Although we disagree with the rule, we are good soldiers and recommend everyone who is a member of NAR or CREA follow the residential MLS rule regarding advertising publicly an Exclusive Signed Residential Real Estate Listing Advertised Publicly.

If you are to advertise a residential home publicly, you must put it on MLS within three days. (check with your association in your province or state)

Member brokers in Ontario should also follow the rules of the Real Estate Council of Ontario that if you network information on ICIWorld without a signed listing, you must not identify the property. Once you have the owner’s consent in writing and if it is residential then you must put it on MLS within three days. 

We have recommended this since Day 1 of ICIWorld.com in 1994, even before RECO began. With a reason that people can also go behind your back if you do not have a signed listing.  So we supervise and give guidance to our members on this the best we can. 

Also on ICIWorld, everyone must make their own arrangements for compensation on each and every listing, Have or Want. 

Many associations and MLSs in the USA are in trouble but many have settled millions in lawsuits over the publishing of commission arrangements on MLS listings. We do not and have never had any issues in 29 years unlike MLS. Remember I too am a REALTOR and want to make all these services work for brokers and salespeople to serve the public with more choice.  And I alos respdect and appreciate REALTORS to protect the public with all the shenanigans, fraud and deceit going on the Internet because brokers and salespeople are trained in consumer protection.

If you belong to MLS in the USA, there have been major court cases against NAR, and the Re/Max’s of the world, regarding MLS listings and commissions published on the listings.  They have had to settle the cases for millions of dollars. We would have sided with NAR and Re/Max but would have lost too. We think it was working fine, tha;t commissions were negotiable. But work arounds are in order at this time.

However, since we never have nor ever will publish commission arrangements, and so those lawsuits brought against MLS, etc.  has not been a problem for us The ICIWorld Association of Real Estate Brokers and Salespeople with the Global Real Estate Information Listing Service powered by ICIWorld since 1994. See WREILS.com shortform for World Real Estate Information Listing Service. 

We allow the networking of information for residential since you cannot force unsigned information onto MLS. 

HOWEVER, but once a residential listing is signed, we can help enforce the MLS rule that it must go on MLS within 3 days if it is to be advertised publicly, which is the key. If networked within your own office, I understand it is okay. Even though we disagree with the overall this rule and hope to have it reconsidered someday, like a good soldier, we follow the guidelines in our recommendations to agents. 

We feel they missed the boat by not consulting us when they passed the rule in Washington and in Ottawa in 2023. We tried to show them that networking information publicly before a signed listing as we do on ICIWorld, destroys the argument that brokers do not share exclusive listings.

The bottom line is: if you network information on ICIWorld you must not give an address in order to follow RECOs guidelines. When you do get a signed listing to be advertised publicly it must be placed on MLS within three days. 

And we also do not suggest commissions so that every listing, Have or Want on ICIWorld, you make your arrangements for compensation. 

ICIWorld has about 40,000 messages and contacts to do business. Active residential messages total about 300.