I am a web designer in South Carolina. I design websites for agents that enable them to upload their listings online. (see http:///www.schomesales.com) I have a family full of people in the real estate industry. When I applied my experience with the Internet to the Real Estate Industry to try and quell the needs of the agents in my family, I ran into the delemna of aquiring the listing data. As you all know the listing data is 'proprietary' information of the seller. The seller must sign an agreement to allow the agent to market the home in 'whatever manner they deem fit to benefit the expeditious selling of the property'. The MLS would have you believe that this listing data is 'proprietary information' that THEY own, but it is not until the data is entered into their database by one of their paying affiliate real estate agents, that the data becomes 'proprietary' - and then, it is only considered 'proprietary' information if it is derived or extracted from from their system. (This pertains to the listing information only, not the photographs, as the photographs carry a copyright that, if duplicated in any way, would result in legal action.) I have found that agents do not wish to retype the listing into a website after they type it into the MLS, nor do all of them have the wherewithal to enter them into the MLS, depending on their respective company policies. I have also found that agents and brokers sometimes wish to delay, in some cases, the listing of homes on any type of Multiple Listing Service, including the Internet, sometimes, for fear that they would jeopardize the "my list, my sale" scenario. This problem has caused me to be very creative. Not wanting to violate any trademark or copyright laws, and wishing to comply with the MLS's 'proprietary data', I think I have arrived at a solution. I have a process whereas, I can gather the listing data before the MLS gets it, upload it to the Internet and allow the Real Estate Agent the ability to upload pictures of their homes to my service and ALSO enter the same data into the MLS. Type once - post to many. Of course the photographs must be acquired and uploaded to the web, but this is pretty simple, as most agents physically go to the homes they list at some time or another, why not carry a digital camera or even a disposable camera and have Wal-Mart make you a CD of your pictures? From there you can upload them to the website. I am thinking of offering the photography services as well, but that would increase overhead substantially and I'm unsure whether I could compete at that point and still make a profit. My main issue is this.... agents really aren't doing the seller 'right' by withholding the Listing Data, even for a day, from the Internet, where the house may sell in a matter of hours! If you operate in this manner, you should be ashamed of yourself and know this.... You only have so long before us technology geeks beat you at this 'stalling game' and your listings go online as effortlessly as receiving unwelcome spam in your inbox! Greed Kills.... The Internet provides freedom for "Information Asylum".... "You will be assymilated into the collective....resistance is futile." (quote from "the Borg" of "Star Trek")

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