The Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) Board of Directors voted yesterday that all MLSs currently Data Dictionary Certified – which is the majority of the MLS world – will now be able to get Web API Certified for free. RESO also announced that CMLS will host a soup-to-nuts dive into the RESO Web API Certification process featuring Michael Wurzer, President of FBS, and Rebecca Jensen, President & CEO at Midwest Real Estate Data LLC. According to the CMLS CEO Deene Evans, the webinar is set for Tuesday June 14 at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern, will be open to everyone and the registration link is here:
Jeremy Crawford, who heads up RESO, just penned a column about the new Web API, which provides a good refresher on how this all came about. Jeremy writes:
“The current NAR mandate for the WEB API states: “…MLS organizations owned and operated by associations of REALTORS® are required to implement the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) Standards, including the RESO Web API by June 30, 2016.
Today, the RESO Data Dictionary is now available to more than 1,100,000 members of Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) nationwide and that means the WEB API Certification process should be a breeze. It’s far less challenging than the Data Dictionary Certification process.”
With this new move by the RESO Board, Jeremy is expecting to see a flurry of certifications as the NAR mandated deadline approaches, just about one month away:
We know it’s possible for the majority of the MLS industry to meet the June 30th Web API deadline, as the process should be much faster and easier.”
Web APIs are clearly in the spotlight these days and Jeremy’s blog reminds us first of what an API is:
“API is the acronym for ‘Application Program Interface.’ For Multiple Listing Services, it is simply a way to transfer data that can eliminate the need to copy listing information between different servers. It is also the best way for an MLS to be the original and only source of MLS property data. As I havewritten before, an API makes everyone’s life simpler because it reduces the amount of time it takes for software developers to connect to, retrieve and organize listing data within a website, web application or another tool.
The Web API technology will deliver efficiencies in the collection and use of MLS data by participants, vendors and MLSs.
Finally, Jeremy details how the Web API will benefit the real estate industry pointing to “three big wins” that include “speedier development with more robust features, a faster path to listing data deployment, and simplification, as the Web API means eliminating the need to have multiple software solutions for multiple markets.”
For more about the RESO Web API and specific benefits, the NAR has published a list here and to get started, MLS and MLS Technology Partners can contact RESO directly at info@reso.org.
