What is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and Why it Matters

Thursday, September 18, 2025 3:40:00 PM

While you may have heard about Multiple Listing Service you may not be familiar with the vital role it plays throughout the homebuying and selling process. 

Understanding how the MLS factors into the process can help you get the most of your purchase or sale of a property. 

Benefits of the Multiple Listing Service

How it benefits real estate professionals
  • Offers agents a robust portfolio of technology products and services to better serve their clients 
  • Provides agents market data and analytic tools to help clients understand market conditions
  • Enables agents to easily share listings with buyers through a portal to view matched properties
  • Supports communication between agents and clients 

How it benefits sellers
Makes it easy to share their listing with potential buyers With a comparative market analysis (CMA) sellers can see what properties, or comps, in the area are selling for and what features they offer

How it benefits buyers
Provides more options of homes to choose from that meet their criteria Offers detailed information about a property such as size, features, style, neighborhood, and more Efficiency in determining what properties meet your criteria saving time

Resources

  • What Canopy MLS offer Real Estate Professionals (PDF) 

  • CMLS Real Estate Trade Organization - The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) advocates for an open, fair, and transparent real estate marketplace. Through MLS, it helps ensure that consumers have access to nearly all available homes for sale and a broad base of data to make informed decisions. More information at https://councilofmls.org/about-us/

Consumer Education Campaign: Accessing the Full Power of the MLS

MLS Billboard Ad 1

MLS Billboard ad 2

MLS Billboard ad 3