Starting with Global Standards
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When global real estate leaders talk about scaling MLS and real estate platforms across borders, one theme keeps resurfacing: standards first. At the International MLS Forum session Starting with Global Standards, the discussion focused on why the RESO standards—especially the RESO Data Dictionary—have become the most practical foundation for building interoperable, scalable real estate ecosystems worldwide.
Why “global standards” isn’t a US-only conversation
The session opened with a reminder that RESO standards aren’t “standards outside the United States”—they’re global standards, and “global” can mean different things depending on where you sit. For Centris in Canada, expanding globally even includes entering the U.S. market. That framing matters: this isn’t about one region exporting a model; it’s about building shared infrastructure that allows markets to connect, exchange, and innovate.
The Data Dictionary: a living foundation, built to evolve
Ethan Bailey (Cotality) explained that the RESO Data Dictionary was always designed to be extensible—a framework that grows as new needs emerge. Its regular release cycle (now typically annual) reflects how quickly real estate and technology change, and how much the standards depend on volunteer-driven community input.
That global input is exactly what Ethan’s Global Data Dictionary subgroup is focused on: finding experts who can help RESO better represent regional realities—like local address formats, location precision, architectural styles, construction materials, utilities, and energy-efficiency certifications.
Centris: standards as a growth strategy, not an expense
Eric Charbonneau (Centris, Quebec) shared a clear turning point: standards weren’t a “nice-to-have,” they were a business decision.
Centris began as a merger of 12 MLS organizations and serves roughly 20,000 subscribers—yet it also became a technology provider supporting far more users across multiple regions. Over time, they realized growth was being held back by the true cost of fragmentation: data conversion.
After going “all in” on RESO, the impact became immediate:
- Data onboarding that once took major time and cost became dramatically faster.
- Instead of spending project time converting data, teams could focus on customer value.
- Standards became a cultural shift: teams started thinking “standard-first” by default.
Centris is also betting on two major pillars for expansion:
- A “productivity portal” (agent journey tools: centralized contacts, communication, workflows, access to actions like “Add Listing” without hunting across systems).
- Strong local consumer presence—because if the industry loses the consumer audience to dominant portals, the long-term leverage shifts away from organized real estate.
Igluu: why small markets need global standards even more
Martin Mucha (Igluu, Czech Republic) brought a blunt truth: small markets don’t have time to reinvent standards.
The Czech market is fragmented—many portals, many vendors, many “standards,” and inconsistent APIs. When Igluu entered in 2021, the ecosystem already existed, but it was a “nightmare” of disconnected tooling and incompatible data models.
Igluu chose RESO because:
- It’s proven, flexible, and scalable.
- It reduces endless debates about field definitions—teams can “look it up” instead of reinventing.
- It enables cross-border expansion (e.g., Slovakia) without rebuilding the foundation.
But implementation wasn’t just technical—it was behavioral. Vendors and brokers were used to the dominant portal workflow, so Igluu had to bridge global standards back to local habits:
- Use RESO as the internal truth
- Provide APIs and data input structures that feel familiar locally
- Introduce new fields gradually (like listing lifecycle/status beyond “on portal / off portal”)
The real benefits: portability, speed, and innovation
Both panelists converged on the same outcomes:
- Portability: easier expansion into new regions and partnerships
- Operational speed: projects move from data conversion to value delivery
- Lower barriers to entry: more vendors and startups can plug into a shared model
- AI readiness: standardized data becomes the fuel for valuation, CRM, compliance, analytics, and next-gen search experiences
As Martin noted, AI is only useful if your data is consistent enough to train and deploy against. Without standards, “AI” becomes noisy output built on messy inputs.
The challenges: legal reality and local rules
Standards don’t erase local complexity. They surface it.
Eric emphasized a common challenge: local regulation can create real differences even for “simple” concepts like square footage (e.g., legal definitions tied to ceiling height). Europe also adds layers like GDPR considerations around real estate data.
The point wasn’t that RESO solves every edge case—it’s that it gives you a framework to identify the gaps, handle exceptions cleanly, and educate users on interpretation.
A direct call to action: help evolve the standard
Ethan’s message to the audience was clear: RESO needs more global voices.
The Global Data Dictionary subgroup is looking for help to:
- Improve property location precision fields
- Expand lookups/enumerations (styles, materials, utilities, certifications)
- Better represent region-specific consumer expectations
Participation can be lightweight—monthly meetings are optional; contributing via email and feedback is valuable.
Advice for organizations starting their standards journey
The panel ended with practical guidance:
- Become a RESO member: treat it as an investment, not a cost.
- Start with standards early: changing your model years later is painful.
- Share openly: hoarding “secret recipes” slows everyone down—execution is what wins.
- Don’t rush: standards are the foundation; take time to understand before building.
- Collaborate across competitors: compete on products, not on incompatible data.
Final takeaway
Standards aren’t a constraint. They’re an enabler.
Or as Ethan put it best: standards transcend borders. If markets align on a shared language for real estate data, innovation accelerates, AI becomes practical, and collaboration stops being hypothetical.
If you’re building an MLS, a portal, a national marketplace, or even a vendor ecosystem—start with global standards.
