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…

I’m honored to be able to host this 152nd edition of the Carnival of Real Estate.  I first hosted in 2007, then again in 2008.  I can’t believe this is my 3rd time hosting already!!  Time flys.  It’s amazing how much the real estate blogosphere has changed during that time.

You’ll notice that I’m hosting on a different blog this year.  I still have Searching Solutions, but wanted to take this opportunity to introduce this new blog to everyone as it was literally just started early last week.

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In keeping with a silly tradition I have, I went searching for a crazy photo to theme the carnival after… and found one.  This year, a theme relating to determination, hard work, boldness, hope, and a touch of reckless abandon seemed appropriate.

We’ve all seen our share of difficulty over the last couple of years.  Some have obviously had it harder than others, but for me the whole thing can be summed up in one word:  “change”.

If I could make a brief observation about the state of the real estate blogosphere…

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing some older posts and came across an old 2007 article that listed the top 101 real estate blogs.  As I went down the list I was utterly shocked to see that about 80-90% of the sites were no longer online or hadn’t written a new post in over a year.  What happened?  Where did these people go?  Did they start new blogs?  Did they leave the business?  Did they decide that blogging didn’t work for them?

These kinds of questions have intrigued me over the last 6 months and I have been thinking alot about the time, money, and incredible effort that people have spent building an online presence with a blog.  Some have failed, and others have triumphed.  But one thing is for certain, the successful blogs didn’t get that way by mistake.  If there is one thing that down-turns in the economy can teach us… it’s that the determined entrepreneurs that have vision, determination, and even a little bit of a crazy streak  will continue to be successful no matter what the rest of the market is doing.

I make these observations during this year’s carnival of Real Estate because I didn’t get a single submission from a local real estate blogger (except for the winner Karen that wrote about social media).  I know you are out there, and maybe your are one of those bloggers that has hung up his/her hat…  but don’t give up.  There is still opportunity out there.  Don’t become one of the thousands of real estate bloggers that went strong for a few months only to let it all go to waste.

So my encouragement to the dis-heartened blogger is this:

1. Don’t give up.
2. Don’t copy what everyone else is doing.
3. Don’t stop writing.
4. Don’t stop innovating.
5. Don’t be lazy.

Ok, I’ll get off my soap box… on to the carnival.

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Winner! – Marketing Home Listings Using Social Media & Twitter – By: Karen Goodman

This was the most enjoyable read by far, and I know some of you are tired of reading about social media marketing, but Karen made it a really fun read and illustrated why it can be so vital as a marketing tool in an agent’s arsenal if done properly.  Bottom line, there are alot of talkers when it comes to social media, but not many people executing it well.  Karen really seems to get it.  Thanks for the fun read Karen!

2nd Place! – Fannie Mae Toughens Guidelines on 2-Unit Homes, Trailing Spouses, and Retirement Portfolios By: Dan Greene

There were more mortage and lending related postes submitted than any other kind to the carnival this year, but Dan’s blew them all out of the water.  He knows his stuff.  If you are an owner of, or an investor in any 2-unit properties and are thinking about doing a refi, this is a must read as it details some of the new underwriting regulations Fannie Mae is putting out.

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Runner Ups:

• The Pros and Cons of Non-Bank Lenders on the “Home i Own” Blog

• Panama Property: Doing Better Than Many Markets, But Not Immune to the Global Downturn on RevealRealEstate.com

Thank you everyone for participating in this week’s carnival.  Hope to see you next year!

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!