www.UnifyLeeMLS.com — Bonita Springs and Estero Board of Realtors along with the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. NEED TO UNIFY TO ONE MLS SYSTEM!!!

We want to hear from you, PLEASE scroll to the bottom and leave your comments!  ALL will be published, even yours Christie Knight if you come out of hiding!

As Published in The News Press November 6, 2010

Seller and agents are speaking.. they want one primary MLS system to view properties!!!

Cleaning House: The Push to Unify Southwest Florida’s MLS Systems 

By D. Michael Burke

For years, Southwest Florida has suffered through a growing problem: We have not just one, but five MLS systems. Although this has always posed difficulties for buyers, sellers, and their agents, the problems have been compounded by the increasing reliance on the Internet to help search for or sell a home. Many real estate agents find they need to join several different boards in order to offer their clients full coverage in their area. Furthermore, many clients don’t understand the current situation, and can hurt their chances of buying or selling a home by signing with an agent who doesn’t belong to more than one board.

My point is, the time has come for us to unify all the various MLS systems in Southwest Florida. It makes good sense from every point of view. Real estate agents will no longer have to be members of more than one board or pay double listing fees. Buyers will no longer miss out on great homes because they don’t know that they have to check more than one MLS system, and sellers will reach a broader market without having to make sure their selling agent belongs to more than one board.

Seems like the choice should be obvious, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the decision has gotten wrapped up in politics instead of what is best for the market. Many of the executives in the different boards are reluctant to share information between the different districts. The Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors (BEAR), however, has made the first move, calling for the unification of the MLS systems in Southwest Florida.

But let me explain more fully. Here in Southwest Florida, we have five separate MLS systems. Bonita Springs and Estero make up District 5; our MLS system is called Sunshine. Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Cape Coral have their own MLS system, Rapattoni. Bonita/Estero and Naples do share information with one another, but Marco Island and Sanibel also have separate systems.

"On Alico Road, from the Bay on the west to the Everglades on the east, there is a sort of ‘iron curtain’ that sellers are never told about," says Bill Barnes, the CEO of BEAR. Unfortunately, the way the dividing lines are drawn, two neighborhoods in the same general area can be in two completely different districts.

The result is that most real estate agents in my area have to join more than one board in order to be able to offer their clients full coverage. This means more than one system to search when helping a buyer look for homes, more than one listing fee to pay when selling a home, and more than one feed to publish on our websites. When helping a client buy or sell a home, I have to log in to two separate systems, at a minimum: Sunshine and Rapattoni. Moreover, I have to pay listing fees to both in order to give my sellers the kind of coverage that in other places in the country, they would get from just one MLS service.

The impact on homebuyers and sellers is even more serious. To illustrate, let me ask you this: Before this issue came to light in recent weeks, did you know that Southwest Florida had more than one MLS system? If you took a random survey of your friends, family, and acquaintances, how many of them would know? Most likely not very many. Unless you are a part of the industry or have been lucky enough to find a knowledgeable real estate agent in the past, there is no way you would know.

So imagine what would happen to a seller, for instance, who hired a real estate agent without asking that all-important question: Can you offer coverage on more than one MLS system in the area? Let’s say that seller was unlucky enough to draw one of the agents who doesn’t belong to multiple boards. Without even knowing it, they have dramatically slashed their market. Fewer buyers will see their listing, which means fewer showings, fewer offers, and fewer opportunities to sell the home. Buyers have the same problem, except in reverse: By signing with a real estate agent who only belongs to one board, they are limiting their search to only those homes listed on that one MLS system.

And unfortunately, this is not an uncommon problem. "There are agents who have spent thousands of dollars to belong to both Fort Myers and the BEAR MLS system, and have to pay the fees and take the time to download tons of date twice," Barnes admits – but since sellers often don’t know they have to look for this in a real estate agent, many get shortchanged without ever even realizing it. "One homebuyer asks a friend in Bonita, ‘Did you see my house in the MLS?’ and the answer is no. In many cases the home was only listed on one MLS, and none of the thousands of agents on the other side of Alico Road ever saw it."

