Dear TT,

I have heard rumors about a new MLS system option coming online for RMLS™ subscribers very soon. While I would be the first to admit that RMLSweb frustrates me at times, I never anticipated access to a different sort of MLS dashboard.

I can imagine the concept requires a lot of work to deploy – help me understand why RMLS™ would be doing such a thing and why now?

Interested in Irrigon

Dear II,

Thank you for your question about the Paragon system, which we will release soon (July is when we plan to roll it out). You are correct that this new system requires some heavy lifting, though we believe it is well worth the effort for our subscribers.

Here are some of the reasons:

• Subscriber choice – RMLS™ and its Board of Directors have always focused on providing our  subscribers the best tools, and the best ways to work with their listing data.  As we know, many subscribers come to RMLS™ from other areas where they had a different MLS system, and are frequently telling us “so and so does this aspect better, you should switch to them”.  This model of true front end of choice allows us to put that choice in subscribers’ hands and choose how THEY want to work with the listing data. Paragon will be tied to the same database that RMLSweb uses but will be a completely unique user interface containing some features that we think will be very well received.

• The forward thinking of the Black Knight team; not all MLS system vendors are willing to offer a front end of choice. They want the MLS to switch entirely to their platform before they will work with them, due to their perceived lack of ROI for all the development hours they feel it would take to make this concept work. Black Knight has worked with RMLS™ for years. We’ve shared code with them in the past with our mapping module.  They were willing to give it a shot and dedicate hours of their development team to put the Paragon system in place for us and see how this experiment goes.

Now, we have talked about front end of choice for many years in the real estate/listing service industry. In fact, I can remember all the way back in the early 2000s this concept being discussed at national MLS conferences.

So why has it taken so long to achieve this concept? Here are some details explaining why:

• Standardized MLS data via RESO – Prior to the evolution of RESO (Real Estate Standards Organization) data standards, taking on a new front-end system for an MLS would be a monumental task, as all the data fields would have to be duplicated and reprogrammed and configured to work with a new MLS system and database.  With the evolution of RESO, and the industry acceptance of said standards, we can now push out our data in the RESO format that other system providers can somewhat quickly and easily work with and make these new options available.

As I briefly mentioned above, front end of choice has been a long discussed but never implemented industry idea. RMLS™ and Black Knight are the first MLS / MLS System Vendor team to join up to provide this concept to our subscribers.

To clarify for those who may think RMLSweb is going away and will be replaced by Paragon – that is not the case at all, in fact RMLSweb will continue to be available going forward. You will still use RMLSweb to add and modify listings even if you’ve decided Paragon is your preferred system.

Thanks, Interested in Irrigon, for the great question. Keep an eye on RMLSweb desktop news for more info as we get closer to releasing Paragon.

—TT