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Washington-based Northwest MLS temporarily shut down its IDX feed to Compass amid an ongoing conflict over private listings, Inman has learned exclusively, before restoring it about a day later.
The shutdown appears to have been in effect throughout Wednesday, according to multiple Northwest MLS users who spoke to Inman on condition of anonymity. It was unclear exactly when it began, but by late Thursday morning the feed had been restored.
NWMLS declined to comment.
“Despite following NWMLS’s published rules, Compass’ IDX feed was suspended without warning — impacting our clients and agents alike,” Compass Regional Vice President Cris Nelson told Inman. “NWMLS is a broker-owned MLS and is the only MLS in the country that prohibits agents from marketing a property on the internet — privately or publicly — unless it’s listed in the MLS.”
The IDX suspension is only the latest chapter in an ongoing saga involving the country’s largest brokerage by sales volume and a powerful independent multiple listing service. The conflict began in late March when Compass CEO Robert Reffkin criticized NWMLS, describing it on Instagram as uniquely restrictive. Reffkin’s comments stemmed from Compass’ efforts to expand the listings it markets privately before posting them to an MLS.
The feud erupted on the same day as the National Association of Realtors announced it would uphold its Clear Cooperation Policy requiring Realtors to put their listings into NAR-affiliated MLSs within a day of public marketing — while also introducing a new delayed listing category. Clear Cooperation had been fiercely debated, and some had looked forward to a decision from NAR to settle the matter on private listings once and for all.
Nelson referenced those private listings in her statement, saying “we launched a compliant Private Exclusive marketing strategy using ‘non-exclusive’ and ‘unenforceable’ listing agreements — both of which, since the founding of NWMLS in 1984, have not been eligible for submission into the MLS.”
“This is a stark example of monopolistic control, with NWMLS having 100 percent market share of real estate agents, that limits homeowner choice, stifles competition, and sets a dangerous precedent for broker accountability and market fairness,” the Compass statement added.
In recent weeks, and leading up to the IDX feed suspension, the conflict between Compass and NWMLS has grown more intense.
At the end of March, Compass clients signaled they might sue NWMLS. Windermere — also a target of criticism in Reffkin’s Instagram posts — then fired back in a series of statements and opinion pieces.
Last week Windermere Co-President OB Jacobi told Inman Reffkin “has been a little bit of a bully when it comes to this movement.”
The IDX shutdown, however, further turns up the heat on the simmering cold war. Short for “internet data exchange,” the IDX feed takes information from the MLS and distributes it to MLS members. It allows MLS information to appear on third-party websites, and the technology is a key tool through which members of the real estate industry share listings. Being cut off from the feed could isolate agents from the rest of the market.
Whether Compass gets the NWMLS IDX feed back, the conflict over private listings is likely to persist. In addition to the dustup between NWMLS and Compass, Zillow and Redfin announced in recent days that they will not display listings that have been privately marketed.
On the other hand, a number of other brokerages besides Compass have also begun rolling out their own private listing networks.
Update: This story was updated after publication following the restoration of Compass IDX feed.
