Comments on: Piping Real Estate Data http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html Redfin Corporate Blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:09:04 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Realestate_Agent_US http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-1654 Realestate_Agent_US Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:24:19 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-1654 We have Triple net (NNN) leased properties database covering all US regions - for more information visit http://virtual.marketing.realestate.googlepages.com We have Triple net (NNN) leased properties database covering all US regions – for more information visit http://virtual.marketing.realestate.googlepages.com

]]> By: Red sea real estate http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-454 Red sea real estate Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:30:52 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-454 Realy I waned to thank you for your article "Piping Real Estate Data" it gives us useful informations as we interested in reai estate and properties in a very important region it,s Sharm El Sheikh in Red Sea , Egypt... Hope to have your iformations usually in our sit www.mysharm-el-sheikh.com becausr we not onlel sell real eastate & properties but build and construct it Thanks again Realy I waned to thank you for your article “Piping Real Estate Data” it gives us useful informations as we interested in reai estate and properties in a very important region it,s Sharm El Sheikh in Red Sea , Egypt…
Hope to have your iformations usually in our sit
http://www.mysharm-el-sheikh.com
becausr we not onlel sell real eastate & properties but build and construct it
Thanks again

]]> By: Cid Dennis http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-453 Cid Dennis Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:14:25 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-453 I really like pipes. With it you can create some really good data feeds for news with out doing all the programming. I really like pipes. With it you can create some really good data feeds for news with out doing all the programming.

]]> By: Brad C http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-452 Brad C Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:32:34 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-452 How exciting about pipes! I've been playing around a bit with Amazon's Mechanical Turk web service, and I wonder if there is trivial work involved in identifying housing info that may be more complicated to tackle from a software perspective than what a human would be able to do. By breaking up a project into a thousand tiny steps and farming it out, companies are able to pull content together, identify items in photographs, choose the 'best' photograph, and scan hi-res photos of the Pacific in search of a lost software engineer. How exciting about pipes! I’ve been playing around a bit with Amazon’s Mechanical Turk web service, and I wonder if there is trivial work involved in identifying housing info that may be more complicated to tackle from a software perspective than what a human would be able to do. By breaking up a project into a thousand tiny steps and farming it out, companies are able to pull content together, identify items in photographs, choose the ‘best’ photograph, and scan hi-res photos of the Pacific in search of a lost software engineer.

]]> By: Jerry http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-451 Jerry Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:11:38 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-451 Milke, You're confusing the fact that the MLS is "owned & paid for" by the realtors (of which Redfin is one) with the concept of intellectual property, such as copyright, in the underlying data. In the US, there is generally no copyright in collections of data because very few of them have the necessary level of creativity to qualify for copyright protection. Even if there were, however, the author has copyright and the MLS is not the author. The last time I sold a house, I filled out the MLS form, which would make "me" the author of the data and the one entitled to copyright. Not the MLS or the listing agent. As a home seller, I want data about my home to be distributed to as many people as possible, through as many channels as possible. If the MLS and/or the listing agent restrict dissemination of that data, they are acting against my best interest; in essence betraying their fiduciary duty to me. One last thing: The MLS doesn't give anything away for free. It's my understanding that Redfin pays for the MLS data just like all the other realtors. In the past, the realtors and brokers have tried to deny MLS access to discount brokerages. When a group of companies connive together to restrict competition, that's a violation of federal anti-trust law. Which is why the DOJ is suing the National Associatin of Realtors and investigating the entire real estate industry. Milke,
You’re confusing the fact that the MLS is “owned & paid for” by the realtors (of which Redfin is one) with the concept of intellectual property, such as copyright, in the underlying data.

In the US, there is generally no copyright in collections of data because very few of them have the necessary level of creativity to qualify for copyright protection. Even if there were, however, the author has copyright and the MLS is not the author. The last time I sold a house, I filled out the MLS form, which would make “me” the author of the data and the one entitled to copyright. Not the MLS or the listing agent.

As a home seller, I want data about my home to be distributed to as many people as possible, through as many channels as possible. If the MLS and/or the listing agent restrict dissemination of that data, they are acting against my best interest; in essence betraying their fiduciary duty to me.

One last thing: The MLS doesn’t give anything away for free. It’s my understanding that Redfin pays for the MLS data just like all the other realtors. In the past, the realtors and brokers have tried to deny MLS access to discount brokerages. When a group of companies connive together to restrict competition, that’s a violation of federal anti-trust law. Which is why the DOJ is suing the National Associatin of Realtors and investigating the entire real estate industry.

]]> By: tiptoeinseattle@lightloafer.com http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-450 tiptoeinseattle@lightloafer.com Sat, 10 Feb 2007 06:18:33 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-450 Hey Mike B: "companys" is not a word, however "companies" is. Hey Mike B:

“companys” is not a word, however “companies” is.

]]> By: Glenn Kelman http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-449 Glenn Kelman Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:35:24 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-449 This post was really about a technology that would allow any brokerage to be more innovative in how it combines MLS data with other information on the Internet. But to answer your question: any business has the right to protect its intellectual property. But the listing used to market the property is not what's being sold; the actual house is what's for sale (the MLS does not own the property). So limiting access to the listing isn't a legitimate protection of intellectual property, or at least it isn't in the same way as limiting access to a video game or a song. Moreover, when it's not just one business, but virtually all the businesses in an industry that work together to control how information is shared with consumers and by whom, it seems natural to wonder whether this cooperation could interfere with a free, competitive market. Really, I can't believe we're even arguing about this: why wouldn't it be an indisputably good thing for consumers to see more information about a listing? This post was really about a technology that would allow any brokerage to be more innovative in how it combines MLS data with other information on the Internet.

But to answer your question: any business has the right to protect its intellectual property. But the listing used to market the property is not what’s being sold; the actual house is what’s for sale (the MLS does not own the property). So limiting access to the listing isn’t a legitimate protection of intellectual property, or at least it isn’t in the same way as limiting access to a video game or a song.

Moreover, when it’s not just one business, but virtually all the businesses in an industry that work together to control how information is shared with consumers and by whom, it seems natural to wonder whether this cooperation could interfere with a free, competitive market.

Really, I can’t believe we’re even arguing about this: why wouldn’t it be an indisputably good thing for consumers to see more information about a listing?

]]> By: Milke B. http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html/comment-page-1#comment-448 Milke B. Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:53:50 +0000 http://devblog.redfin.com/blog/2007/02/piping_real_estate_data.html#comment-448 The thing I don't understand is if the MLS is owned and payed for by the real estate companys and agents that put it together in local markets, why are they forced to give it away to others. How about M.S., software companies,data mining companies, and record companies. Why are their software programs and info protected for them!!! Shouldn't we all be open or free.?? The thing I don’t understand is if the MLS is owned and payed for by the real estate companys and agents that put it together in local markets, why are they forced to give it away to others. How about M.S., software companies,data mining companies, and record companies. Why are their software programs and info protected for them!!! Shouldn’t we all be open or free.??

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