This made for challenges enough in the past, but in recent years, the Internet has become all-important in buying or selling a home. A whopping 90 percent of homebuyers begin their search online. Unfortunately, real estate agents rely on feeds from the MLS services to populate their websites with searchable listings. Therefore, agents who don’t use feeds from more than one MLS system are limiting both buyers and sellers, and placing undue strain on the real estate market.

Especially in a challenging real estate market, it seems like unifying the MLS systems would be the only real choice. So why haven’t we done this yet? The answer is that politics are creating too much friction in something  that should be a very easy decision. In the old days, everyone carved out their own little piece of the pie, and no one wants to share their pieces now.

Unfortunately, by maintaining this attitude, all we are doing is creating unnecessary hurdles for the market to navigate on its way to recovery. As Barnes says, "The real losers in the deal are the thousands of home sellers in Lee County." That is why Bonita Springs – Estero has taken the first step by calling for a unification of all the MLS systems in our area: Eight weeks ago, BEAR gave the Realtors Association of Fort Myers and the Beaches a proposal to open up the MLS system and merge with Bonita Springs and Estero.

"The Realtors Association of For t Myers quickly buried the request into a ‘task force,’ and until we went public with this issue, hadn’t responded to us at all," Barnes says. "Although they have accused us of pressuring a decision, in truth we have been under pressure too. Homeowners and real estate agents want this, and therefore the issue has gotten the attention of newspapers, television stations, and radio talk shows."

For more information on this critical issue, please don’t hesitate to call me, Christie Knight (239) 707-7537 / Christie@CHristieKnight.com / 239-707-7537 or Bill Barnes BBarnes@BonitaSpringsRealtors.com  / (239) 992-6771  Let them know how you feel and that this unification need to happen now.  I feel very passionately that a unified MLS is in the best interests of buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals alike. Only together can we work toward a better way of doing things.

Contributed by D. Michael Burke, P.A. Keller Williams Elite Realty
Michael@CoconutPointRealEstate.com / www.CoconutPointRealEstate.com

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The November 6, article  brought a kind hearted letter from Eddie Hale; the attorney for the  REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc.  (Click on letter to view in larger image)

At the National Association of Realtors Conference  (Nov 5-8) Al Speach,  BEAR 2010 President, had communications and an agreement with Christie Knight, 2010 President of REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc in addition with Susan Sherer (Florida Association or Realtors – Vice President, District 5) to cool things off and keep this issue out of the media.  I guess some people have short term memory, because it was only a week later I received this letter asking for a retraction and yes we are back in the media!!!  By the way Ladies, your request to “cool it” has been denied and revoked by me. 

I hope the REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc., has better intentions of negotiating with BEAR to unify the MLS, if I were Al Speach or Bill Barnes I would get everything in writing.

Funny how REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. has the time to engage their attorney…but can not give respect to me or BEAR to come out of their “task force” and communicate with us.

I wonder who is paying for the attorney fees on this on this issue?  Hmmmmmm  That will be another issue for another time.  Christie I would like to see the audit trail on this!

I am not sure what the big deal is on this issue?   Christie Knight’s contact info is on her website for the entire world to view.   Christie… I need to ask, what are you hiding from?   Lets talk, call me!  Why won’t you return my emails?  I am a member of your Board too.  Is this how you treat all your members?   

Before I publish a response in The News Press on Nov. 20, 2010, I sent the following editorial comment to Eddie Hale, this was sent emailed  Nov 15, 2101.  Still waiting for a comment back form Eddie…

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Dear Eddie,

I am in receipt of your letter dated, November 12, 2010.

I am not sure what you are referring to as of Bill Barnes "half truth and unfair accusations"  You have no idea how MLS Advantage is an inferior product and less than 10% of agents on both sides utilize this inferior product. Not to mention, I am not sure what your editorial of his comments have to do with the issue at hand.  If I want you editorial I will ask for it.

In any event, as for Ms Knight and the real issue and the purpose of your letter:

First and foremost, if I mislead my loyal readers I do apologize if  they interpreted the article was co-authored by Ms. Knight. I can assure you from all the feedback I received from my loyal readers regarding my November 6^th article; they did not think Christie Knight co-authored my article. If Ms Knight thought I wrote the article, as to appear as she co-authored it, I must apologize to her for her misinterpretation also. The truth is I have sent several requests to REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc, including Ms. Knight., for comments for this column and/or to join me on my radio show on the Avenue 1410/1660, Saturday Mornings at 9:00 for comments. I never received any return email or phone calls. For the record, REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc., has hid in “task force” and have been unresponsive to my requests. (Bet you did know that Eddie)

As my loyal readers know I have always put my clients first as I took an oath when I became a REALTOR. More so, I remember my oath!

