Comments on: The MLS of the future http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/ Seattle's Leading Resource for Real Estate Information Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:01:18 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Galen http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105451 Galen Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:03:01 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105451 Rebecca, we looked at pets a while ago, so I forgot how we dealt with them. If you type "dogs" into ShackPrices, you will see all the buildings that explicitly allow dogs or that say pets are subject to restrictions. It works the same way for cats. "Pets" will bring a strange mix of buildings that allow no pets and buildings that are "pet friendly." Rebecca, we looked at pets a while ago, so I forgot how we dealt with them. If you type “dogs” into ShackPrices, you will see all the buildings that explicitly allow dogs or that say pets are subject to restrictions. It works the same way for cats. “Pets” will bring a strange mix of buildings that allow no pets and buildings that are “pet friendly.”

]]> By: Michael Wurzer http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105444 Michael Wurzer Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:47:41 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105444 Thanks for the welcome, Robbie. I've been reading Rain City Guide for awhile, along with a bunch of other RE.net blogs, and figured an MLS software vendor's voice couldn't hurt. Regarding HTML in comments, perhaps a solution to that could be similar to what some of the virtual tour companies do in providing "branded" and "unbranded" tours. The MLS could provide remarks copy with or without HTML. I also think that things like video and audio are best handled by links. There are many good video and audio services today, there doesn't seem to be a need for the MLS vendors to reinvent that wheel but rather should just allow effective link integration. Thanks for the welcome, Robbie. I’ve been reading Rain City Guide for awhile, along with a bunch of other RE.net blogs, and figured an MLS software vendor’s voice couldn’t hurt. Regarding HTML in comments, perhaps a solution to that could be similar to what some of the virtual tour companies do in providing “branded” and “unbranded” tours. The MLS could provide remarks copy with or without HTML. I also think that things like video and audio are best handled by links. There are many good video and audio services today, there doesn’t seem to be a need for the MLS vendors to reinvent that wheel but rather should just allow effective link integration.

]]> By: Galen http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105443 Galen Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:45:27 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105443 Robbie, open house data is a part of most feeds, but most agents who are members of the NWMLS don't input open houses. It would be nice if they did! Rebecca, try those searches on ShackPrices - just type in "fully fenced." Pet restrictions are a little trickier... Robbie, open house data is a part of most feeds, but most agents who are members of the NWMLS don’t input open houses. It would be nice if they did!

Rebecca, try those searches on ShackPrices – just type in “fully fenced.” Pet restrictions are a little trickier…

]]> By: Rebecca http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105439 Rebecca Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:37:23 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105439 I think are great Robbie. I especially agree with the information regarding cell reception and bandwith. These are important questions that come up. I also like the links to more detailed school information. As for my requests, I just wish the MLS would make a few more of the fields that we can search by "required" fields in order to help fine tune our searches and not have to pull up listings that don't meet our clients needs (ie: fully fenced backyard, pet restrictions for condos, bonus room, etc...) Thanks for thinking outside the box! I think are great Robbie. I especially agree with the information regarding cell reception and bandwith. These are important questions that come up. I also like the links to more detailed school information. As for my requests, I just wish the MLS would make a few more of the fields that we can search by “required” fields in order to help fine tune our searches and not have to pull up listings that don’t meet our clients needs (ie: fully fenced backyard, pet restrictions for condos, bonus room, etc…) Thanks for thinking outside the box!

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105432 Robbie Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:24:17 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105432 I'm also kind of surpised that open house data isn't part of many (most?) MLS IDX feeds. I think it'd be another high value / low cost feature for agents & ther clients (auto generate appointment for your calendar client using <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2445.txt" rel="nofollow">iCalendar files</a>). I’m also kind of surpised that open house data isn’t part of many (most?) MLS IDX feeds. I think it’d be another high value / low cost feature for agents & ther clients (auto generate appointment for your calendar client using iCalendar files).

]]> By: Rich http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105431 Rich Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:23:46 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105431 "What new things will help them and how, if Agents for Sellers only want to convey better and best info to Agents for Buyers?" In that case, they'd leaving those columns/fields blank. for example, if a house doesn't have a broadband connection, seller's agent will leave that column blank that gives enough info to buyer's agent. “What new things will help them and how, if Agents for Sellers only want to convey better and best info to Agents for Buyers?”

