How Clear Cooperation Safeguards Equity and Transparency in Real Estate

The National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) has been a hot topic of discussion lately, with several industry stakeholders, pundits, and media outlets offering their opinions on its value.

We’ve heard compelling arguments from brokers, agents, MLS leaders, and consumers—but one voice that’s been missing is that of the technology vendors who build the tools powering today’s real estate market.

More Than Fairness: Why CCP Matters to Tech Vendors

At its core, CCP is about fairness, transparency, and equitable access to listings.

But for technology vendors, the policy does something equally critical: it ensures the availability of clean, consistent data across platforms—something that drives innovation and efficiency in the real estate tech ecosystem.

What Happens Without Clear Cooperation?

Without CCP, brokerages would be free to withhold listings from the MLS and, by extension, from IDX/VOW feeds.

This would reintroduce one of the biggest challenges the industry has worked to overcome—data fragmentation. The ripple effects would be immediate and far-reaching:

• Active listings might be excluded from public portals.
• Marketing history could be hidden or removed.
• CMA reports and inventory tracking would become unreliable.
• Buyers, sellers, and agents would suffer from reduced visibility and inconsistent information.

The Role of RESO and the Power of Data Standards

The real estate industry has made major strides in standardizing data, thanks largely to the efforts of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO).

These standards enable tech providers to build scalable solutions using structured, reliable MLS data. That progress depends on a foundation of data equity—something the CCP helps protect. Without it, vendors would be subject to the technical capabilities and willingness of individual brokers to share listings, introducing the possibility of vendor discrimination and data silos.

A Fragmented Market Impacts Everyone

Imagine a world where every brokerage hides its own listings.

Consumers would be forced to browse dozens of platforms to get a complete picture of the market. Where agents could previously find active listings in one location, they would instead need multiple data sources just to stay competitive. As a result, the market would become less transparent, accessible, and efficient.

CCP Enables Innovation and Unified Marketplaces

Clear Cooperation helps prevent that scenario.

It supports a more unified marketplace where data flows freely, tools are more accurate, and innovation thrives. With CCP in place, vendors can build products that harness AI, automate marketing, streamline CMAs, and deliver actionable insights to the professionals who need them.

Balancing Policy and Progress

While the policy isn’t without criticism—some argue it restricts exclusive or private listings—its benefits far outweigh its limitations.

CCP is a vital safeguard for fairness, innovation, and consumer trust in real estate. As we navigate the future of this industry, maintaining policies that promote transparency and data integrity should remain a top priority.

PropStream Aims to Create a More Transparent Market by Putting Data in Everyone’s Hands

PropStream plays a vital role in supporting accessibility and efficiency across the real estate industry by centralizing nationwide property data and making it seamless for investors, agents, and other professionals to use.

Much like the Clear Cooperation Policy aims to ensure transparent and equitable listing access through the MLS, PropStream democratizes real estate information by giving users the tools to analyze markets, find off-market leads, and evaluate deals with speed and confidence. By providing access to millions of property records, owner details, and market analytics in a single platform, PropStream helps level the playing field, especially for independent investors and small businesses who might not otherwise have direct access to MLS data.

The platform’s integrated marketing tools, comps, and automation features reduce hiccups in the research and outreach process, allowing professionals to make informed decisions faster.