MARIS fee waiver a response to broker discontent with other MLSs
Calling it a “brokerage-agnostic” move, the MLS will waive fees for new subscribers seeking a “stable, reliable” option amid ongoing listing feed disputes.
Key points:
- MARIS is waiving application fees for new members through the end of the month and waiving subscription fees through the end of November.
- The St. Louis-based MLS said the move followed inquiries from brokers looking for a viable way to join while they continue to pay “duplicate expenses” elsewhere.
- The decision was not tied to any brokerage partnerships, emphasized President and CEO Cameron Paine. “How we run MARIS doesn’t benefit any one broker over another.”
St. Louis, Missouri-based multiple listing service Mid America Regional Information System (MARIS) announced in an email and blog post on Tuesday that it would temporarily waive subscription fees for new subscribers.
The MLS made the offer against the backdrop of a public feud playing out between Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) and Zillow — one that ensnared agents and consumers last month when MRED cut off Zillow's data feed for a few days before a court order required the MLS to reinstate access.
MARIS alluded to the dispute in its offer message, stating: "With the uncertainty surrounding data feeds in the Chicagoland market, we believe this is the perfect opportunity to provide a stable, reliable MLS option that delivers consistent data and reliable syndication choices."
A response to broker interest
The offer MARIS sent out to subscribers and other real estate professionals throughout Illinois waives the MLS's application fees through June 30, 2026, and its subscription fees through Nov. 30, 2026.
MARIS President and CEO Cameron Paine told Real Estate News that the MLS decided to launch the promotion after multiple brokers had reached out expressing interest in joining MARIS because they were no longer satisfied with the MLS services they were receiving elsewhere — but they were concerned about incurring "massive, duplicate expenses" by signing up their hundreds of agents.
MARIS's geographic coverage extends over 130 counties largely in Missouri and Illinois, with a few counties in Northern Arkansas. The MLS has always allowed any Realtor across the U.S. to subscribe to its services, Paine noted, and "we felt that making this offer would be helpful to the brokers who are interested in coming over," he said.
"We've just made a point of saying MARIS believes that the role of the MLS is to provide a marketplace for timely, accurate, comprehensive and transparent data, and I think that's resonated for a lot of brokers," the CEO continued.
"So in any marketplace where a broker feels like the MLS is not for them, that's the flag we planted. We hope that MARIS could be a home for them, for their data, and we would like to provide stability for any broker that just wants to do business for them and their clients."
No picking favorites: All brokers get 'treated the same'
Paine added that he feels like the industry is separating into two different camps right now, and he wants to be clear about where MARIS stands.
"The marketplace — the timely, accurate, comprehensive, transparent data — that is fundamental to the MLS marketplace working, agnostically, for our brokers," Paine said.
"And by 'agnostically,' I mean our rules and how we run MARIS doesn't benefit any one broker over another. Everyone gets treated the same."
Some other MLSs have recently updated their rules or opened access in partnership with brokerages — Compass in particular — leading some in the industry to question whether those moves have been overly influenced by one brokerage at the expense of other participants.
Rapid change, 'bickering' bringing 'some bad optics' to the industry
Dennis Norman, a chairman at MARIS and 40-year industry veteran, said he's seen more change in MLSs during the last couple of years than in all his previous years in real estate combined.
"It's not all bad, but unfortunately, I think it's bringing some bad optics [to the industry]," Norman told Real Estate News.
He said smaller brokers have told the MLS that they feel like they need more resources and support now in order to compete with larger forces entering the market.
"We're also hearing from some brokers in areas where there's bickering and disputes going on that they either don't like it or feel like somehow they're not relevant anymore because all they hear about is whatever the dispute is," Norman added.
A lot of agents who are working directly with clients everyday don't necessarily have the luxury of staying on top of the big-picture moves happening in the industry, Norman added, which is where MARIS steps in.
"We feel a real sense of duty to them to be as up-to-date on everything as we can and looking out for them."