Three new PDF resources for multiple listing services and brokerages articulate how the association’s policies and guidelines are designed to work, to support consistent implementation.
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The National Association of REALTORS® has provided three new resources to help ensure brokers’ and MLSs’ understanding of certain MLS policies.

Two resources offer considerations for MLSs that allow users to select and filter listings in IDX and virtual office website (VOW) displays. That policy works in conjunction with NAR’s MLS policy 8.5, which prohibits MLSs from allowing users to filter MLS listings based on the existence or level of cooperative compensation or the name of a brokerage and/or agent.

The third resource, geared toward brokerages, explains when a one-to-one, broker-to-broker communication would and would not trigger NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy. Clear Cooperation, which requires listing brokers to submit listings to the MLS within one business day of marketing a property to the public, has been a subject of debate since it was approved in 2020. NAR revisited the policy in 2024 and 2025 and made the decision to retain the policy and add flexibility for sellers.

The PDFs were posted on May 21 on facts.realtor:

In an email to staff, NAR’s Senior Director of Engagement Rodney Gansho said the resources work “to support consistent policy implementation across the industry and promote a clear understanding of how NAR’s policies and guidelines are intended to operate.”

Gansho previewed the resources and spoke about MLS engagement efforts recently in the association’s weekly video series “NAR This Week.”

“I want to stress the emphasis on NAR supporting the MLS ecosystem,” he said. “It empowers REALTORS® with a centralized market system that provides sellers with broad market exposures and buyers with all the available properties for sale.”