Trestle, and a Crowded MLS Data Syndication Space
I came across CoreLogic’s Trestle offering today as a result of listening to the latest Listing Bits podcast with Kevin Greene. (All Listing Bits episodes on iTunes here).
What exactly is Trestle?
The ultimate listing data management and property information tool for brokers, technology providers, and multiple listing organizations.
The way I understand it is it’s a platform for vendors to more seamlessly access MLS data feeds plus the ability to pay fees from one location. The goal is to alleviate the headache with launching an app across multiple geographic markets.
How exactly is this different than FBS’s Spark Platform? (which was launched five years ago in 2012)? Is it that you can download/store the data, and do derivative works on it?
Helping vendors and brokerage deploying across markets is not a technology problem. It’s a legal/compliance problem. I know first hand, since I’m working through this exact issue for 360modern (we’re expanding to Palm Springs).
The “MLS data aggregation” space is getting crowded…
That said, why don’t those attempting to aggregate MLS feeds offer to do compliance checks for MLS’…for free? That would save MLS’ money, because they would need fewer staff to handle reviewing all the applications that get sent their way.
PS: I do have to call out one portion of Trestle’s landing page for technology vendors.
Trestle offers unique consumer content available nowhere else. Take advantage of enriched CoreLogic property information and proprietary market analytics to get a competitive edge. With Trestle, your website can provide real estate insights far beyond what national portals offer.
Playing devil’s advocate — if anyone can use the “enriched CoreLogic property information and proprietary market analytics”, but any vendor/broker can use the Trestle platform, I’m not sure how they can make the “content available nowhere else” claim? Something doesn’t add up in that equation.
Sam DeBord
Posted at 09:52h, 17 MarchCorelogic has access to listing data from far more MLSs than most other vendors. That seems to be their advantage–aggregated listing data and aggregated data from other property-related sources.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 11:03h, 17 MarchOkay… but still don’t get how they can make the available nowhere else claim. Their data will be available to any dev that wants to integrate, which if they are successful, will be many many. Thus, the consumer is not going to be getting something they can’t get elsewhere.
Sam DeBord
Posted at 11:21h, 17 MarchOnly consumer-facing applications using Trestle data will have this access. They’re saying this information source is available nowhere else. Yes, there could be many public displays using this data via Trestle.
Edsta
Posted at 07:45h, 20 MarchI also listened to that podcast and wondered the same thing. An open source solution will soon come along to clean up this space 😉
Drew Meyers
Posted at 08:03h, 20 MarchHow will an open source version solve?
Edsta
Posted at 08:18h, 20 MarchIf I understand correctly, one of the key problems trestle and others solve is the issue of incompatible APIs and data schemas. An open source library that acts as a mapper between the different MLS schemas should be fairly easy to get off the ground.
Sam DeBord
Posted at 08:43h, 20 MarchSee RESO.org.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 10:22h, 20 MarchThey need to work on their value proposition, very unclear what it is that reso does specifically.
The about, at the very bottom of the page says:
RESO develops, promotes and maintains, through an open process, voluntary electronic commerce standards for the real estate industry. As a standards setting organization involving the participation of competitors, RESO is committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations and to maintaining the highest ethical standards in the way it conducts its operations and activities.
Which I guess is helpful, but still a bit unclear as to how I should/could interact with the organization, brand, or product..
Sam DeBord
Posted at 11:01h, 20 MarchIt’s an independent organization, but its standards often get adopted by others. For example, NAR can say that all MLSs need to be certified compliant with RESO’s data dictionary, WEB API, etc. Standardized fields, APIs, etc. allow brokers/vendors to innovate with better products.
Edsta
Posted at 11:12h, 20 MarchIs RESO the organization behind RETS?
Sam DeBord
Posted at 11:18h, 20 MarchYes
Edsta
Posted at 11:35h, 20 MarchSorry if I sound cynical but do they benefit in some way from developing really bad standards? I thought I might be an exception for hating RETS with a vengeance but then I came across another dev who named his oss project tourets because “when you work with RETS you feel like you have Tourette’s”.
Sam DeBord
Posted at 14:12h, 20 MarchThey’re trying to bring together 700+ MLSs into some form of standardization. I understand why software devs from other industries are probably more accustomed to faster, leaner systems. It’s a work in progress and it improves every year.
Edsta
Posted at 15:31h, 20 MarchFair enough. I still feel something isn’t right though. I’ll try to put my thoughts together in a blog post later when I get the chance.