Core Standards Requirements
We received confirmation today from OAR CEO Robert Fletcher that Firelands Association of REALTORS® is in full compliance with the core standards requirements as set by NAR. The deadline to fulfill thsese requirements was June 30, 2015.
Congratulations to our leadership team, staff, and legal counsel for their hard work and dedication!
Zillow/Trulia Feed Update
Dear Broker Members,
As you may be aware the data feed from ListHub to Zillow Group, including Trulia was discontinued effective April 7, 2015. This action was due to the fact that Zillow Group could not come to terms with ListHub on a new agreement. If you were feeding Zillow through ListHub you will see a disruption of service. In order to insure that this feed was not interrupted the Directors at the March meeting instructed the staff and legal counsel to contact Zillow to try to work out a contract that would mirror our agreement with ListHub. We worked diligently to negotiate in good faith an acceptable agreement with no success. Several unfavorable terms were included that would not allow the Directors to enter into a long-term agreement with Zillow Group.
The Board of Directors held a special meeting to discuss and deliberate the options to move forward. Notice was sent out and comments were allowed from the membership to ensure all sides were heard. The Directors, after discussion, came to the conclusion that it was not in the best interest of the MLS to enter into the long-term agreement. A motion was passed to enter into a shorter term, six-month agreement to allow data to be sent to Zillow while a more favorable agreement could be negotiated.
The short term solution to the problem will be the creation of a Zillow dashboard very similar to the ListHub dashboard. This will be an OPT-IN product and will require you to sign on to the dashboard to allow your listing data to be live to Zillow. If you do not take action no listing data will be published to Zillow. I would caution all members to consider all ramifications of entering into a long-term agreement with Zillow. At this time our agreement is for only 6 months, and they have not been willing to negotiate on terms in the contract that we feel protects your data.
In conclusion, we will continue to work on this issue. We will be scheduling a Broker meeting and presenting the information to the MLS Committee for further investigation. As always if you have further questions please feel free to contact either your Directors or myself.
Thank you for your support,
David W Freitag, RCE
Chief Executive Officer
Scott Biechele Voted Certified Residential Specialist of the Year for Ohio Chapter CRS
Columbus, Ohio, January 19, 2015 Scott Biechele, CRS, was named Ohio CRS Chapter, Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) of the Year for 2014. Biechele, a 30-year resident of Sandusky, was recognized for his dedication and service to the community, contributions to the real estate industry and his top producing real estate sales performance. Biechele's involvement in real estate began in 2001 and he currently serves Sandusky, Huron, Perkins and the surrounding area.
Biechele of Vacationland Realty, Inc. has had many accomplishments during the years including Firelands Association of REALTORS® "REALTOR® of the Year" and Resort and Second Home Property Specialist National Committee Member.
The Council of Residential Specialists is a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® comprised of more than 30,000 members. It awards the CRS designation to experienced REALTORS® who have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.
Professional Standards Policy Change
At the January Directors meeting the Directors voted to adopt the following policy in regards to the collection of any monetary sanctions that may be levied upon any member found to have violated the Code of Ethics.
All monetary sanctions must be paid in full within 14 calendar days from receipt of certified mail and/or e-mail of the final deposition of the case. Failure to pay said monetary sanctions in full within the 14 calendar days from the date of notice will result in the suspension of all membership privileges including access to the MLS until payment is made in full. Once the payment is made, the defendant's membership rights shall immediately resume.
This policy goes into effect immediately.