This week, some 20,000 Realtors® will descend on San Diego for the National Association of Realtors® annual REALTORS® Conference & Expo, and RESO will be there. RESO will be easy to find, as we are part of the NAR Pavilion, Booth 1340, at one of the corners.
Here’s the big news: RESO Data Dictionary Certification will be conducted onsite during the NAR convention. RESO’s guru of Certification, Greg Lemon, will be heading up the effort for RESO Data Dictionary certifications. The RESO Certification process allows MLSs to test programs and platforms for conformance to RESO Standards.
The Data Dictionary serves as the real estate industry’s “Rosetta Stone” for property data fields. There are some 770+ MLS organizations, along with hundreds of other technology firms that gather real estate data. The new RESO Data Dictionary ensures that each of these systems will “speak” the same language. This new common standard defines real estate data fields – fields that contain the most important property listing information – and that data is presented using consistent terms and data structures.
Today, MLSs that serve about one-third of all Realtors® in the U.S. have already been Data Dictionary Certified. In fact, at the RESO Fall Conference in Austin, 7 MLSs received Data Dictionary Certification, including CRMLS, Maine Listings, Jersey Shore MLS, Connecticut Multiple Listing Service, Inc., Big Bear Association of Realtors, Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors and Mid America Regional Information Systems Inc.
What to expect at NAR
Based on experiences at the RESO Fall Conference, sometimes certifications can go very quickly, especially when one’s set of property data fields is small. These have taken only about 15 minutes. However, for firms that are doing a full Data Dictionary implementation such as CRMLS and NorthstarMLS, onsite certification can take an hour or more for Greg to run the test.
The good news is Greg won’t make you wait around for the results. Applicants are welcome to start the certification process, and then encouraged to go check out the other 400+ exhibits at the NAR annual, returning later to the RESO booth for the results.
Want a head start before NAR?
Keep in mind that if you are close to RESO Certification, running tests in advance of NAR is another option. You can apply online for certification today. RESO will be available onsite to work with each individual MLS to discuss the results and what is needed for correction to pass that final test.
Remember, the National Association of REALTORS® mandate is that by January 1, 2016, every NAR affiliated MLS will adopt the Data Dictionary. While only MLSs are certified for the Data Dictionary, virtually all of the leading MLS technology firms are working hard to prepare their MLS clients for certification.
Meet and greet at NAR
I will be joining Greg at the RESO booth at the NAR Pavilion to be on hand to answer questions about certifications and the benefits of joining RESO for brokerages, MLS firms and MLS technology companies. Becoming a RESO member for brokers in particular means getting a seat at the table where decisions are being made that will directly impact the future of real estate and, specifically, their brokerage businesses.
There’s also a lot happening right now at RESO with the upcoming Web API, the new Wiki for the Data Dictionary that’s about to be unveiled, and a plethora of opportunities for RESO members to make a contribution to help drive innovation and streamline the real estate transaction by joining one of our hands-on Workgroups.
Stop by the RESO Booth and pick up your free RESO Cube, a handy little dual screen cleaner and earphone jack splitter that allows you to keep your smartphone screen clean and share a movie or your favorite tunes; while supplies last, of course.
See you in (hopefully) sunny San Diego!
