No MLS For New York City Area? Wha???

ddhamilt profile photo

A friend of mine is a RE broker in Manhattan, and just got done telling me that there is no MLS for Queens and the other Boroughs, but only for Manhattan which is called OLR. She even called her RE agent 'mentor' twice and he said that it's not confidential info out in Queens in the outer boroughs.

This I think sounds ridiculous and can't be true because there are MLS numbers when I look up Queens properties on Century 21. The only thing I can attribute this 'no MLS' reasing to is her lack of experience or her agency just catering to Manhattan only.

Am I ridiculous or is she?
oh oh

Comments(9)

  • Lufos2nd November, 2003

    Dear DDH

    Your dear friend is being given the usual run around. You must remember that most Real Estate Brokers and their employees run scared. They feel they are in a little private club and all of this good MLS stuff is just for them.

    It is changing and fast and the Internet is what is causing it. More and more buyers and sellers are doing their pre offer research themselves on line. and I like it. But then although it is true I am a Real Estate Broker, I am not afraid. I am Terrified!!! Suddenly everybody knows as much as me. My information sources are childs play compared to some of the stuff you can now access. Tumblers, now theres an organization. They know so much that every time I get into bed I look under the bed.

    Nauseous Lucius

  • SolutionsKid2nd November, 2003

    Lufos, somedays I wish I lived closer to you...



    Christian "The Solutions Kid" Beebe
    [addsig]

  • ddhamilt3rd November, 2003

    What is Tumblers? WHo are they?

  • dare20034th November, 2003

    LOL, now were all scared of tumblers...and we dont know what they are!
    [addsig]

  • SanPark13th November, 2003

    Queens, Nassau, Suffolk and Kings County MLS:

    www.mlsli.com

    Happy investing!!!

  • lp113th November, 2003

    mls of long island primarely covers suffolk, nassau, queens...you will seldom see properties listed outside those counties because the site itself http://www.mlsli.com only allows to search for properties in those 3 counties.

    as far as manhattan is concerned it is a mess or at least it was a mess...see story below.....


    Manhattan MLS Web Database Site Shelved
    By Ryan Naraine
    It's back to square one for the ambitious plans by competing realtors in the Big Apple to launch an Internet-based real estate multiple listings service.
    atNewYork has learned that efforts by the Manhattan Joint Industry Task Force to create a database at http://www.NYMLS.com have been shelved because of wrangling among competing real estate agents.

    As previously reported the task force was set up last August to create the http://www.NYMLS.com database to allow competing brokers to share Manhattan real estate listing information on the Internet.

    The creation of the MLS site has been the subject of bitter controversy from the very beginning when rival brokers unveiled separate plans to create their own listing service online.

    On one side, says the source, is one group of brokers led by the Corcoran Group and Douglas Elliman, two of the bigger Manhattan real estate firms. The other group is led by Ashford Warburg and includes Sotheby's International Realty, Brown Harris Stevens and William B. May Real Estate.

    When some of the smaller realtors got wind of those plans, they felt they were being shut out of the lucrative market and announced plans for the http://www.NYMLS.com site.

    Eventually, all sides agreed to the formation of the task force and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) called for consensus among the brokers. However, an industry source said the plans have fallen apart.

    "There was just too much at stake for all sides and they could never agree on anything so it's back to square one. We don't know what happens next," a source with knowledge of the negotiations said this morning.

    Details of the disagreements within the task force were not immediately clear but a source said the existing http://www.NYMLS.com Web site will be shut down immediately. Officials from the task force and the REBNY could not be reached for comment.

    New York City is on the biggest market without a multiple listing service to allow a fair way to share information among competing brokers. A company retained to sell a condo or apartment can is not required the share the information under the existing system.

    The http://www.NYMLS.com database would have mandated brokerage firms to post new listing for sale on the Internet within 72 hours of being hired to conduct the sale.

    .........anyway at this point there is an mls in manhattan but not all brokerages are participating...(mlsmanhattan.com)...hope this helps..[ Edited by lp1 on Date 11/13/2003 ]

  • score22nd December, 2003

    What is Tumblers?

  • CQuaker22nd December, 2003

    most brokers i know in Manhattan, I live there as well as Woodstock, don't put their listings on mls. in fact, may don't like to co-broker outside their own firms.

  • NYCinvestor22nd December, 2003

    As a Broker in NYC - I use www.OLR.com and www.BrokersNYC.com. In addition, I have built relationships with other Brokers in the city, where we share all of our information. Also, you need to get in good with the property managers and investors that RUN RE in NYC! I have built a database of over 500 Property Managers & Investors and they keep me supplied with 1000's of faxes every day that come to my office. With this type of info, plus a few websites, there is no need for MLS! I am sure it may help, but as cut-throat & fast-paced as the business is in NYC, I do not think the MLS will be as sufficient as building your own network of professionals in the city. My advice to you is to go to the leading websites for Brokers in the city and do a search for what you are looking for, (corcoran, citi-habitats, manhattan united, douglas elliman, etc) also search out the NYTimes online edition. Most Brokers list through them as well. With all of these options, you should be able to find what you are looking for!

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