Imagine what house hunting would be like if you had to visit each agency in order to see their listings? Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a cooperative system which allows participating Realtors® to share information, to show one another’s’ listings, and to split commissions. Thanks to MLS, Berkley & Veller Greenwood Country can search and find John Morrison’s listings or Emily DeConinck’s listings without your having to go to John’s office in Newfane or Emily’s in Jamaica. Coldwell-Banker, Bellville can arrange a showing of a home listed by Brattleboro Area Realty. And, of course, Brattleboro Buyer Brokerage can search for, locate, and arrange for showings of property listed with any other real estate firm.

Historically, MLS started at informal gatherings of brokers. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR):

On certain appointed days, the Members of the Board of Realtors® gathered at the Board offices and “exchange” information about their listings. They, in effect, carried on an auction as they frequently came prepared to purchase certain property desired by their principals, but listed by another broker. This practice was common in the 1880s and 1890s. Shortly after the end of the nineteenth century, the term “multiple listing” was in use.

These days, MLS is computerized, so that, using your search criteria, a Realtor® can checks the entire database almost instantaneously. Computerization has lead to consolidation, so that, now, each MLS system covers a larger geographical area than before. In Vermont, the Vermont Real Estate Information Network (VREIN) covers most of the state. There is also a Northern New England Real Estate Network (NNEREN) which covers most of New Hampshire and parts of Vermont. Although it has not yet happened, there is talk about a nationwide MLS in the future which would allow a broker in Vermont to get up-to-the-minute information about listings in Nebraska or California.

Because the Multiple Listing Service magnifies market access, working with an MLS broker gives both buyers and sellers a powerful advantage.