NorthStarMLS, REcore unveil ‘Project NexusRE’  

New technology is making it more difficult for real estate professionals to see who — and what — has access to listings data, but NorthStarMLS and REcore say they are working on a solution.

The venture in question is Project NexusRE, a patent-pending platform currently in development that aims to enhance MLS and broker visibility into how and why data is being used, enabling more informed business decisions.

What is Project NexusRE? The platform hasn't launched yet — but the Minnesota MLS and real estate tech company are working on it.

Project NexusRE is being designed as a "membrane" between listings data and all of the apps, websites, AI tools and more that interact with it, providing a window for brokers to see who's accessing the data and where it's going once it leaves the MLS.

For MLS leaders facing an increasingly fragmented landscape — one where existing infrastructure predates the realities of an AI-driven world — Project NexusRE will provide a common framework to assist data flow and monitoring at scale, its developers said.

Anticipating the industry's 'next conversation': The idea materialized as NorthStar was heading into strategic planning, with REcore involved from the start as one of the MLS's existing partners.

Project NexusRE was inspired by a growing realization of how quickly AI and new tech is permeating the industry — and that "the technology environment around the MLS was changing faster than the infrastructure supporting it," NorthStarMLS President and CEO Tim Dain said.

Project NexusRE has been in the works for over a year, with NorthStar investing the first $2 million to build it. But it'll take more time — and widespread industry involvement — to get it over the finish line.

"The industry has spent years talking about access to data," Dain said. "We believe the next conversation is about visibility, accountability and how those interactions are governed at scale."

Greater data visibility leads to more control: When brokers and MLS leaders gain more insight into how listings data is being used, they can more easily determine if that usage complies with their existing rules and marketing guidelines. Project NexusRE aims to provide that visibility at a time when concern over data ownership and control is growing.

"The objective is not to slow innovation" but "to provide infrastructure that helps innovation happen with greater accountability," REcore CEO Art Carter said.

"Real estate already has trusted data," he added. "What the industry needs now is a consistent way to understand how that data is being used as AI systems become more common."

Protecting a 'cooperative and neutral' MLS: Though AI may have seemed like a futuristic idea to some just a couple of years ago, recent studies have shown that most agents today are using AI tools, while consumers are increasingly comfortable with AI involvement in the homebuying.

But as more of these tools launch, it becomes harder to keep track of listings data and ensure the industry's existing infrastructures are adapting to changes fast enough.

"The cooperative and neutral MLS remains one of the most valuable assets in real estate," Dain said. "The question is how that system evolves as AI becomes part of everyday real estate operations."

What happens next: Early testing of the platform is expected in the coming months, NorthStar and REcore said, with interested partners invited to join in the meantime.