Upstream Update – March 2017

PILOT

The team continued Discovery and Assessment meetings in the seven selected Phase II Pilot markets:

• Detroit, Michigan
  • Realcomp MLS -  On-site business rule assessment 
  • Real Estate One – Completed expanded staff presentation
  • Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel - Reviewing Assessment documents
• Austin, Texas
  • Austin Board of REALTORS® - Confirmation of participation and reviewing requirements
  • Keller Williams Round Rock - Assessment meetings
  • Keller Williams Austin SW - Assessment meetings
  • Keller Williams Austin NW - Assessment meetings
  • Keller Williams Lake Travis - Assessment meetings
  • Keller Williams Georgetown - Assessment meetings
  • Tenura Holdings/Private Label Realty - Completing Broker Assessment 
  • RE/MAX 1 - Completing Broker Assessment 
• Richmond, Virginia
  • Long and Foster - Completed on-site Discovery meeting
  • Developing joint communication plan to approach Central Virginia MLS/Richmond Assoc. of REALTORS®
• New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Gulf South Real Estate Information Network (GSREIN) – Completed first call to discuss MLS requirements
  • Latter and Blum, Inc – Completed assessment documentation
  • RE/MAX N.O. Properties - Scheduling discussions
• Phoenix, Arizona
  • ARMLS - Onsite business rule assessment 
  • BHHS Arizona Properties - Onsite Discovery meeting complete
  • Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty– Completed expanded staff presentation
• Memphis, Tennessee
  • Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® – Completed first call to discuss MLS requirements
  • Crye-Leike Realty – Completed overview meeting and delivered assessment documents
• Miami, Florida
  • Broker Discovery meetings completed.
  • Miami MLS on hold, pending additional progress in Phase I markets.

  
DEVELOPMENT

The team worked on Sprint 14 and focused on these key features:

• Listing management user interface (UI) - Changes to login components as part of an overall effort to aligning account management features.  Status workflows were implemented according to the rules collected from the pilot MLSs, with new features to support additional listing status changes.  Segmentation by status was also extended on the listing dashboard.  Ongoing refinements to listing UI sections with optimization of the photo management section for storage and retrieval performance.
• API - Status movement related changes in the API with the related UI features.  Notification support was added in the dashboard for recipient listing retrieval confirmation, correction requests, issues with sales prices, and photo requirements.  New photo copyright features were added.  Enhancements were made to distribution settings, and quota and rate management features.
• Administrative features - these features were implemented in MLS management: Contacts, Association profiles, Brokerages, Vendors, and Audit history.  The team built out sections for additional business entities, including Associations and Brokerages.
• Data - Additional listing layout support was added for new property classes, fields, and enumerations in the pilot markets, with the hydration of additional business rules.  MLS and vendor recipient record layouts were updated.  A custom ETL for agent/office/brokerage information from MLSs will be implemented.  An Upstream Listing ID schema will be added into the property record as a central point of reference distinct from RPR’s property ID and for use as the listing ID where an MLS has requested to use Upstream’s ID instead of assigning one of its own.

Sprint 14 work was for completion on March 29 and released on April 5.

STAFFING

No headcount changes or additions.  We continue to run lean!

AGREEMENTS

The Agreements Work Group continues refining the final agreements (non-beta).  

 GOVERNANCE
 
To better align with our MLS partners, the Upstream Board of Managers (BOM) voted on two items at our March 23rd meeting.  First, was the creation new MLS member type allowing participating MLSs to have representation on the Board of Managers.  The second regarded a strategic shift allowing two-way sync with an MLS .

After a “lively debate,” the BOM ultimately voted against changing the Operating Agreement to add a new member type.   Currently, to become a member, which allows you to select board representative, you must be a brokerage. The majority felt that Upstream must remain a broker-centric initiative and both internal conversations, and voting rights, should remain within the practitioner community.  However, the BOM universally believed that MLS participation is imperative and requires MLS community input.  The BOM recommended that we formalize leadership positions in our MLS Advisory group (http://bit.ly/2jjccda) and give those leaders an active forum with the Executive Committee (EC).  Our EC meets monthly where the BOM meets quarterly, and we felt the frequency was important.  I recently met with the Advisory Group, and they are actively determining their representatives.

The discussion regarding two-ways sync was nothing short of amazing, and the BOM demonstrated an aggressive desire to strengthen our partnership with the MLS community.  The current architecture and messaging states that Upstream participants must input their listings into Upstream and entitle recipients, including an MLS, must “pull” the data via our API.  Under the rubric of “what problem(s) are we trying to solve?” the BOM unanimously agreed that moving toward a sync relationship was in the best interest of Upstream, our MLS partners, and our brokerage participants.  The decision gives brokerages a “Single Choice of Entry” while maintaining our charter:

• Give brokerages complete control over the distribution and use of their listings
• Minimize impact to practitioners. We can give brokerages a choice where to initially enter data minimizing impact to current workflow but allow listings to be “enhanced” beyond what their MLS may allow. 
• Allow brokerages to directly distribute high-fidelity assets (unlimited HD photos and video, additional fields, etc.) instantly across all offices and regions (MLSs, states, etc.)
• Gain efficiency by consolidating listing input.  Entitled third party vendors will continue to “pull” data from Upstream as originally designed minimizing the number of separate places brokers are re-inputting listing content.

Giving the brokerages a choice forces both Upstream and MLS to compete for the “best interface.”  Brokerages will only benefit.  Of course, the “devil is in the details” as we resolve how this might work.  We (Upstream and the MLS community) must resolve issues such as:

• What are the “trumping” rules for update (high res photos always win, the last update wins, single listing goes to multiple MLSs, etc.)?
• Do we align our effort to RESO’s efforts to evolve their Web API beyond syndication to “update?”  Do we help accelerate their efforts?  Do we build something now knowing we’ll need to rewrite in the future?
• Does all third-party syndication happen through Upstream?  Does an MLS only provide IDX / VOW for participating brokerages?
• The list is long… (but manageable!)

 NOTE FROM THE CEO

I’m very excited to bring you such a “meaty” update.   Synchronization has been a “hot topic” within the MLS community for some time.   We are very thrilled to strengthen our relationship and work together through the details of this initiative.  Momentum is picking up every day, and the team is focused on demonstrating deep integration with the Portland MLS (RMLS) during the 2017 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings next month.