Broker Public Portal and Homesnap have finalized a joint venture agreement, National Broker Portal, that will purpose Homesnap as a consumer-facing, national MLS search portal. The portal, which currently has commitments from at least seven MLSs, will follow Fair Display Guidelines, which include assigning control of data to brokers and barring competitive advertising.
“We have reached a great milestone,” says Broker Public Portal Chairman Merle Whitehead of the agreement, introduced last year. “Now it’s time for MLSs to show their support for the initiative by collaborating with other MLSs to create a national MLS consumer-facing website.”
“Homesnap is honored to have been selected as the technology partner to this inspired vision for the future of real estate search,” says Steve Barnes, co-founder of Homesnap. “This joint venture agreement formalizes our alignment with brokers and MLSs, making us equal partners in delivering a successful service to consumers.”
The agreement calls for Broker Public Portal and Homesnap to each appoint three directors to the board of the National Broker Portal. Broker Public Portal named HomeServices of America CIO Alon Chaver, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers COO Craig McClelland and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) President and CEO Rebecca Jensen, while Homesnap named Barnes, Co-Founder Steve Wolcott and COO Jason Mathias. David Charron, chief strategy officer of the new Bright MLS, will also serve on the board.
Committed MLSs include Buffalo Niagara Association of REALTORS®, Connecticut MLS (CTMLS), CRIS MLS, MRED, NorthstarMLS and Rochester Genesee Region Real Estate Service.
“HAR.com and a number of other MLSs have been able to capture a reasonable share of voice in online consumer search,” says Jensen, “but we believe that the best opportunity for success will be paved by MLSs who focus on a single, national strategy.”
The Homesnap app is used by more than four million consumers, and 400,000 real estate agents use Homesnap Pro.
For more information, please visit homesnap.com/bpp.
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