In a Realty Times exclusive, Home Exposure®, an Internet MLS Vendor, is announcing the launch of the first ever national MLS Portal website free to any MLS organization. The product is called MLS-USA, and it is advertised as a full-featured, Realtors-only, Internet-based MLS system for real estate boards that allows agents to search, view and print out listings; print full-color hot sheets, feature sheets & flyers, generate CMA's, send automated emails to prospects, as well as upload and update their listings.

Based on the portal business model (free content supported by advertising,) Home Exposure plans to explode the MLS vendor business by eliminating the need for MLS and their members to purchase proprietary hardware and software and manage their listings, historical listing data and public records, reducing costs to the boards by as much as 100 percent.

Basic MLS services will be provided for free. The boards will use the MLS-USA to upload their system information and manage their data. The question is how is Home Exposure going to do it?

"This is a national portal site for Realtors only, not to be confused with public portals such as HomeAdvisor.com or Realtor.com," explains Richard Robarts, Home Exposure's general manager. "what we have here is an industry initiative to take the proven business model of Internet portals and commerce and apply them to the real estate industry."

"This will keep the Realtor at the center of the transaction," says Robarts. MLS-USA will be open to Realtors and authorized service providers only; the system will be password protected.

"We don't see the MLS vending industry as it exists today being around much longer. There is a downward pressure in pricing for what an MLS vendor would charge to a board, and then technology has made it possible to provide these types of services on a national scale, rather than an individual board scale," replies Robarts. "This will lead to a coast to coast MLS with no geographic boundaries."

The benefit for Realtors, according to Robarts, is that they will gain additional services and add value to their serivce by taking advantage of the free MLS system.

"There is downward pricing pressure on Realtors as well. Now they can access a national database, access any listings from anywhere with easy-to-use Web standard browser software. In addition they can take advantage of fully integrated public records data including historical data in most major urban areas wherever it is available. We also include GIS mapping to provide more value for their services," adds Robarts.

If MLS-USA can deliver on public records and historical data, that in itself will be a coup against the current MLS system vendors. Moore Data has announced that rolling over historical data will not be standard in future installations, but will be available as an option. Because of Internet technology, about 90 percent MSA coverage (major service areas) in 45 states is available online and more is being added everyday. This is the equivalent of 80 million housing records including historical data as well as historical data as provided by the MLS systems.

With HomeSeekers' launch of MLS2000, a Web-based Intranet MLS system, and its appropriation of key top executives in the MLS information industry, Home Exposure could be outgunned in the name recognition department within the national arena, despite its free services. More is to come in subsequent announcements, promises Robarts.

"We are now bringing on industry partners who wish to play a part in rolling out MLS-USA. As a third generation Realtor myself, I look forward to working with organized real estate in using technology to keep the Realtor at the center of the transaction," says Robarts.

"We're marketing directly to the boards," concludes Robarts. "The service is free - the boards have nothing to lose by trying it. We have been watching the market, we saw the timing was right to get it out there."

For more Information visit: http://www.homexposure.com/

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Published: May 26, 1999

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.