In Ontario, the listings are owned by the brokerages not the individual agents.  In Ontario, each real estate board provides an MLS.  In my board, the seller decides if the listing information can be forwarded by the MLS to other websites.  The broker of record decides which types of websites can display the listings.

no one should like it....the only way around it right now is to not submit your listing to MLS and post online, full force, to rank higher than Z/T and then submit to MLS.... we really need MLS for the cooperation of all other agents....it's a tough game to play, especially when it's one person doing the marketing for three high producing listing agents....it's a full time job for me right now WITH MLS.....

To be honest it really gripes me.

I agree with Praful and Mike Rock  and we as agents benefit because 70%  or more of business comes from the Internet . There is no going back. More visitors go to Realtor.com than any other site followed by zillow , trulia, Redfin.

 Good Wednesday morning Gary. I do have to agree with Joe. It is public information and once it's out there anybody can use it.

Good morning Gary. The thing it, it is public information, so it is like a catch 22. Not much choice.

i think we use them as well.. please keep using me. and btw....we allow it. there is nothing to stop agents around the nation to create their on ALS. Agent listing service. or OWS owners listing service. a 50 state co-op

Gary Mellott since the listing information is public (or sold by our MLS to these companies), the real culprit is the one who is selling the data - and not these companies. They are just working on their business model....

I don't like it!

I do not like other companies using my listing.  But they do help advertise my listing.

I don't care. To me it's free advertisement

Gary,

There is always a way back, but will the majority go with that?  I think that those companies capitalized on the agents who were not willing to follow up on the leads that came directly to them, and also not willing to spend $$ to promote their listings.  The MLS is making $$$ spreading the inventory and is also making $$$ of the agents who post on the MLS.

The upside of this is that the leads that are generated are for the most part are worthless to the majority of people we have surveyed on the subject of leads.  Some agents buy their own listings on these site (how crazy is that) so not to miss out on the leads...

Some cities like NY do not have an MLS, and one of the companies Douglas Elliman made a deal with Zillow $$$ to display their listings with their agents getting credit...

It is time for the industry to get their heads into this issue and out of the sand.  A

Gary Mellott It should be illegal! Everyone seems to profit except for the real estate agents.

Not happy about that Gary.

We abhor that activity and refuse to  syndicate to those who do so.