NWMLS shuts off IDX listing feed to Compass

Northwest MLS (NWMLS) based in Washington state has cut off its internet data exchange (IDX) feed to Compass amid an escalating conflict between the two real estate industry competitors.

Inman News was the first to report the development, which was later confirmed to HousingWire by anonymous sources.

The shutdown of the NWMLS IDX feed to Compass.com occurred at 8:30 am on Tuesday, making any non-Compass properties listed after that time unavailable on Compass.com.

NWMLS has chosen not to provide any comments on the matter.

Compass regional vice president Cris Nelson expressed disappointment, stating that despite complying with NWMLS rules, Compass’ IDX feed was abruptly suspended, causing inconvenience to clients and agents. Nelson highlighted NWMLS as a broker-owned MLS that restricts agents from marketing properties online unless they are listed in the MLS.

This recent action by NWMLS is part of an ongoing feud with Compass that started in late March when Compass CEO Robert Reffkin criticized NWMLS and its CEO Justin Haag over the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) in a social media post.

Unlike the National Association of Realtors (NAR) CCP, NWMLS prohibits agents from withholding listings from the MLS as privately marketed exclusives. This conflict led Compass to support a website named Washington Homeowner Rights, which is seeking NWMLS home sellers for a potential class action lawsuit.

Reffkin shared a statement from law firm Crowell & Moring LLP, emphasizing that Washington State Law requires agents to act in the seller’s best interest, suggesting that NWMLS’s policy may potentially put agents in a position of breaking the law.

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