The National Association of REALTORS®’ Board of Directors approved MLS Statement 8.0, also known as the Clear Cooperation policy, at its meeting Monday. The policy requires listing brokers who are participants in a multiple listing service to submit their listing to the MLS within one business day of marketing the property to the public.

NAR’s MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board proposed the policy as a way to address the growing use of off-MLS listings. The advisory board concluded that leaving listings outside of the broader marketplace excludes consumers, undermining REALTORS®’ commitment to provide equal opportunity to all. The policy doesn’t prohibit brokers from taking office-exclusive listings, nor does it impede brokers’ ability to meet their clients’ privacy needs.

Here’s the full text of MLS Statement 8.0:

Within one (1) business day of marketing a property to the public, the listing broker must submit the listing to the MLS for cooperation with other MLS participants. Public marketing includes, but is not limited to, flyers displayed in windows, yard signs, digital marketing on public facing websites, brokerage website displays (including IDX and VOW), digital communications marketing (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing networks, and applications available to the general public.

Note this new policy must be implemented by May 1, 2020. Look for further information from your MLS prior to the actual implementation. To learn more visit the MLS Clear Cooperation Proposal page.

The board also approved a change to NAR's Code of Ethics training requirement. The change extends the training requirement from every two years to every three years and extends the current Cycle 6 deadline from Dec. 31, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021. The next cycle (cycle 7) will begin Jan. 1, 2022, and end Dec. 31, 2024.

The Code of Ethics cycle change was one of several recommendations of a 2019 presidential advisory group established to study the Code training requirement. Prior to the board meeting, NAR's Leadership Team approved several recommendations of the PAG that didn't require a board vote:

• That the learning objectives for the existing-member Code of Ethics training be revised to include content on professional conduct, courtesies, business etiquette, and real-life scenarios.
• That NAR establish Code of Ethics training equivalency options that members can take to satisfy the Code of Ethics training requirement, and that the Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) endorsement be an equivalency option.
• That only courses and equivalencies provided by a local, state, or national REALTOR® association can satisfy the Code of Ethics training requirement.
• That an implementation team be appointed to develop a microsite that compiles all available options for fulfilling the Code of Ethics training requirement, including C2EX ethics modules, NAR-approved online courses, and links to association-approved courses.
• That the Core Standards requirements be amended to clarify an association's duties regarding administration of the Code of Ethics training requirement.

Passage of the MLS and Code of Ethics proposals-and other board actions-came on the last day of the 2019 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in San Francisco.

Source: NAR