NWMLS vs OLS in Sequim

The Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) and the Olympic Listing Service (OLS) are two competing MLS providers serving the real estate market in Sequim, Washington. While both aim to facilitate property transactions, there are notable differences between these two services that impact brokers and sellers in the region. But what do buyers and sellers need to know about this NWMLS vs OLS competition, and why does it matter especially to buyers and sellers?

The NWMLS vs The OLS Key Differences in Software Capabilities

There are some important technical capabilities that are important. The NWMLS offers superior software capabilities compared to the OLS. The NWMLS uses Matrix, a powerful MLS database that provides advanced search features, integrated tax and property records, dynamic map searching, and tools to track new listings and price changes.¹ In contrast, the OLS software is considered far inferior in functionality and features.² The NWMLS also provides additional tools integrated with Matrix, such as Down Payment Resource to assist buyers, and the INRIX Drive Time search to find properties based on commute times. In terms of navigation and technical tools available to listing agents and viewable to buyers, there’s no comparison between the two and the NWMLS software is more robust and feature-rich for brokers and their clients.

Market Coverage and Reach

The NWMLS has a significantly larger market coverage compared to the OLS. With over 30,000 member brokers across 26 counties in the Northwest region, the NWMLS provides much greater exposure for property listings. This extensive network allows sellers to reach a broader pool of potential buyers. In contrast, the OLS primarily serves the local markets of Sequim and Port Angeles in Clallam County. On a statewide level, the Paragon MLS system, which is what the OLS is, is only used in 3 counties, including Tri-Cities, The Lower Yakima Valley, and Whitman County. The total number of Realtors in all three using the Paragon MLS is about 1,500, compared to over 30,000 in the NWMLS. Only a few local brokers in Sequim are exclusively members of the OLS, and its reach is limited compared to the NWMLS’s coverage of the greater Seattle-Tacoma metropolis and surrounding counties covering all but 3 counties in the State. For sellers looking to maximize their property’s visibility, the NWMLS offers a clear advantage in terms of market coverage and reach. So dramatic is the difference is listing exposure to potential buyers, it is an embarrassment to list a property in the OLS and not the NWMLS. You can imagine that this is not something a listing agent would want to admit or explain to his sellers. A seller would almost certainly want to be in the NWMLS to get far greater exposure to far more buyers.

Broker and Agent Support Services

The NWMLS provides superior broker and agent support services compared to the OLS. With 20 service centers across the region, the NWMLS offers dedicated support to its 30,000+ member brokers. This includes training on the latest industry regulations, NWMLS products, and best practices to help brokers deliver exceptional service to clients.

In contrast, the OLS is a smaller, locally-focused MLS with more limited resources for broker support. While the OLS is governed by local brokers, it lacks the extensive infrastructure and dedicated service centers of the NWMLS. There is no full time staff of employees with the OLS in the Sequim area. On the other hand, the NWMLS has a large full time staff in Kirkland, Washington, and they always answer the phone immediately, and help is available for anything the comes up.

The NWMLS’s robust support system empowers brokers to increase their reach, build their business, and stay up-to-date in a rapidly changing real estate landscape. This translates to better-equipped brokers who can provide superior guidance and service to both buyers and sellers in the competitive Northwest market.

Reaching the Most Qualified Buyers

The NWMLS serves sellers best in terms of reaching the most qualified buyers. With over 33,000 member brokers across the Northwest region, listing a property on the NWMLS provides exponentially more exposure compared to the OLS, which has only a few hundred local members in Clallam County.

The NWMLS listing data is syndicated to all the major real estate sites and apps used by buyers, whereas OLS listings have limited online reach. I’ve had a lot of trouble in past years getting the OLS data feed to work on various apps and difficulty getting that data feed to integrate smoothly on websites. There is no problem integrating the NWMLS IDX data feed. This means NWMLS listings are seen by a much larger pool of potential buyers actively searching for properties.

Additionally, the 33,000 NWMLS member brokers have access to view all the listing details and documents, while only the few hundred local OLS members would have access to an OLS-only listing. The vast majority of brokers in the State of Washington representing qualified buyers who subscribe to the NWMLS will not even be able to see a seller’s listing in Sequim if it’s only in the OLS, unless it happens to show up on Zillow, but NWMLS members are expecting all listings to be in the NWMLS. Realtors don’t go to Zillow to find listings. Even if an OLS listing appears in Zillow, I have found the listing details are often lacking key information. Again that appears to be because the OLS IDX data feed does not play nice with other systems and does not syndicate well.