I am a REALTOR, I Pledge Myself…
To Strive to honorable and to abide Golden Rule;
To strive to serve well my community, and through it, my country
To abide by the REALTORS Code of Ethics and to conform my conduct to its lofty ideals;
To act honestly in all real estate dealings;
To protect the individual right of real estate ownership
And widen the Opportunity to enjoy it;
To seek to better represent my clients
By building my knowledge and competence

“To seek to better represent my clients” is the key here… I have always put my clients first and always will. This unification not only helps the realtors, but mostly it helps the buyers and sellers within Lee County so that properties are more visible. If the properties are more visible to agents, buyers and sellers it only goes to say that it would increase the odds of bringing in more offers.

I will not back down nor will I be bullied by the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc, or their attorney. I will continue to push and scream at the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc, to get the politics out of the way and do what is best for the consumers and agents of Lee County, “…better represent the clients”. We need to unify now, get out this out of the lame duck task force and let’s get this done!

D. Michael Burke, P.A.

It would be nice if some people on the Fort Myers Board remember the oath they took when they became an agent.    I always thought we were agents first…and being active with BEAR, I thought the board is supposed to do what is best for the membership.   Honestly, Fort Myers Board are you acting in the best interest of your membership so they can serve their clients better?

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The following will be published  November 20th in The News-Press.  I hope it makes Eddie and Christie happy!!  I am still waiting for you to come on the radio show Christie…come out of your little task force!

A REALTOR’s Oath: Seeking to Better Represent My Clients

By D. Michael Burke

On November 6th I ran an article about an issue whose outcome will have a strong impact on the future of the real estate market in Lee County: Whether to unify the MLS into a single service. Currently, the Bonita Springs and Estero board (BEAR) and the Fort Myers board have completely separate MLS systems, which creates a challenge for real estate agents and puts both buyers and sellers at a significant disadvantage.

After months of pushing for unification of the MLS, my article finally got a response from the Fort Myers board. Their attorney, Edward Hale of the Hale Law Group, sent me a letter claiming that by including the picture and phone number of Christie Knight, president of the Fort Myers board, and encouraging my readers to contact her, I misleadingly implied that she co-authored my article. This was not my intention, and I apologize if I included her picture and contact information in a way that made it seem she contributed to my article. She did not – though not by lack of trying on my part, as I did contact her many times for comments, with no response from her.

My point is, although I may have erred in including Ms. Knight’s contact information without a better explanation, I still stand by my assessment of the issue here in Lee County. Furthermore, I am not the only one who believes that unification is necessary. My board, Bonita Springs-Estero Association of REALTORS, submitted a proposal to the Fort Myers association to unify the MLS in Lee County. The Fort Myers association appeared to have buried the proposal in a slow-moving task force, despite the fact that the division of the MLS is hurting many of their members, too.

"Our present system does not provide for access to the volume of listings that are in the BEAR MLS," says Nathan Shaw, a real estate agent belonging to the Fort Myers association. In order to show all of the properties in the area to his buyers, or ensure that his sellers reach all potential buyers, he has log in and do all the work a second time on a second system.

Shaw feels passionately, as do many of us, that unifying the MLS is the only way to solve the current problems. "By unifying the systems, something that is done in numerous areas around the country, it will put all the information in one spot and enable us to better serve sellers who are on the line between BEAR and Fort Myers."

It has been suggested that MLS Advantage, a read-only system that allows BEAR real estate agents to view listings on the Fort Myers board and vice versa, solves the problem of having more than one MLS system, and that I was being dishonest by omitting this solution. The reason I omitted it is because MLS Advantage is NOT a real solution. The system is read-only and lacks the functionality of either Sunshine (BEAR’s MLS) or Rapattoni (Fort Myers’s MLS). For instance, one of the best tools I offer my clients is a comparative market analysis, or CMA, which analyzes comparable home prices to help determine what a home should be listed at or what would be an appropriate offer. I can export data from Sunshine in order to create a CMA, but I cannot do that with MLS Advantage.

