Well the decision finally came down the pipe.  Here is the new language according to the Realtor.org website:

Multiple Listing Policy

“Amended the Multiple Listing and Internet Data Exchange Policy to conform to NAR virtual office Web site (VOW) policy and to make clear that participants may not use IDX-provided listings for purposes other than display on their Web sites but are not required to prevent indexing of their Web sites by recognized search engines.”

This is great news for Property Indexer clients and for the entire real estate industry.  It means that agents will now be able to market listings effectively through the search engines.  In the coming weeks and months, I suspect we will see alot of new companies popping up, and many new services that utilize technology to take data from the IDX and publish it.

To read more about the reaction from other Realtors about this decision, check out the Agent Genius website where the conversation continues…

It’s a win/win for everyone:

• the consumer finds the information they are looking for
• the listing agent gets extra exposure for their property
• the agent marketing the listing may obtain a buyer

Disclaimer:  I want to be very clear that I am not an expert in this area.  I’ve only become deeply interested in these issues for the past 9-12 months, and don’t have an intimate knowledge of  many of the technologies.  However, I am a quick learner, and with your help, I hope to become an authority on these issues and help educate the real estate community on the various products, technologies, and controversies surrounding this new industry.

As some of you may know, my early experiences with getting MLS data indexed by the search engines was a smashing success and I’m a huge believer in these types of systems.  Needless to say, we are very excited to start blogging on these issues and get the input and feedback from the real estate community.

Please share this blog with your friends in the real estate industry.

Hope to see you back again soon!