Broker Reciprocity

The Broker Reciprocity gives the BROKERS control of their own listings on the web. Please download the informational packet attachment at the bottom of this page.

WHAT IS BROKER RECIPROCITYSM?

Simply: It is a system where brokers give each other permission to display their listings on each other’s web sites. Brokers who participate in the program (called “Broker ReciprocitySM Subscribers” or “BRSs”, also known as Internet Data Exchange “IDX”) can display all of each other’s active and contingent listings. If you choose not to participate, no other broker will be permitted to display your listings. You can include your listings in the Broker ReciprocitySM database without even having your own web site. (See Section 9 – Frequently Asked Questions for an explanation why you would want to do this.)

WHY IS CNYIS MLS DOING BROKER RECIPROCITYSM?

The purpose of Broker ReciprocitySM is to empower REALTORS® to deal with the real estate consumer of the future. Among the objectives to which CNYIS MLS is committed are: 1) permitting brokers to fully market their services on the Internet; 2) permitting the brokerage community to take advantage of the data brokers have contributed to the system; and 3) permitting brokers to obtain and maintain first contact with the consumer in the real estate transaction. Increasingly, consumers are looking to the Internet for information about real estate for sale. Until Broker ReciprocitySM, they were not finding that information at broker-owned web sites. The sites with the best data, and from the consumer's perspective, that means the most data, were not controlled by REALTORS®. On the national front, the site with the most listings is REALTOR.COM, a production of RealSelect, a subsidiary of publicly traded HomeStore.com. Locally, consumers could find the most data on the web sites of CNYREALTOR.com and Syracuse.com.

Brokerage web sites can become the best source of listing data. If most brokers participate, the number of listings in the reciprocal database can easily reach and even exceed the number on other popular sites.

When consumers visit the web sites of reciprocal brokers, they will stay longer because the brokers have more listing data to offer. The broker sites may also offer easier interfaces for consumers, since many other sites are “cluttered” with non-listing content. As brokers become more innovative in offering on-line services, this will be a critical factor in their success.

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