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MLSs can protect their relevance by making their data and services useful in the workflows members and consumers actually need: improving data quality and context, connecting systems, and evaluating extensions such as rental tools against clear service goals. The available published sources support these as industry-strategy themes, but do not verify David Charron’s specific recommendations; this article does not attribute them to him.
What “relevance” means for an MLS
An MLS is more than a listing database when it helps members do useful work reliably. Its strategic case rests on service: information members can trust, tools that fit their workflows, and data or connections that are difficult to reproduce through disconnected systems.
That framing is consistent with a 2023 Constellation1 recap of an industry panel, which urged MLS organizations to consider what members and consumers want and which services retain human value as routine tasks become automated. It is panel commentary, not a measured finding or proof that a particular service will succeed.
For an MLS executive, relevance is therefore not a single product decision. It is a recurring test of whether the organization’s information and services solve current problems—and whether it can adapt as those problems change.
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Where MLSs can focus
Make member and consumer needs the starting point
Begin by identifying the decisions and tasks members and consumers need help with, then assess where the MLS can add dependable value. A service may be technically sophisticated yet strategically weak if it does not improve a real workflow or serve a clear audience.
The Constellation1 panel recap supports this member-and-consumer focus, but it does not rank needs or establish which services users will value most. MLS leaders should treat it as a prompt for local discovery, not a substitute for it.
Turn data breadth into useful context
Listing fields are only part of the potential value of MLS data. The same Constellation1 recap points to insights such as location context as a way to make data more useful. The strategic question is whether added context helps someone understand a listing or make a decision—not simply whether more fields can be collected.
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Before expanding a data product, define what the information means, how it will be maintained, who may use it, and how its quality will be checked. Without those operating decisions, additional data can add complexity without improving service.
Make collaboration and integrations solve practical problems
A HousingWire contributor article, “Reinventing MLSs: Embracing collaboration and seizing the rental opportunity in 2025” (December 19, 2024), recommends cross-MLS data-sharing and common practices, alongside analytics, search, CRM integrations, and technology partnerships. These are recommendations, not demonstrated outcomes.
Interoperability is useful when it reduces friction for members or makes information more consistently available. It also requires decisions about shared data definitions, quality responsibilities, access, and ongoing maintenance. An integration that connects systems but leaves those questions unresolved may shift the problem rather than solve it.
Consider rentals as a service extension, not a guaranteed growth engine
Rental workflows are one possible extension of MLS services. HousingWire’s June 27, 2024 contributor column, “Navigating agent attrition,” discusses rental listings, rental-specific training and tools, and rentals as an additional service area. The December 2024 article also recommends rental data practices and workflows that can include applications, screening, digital lease signing, and third-party or CRM integrations.
These recommendations come from Michael Lucarelli, identified in the December article as RentSpree’s CEO and co-founder. That commercial perspective is relevant context when weighing its rental recommendations; the pieces do not establish that adding rental services will improve outcomes for every MLS.
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An MLS considering rentals should first decide which part of the workflow it intends to support and what member problem that addresses. Listing data, applications, screening, and lease signing are distinct functions with different operational and partner requirements. The evidence cited here does not rank them or quantify their returns.
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How to choose among strategic options
The sources do not provide a universal ranking or return-on-investment estimate. MLS leaders can compare proposals using a consistent set of decision questions instead:
- Service value: Which member or consumer task becomes easier, more reliable, or better informed?
- Data readiness: Are the necessary data broad enough, accurate enough, and maintained well enough for the intended service?
- Interoperability: What must be shared or connected, and are definitions and responsibilities clear across systems or MLS organizations?
- Workflow fit: Does the service connect to the tools and steps users already rely on, or create a separate process?
- Execution: What technology, partnerships, training, and ongoing oversight would be required?
Use these questions to distinguish a promising idea from an implementable service. In particular, identify the operational owner for data quality and support before treating an integration or new workflow as ready to deliver value.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can—and cannot—be attributed to David Charron
The supplied headline presents a broad strategy question, but the available sources do not verify what David Charron said at CMLS. No specific recommendation or quotation from him can be responsibly reported on this evidence. The themes here are attributed to the named published material and presented as strategic considerations, not as Charron’s views.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA practical way to keep the strategy current
Relevance is better managed as an ongoing service decision than as a one-time technology purchase. For each proposed improvement, document the audience, user need, data requirements, system connections, implementation responsibilities, and how the MLS will judge whether the service is useful. Revisit those decisions as member workflows and market needs change.
That approach keeps the focus on what an MLS can substantiate: the quality and usefulness of its services, the reliability of its data, and the practicality of the systems and partnerships it chooses to support.
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