A Unified Vision
Iowa Association of REALTORS® creates an MLS system without borders.
Technology has changed the way we do just about everything, from communicating to grocery shopping. Change for the sake of change seldom pays off, but refusal to adapt to an evolving market or to the expectations of your customers guarantees absolute failure.
The real estate industry has long had a reputation for its responsiveness to customer demands, adapting its processes to suit a more digitally-focused clientele. No doubt, this is part of the reason most REALTORS® were able to continue listing and selling homes throughout the COVID pandemic.
Now the Iowa Association of REALTORS® is taking that approach statewide with the introduction of its NoCoast MLS.
Les Sulgrove was named MLS Director for the new NoCoast MLS in November after spending more than 30 years as a REALTOR®. His reputation for analytics within the industry and his longtime involvement with the MLS made him the ideal choice for this new leadership role.
Sulgrove began defining the vision and mission for the new subsidiary late last year and traveling the state to share that vision with local REALTOR® boards. “The state association had been discussing this idea for several years, and we’re in a place where we believe the market and the consumer are really looking for something like this,” he says.
When Sulgrove started his career in real estate, the listing process was an unwieldy, paper-heavy system. Over the past decades, that process has gone digital. The online MLS systems each company uses offer benefits for both consumers and REALTORS®.
Unfortunately, there’s little crossover from one company to another or one area of the state to another. “There are some national options, but they aren’t comprehensive,” says Sulgrove. “We really wanted to create a resource that would serve both our members and their clients wherever they are in the state. In fact, the name ‘NoCoast’ reflects a vision that we are not bound by borders whether within the state or beyond.”
As the initial mission statement declares, “NoCoast MLS… aims to simplify and enhance the real estate industry for its members.”
“While it’s easy to refer to NoCoast as a statewide MLS, the process is really more about building out the MLS regionally at first while providing a comprehensive, single MLS system that gives REALTORS® access to residential, multifamily, commercial, and land property listings across the state with a single MLS subscription fee,” he says.
Since taking on his new role at the end of 2022, Sulgrove has held numerous Q&A sessions with representatives from REALTOR® boards across Iowa to share the Association’s vision and get their feedback on the service.
Sulgrove has been working to put together a board of directors that oversees the NoCoast MLS with representatives from each participating board. “There are 19 local boards across the state. Six are full members of NoCoast MLS. Four have joined in an ‘exploratory’ capacity, meaning they have full voting rights on the NoCoast MLS board,” he says. “As other boards around the state consider joining as full members, they can also participate as ‘exploratory’ members with full voting rights.”
Because the mission of the NoCoast MLS is to “enhance the real estate industry for its members,” offering voting rights during the exploratory phase means everyone gets a voice in decisions. “We want to make sure the policies and practices we’re putting into place, even in the early stages, reflect every area of the state,” Sulgrove says. “Allowing full voting rights means the NoCoast MLS will meet those needs from the day any group joins because it had a say in the decisions ahead of time.”
The current board is working out general rules of practice as Sulgrove continues to present the service to potential members. “We recognize that it will be a gradual process to bring everyone together,” he says. “Many groups have existing contracts with their current MLS provider, and some of those may need to run their course before any changes are made. But our goal is to have every board in the state involved in at least an exploratory way by the end of next year.”
During that period, NoCoast is working on transitions and integration of existing MLS programs to make the change as seamless as possible for both consumers and REALTORS®.
Sulgrove says, “REALTOR® associations around the country are moving toward statewide MLS systems, and some regional services have tried to get Iowa communities to partner with them. It’s become apparent that as a statewide association, if we don’t take the initiative and create our own unified system, someone else will step in from outside and do it.”
That is why the NoCoast MLS mission states that it “will benefit both home sellers and home buyers by providing accurate data, up-to-date property information, and a variety of technology tools and services. Local boards and associations will not lose their identities, but will gain additional listing data and will experience the benefits of NoCoast MLS.”
As Sulgrove explains, NoCoast MLS isn’t just a marketing tool or change for the sake of change. “Our goal is to maintain benefits to the consumer and to the REALTOR® while extending those options to every corner of the state.”