How was the standard developed?

In February 1999, after a number of meetings with a variety of constituencies, NAR brought together an industry task force to begin the standards development effort. The group included representatives of MLS vendors, client application vendors, MLS operators and industry consultants. Collectively, the members reflected extensive real-world experience in design, development and implementation of real estate information systems and a strong working knowledge of business needs of REALTORS®.

After the task force concluded their initial draft work, NAR convened a group of industry leaders in the spring 1999. This so-called Group of 50 included REALTORS®, REALTOR® board members, real estate franchise staff, MLS operators and staff, MLS and client software vendors, industry consultants, and other industry participants. The task force presented their efforts to the group, answered questions and listened to suggested modifications.

The draft standard was then presented in May at the NAR Mid-Year meetings in Washington, D.C. and posted on the Internet for a public comment period. The task force revised the standard based on the comments received and reviewed the new draft with the Group of 50 at another meeting in October. Additional refinements from that session have been incorporated into what is now Version 1.0.

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Where can I get the full standard?

Point your Internet browser to http://www.rets.org.

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