Open Real Estate has the right mission. Can it deliver? 

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

An open housing market shouldn't depend on a buyer knowing the right person. Which means, as much as possible, every listing should be available to every buyer, through the agent that buyer chose.

In the debate over private inventory, that's the standard I've long held our industry to.

It's also why I'm encouraged by Open Real Estate, the national listing-data initiative AGNT, HomeServices of America, Keller Williams and Real REMAX Group launched on Oct. 26. When I interviewed its leaders for a special edition of Playmakers, they were candid that much of the hard work is still ahead, and they asked the industry to help shape what ORE becomes. Here, I'm taking them up on that invitation.

First, I'll put my cards on the table. Many of these leaders are my friends, and roughly half of the companies announced as founders or participants are RealScout customers. I genuinely want ORE to work, but as RealScout's CEO, I also have a financial interest here. Listing data is already expensive, and if ORE makes it costlier for companies like ours, that's harder to get excited about. So, weigh what follows accordingly.

The early response to the initiative gives me reason for optimism. ORE reported 826 letters of support in its first week — nearly 60% of those letters coming from independent brokerages. But support isn't participation, and participation doesn't automatically mean buyers see more of the market.

I think closing that gap comes down to five tests, which I've written about in more depth. Each one asks a version of the same question: Will ORE make the market more accessible to buyers through the agents they've chosen?

1. Can ORE make listing entry effortless?

Letters of support cost nothing. Listings are the real commitment, and whether they make it into ORE depends heavily on the workflow it requires. Agents today are accustomed to entering listings in local MLS systems, each with its own requirements. ORE must either plug seamlessly into that process or replace it with a better one. Either way, success means an agent enters a listing once and it reaches both ORE and the MLS complete.

Entering listing information twice is a non-starter for agents everywhere. The more closely ORE builds on RESO, the data standard many MLSs already use, the easier single entry becomes.

2. Will independent brokerages trust it?

ORE's founders compete with every brokerage they're inviting in, but at least for now, they also govern it. Independents will reasonably want to know who will ultimately control the data, decide where it goes and set the terms. And as HomeServices of America CEO Chris Kelly told me, independent, non-franchised brokerages are home to around 55% of agents.

Free membership is a good start, but trust will require a way to verify that ORE doesn't tilt toward favoring its founders or the largest brokerages. That starts with published rules for governance, syndication and data use, and the same terms for every brokerage regardless of size.

3. Can ORE work with, rather than around, the MLS?

ORE has been careful to say it isn't attempting to replace the MLS or subvert local rules, which is smart on several levels. Today, the MLS is how nearly every listing reaches buyers' agents and the search tools consumers use. Since launch, leaders at Bright MLS, CRMLS, NTREIS and NorthstarMLS have expressed support for — or at least interest in — working with ORE.

But what actually matters is when an MLS chooses to accept ORE's listings. Upstream and other earlier efforts showed how hard it is to get brokerages, MLSs and technology providers rowing in the same direction. What I'm watching for are actual agreements to exchange listings under each MLS's existing rules.

4. Will listings reach all major platforms without excess costs?

A listing isn't broadly accessible just because it sits in a national database. It has to reach the portals, brokerage sites and agent-powered search tools buyers actually use, and outside the MLS, ORE will need distribution agreements with the platforms it serves directly.

From my seat at RealScout, cost matters just as much. Sharing the economics of listing data with the brokerages that contribute it is a compelling promise for participants, but every new fee on technology providers ripples outward. If carrying ORE's data gets too expensive, the value ORE intends to share with brokerages could get eaten up by price increases for the tools their agents use, or some tools could skip ORE's feed altogether. In short, if ORE gets pricing right, its listings will have a much better shot at reaching buyers wherever they search.

5. Will 'Participant View' stay the exception?

Participant View lets a seller keep a listing visible only to agents at ORE member brokerages, with no public marketing. That's a legitimate option for sellers who genuinely want privacy. But a private listing network doesn't stop being private simply because more brokerages can join it. In Bright MLS's Mid-Atlantic market, office exclusives made up about 2% to 4% of listings three to four years ago, and nearly 8% by February 2025. If Participant View follows that path, the agent a buyer picks could determine how much of the market they get to see.

Clear seller disclosures, training on informed consent and regular reporting on how many listings use Participant View would help prevent ORE from unintentionally becoming a large PLN.

What comes next

ORE is finalizing its governance over the coming months, and that's when these tests will start getting real answers. I plan to revisit them as relevant rules are published. In the meantime, ORE's founders deserve real credit for bringing major competitors together around an open market and inviting the rest of us to help build it. If they get this right, buyers won't need to know the right person to see the market. That's a promising start worth building on.

Andrew Flachner is CEO and co-founder of RealScout, a leading real estate technology company serving more than 100,000 real estate professionals and many of the country's largest brokerages and top teams. He is a recognized industry voice, frequent keynote speaker, and host of Playmakers, where he interviews influential leaders across real estate, business, and technology about the forces shaping the industry's future.