Clear Cooperation Policy by the Numbers
The Clear Cooperation Policy remains front of mind, especially in this crazy market where listing inventories are critically low. Buyer’s agents are desperate to find homes for their clients, so reports of potential violations of the Clear Cooperation Policy continue to stream in.
To give you an example, here are the statistics related to the number of Clear Cooperation Complaints received by the MLS Department in 2021:
- 113 Complaints processed
- 33 Hearings held
- 24 Accepted the violation and paid the fine
- 56 Waived after Reply (found no violation)
MetroTex Association takes a serious stance in the enforcement of the Clear Cooperation Policy. The policy was passed by the NAR Board of Directors in November of 2019. The passage of this policy sent a reminder to all MLS Participants of their commitment and promise to offer cooperation to other MLS Participants when listing a property.
The number ONE cause of a violation of the Clear Cooperation Policy is the “For Sale” sign placed on the property earlier than the expecting marketing time. The second most common violations of the policy are social media posts.
As we begin 2022, we continue to receive multiple complaints related to violations of this policy. Please remember to keep a tight schedule of your market events to coordinate them with the entry of the listing into the MLS. The Clear Cooperation Policy requires that a listing be entered into the MLS within ONE BUSINESS DAY of marketing the property to the public. Remember to keep control of your “For Sale” signs and make sure any email blasts or social media posts coincide with the one business day time limit for the entry of the listing into the MLS.
As a reminder, the Clear Cooperation Policy reads as follows:
“7.01 Within one (1) business day of marketing a property to the public, the listing broker must submit the listing to the MLS for cooperation with other MLS participants. Public marketing includes, but is not limited to, flyers displayed in windows, yard signs, digital marketing on public facing websites, brokerage website displays (including IDX and VOW), digital communications marketing (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing networks, and applications available to the general public.”