East Tennessee Realtors modernizes MLS data distribution with SourceRE

East Tennessee Realtors has partnered with SourceRE to modernize how its MLS data is distributed and secured, listing its data on the SourceRE Data Marketplace and deploying the company’s Data Dye forensic tracking technology, the companies announced late last week.

The Knoxville-based association will use the SourceRE Data Marketplace as a centralized hub to manage vendor licensing, billing and access to its MLS data. SourceRE said vendors will receive Real Estate Standards Organization-certified API access through a standardized onboarding process, while the association maintains approval authority over all data recipients.

East Tennessee Realtors is also implementing SourceRE’s Data Dye technology, which embeds invisible identifiers in distributed listing data to detect and document unauthorized use. For MLSs and brokers, that kind of tracking is becoming more important as listing data flows into a wider range of consumer portals, AI models and third-party applications.

“Our data is one of our association’s most valuable assets. This partnership gives us greater control, stronger security, and the flexibility to deliver trusted data to our members and technology partners on our terms,” Lyle Irish, the CEO of East Tennessee Realtors, said in the company announcement.

The move comes as MLSs face heightened scrutiny over how listing data is licensed and monetized, along with growing expectations from brokers and agents for secure, API-based access. Centralizing data distribution through a marketplace model is one way MLSs are looking to simplify vendor relationships, reduce one-off contracts and tighten audit trails around who is using their data and for what purpose.

Earlier this summer, Albuquerque-based Southwest MLS announced a similar integration with SourceRE.

This article was written by Brooklee Han and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.