Texas-based MLSs announce data sharing agreement

Three Texas-based multiple listings services (MLSs) are teaming up. The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR) and Austin-based Unlock MLS are entering into a data sharing agreement that will give Realtors access to each other’s listings, with the deal set to be finalized by the end of the year.

“Comparative market intelligence empowers agents to think differently about their own marketplace and deliver more robust and tailored market expertise to their clients,” Emily Chenevert, CEO of Unlock MLS, said in a statement. “Unlock MLS subscribers now have an immense dataset at their fingertips that will bring exponential value to their business.”

According to the three organizations, 80,000 MLS subscribers will gain entry to active, sold and off-market listings from all three groups within their existing MLS platform.

It’s not the first time HAR, SABOR and Unlock MLS have collaborated. In 2023, they agreed to a key reciprocity agreement that allowed subscribers to show properties across the three cities.

Data sharing agreements are an easy way for MLSs to expand their boundaries without mergers and acquisitions or other more-complicated arrangements — and some of these firms cover large swaths of territory. The Texas MLSs say the agreement will give listing agents access to roughly 60% of the state.

In July, four smaller MLSs along the northeast coast of Florida — realMLS, St. Augustine and St. Johns County Board of Realtors, Space Coast Association of Realtors and the Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors — entered into an agreement. The partnership, known as Coast 2 Coast MLS Data Share, also provides subscribers with listings that are integrated into their native MLS platforms. The Hernando County Association of Realtors is also expected to join by the end of the year.

“This collaboration marks a significant advancement in our mission to deliver exceptional resources to our members,” SABOR CEO Gilbert Gonzalez said in a statement. “Through data sharing, we are broadening our members’ access to crucial information and promoting a collaborative spirit that benefits the entire real estate community in Texas.”