Signing the MLS system integration agreement, seated from left: Lori Goldhawk WIDREB president; Dave Bellaire, president of TDREB; and Barb Whitney, president-elect of LSTAR. Standing behind them are their respective EOs, from left: Nichole Bowman, Linda Van Hooren and Betty Doré.

Three western Ontario real estate boards have signed an agreement paving the way towards a total integration of their MLS System databases. The agreement is between the Woodstock-Ingersoll & District Real Estate Board (WDREB), the Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board (TDREB) and the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR).

“LSTAR and TDREB integrated our MLS System databases last February,” says Dave Bellaire, president of TDREB, “and the same rationale that drove that integration has now prompted WIDREB to partner with us.” WIDREB’s data was integrated with that of LSTAR and TDREB as of last month.

“It only makes sense,” says Lori Goldhawk, WIDREB president. “Our three associations have overlapping jurisdictions, which makes searches very cumbersome. Data integration will streamline the process considerably. No more having to log in and log out of three different systems to look for a property that could be listed by any one of our associations.” She adds, “A further advantage to the integration is that our Touchbase system and that of LSTAR and TDREB will be virtually seamless.”

As a result of the system database integration, WIDREB will join TDREB and LSTAR as a partner in the Connect Project, a joint venture of LSTAR, the Toronto Real Estate Board, the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington and the Ottawa Real Estate Board. “Connect offers members of participating boards the ability to search and view each other’s active listings and recent sales history without the complexities of actual data exchange,” says Barb Whitney, president-elect of LSTAR. “It is both our hope and our objective that all Ontario boards will soon be Connect Partners.