Fidelity National Information Systems (FNIS), a Fidelity subsidiary, intends to be the first company to completely integrate MLS data management, broker/agent marketing and business solutions, and automated transaction services through open platform RETS-enabled listing, marketing and back-office technologies.

The FNIS MLS Systems & Solutions (MLS, IDX and Print services) and the FNIS Real Estate Division (back office and desktop business and marketing solutions for brokers, agents and transaction managers) will one day have controlled access and views into each other's systems, which is designed to streamline costs for all parties, vows the company. And that's for everyone -- MLSs, brokers, agents, consumers, and third-party service providers.

To that end, the company has been feverishly working on its research and development to improve each of its offerings from MLS systems to agent marketing.

FNIS' MLS Systems & Solutions Group has just received the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS) 1.01 and 1.5 Certification. RETS is an open standard for accessing and exchanging real estate transaction information initiated by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and various service providers in 1999.

Points out Beverly Faull, vice president and general manager of FNIS MLS Systems & Solutions Group, "FNIS has been involved with NAR during the development of the RETS standard from the initial development and continues to be active in the evolution of the RETS standard."

The reason the RETS standard is important is that the standard, (if it is interpreted by all service providers the same way), can quickly facilitate data-sharing between service providers, the foundation of all real estate service.

With FNIS processing MLS information for nearly half the Realtors in the U.S., about 400,000 "seats," the company is in a position to convince MLSs, brokers and third-party service providers such as lenders and title companies that it has the integration services to facilitate transactions.

The company has been bogged down in R & D, integrating the "best of breed" from three different MLS companies that it purchased (Vista/Moore, HomeSeekers MLS, and RISCO.) Making improvements to its Paragon MLS, FNIS has just introduced an upgrade called Paragon XL, a reintroduction of the old Internet-based XMLSweb from HomeSeekers. Enhancements include improved e-mail capability, increased report functionality, contact manager expansion, innovative financial calculators and an upgrade to MapQuest(R), says the company.

If the real estate transaction begins with listing a home in the MLS, on the other end of the spectrum it ends with transaction-managed closing.

FNIS has launched TransactionPoint v6.0 for SoftPro. SoftPro is the company's solution for more than 8,000 closing agents and promises enhanced document management, automated routing, transaction coordination and management, and easy to use reporting capabilities.

"TransactionPoint v6.0 for SoftPro enables title and escrow providers to offer Web-based transaction solutions to their customers, as well as offer new products and enhance Internet-based order status," says FNIS President and COO Dwayne Walker.

FNIS has a number of services for brokers and agents to manage their businesses and services to consumers and has also announced new versions of its popular back office and productivity software.

Broker BackOffice Pro 5.0 allows brokers to manage listings and closings with direct upload to the MLS, as well as numerous accounting functions. Multiple users can access and use different activities simultaneously. AgentOffice 5.1 allows contact management, scheduling, letter templates and listings management. It also networks the agent and up to five assistants simultaneously, and synchronizes with MLS functions through a PDA interface. IMS (Internet Marketing Solution) from FNIS offers broker and agent Websites that include lead generation tools and IDX solutions where available. The iPersonal Service is a totally automated response service that e-mails newsletters and responses to Internet inquiries and links back to RETS-generated MLS properties.

Fidelity National Information Systems (FNIS) admits that integrating MLS, broker and agent systems, and closing systems into a synchronized killer app isn't easy, but the company is determined that it will be done. FNIS wants the MLS and broker/agent public to know that it not only intends to hold onto its crown of serving more Realtors than any other single MLS service provider, the company plans to lower the costs of real estate transactions to all parties.

Published: October 14, 2003

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