What is Realtors Property Resource™?
Dec 28, 2009 
79 Comments
NAR’s Second Century Initiatives include the creation of the Realtors Property ResourceTM (RPR), an online real estate library/archive that will provide real estate professionals with data on every property in the United States.
This initiative will provide access to a national database of real property information and will give real estate professionals the best access to real property information needed to serve their clients and customers. It will include in-depth, trusted information on every parcel of real property including public record information, details of prior transactions, MLS-provided information, zoning information, transfer tax information, and other relevant information.
The initiative will be based on the collaborative efforts of REALTORS® and the real estate community, including MLSs. It will drive development and implementation of data standards and definitions, and will increase the breadth, depth, immediacy and power of real estate information available to REALTORS®.
BENEFITS & HIGHLIGHTS
The RPR™ will provide unmatched access to a single-source national compilation of tax and assessment data; property data; neighborhood, school, demographic and psychographic information; and maps, trends and reports. It will be exclusive to members of NAR, and members of subscribing MLS/CIE’s who are participants of the RPR.
Members who register with a valid NRDS ID can access non-proprietary, non-MLS/CIE sourced data; however, only MLS/CIE Subscribers/Participants will be able to view MLS/CIE sourced information. There will be no public access to the RPR™, and the database and its data cannot be shared through consumer websites.
The RPR™ is not a national MLS, and will carry no offers of cooperation and compensation. Its design is to provide a single-source access for public record information for commercial, residential and vacant land such as tax assessments and comparable data, liens, zoning, permits, environmental, neighborhoods, school districts and community demographics.
With this new technology acquisition and data licensing, the RPR™ will provide tax and assessment data coverage in 92% of U.S. counties, and has an aggressive plan to provide coverage for as close to 100% of the country as possible within two years.
The RPR’s™ national demographic information, along with enhanced search capabilities, will allow a REALTOR® anywhere in the country to provide more information to their clients. The enhanced search features will allow nationwide depth of property searches, as well as market-to-market comparisons. Advanced User Profile Features and social networking components will help REALTORS® create referral communities, as well as reverse-prospect specialized property types, such as vacation and waterfront to REALTORS® throughout the U.S.
The RPR™ system will include online training and contextual help, along with support through e-mail, online chat and toll-free telephone.
Author Info
Reggie,
Thanks for answering all our questions and addressing concerns. RPR promises a lot and we congratulation our association for the initiative. I am on board.
FLAG
RPR represents the continued marginalization of the individual REALTOR in a real estate transactiopn by NAR because it further distances the individual REALTOR as being the go to source for real estate information. Just how long do you think it will be before NAR – with agreement from our local MLS Associations – develops additional and alternative revenue streams by making this aggregated library of information available to other entities other than the individual REALTOR? About as long as it took them to allow others to access and display our aggregated Realtor.com information!
REALTORS spend significant time, effort and expense to earn the right to collect and input listing and sale information into the MLS in order to enhance their ability to serve their future clients. Yet, our national and local REALTOR associations continually dream up ways to aggregate and/or manipulate this data into revenue streams that enhance the associations’ coffers but only serve to further marginalize us, the individual REALTOR, as being the local expert who is central to the real estate transaction. What active, individual REALTOR thinks this is a great idea? Please help me understand, that what I believe is NAR’s continued marginalization of the individual REALTOR, is really somehow a great benefit to me and every other individual REALTOR.
FLAG
Tim, I agree… and disagree. You are right, taking a very good tool away from us can be frustrating. Yet, I believe, “real people” will still need a Realtor no matter even if they can get all the data on the web or elsewhere.
We often forget that we need to be trusted advisors to our clients, not merely salesmen. So let them do more homework, let them feel more in control. A Realtor will still be needed to protect a client in a transaction, to negotiate in his/her best interest, to educate on local market specifics. Our strengths should be our continuous education and knowing our market. We are to gather and transmit knowledge. And some of the things we know as professionals in real estate, details on neighborhoods, “hands on” knowledge neither RPR nor any other network will ever be able to replace.
We create our own value – we can’t be marginalized.
FLAG
I totally agree. I’ve been in real estate since 1975. What can we do about it? Maybe ALL stop paying our dues?
FLAG
Tim,
I agree, I just wonder how long it will the owners of RPR to begin to sell this organized data base to other, non Realtor organizations? Can you imagine the value of this platform to a Google-like company, if not Google themselves?
How long will it take for a national real estate company to show up on the screen.
I agree that our industry is changing, and I agree that technology is affecting a great deal of this change. But I am not convinced that all technology is good for our business.
Personally, I don’t want to provide information about another part of the country to my clients, I would rather search out a competent broker to assist them in their home search.
This one is just to smooth to take without a long look at the possible results.
Have the RPR people agreed to keep this information confidential? Have they agreed not to sell out out the whole enterprise. Will NAR be the owner?
Don’t jump in the water before asking yourselves where will this massive amount of information be used? Who really is the end user?
FLAG
Hi Dennis, Thank you for commenting on the blog. I wanted to point out that we have posted our content licensing agreement used with each MLS. You can see we’ve included specific items to address the concerns you’ve asked here:
(1) Clear definitions of the analytics products that will be produced by RPR, specifically: the “RVM” and address file matching services.
(2) We’ve added express restrictions on the sale of any analytics product that: i) could result in the sale of the Licensed Content back to a Realtor, ii) could result in the marketing of services to a Realtor, or iii) could result in the marketing of services to a consumer.
(3) Made explicit that the RPR Website will be made available for free to all of the Participants and Subscribers of a Licensor’s MLS.
(4) We’ve made explicit that there is no consumer access to RPR, except through reports that can be created by an authorized user.
FLAG
How do I beging, sign up, register? I am in Savannah, GA. Savannah Board of Realtors.
Thank you. Renee
FLAG
This is a completely needless resource. This information already exists at the local level, and most savvy agents can access it already.
I guess if you thought realtor.com was a great success and a good product for agents, you will like this too.
I did LOL at whoever said Listing Book was great!
No matter what is coming from the mountain top, this product will not remain free.
When it comes to quality, just think about the bad reports that are available from Realtor.com. They provide very little data – and feature their products right in the report themselves. These reports are not fit for giving to clients. I would expect more of the same with this. Plus, didn’t I read that there is a revenue model for “analytics”
FLAG
I agree, Listing Book is not worth the money…
FLAG
What’s going on in the Chicagoland area. I don’t see a pin on the map!
FLAG
Wow, i’m really shocked at the comments about listingbook and this new site that will be coming out soon. I have closed several deals this year due to clients being serviced through the listingbook system. It paid for itself and i’m ranked in the top 10 in sale in my area. Nothing is free but for sure the top agents are using the tools to get more listing and get information to the buyer quicker which could only lead to one thing more (closings).
FLAG