What is the IDX and the MLS? The IDX is the public's access to view the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), to assist folks in their initial search for the perfect property. The information this view provides is limited to basics, to protect a seller's confidential information. Only the listings of Brokers who are subscribed to the service will appear here. To find out about all the properties that may be available, that would suit your purposes, it's important that you establish a relationship with a Broker who will work hard to find them for you. The MLS, Multiple Listing Service is an online database consisting of all the properties that are available, that have been listed for sale (and sometimes commercial leases) with member Brokers. Each MLS is specific to one area or Realtor© Association, or group of Associations. THERE IS NO NATIONAL MLS, no matter what some websites claim! For instance, for the most part the properties listed in the Klamath County MLS consist of Klamath County properties, although sometimes you will see an out-of-area property listed, but only if they have been listed with a member Broker. There are currently a number of Lake County, and even some northern California properties listed with member Brokers of our MLS, so therefore these are included in our MLS database. MLS and Realtor.com are not to be confused. Realtor.com is an official website of the National Association of Realtors©, and it's searchable database is "fed" by any and all regional MLS associations that choose to do so. Not even Realtor.com shows all the properties available. They don't display commercial properties, and believe it or not, some areas don't even have MLS databases. Why doesn't the public have direct access to the MLS? To protect the integrity of the information it contains. Your Broker is licensed with the Oregon Real Estate Agency. To acquire that license, your Broker completed 150 hours of education that included intensive training in real estate law, ethics, and professional conduct, and had to pass a tough state and federal exam by at least 75%. In addition your Broker completed another 30 hours of Advanced Real Estate Practices before their first license expiration, in order to renew it. This training is what makes them a Broker, versus a sales agent (as in other states). Each Broker is required to complete another 30 hours of continuing education per each licensing period. If they don't do it, they don't get their license renewed, simple as that! This continuing education keeps your Broker sharp regarding issues of land use, changes in real estate law, marketing procedures, and general real estate issues. Many Brokers seek and complete much more education than is required to keep their license, to better serve their clients' needs. An additional condition of licensing is that each Broker's background is checked thoroughly, including being fingerprinted and checked by the FBI! Each Broker is held to the highest standards of ethics and conduct. Complaints to the Oregon Real Estate Agency are not taken lightly, and consequences can include suspension and/or revocation of the license. The MLS database contains information that sellers expect their Brokers to keep confidential. If the general public was allowed access, this fudiciary duty would be violated. Therefore the IDX was created. Because of the high standards of ethics and conduct that Brokers are held to, a buyer can reasonably expect that the information in the MLS that is shared with them is accurate. No Broker is allowed to input information that they know isn't true, or to input less information than they know is true. If the general public, with no training or mandated ethical standards, was allowed to list properties in the MLS without benefit of a Broker, and buyers were allowed to contact these sellers without benefit of a well trained Broker, they would no longer be protected from the harm that might come from dealing with unscrupulous sellers. The MLS isn't just a method of advertising properties for sale... it is for the protection and benefit of legitimate buyers and sellers alike. Member Brokers have access to information about, and the ability to help their clients purchase any listed property. This benefits sellers because they have effectively put about 250 professional Brokers to work for them. This benefits buyers because they can establish a relationship with just one Broker (therefore sharing their confidential information with just one person, instead of many), who can help them purchase any property in the MLS, not just those that the Broker personally listed. What is the difference between a Realtor© and a Broker? Realtor© is a trademarked name for a Broker who is a member of the National Association of Realtors©. All the Brokers at Crater Lake Realty, Inc. are members of the following Realtor© Associations. For more information about these Associations, please click on the links below.
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