Where do you look for the best MLS information when you’re house hunting online? Consumers have many choices, but they aren’t all equally comprehensive or updated.
Today we’ll touch on these relevant options:
- Real estate agent and brokerage IDX feeds (and what is an IDX feed or syndication)?
- Large portal MLS information (Realtor.com, Zillow, Redfin, and many others)
- The MLS information from MLS Listings
Quick answer, for those who don’t want to read this whole article: the very best, most accurate and most often updated site for consumers wanting MLS information is via an automatic email, set up by your agent, from the public branch of our agent-supported Multiple Listing Service or MLS, which is MLSListings.com. For the full data, you must get your agent to share it with you – it won’t all be there if you just go to that website. I’ll explain below.
Syndication, Members Only listings, IDX, VOW, data sharing between MLS organizations
Syndication refers to the listings’ info being sent out to third parties for display on other sites. With syndication, as the listing agent updates the status to pending, sold, canceled, etc., the feed is supposed to automatically update. Sometimes there’s a lag or a glitch, though, so the info may not be as reliable (or up to date) for that reason.
Members Only listings in MLS Listings are not syndicated. They might be “Members Only: Do Not Show” (think of it like a Coming Soon) or they could be “Members Only: Show” (for whatever reason, the seller wants limited exposure – could be temporary, as the Days On Market do not accrue)
IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange, and it refers to the feed of information from our local multiple listing service to a website. If you look at any of the large non-multiple listing service websites and don’t have to register to view listings info, that’s syndicated data on an IDX feed. That’s what most websites are showcasing. Members Only listings do not show up in any IDX feeds. This is possibly 15-25% of all inventory at any given time.
VOW is the acronym for a Virtual Office Website. Some real estate salespeople or brokerage websites or blogs may have listings info to view, but you are required to register in order to get the info. These may be IDX feeds (and they just want your info) or they could be VOW or Virtual Office Websites. VOWs show more info, such as the facts on canceled, expired, or withdrawn listings. IDX sites may show just listed, pending, or closed sales. (Mine goes back just 2 years for the closed sales.) Members Only listings do not show up in any VOW feeds.
Data sharing is another discussion, and it refers to the sharing of feeds between MLS organizations. For instance, MLS Listings displays not just its own listings as input by dues paying members of MLS Listings, but it also provides similar info from other multiple listing services, including Bay East, the San Francisco Association of Realtors MLS, or Bareis MLS (North Bay) or may others.
The MLS companies have their own sets of rules to abide by, so one problem with the data soup that is listed above is that it is just plain messy. One constraint is that listings that come from data sharing cannot be syndicated (unless the person paying for the syndication is a member of the originating MLS company). Here’s an example:
As of this writing, there are quite a few new construction condos for sale in Saratoga, but they were installed on the Bay East MLS. That means that they cannot be seen on any agent or brokerage IDX or VOW display unless that agent or broker is also a member of Bay East. Large portals, such as Realtor.com, likely have membership in ALL MLSs, so that won’t be a problem for them. But it’s not good for a Saratoga Realtor trying to display all local listing on his or her website, but these condos won’t show – and they are fully half of the available inventory.
To the best of my knowledge, the Members Only MLS information does not get shared on other MLSs, either.
I should add that because different areas track different things, the data feed can get messed up. I’ve seen things come in from Bay East or other places where it might have something missing, such as the schools or even the school districts (perhaps not required there but they might be hugely important here). Sellers, for the best result, make sure that the primary entry into a multiple listing service is the one closest to your home.
Those are the limitations – part of it’s the status (fully exposure or part exposure), part of it is the origin of the listing or where it was entered.
The best source for current, thorough MLS info in Silicon Valley and the Central Coast is MLS Listings
MLS information on MLS Listings is updated constantly. Within a few minutes of whenever a real estate agent or broker changes the listing status, comments, photos, showing instructions, open house information, or any other details., the new item is displayed on MLS Listings quickly. While it’s not instantaneous, most changes appear within 5-10 minutes (photos being the slowest to load).
For consumers wanting to get ALL local info, ask your Realtor to create a search for you with your criteria and get it started. The emails can come ASAP, once or twice a day, only on certain days of the week, or so on.
You can also go to MLSListings.com, but that view won’t include the Members Only listings. To see all of the available inventory, ask your real estate agent to set you up with the MLS automatic email.
How is the public’s version of the MLS information different from the realty agent’s version of the same data?
More info is shown to the agent, including the seller’s name (if listed), phone numbers, the sales type (REO or short sale, if distressed property), special showing instructions, school district name (and possibly the precise school name), the sales history of the property, the tax records, private agent comments, possibly a link to the disclosures website, and some other small details.
What about off market listings, pocket listings, or quiet listings?
A few years ago, the National Association of Realtors instituted a new policy called the Clear Cooperation policy. With these rules, homes are not to be marketed publicly unless they are on the MLS in some fashion (Members Only is OK) within a couple of days. That would include for sale signs, promotion on social media or website, or anything else publicly findable.
Nearly all of the quiet listings are simply Members Only, but some do sell within their brokerages and are never on the MLS at all. That’s allowed (again, as long as there is no public marketing of it). It appears to be a very small number of properties that sell that way, though.
Articles that may be of interest:
What does it cost to buy a house with good schools in Silicon Valley? (from our relo website)
Homeowners insurance (on popehandy.com) – in 2024 31% of home buyers in CA had trouble obtaining insurance
Should you use a buyer broker agreement? (this site)
