Your right, "this next phase", as you refer to it, could drastically alter the current landscape of listings on the web. Cutting edge companies will most certainly take advantage of the new Broker Reciprocity/IDD service which all MLS providers must have in place by January 2, 2002, according to NAR's mandate.

So how is your MLS provider going to provide the service? Have you thought about how you will enable your website to frame the BR/IDD section of your MLS? Come January 3rd, 2002, will a new link magically appear on your website ... click here for free listing information?

The truth is, it will cost money for the MLS providers to enable their BR/IDD service and the service will be provided by a technology company, or a "third party" as you refer to them. That service could be provided by one of the MLS vendors, or it may come from one the current national aggregators like HomeSeekers.com or Homestore.com. Regardless of who the technology is provided by, chances are it won't be for free, and you can be certain it won't be provided under the current "I'll provide you with the service and pay you to do it!" upside-down business model.

If you think BR/IDD will be a free ride, it might be time for you to brush off your resume.