Multiple listing services or MLS is a service suite enabling real estate brokers for establishing contractual compensation offers among brokers which facilitates cooperation with fellow brokers, disseminates and accumulates information for enabling appraisals. The word multiple listing services is synonymous with the words multiple listings service or multiple listing system. This service is a facility to correlate in order and disseminate the listing information in order to serve the client better. The software and database of the multiple listing services are utilized by the real estate brokers dealing with real estate business. These represent sellers in a listing contract for sharing information regarding properties at a wider range with other fellow brokers representing potential purchasers or wishing to cooperate among seller’s broker to find a customer for the asset or property. The database of the multiple listing services stores the listing data which is the broker’s proprietary information. The broker here is given a listing agreement with the seller of the property. The outer banks MLS is the same as for normal real estate.
It is believed that in 1800s, the real estate brokers used to regularly gather at the local association offices to share property information that is about to be sold. They agree for compensating fellow brokers who assisted in selling the properties. The first MLS originated on the basis of unique fundamental principle organized to real estate. There is a mutual understanding among the fellow brokers in selling the inventory in exchange to selling inventory of a broker. The MLS is most common in Canada and the United States but is spreading to all around the world including the United Kingdom. Outer banks MLS is specifically found in various forms. A typical outer banks MLS always combines the available property listings represented by brokers who are a member of both MLS system and national realty association like the ‘NAR’, the United Kingdom (INEA) and Real Estate Association of Canada (CREA).
There is no prescribed authoritative outer banks MLS and it also does not have a universal data format. However, in the real estate business, there is a specified standard for data called as the Realty Transaction Standard that many deploy. The private and local databases that use XML data feeds for inputting and outputting the agents listings among which some are being controlled by single or grouping associations of realtors representing all the brokers within that community or by realtors collectively referred to as ‘multiple listing systems’ because of their reciprocal access agreements or data sharing. The primary purpose of banks MLS is providing facilities to publish a “unilateral compensation offer” by a listing broker. In other words, the listing broker offers the commission rate to fellow cooperating brokers. This compensation offer is regarded as a contractual obligation while it is negotiable between the listing broker as well as brokers who represent the buyer. MLS system for outer banks contains the property features and transaction commission. The broker participants or the public maintain timely and accurate data.
An MLS subscriber can carry out a search for an MLS and thereby retrieve all the relevant information about the entire list of out banks homes put for sale by the participating brokers is another benefit of multiple listing systems. Several fields of relevant information regarding the features of the posted property are available in the MLS system. Knowledgeable and experienced real estate professionals from the local market determine these fields whereas only a small amount of data on property is contained in the realty websites. Access and membership to realty brokers as well as their agents is restricted by most of the MLS systems.