Fort Myers agents have the same complaints when comparing MLS Advantage to their association’s MLS, Rapattoni. According to Shaw, "MLS Advantage does not have a robust, functional system with all the information necessary to be productive. The Rapattoni system is extremely functional and is used by numerous MLS areas around the country." The Rapattoni system is the one to be used if both associations can agree to unify the MLS.

Currently, there has been a modicum of progress on the issue. As of November 17, today’s writing, the task force has made a few changes to the contract that will serve to unite the MLS systems. The revised contract has gone back to both boards for approval, and we are waiting to hear the results of the November 18th votes. Hopefully both boards will recognize how important this issue is, because as Shaw points out, "The association is supposed to be there for the benefit of the members."

My loyal readers know that I have always put the client first. I took an oath when I became a real estate agent, and part of my oath was to always "seek to better represent my clients." I strongly believe that in order to do that, we need to unify the MLS, making properties more visible throughout the county, and therefore facilitating more and better quality sales. This unification would help the REALTORS, yes, but it helps us to serve YOU, the client, better – thereby fulfilling our oaths.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the unification of Lee County’s MLS, as always I encourage you to contact me. Although Christie Knight did not contribute to this article in any way, I do encourage any readers who feel strongly about this issue to contact her and let your thoughts be known. All of her contact information can be found on her website at www.ChristieKnight.com. You can also see the original November 6th article, as well as other information on the issue, at www.UnifyLeeMLS.com.

What is Christie Knight and Fort Myers hiding??  Open invite to Christie Knight, REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. Board Members and / or their “task force” to come on my radio show to discuss the MLS unification project… I am waiting! 

Contributed by D. Michael Burke, P.A. Keller Williams Elite Realty
Michael@CoconutPointRealEstate.com / www.CoconutPointRealEstate.com

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October 29, 2010 News Press

Lee County Realtor groups not united on unified service

By DICK HOGAN
dhogan@news-press.com

Wait just a minute.
That in a nutshell was the response today by the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach to a proposal by the Bonita-Estero Association of Realtors Springs for a unified service to list all homes for sale in the county.

The Bonita association uses the Sunshine multiple listing service run by the Naples Area Board of Realtors.
Agents and brokers in the Bonita-Estero association have to pay extra to join the Rapattoni MLS system operated by Greater Fort Myers and the Cape Coral Board of Realtors, and vice versa.
Under the Bonita board’s proposal, it would join with Cape Coral and Greater Fort Myers in the Rapattoni system. Bonita would also keep its 15 percent interest in Sunshine so its members would continue to have the right to join.
But in an e-mail blast to members this afternoon, Greater Fort Myers president Christie Knight said she doesn’t like Bonita’s tactics — “print ads, announcements and e-blasts” — in pushing the merger.
“This is an attempt to force a decision by the Board of Directors before due diligence and a complete study of the proposal can be completed,” Knight said in the e-mail. “We are disappointed that BEAR has decided to go public with what amounts to a campaign to pressure us to sign a contract before all the pros and cons of such a contract are completely analyzed.”
But Bonita CEO Bill Barnes responded later this afternoon that it’s Greater Fort Myers that’s failed to talk properly about the merger.
“They still have never communicated with me,” he said. “The first thing I heard about it (today) was I was sitting here at work and my phone lit up. We went from two months of total science to 30 seconds of chaos.”
One bone of contention is exactly who would benefit from the merger.
Bonita’s members could choose whether to use the Naples and/or the Greater Fort Myers-Cape Coral system, Knight said in the e-mail. “Thus, BEAR’s members would have access to all of our listings, but our members will likely only have access to some of BEAR’s listings. That would not be fair.”
Barnes said in an e-mail that banning agents or brokers from using more than one MLS system is “unrealistic and unpoliceable” and noted that some Realtors in Fort Myers and Sanibel (which has its own MLS) have memberships in the Naples MLS.
Knight said in her e-mail that once that and other issues are resolved, “^unification’ may be possible,” hopefully with the Naples, Sanibel & Captiva Islands and Marco Island boards included in discussions.

