MLS listings for Blackhawk, CA and East Bay housing and real estate
Much like many cities in California, such as LA and San Diego, San Francisco has a number of MLS systems. The MAX MLS system, however, is specific to the East Bay and offers members-only access to Danville real estate listings of the Bay East Association of REALTORS and the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS.
The East Bay Regional Data MLS or "EBRD MLS" offers listings in 21 Northern California Counties. Comprised of five shareholder partners, the EBRD MLS is open to brokers, real estate agents, appraisers, and appraiser trainees only.
So what is the East Bay MLS and how does it work?
In simple terms, the San Francisco EBRD Multiple Listing Service and MAX MLS are databases of homes for sale in the Danville area. While the MLS® trademark is owned by the Canada Real Estate Association (CREA) -- as is the REALTOR® trademark -- MLS systems across the country are typically set up as separate corporations. The MLS in any given area is affiliated with its local association of realtors. Now, here's where it gets tricky. Any city or region may have several associations. The East Bay, for example, has many. Some of these associations will integrate their MLS systems, while other will remain separate, which means neighboring areas may be listed on different systems that will not necessarily overlap. In the East Bay, it's important to utilize the MAX Multiple Listing Service and the East Bay Regional Data Multiple Listing Service when buying or selling a home.
The MLS also serves as a compensation offer between brokers. If one East Bay broker represents a buyer who purchases a property that is listed by another East Bay MLS broker, they will typically share the commission, and this information is listed in the MLS.
The overabundance of MLS systems available can also create confusion and frustration for many East Bay agents and brokers. Real estate agents who are not members of a certain MLS service have difficulty gaining access to properties that are exclusively listed with that service. The East Bay MLS systems help to protect the listings for a given neighborhood or larger community by controlling who has access to them. This ensures that local agents have an advantage over real estate agents from other areas. While this can be beneficial for the local agents, some also consider it to be a tactic by the MLS systems to earn more fees and recruit more members.
The cons to operating individual MLS systems (as opposed to one large MLS) mainly affect non-members. The individual East Bay MLS systems are excellent tools for participating members, buyers, and sellers. The East Bay MLS offers maximum exposure to houses for sale in East Bay neighborhoods and it allows agents and brokers to quickly and easily find properties that are listed. East Bay real estate agents and brokers can also examine commission rates and browse through an extensive amount of data about any given property for sale.
It is important to keep in mind that while East Bay MLS membership is in the tens of thousands for both the MAX MLS (www.maxmls.net) and the EBRD MLS (www.ebrdi.com), not all brokers participate. This means that while East Bay MLS services do list a significant number of properties for sale, they do not list all properties for sale in the Danville and the East Bay.