MLS Certified

Mission:
To provide consumers with a symbol of authority, quality and, accuracy designed to provide confidence that they are browsing original, timely and accurate real estate listings originating from the local Multiple Listing Service, the authoritative source for real estate property listings.

Process:
Point2 collects or updates approximately 1.1 million property listings from more than 240 Realtor Multiple Listing Services each day. These updated listings are distributed to over 50+ real estate search portals to insure the listings you are viewing are actual properties available for sale.

Goal:
To ensure all property information coming from a partnered Multiple Listing Service is synchronized across Point2’s partner network at least once every twenty-four hours in an effort to provide our customers and consumers with the best data in industry.

MLS Certified FAQ:

Q. What is MLS Certified?
A. MLS Certified is a symbol of authority, quality and trust for real estate listings. A Point2 initiative, the symbol signifies that the listing originates from the local MLS, the ultimate authoritative source for real estate listings.

Q. Why the initiative and why now?
A. Point2 has played a key role in the automation of real estate listing postings across the web, which has resolved serious issues with data accuracy and integrity. The MLS Certified program aims to address a proportionally small percentage of listings that still appear to lack the accuracy and integrity compared to MLS listings. We believe the MLS Certified program will take the industry to the next level.

Q. How does Point2 provide the MLS listings to the Internet portals?
A. Point2 has executed syndication agreements with over 200 real estate MLSs and Associations in the United States, which provide direct feed technology integrations that send updated listings from the MLS to Point2’s portal partners at least once every 24 hours.

Q. How do you know that an MLS Certified listing displayed on a third party site is not obsolete? Some sites are not always fast at updating their listings.
A. The agreements signed between each portal partner and Point2 provides for publishing audits to be performed at least once every five days. If the information published is not current, the data feed will be turned off until we are assured that the information will be updated at least once every 24 hours.

Q. Have all your MLS partners approved your use MLS Certified for their listings?
A. All of our MLS and Association partners are keen on seeing their listings be the primary reference listings for consumers online. MLS Certified is an initiative by Point2 to communicate to consumers that the source of the listing they are looking at is an MLS, to give them that confidence.

Q. Will you be using MLS Certified in Canada as well, as MLS here is a CREA trademark?
A. At the present time, this initiative is only for US listings.

Q. When will you start to publish MLS Certified along with your listings?
A. Effective May 1, 2011, all Point2 feeds have included the symbol. A number of our partners have already surfaced the new listings featuring MLS Certified.

Q. Can anyone else who syndicate or posts listings use the symbol?
A. No, Point2 is in the process of trademarking the term and the symbol. The symbol can only be used under license or legal written agreement from Point2.The MLS Certified Logo available for download here.