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Realtors have row over MLS matters -  Unified system push divides associations

By DICK HOGAN • dhogan@news-press.com •
November 1, 2010

Wait just a minute.

That, in a nutshell, was the response by the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach to a proposal by the Bonita-Estero Association of Realtors Springs for a unified service to list all homes for sale in the county.

The Bonita association uses the Sunshine multiple listing service run by the Naples Area Board of Realtors.

Agents and brokers in the Bonita-Estero association have to pay extra to join the Rapattoni MLS system operated by Greater Fort Myers and the Cape Coral Board of Realtors, and vice versa.

Under the Bonita board’s proposal, it would join with Cape Coral and Greater Fort Myers in the Rapattoni system. Bonita would also keep its 15 percent interest in Sunshine so its members would continue to have the right to join.

But, in an e-mail to members Friday afternoon, Greater Fort Myers President Christie Knight said she doesn’t like Bonita’s tactics – "print ads, announcements and e-blasts" – in pushing the merger.

"This is an attempt to force a decision by the Board of Directors before due diligence and a complete study of the proposal can be completed," Knight says in the e-mail. "We are disappointed that BEAR has decided to go public with what amounts to a campaign to pressure us to sign a contract before all the pros and cons of such a contract are completely analyzed."

But Bonita CEO Bill Barnes responded later Friday that it’s Greater Fort Myers that has failed to talk properly about the merger.

"They still have never communicated with me," he said. "The first thing I heard about it (Friday) was I was sitting here at work and my phone lit up. We went from two months of total science to 30 seconds of chaos."

One bone of contention is exactly who would benefit from the merger.

Bonita’s members could choose whether to use the Naples and/or the Greater Fort Myers-Cape Coral system, Knight said in the e-mail. "Thus, BEAR’s members would have access to all of our listings, but our members will likely only have access to some of BEAR’s listings. That would not be fair."

Barnes said in an e-mail that banning agents or brokers from using more than one MLS system is "unrealistic and unpoliceable" and noted that some Realtors in Fort Myers and Sanibel (which has its own MLS) have memberships in the Naples MLS.

Knight said in her e-mail that once that and other issues are resolved, "unification may be possible," hopefully with the Naples, Sanibel & Captiva Islands and Marco Island boards included in discussions.

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Posted on REALTORS® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc Website

BEAR Proposal Update – 11/15/10

The following provides you with an update on the work that has transpired to
respond to the Bonita-Estero Association of REALTORS® (BEAR) proposal to “unify”
the MLS systems in Lee County.

The Florida Gulf Coast contract task force completed its review of the BEAR
proposal, made its recommendation to the Board of the Directors and subsequently,
a meeting was held on November 11th of the Florida Gulf Coast Database Group
(consisting of representatives from the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort
Myers and the Beach and the Cape Coral Association of REALTORS®). The Florida
Gulf Coast Database Group met to review the modifications that had been suggested
by both boards to BEAR’s proposal to unify data through the Florida Gulf Coast MLS.
The members of the Florida Gulf Coast Database Group made some minor changes
to the documents that both our Association and Cape Coral’s Board of Directors had
approved, so these will now go back to both boards on November 18th for approval.
In the interim, BEAR’s CEO Bill Barnes has been provided with the MLS Rules &
Regulations for the Cape Coral MLS and the Florida Gulf Coast MLS. Our MLS
Director and the Cape Coral MLS Director have requested a copy of BEAR’s MLS
Rules & Regulations to ensure that should an agreement be reached to share data
through the Florida Gulf Coast Database Group, that there would be consistency in
the MLS Rules and Regulations for all parties.

If, on November 18th both the Cape Coral Board of Directors and our own Board of
Directors approve the recommendation of the Florida Gulf Coast Database Group,
this document would be submitted to each board attorney for review and contract
preparation. When approved, the contract would be given to BEAR for legal review
and approval by BEAR’s Board of Directors.

As we move through these steps we will continue to advise you of our progress;
these procedures may appear complex but are the standard procedures that the
Florida Gulf Coast contract task force follows and that the Florida Gulf Coast
Database Group has adopted to serve and protect the business interests of all
members that participate in the Florida Gulf Coast MLS.
Sincerely,

Christie Knight – 2010 President Gary Verwilt – 2011 President
REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc.

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