MLS going direct to consumers

Trying to build a real estate site (a huge local category) one of the problems has always been where to get the data. Working with MLSs is the best way to get data, but they're all regional and not all that easy to work with. To get national coverage, you need to do a lot of deals, and as you can see from sites like Redfin, Trulia, etc, its just not that feasible. A new site called HomesDatabase has been created by an MLS in the mid-Atlantic part of the country and is one example of MLSs trying to expand their business model. Their goal is to go national, but we'll see if they have any more luck than the rest. At the very least, though, if local MLSs all over the country do this and allow sharing of their data, aggregator sites will have some good stuff to work with.

MLS Tired of Zillow, Trulia: Goes Direct To Consumers