June 2010 BAREIS Board of Directors Meeting

Membership for May is sitting just above 8,000 at 8,356. No great exodus of East Bay agents occurred with the incorporation of the East Bay into Quattro. BAREIS is on budget for the year.

Agreements are being negotiated for lockbox reciprocation with the East Bay, South Bay, and San Francisco. It is never as easy as one thinks Agents will have to either have their lockbox key programmed with a code for the area or obtain a reciprocal key to use in areas that don’t have the infrared lockbox. Everyone is currently on Supra systems, which makes it easier from a technology perspective.

Realist tax records now have a button on their results screen that links that tax record to the MLS detail on the property if the property was listed in the MLS. The next challenge is to create a CMA using the sold information from both Realist and BAREIS.

The Board discussed the options available for mobile users, and expressed the need to keep on top of smart phone technology, mobile applications, and the ability of mobile users to access MLS data.

The fourth independent analysis comparing RPR, CoreLogic and MOVE content licensing program was distributed to the board. It is a good comparison of the three systems and focused on licensing issues.   These reports will be utilized by the Research and Technology Committee in their evaluation of the products. 

The concern with RPR and other products is they want the ability to license the MLS Content to other third parties, and have free reign to create other products using the data. The RPR agreement is very open, and may permit RPR to “sell the data”, including off market data.  While the Board has the power under the bylaws to do so, BAREIS policy does not permit the sale of data, particularly off market data, at this time. Testing of the RPR product is now being done at MLS Listings –the Peninsula partner of Quattro, and SoCal MLS in LA. There is also a legal question if the permanent Superior Court Injunction in the Palsson case will permit MLS data to be used for a “REALTOR® only” product in California, and specifically in our region.

True Forms – approximately 20% of the membership uses True Forms on line – the application through BAREIS.   As it comes time to renew this contract, there was a discussion that in an effort not to raise BAREIS monthly dues, the True Form users may have to pay for the use of True Forms.

CALREDD / MRMLS   Merger – The Board has a “wait and see” opinion.