Beyond the noise: What brokers should expect from an MLS 

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The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

There is a lot of noise in real estate right now. New partnerships, new consolidations, new entrants and a steady drumbeat of opinions about what MLSs should be. Some of it will prove useful. Most of it sidesteps the harder question: What is actually changing for how brokers and agents do business, and what will MLS leaders do to make those businesses stronger?

Brokers are not waiting for that debate to settle. They are making real decisions right now about how listings are marketed, how their data moves, and which tools they will rely on to reduce friction in their operations. They should be. Because the implications of these decisions are key to their future.

Fragmentation, inefficiency and outdated rules

For brokers operating across markets, the core problem remains fragmentation and the friction it creates. Too many systems. Too many points of entry. Too many outdated rules that do not reflect how the business actually works today. It shows up as wasted time, inconsistent data, and missed opportunities to serve clients. AI is accelerating all of it, reshaping how listings are created, how consumers discover them, and how listing content is reused, often outside the MLS. Systems that cannot adapt quickly will fall behind.

At a minimum, brokers should expect five things from any MLS they support. These include true interoperability across markets, clear and enforceable data control, meaningful reduction in operational friction, policies that enable flexibility rather than impose unnecessary constraints, and infrastructure that scales with their business instead of limiting it. Without these elements, brokers are not simply accepting inefficiency. They are actively funding it.

Interoperability: Connecting across borders

Start with interoperability. The modern MLS ecosystem is not defined by geography. It is defined by connectivity. A broker working across multiple states should not have to manage multiple workflows, multiple compliance regimes, and multiple data formats just to list a home. Bright's move toward unified listing data flows is built precisely to solve that problem. We're already seeing this play out in real partnerships.

Howard Hanna is partnering with Bright's joint venture with Ocusell, now being leveraged by brokerages across the country, to drive single-point-of-entry listing creation.

It is why Long & Foster asked all of its Mid-Atlantic MLSs to work with us to consolidate their data and we are in similar discussions with other large brokerages.

Compass has committed to making its nationwide data available to our subscribers through our system. In addition, Compass has agreed to subsidize new Bright subscriptions for its agents under Compass International Holdings in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, or elsewhere in the country so they can take advantage of Bright's capabilities across regions.

Listing data: Ensuring brokers retain control

Data control is the second expectation. AI companies are training on listing content at scale, often without consent and often outside the MLS. Brokers, not platforms, should decide how their content travels into those systems. We have already pressed major AI companies to stop misusing our customers' data, and we will keep doing so, including through REdistribute, our joint venture that manages and enforces the licensing and use of brokers' data.

If the industry does not set its own terms for how its data is used, others will set them on its behalf.

Operational friction: Streamlining systems and processes

Third is operational friction. This is where the dollars actually live. Every instance of redundant data entry, every inconsistent standard, every disconnected system creates real costs through staffing inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and a weaker consumer experience. Friction is not an inconvenience. It is a margin issue.

An MLS that takes friction seriously invests in technology that removes layers, not adds them, and that is the standard brokers should hold every MLS to.

Flexibility: Giving brokers room to compete on strategy

Fourth is flexibility. Before flexibility became the topic of the moment, Bright was already supporting a range of listing strategies while maintaining cooperation and market transparency. That flexibility remains a core strength. For years, our ruleset has been among the shortest and most flexible in the country, and we are rolling out even more options this summer. With pre-marketing options and clear enforcement, Bright gives brokers and sellers more control over how listings are marketed, including in emerging AI-driven environments.

Cooperation is not going away. It is getting smarter. The job of an MLS is to give brokers room to compete on strategy, not to force everyone into a single playbook or push them to build workarounds outside the MLS. Brokers and sellers need a marketplace where listings are entered on time, complete and accurate, and then distributed exactly as they choose, with nothing added that they did not authorize.

That requires consistent enforcement at both ends: timely entry and downstream compliance, with fines and suspensions for those who break the rules. Selective entry into the MLS is just as damaging as selective display to the public, and we treat both with the same seriousness. Even-handedness is the point. Our rules are written to support a consistent, transparent marketplace, and they are enforced the same way for every participant in that marketplace — large brokerage or small, national franchise or independent, platform or portal.

Infrastructure that scales: Driving innovation through competition

The fifth expectation is infrastructure that scales. Most MLSs do not have the technology, resources, or scale to compete in a market where platforms are investing billions. The industry will consolidate, because it has to.

But scale alone is not the answer, and a single national MLS would centralize too much control in one place. History shows that this kind of concentration weakens competition and slows innovation. Real estate needs a competitive ecosystem of strong platforms, brokers, and technology partners pushing each other to improve. That is how brokers get better tools and consumers get more accurate, timely information.

Brokers are no longer passive participants in this transition. They are demanding infrastructure that aligns with their business strategy, reduces inefficiencies, and protects the long-term value of their data. These five expectations are not aspirational. They are the baseline for any MLS that intends to outrun extinction.

Brian Donnellan is president and CEO of Bright MLS, a Mid-Atlantic multiple listing service supporting more than 100,000 subscribers across six states and Washington, D.C.

Donnellan provides leadership for Bright's technology, product, customer support, and financial organizations as well as management of the company's strategic growth strategy. He is a 20-year real estate industry veteran and has been widely recognized as a leader in the industry, repeatedly earning national honors for his impact on real estate and housing.