HAAR -> HAAR Board. Then, look under NALMLS Officers 2009. You can look and figure that at least 50% of the people on that list decided to table the address motion.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good people on that list that are in favor of addresses. There just weren't enough of them.

The biggest opponent (well, really 2nd) of addresses in our area is also on that list. He has spoken many times against them.