Real estate agent Leigh Thomas Brown defends the Clear Cooperation Policy, which requires all listings in the MLS. She argues that hidden listings hurt sellers by shrinking the buyer pool, and that mandatory disclosure improves appraisal accuracy and serves the public interest over agent profit.
There was a rule change a few years ago called the Clear Cooperation Policy. What that policy amounts to is that if I, Leigh Thomas Brown, go over to 123 Elm Street and list Joe and Jane's house, the rule says that as a member of the multiple, I have to put that listing into the system. Each MLS has its own rules and timeframes and guidelines regarding that listing, but at the end of the day, it has to be available in the system. There are right now a lot of questions about that CLEAR cooperation policy. There are brokerages that don't think they should be forced to put a listing into the system. They believe that they should be able to list Joe and Jane's house and keep it to themselves, not letting anybody have information or access unless it's inside their brokerage. To me, that's the attitude of scarcity, which says they have to cling tightly to everything they have. Now, the excuse that's given for why that's preferable to those brokerages is that there are some sellers that want privacy when their house is on the market. I agree, that probably happens, well, not very often, let's be honest. But that's the argument from these brokerages. Some sellers want privacy. They don't want every buyer to know about their house. And in fact, the argument that they're giving against this Clear Cooperation Policy is that there are sellers who do not want buyers to know about their house. Okay, for real? I don't know that I buy that argument because as a logical person, I know that when I work with my home sellers, one of the things they want is the widest possible buyer pool. Because in order to capture the most favorable offer, whether it's price, terms, or any combination of it, you want wide availability so you can find the right buyer, 'cause you don't know where the buyer is or who their agent is. That's the argument on the side of keeping the clear cooperation policy in place, which says we need to make sure that all the data is in the system. Now, there's another reason to consider keeping the clear cooperation policy in some format, and that is for the accuracy of our appraisal data. Leigh Thomas Brown opinion on this is, as a real estate professional and someone who carries a license that was issued by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and also a license that was issued by the South Carolina Real Estate Commission, My duty is to the public trust. My duty is to the consumers who choose me. And I believe that my buyers, when they select me, they should have access to the entire marketplace. They shouldn't be forced to choose me because I have access to listings. That doesn't make sense. So as you look at this policy, first of all, ask yourself, who benefits if it stays? Who benefits if it goes? And if your answer falls on the benefit going to the consumer, I do believe that's where the policy should land.
