Beginning October 3, Washington-based Northwest MLS, which has over 35,000 subscribers, will release new listing forms that do not offer buyer broker commissions by default. The new forms make the offer of buyer broker compensation much more explicit for sellers, including presenting a variety of compensation options for them to choose from, including no compensation, putting the burden of buyer broker compensation exclusively on the buyer, offering a credit or setting a minimum compensation. Major class-action lawsuits and an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigations into how real estate commissions are handled is spurring change throughout the industry. This action by NWMLS is one example of the evolution in how commission-payment protocol is changing.

CRMLS and Bright MLS announced a joint venture in July, Redistribute LLC, which will aggregate and distribute MLS and brokerage data to other entities including mortgage lenders, insurance companies and other players. The company will share the revenue with those MLSs and brokers who provide data. This innovative move from MLSs reveals a new avenue for brokers and MLSs to monetize their rich data. Tech companies have been reselling industry data for years – this is a new effort to keep more of it for brokers and MLSs directly. Access a video interview with CRMLS CEO Art Carter in the lead story in this Insight edition for more information about the effort.

A platform to centralize the management of home-related tasks for homeowners has long been a dream for real estate technology innovators and investors. Update, MoveEasy, MooveGuru and Inside Real Estate have all launched related efforts in recent years. And now there’s a new entrant, Milestones, which raised $10.3 million with a vision to become a major player in this arena. There is increasing energy in the space now. And the industry may see one gain serious traction among homeowners. This is a space to watch.