Nationwide MLS Listings

[dakman]

Hey guys..

I noticed homes.com, homeseekers.com, ziprealty etc have MLS data for almost the entire nation. I noticed homegain.com is a broker in almost all 50 states so I'm assuming thats how they aggregated their national MLS data. How does homes.com/homeseekers.com get it?

Also, if I can't get nationwide data, do you guys know if any local MLS boards (specifically Orange County MLS) allow non-agents to use MLS data? I wonder if there are any special exceptions cause I see a bunch of these nationwide MLS sites popping up..

I was thinking maybe I can just link to realtor.com pages directly that can allow redirected users to search eg realtor.com/ search.asp?pricerange=&bedrooms=. I'm going to call Move.com to check their policy on that...

Let me know what you guys think .. Also let me know if anyone is linking to or has access to a national MLS/IDX data feed.

Thanks! -David

[RobertD]

No, most MLS's will not give people access to data without there being a broker-member in the picture. It takes a broker, not an agent, to get data access generally.

Homes.com, Homeseekers, etc., generally get their data directly from brokers though ocassionally an MLS will use them. When they get their data directly from the broker, it generally includes only that particular broker's listings, not the entire MLS listings.

Realtor.com is not going to allow you to do what you propose. If you do it, expect to end up in court.