In that case, they’d leaving those columns/fields blank. for example, if a house doesn’t have a broadband connection, seller’s agent will leave that column blank that gives enough info to buyer’s agent.

]]> By: John Schroeder http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105411 John Schroeder Fri, 09 Mar 2007 18:52:09 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105411 I am totally in favor of richer media capabilities being added to the MLS. That would allow the agents that are using these newer and more useful technologies such as video walk thrus, PDF flyers, and audio or video podcasts to feature them on the MLS. The agents who would prefer to only put 1 or a couple of small pictures on the MLS can continue to do as they always have. Raising the bar on online marketing for real estate is a good thing. If agents choose to utilize these advancements that is up to them. I am totally in favor of richer media capabilities being added to the MLS. That would allow the agents that are using these newer and more useful technologies such as video walk thrus, PDF flyers, and audio or video podcasts to feature them on the MLS. The agents who would prefer to only put 1 or a couple of small pictures on the MLS can continue to do as they always have. Raising the bar on online marketing for real estate is a good thing. If agents choose to utilize these advancements that is up to them.

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105410 ARDELL Fri, 09 Mar 2007 18:48:34 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105410 "The more of us software types that blog, the better the software will eventually be for everybody who plays in the real estate space." Can we make a list of who that might be? MLS members should be in two groups. Agents for Sellers and Agents for Buyers. What new things will help them and how, if Agents for Sellers only want to convey better and best info to Agents for Buyers? “The more of us software types that blog, the better the software will eventually be for everybody who plays in the real estate space.”

Can we make a list of who that might be? MLS members should be in two groups. Agents for Sellers and Agents for Buyers. What new things will help them and how, if Agents for Sellers only want to convey better and best info to Agents for Buyers?

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105377 Robbie Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:22:30 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105377 Micheal, It's great to see an MLS vendor that has a blog! The more of us software types that blog, the better the software will eventually be for everybody who plays in the real estate space. Another idea I had, was adding HTML to the remarks fields. Unfortunately, I know all too well the security challenges that poses since I used to work on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlook_Web_Access" rel="nofollow">OWA</a>. I also have a hunch that adding HTML would impede folks from implementing full text search features that folks want, since I don't think SQL DBs are smart enough to ignore markup. Also, the last thing I want as a consumer is pop-ups, marquee or blink tags in your IDX web site. Still, I can't see anything wrong with adding more hyperlinks. You end up with more useful web sites, it improves the ole SEO, and it's easy to implement. Micheal,

It’s great to see an MLS vendor that has a blog! The more of us software types that blog, the better the software will eventually be for everybody who plays in the real estate space.

Another idea I had, was adding HTML to the remarks fields. Unfortunately, I know all too well the security challenges that poses since I used to work on OWA. I also have a hunch that adding HTML would impede folks from implementing full text search features that folks want, since I don’t think SQL DBs are smart enough to ignore markup. Also, the last thing I want as a consumer is pop-ups, marquee or blink tags in your IDX web site.

Still, I can’t see anything wrong with adding more hyperlinks. You end up with more useful web sites, it improves the ole SEO, and it’s easy to implement.

]]> By: Michael Wurzer http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105289 Michael Wurzer Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:47:28 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2007/03/08/the-mls-of-the-future/#comment-105289 This is a great topic and one which the RETS community has been working on quite a bit. For those interested in this topic, I encourage you to participate in the discussions on-going right now regarding the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS) version 2 payloads. Though the standards certainly will evolve over time, the broader and deeper the standards are developed now, the more productive users will find the data. The wiki.rets.org site has links to the schema, and I know the community is developing some tools to allow people who don't want to plow through xsd files an easier time to review and comment on the standards. This is a great topic and one which the RETS community has been working on quite a bit. For those interested in this topic, I encourage you to participate in the discussions on-going right now regarding the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS) version 2 payloads. Though the standards certainly will evolve over time, the broader and deeper the standards are developed now, the more productive users will find the data. The wiki.rets.org site has links to the schema, and I know the community is developing some tools to allow people who don’t want to plow through xsd files an easier time to review and comment on the standards.

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