MLS challenged by top brokerages

The Canadian Real Estate Association’s hold on the country’s real estate listings is being challenged by three top brokerages as they develop plans to offer an alternative to Multiple Listing Service, the Globe and Mail reports.

The Canadian Real Estate Association’s hold on the country’s real estate listings is being challenged by three top brokerages as they develop plans to offer an alternative to Multiple Listing Service, the Globe and Mail reports.  

Century 21, Royal LePage and ReMax met Aug. 31 to discuss developing a new and improved website to pool their listings.

The three brokerages want to build a website similar to Realtor.ca, which will allow them to control the site’s content without having to get the approval of CREA, an organization that represents 100,000 Realtors across the country.

The meeting came a day after Yahoo Canada announced that it will offer listings on its main page using database and search-engine technology from Zoocasa.com.

Many consumers are now visiting other websites, like Zoocasa, to get information not available on MLS, such as demographics, school zones and average prices for neighbourhoods.