Tamir Poleg, CEO of Real Brokerage, warns that listing fragmentation could restrict access to accurate housing data, potentially distorting market transparency for agents and buyers. He points to a survey of agents where 95% report seeing low demand, underscoring the disconnect between fragmented data and real market conditions.
This fragmentation appears most acute in markets where multiple listing services (MLSs) operate independently, limiting cross-platform visibility. Poleg drew parallels from his own home search in France, highlighting how disparate systems can obscure property availability and pricing.
Such data silos erode buyer purchasing power by obscuring comparative pricing, while sellers face reduced exposure. The trend could also pressure mortgage underwriting, which relies on accurate comps to assess loan risk and affordability.
For buyers, low demand in fragmented markets may shift negotiating leverage, with homes sitting longer on the market. However, inventory dynamics vary widely by region, with some areas still seeing competitive bidding.
Poleg's comments come amid broader industry debate over MLS consolidation, but critics argue fragmentation is not universal and that many markets already benefit from aggregation tools that mitigate data gaps.