The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) claims around 230 members—MLSs ranging in size from a couple hundred to over 100,000 members. As many in real estate are quick to point out, each serves a unique geography, and often has different structures, resources and goals—both a unique boon and a huge pitfall in the face…
“Is Open Real Estate a national MLS?” That question, proffered by Open Real Estate itself on its website as soon as the initiative was launched, made it clear the founders—namely, AGNT (eXp and NextHome), HomeServices of America, Real REMAX Group and Keller Williams—knew that at least some in the industry would see that project in…
Three separate federal lawsuits involving Compass and seven different MLSs are now making their way through the (often slow-moving) civil litigation process, marking a clear new level of conflict between incumbents defending long-running industry practices and deep-pocketed disruptors with new priorities. The confrontation comes after more than a year of fast-escalating tensions, in which the…
Real estate software platform PropStream has announced the company will attend the Council of Multiple Listing Service’s (CMLS) Open House 2026, taking place Sept. 29-Oct 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to a release, Open House is a conference where the MLS community comes together to exchange ideas, tackle the industry’s most important challenges and…
The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) has named Cameron Kinzer Director of Advocacy, in a move the trade association said will expand its capacity to represent the MLS community as legislative, regulatory and policy decisions increasingly shape the future of the housing market. Kinzer will lead CMLS’s government relations and public policy strategy,…
The multiple listing service has always been a simple concept. But like a lot of straightforward ideas, everything gets a lot more complicated once you need to address competing interests, stakeholder priorities and operational requirements. Even so, MLSs remained a relatively unquestioned foundation of real estate for decades—until now. For the first time in the…
Above, Jessica Edgerton (courtesy of CMLS) Amid a fundamental reorganizing of the MLS space, the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) announced that Jessica Edgerton, a lawyer who previously served in high-profile leadership roles at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) and as a lawyer for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) will…
Antitrust has been a loaded topic in real estate since at least the commission lawsuits of the 2020s that alleged many foundational rules and practices in real estate violated antitrust laws, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) launching its own parallel inquiry. Now, federal agencies are looking to review and revise existing antitrust guidelines, the…
Stellar MLS has announced the official appointment of Shayne Fairley, a longtime leader within the organization, as Chief Executive Officer. For more than two decades, Fairley has been a driving force behind the growth and evolution of Stellar MLS. In July 2025, Stellar MLS announced Fairley would be the successor to the then CEO, Merri…