For sellers looking to connect with the highest number of qualified buyers who can pay top dollar, the NWMLS is the clear choice over the OLS. The extensive market reach and accessibility to buyer’s agents makes the NWMLS far more effective at attracting ideal buyers.

Sequim Brokers in OLS

According to information I was able to find, a small percentage of Sequim brokers, likely less than 5%, are only members of the OLS and not members of the NWMLS. The vast majority of brokers in Clallam County, which includes Sequim, use the NWMLS. Over 95% of all Sequim brokers were members of the NWMLS based on data comparing membership in both MLSs. This means that very few brokers in the Sequim market limit themselves to only listing properties on the OLS without also utilizing the much larger NWMLS to reach more potential buyers.

Why Would Local Realtors Want to Belong to the OLS Only?

I’ve heard two reasons by local Realtors as to why they wanted to belong to the OLS only and not the NWMLS. You’ll be a little surprised when I tell you, but here they are. First, I’ve heard at least 2 local Realtors state that they don’t want to put their listings in the NWMLS because, and I quote, “I don’t want Seattle Realtors coming over here selling my listings,” or words to that effect. This was even said at an association meeting. If you think about that, it certainly is not working in their seller client’s best interest, is it? If I had a listing, and I don’t because I’m an exclusive buyer’s agent, I would want to help my client get their home sold, and any buyer’s agent would be welcome to sell it. The second reason given is that they don’t like the rules and accountability they would have if they were members of the NWMLS. You see the OLS has very few rules, and that means less accountability. Since I’m a big consumer advocate and have been my whole life, even when I practiced real estate law, I think the rules and regs of the NWMLS are legitimate, fair, and protect consumers from the kinds of shenanigans Realtors can play. This means the NWMLS helps to protect buyers, too, and buyers are my clients.

Conclusion: Who Wins The Battle Between the NWMLS and the OLS?

Here’s my conclusion, and this is based on well over a decade of using both the NWMLS and the OLS, and it’s based on a lot of research for many many years. I’m a tech geek, so I’ve dug deeply into both systems, and I have a lifetime in real estate law and real estate brokerage, Internet marketing and the tools for marking homes as well as the tools that buyers use to find homes. I’ve written many books on these topics, and I’ve written more articles comparing the NWMLS vs the OLS than anyone else I know, so I think it’s fair to say that I’m a qualified expert when it comes to rendering an educated opinion on the efficacy of both MLS systems. I can draw several conclusions, which I’ll share here.

The NWMLS wins on technology and tools for listing brokers.
The NWMLS wins on listing information and detail pages that are broadcast to buyers all over the Internet through IDX data feeds and syndicated sites as well as individual broker MLS sites.
The NWMLS wins on marketing tools and associated tools and apps that are included for subscribing brokers.
The NWMLS wins on customer service by an order by far.
The NWMLS has a feed to Zillow that includes excellent detailed information for buyers as well as brokers, but the OLS listings sometimes show up on Zillow and sometimes do not, and when they do, they seem to have missing data.
The NWMLS has over 30,000 brokers participating, which means they all those brokers potentially have buyers who can access all their listings, while the OLS has a few brokerages who use the OLS exclusively in Sequim, whose listings are not reaching anywhere close to the number of brokers and buyers the NWMLS does.
The NSWMLS has over 95% of all Sequim listings, while those only using the OLS will have limited access to listings.
There is no question at all that the NWMLS serves home sellers (listing clients) far better than the OLS.
This also means the NWMLS serves buyers far better than the OLS, because buyers will have access to NWMLS listings through far more public broker sites as well as syndicated sites.
The NWMLS wins over the OLS by an order of magnitude.

I think this matter was settled long ago, but there are still a few Sequim brokers that refuse to join the NWMLS and only offer their listing clients the OLS. Do you think they explain any of this to their listing clients? I doubt it. Imagine if home owners discovered all of this.

Last Updated on July 14, 2024 by Chuck Marunde