Happy New Year 2024: A Look Back and Ahead

We took a close look at the evolving needs of real estate agents in 2023—combining your survey feedback with new opportunities from the industry—to fine tune our offerings. The results included introducing new and enhanced tools, delivering a more robust user experience, and providing more opportunities for subscribers to understand and access the marketplace and their MLS.

Enhanced Tools

We kicked off the year by introducing MLS-Touch, the new mobile experience for our Matrix front end of choice users.

AI made its way to NorthstarMLS in July as RPR introduced AI Scriptwriter. Integrated with ChatGPT, this AI writer makes creating social, video, email, and analytical content quick and easy for subscribers.

By the end of September, both Supra and Sentrilock integrated with NorthstarMLS Add/Edit, eliminating the need to open the lockbox system separately from a listing.

In October, we introduced the OneHome Agent Portal, which provides both desktop and mobile client collaboration for Matrix users, hugely simplifying the way subscribers manage contacts, see what clients see and make recommendations.

A More Robust NorthstarMLS User Experience

We also contemplated the experience you have as a NorthstarMLS subscriber in 2023. NorthstarMLS provides a curated bundle of tools and technologies—a combination of in-house and vendor offerings integrated into a customizable dashboard designed specifically for use in our upper Midwest marketplace.

A major enhancement included addressing one of the top issues you raised in our 2022 survey: Providing faster updates between NorthstarMLS Add/Edit and the Matrix, Flexmls and Paragon front ends of choice. We made significant progress, decreasing the update time from 15 minutes to under one minute.

Improving how you access MLS tools was another major focus for 2023. In October we introduced a new single sign on (SSO) process that increased security and provided a more customizable view of all your NorthstarMLS tools in one place.

A new Northstarmls.com also rolled out in October to further help you make the most of your NorthstarMLS subscription. The updated website provides the MLS tools, resources, support and insights as a mobile-friendly and easy-to-navigate platform.

We ended the year spotlighting Front End of Choice. Subscribers had access to FlexMLS and Paragon for a chance to kick the tires and see what worked best for your listing viewing preferences.

Expanded Outreach

While our HelpDesk has always been just an email or phone call away—answering more than 21,500 subscriber inquiries in 2023—we began sending our NorthstarMLS Newsletter monthly and added a monthly webinar to help you better make the most of NorthstarMLS tools and technologies.

We also provided you a look at the market closeup with the launch of 3iCon in October, a conference that brought together key industry thinkers to innovate, impact and inspire NorthstarMLS subscribers.

Keeping you up to date is a free subscription to RealEstateNews.com. Offered in partnership with Minnesota Realtors®, RealEstateNews.com was developed by industry luminary, best-selling author and T3 Sixty founder Stefan Swanepoel. Delivered daily to your email inbox, Real Estate News is your go-to source for timely and impartial news in the real estate world.

Greater Reach

As consumers broaden the scope of their real estate transactions, our ability to be connected becomes more important. In 2023 we were pleased to have NWMAR convert from a CDP partner to a full-on NorthstarMLS association partner. We are also fortunate to have a variety of partnership options, including an intraMatrix collaboration with NWWMLS established in March that enables NorthstarMLS subscribers and NWWMLS members to view each other’s Matrix Instances.

A Look Ahead

As geographic and institutional borders flatten, we remain committed to having the tools, technologies and relationships our subscribers require to successfully serve their clients.

In 2024 we’ll introduce new products including an online tenant screening and rent payment platform, and enhance listings with new capabilities including enhanced video upload capabilities and Green Building Registry (GBR) fields. We’ll round this all out with some automated marketing tools built into our Add/Edit solutions to help you more seamlessly attract and connect with customers and clients in 2024.

We also look forward to expanding our ranks with new partnerships that expand subscribers’ abilities to serve clients in locations near and far.

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2024!

Tim Dain

NorthstarMLS CEO