Ideas I've Had

So, I was talking briefly with my father today about an idea that I'd worked to develop with a number of friends over the course of a few discussions last year. I can't remember who it was that initially suggested it (please feel free to own up in the comments), but I believe it was Sean Gill (Loafdog) bitching about trying to look for a house or condo. He was frustrated by having to go through a Real Estate Agent to get home listings. Agents have access to something called the MLS, which stands for Multiple Listings Service. What is the MLS you ask?

The Multiple Listing Service or "MLS" is the collection (or database) of properties listed for sale by nearly every real estate broker in a particular market or region. Multiple Listing Services are usually separate entities jointly owned and controlled by local real estate associations.


It seems that there is now a site which claims to open the MLS to individuals. While the primary purpose of my ideas has been officially coopted, it seems that some of the details still remain to be exploited. The most interesting idea proposed came from Sean Collins when he suggested that such a service might be modeled after Vehix.com (to which I refuse to link) but less offensive in its advertising. The problem facing us in the building of a hypothetical business of opening up the MLS database was how to create a revenue stream.

One possibility would be the Google approach, aka searching for properties would bring up ads for local and relevant services. Looking for houses during the summer would yield AC and painting companies close to the searched address. There are many other clearly relevant ad results ranging from home furnishing (beds, furniture, appliances, etc) to home repair and landscaping.

Another possibility would be to contact Real Estate Agents and get them to participate. So, when a customer discovers a house in the MLS, there would be a prominent button "Email Nearby Agents" with offers for a free initial consultation, paid advice, and brokering services. The advantage of this second and non-exclusive revenue stream (Agents would pay to be linked or per clickthrough or per consultation) is that it would deter some of the arguments that an online MLS search tool obliviates the need for Real Estate Agents. Instead, it would expand the advice part of their job in place of the actual buying and selling of homes.


Raul