Will The Internet Change Real Estate?

Will Internet-based online listing services 'disintermediate' the National Association of Realtors and multiple listing services?

1 minute read

January 2, 2003, 3:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"...The free online-listing service does represent one more step toward achieving disintermediation, the online-community promise of cutting out the middleman. And although other sources of online real estate and housing listings in the Bay Area exist, none are as popular as the defiantly noncommercial craigslist. (In fact, it may be the most popular free listing service of its kind ever.)... Because of real estate's complexity and high stakes, it's only fitting that a profession has evolved to help broker such deals. But as with most professions, the real estate industry has spent a lot of effort protecting its turf -- mostly through the tool of the MLS."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Tuesday, December 31, 2002 in The San Francisco Chronicle

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

construction near Boston, with machinery digging at large pit.

Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes

Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.

November 10 - GBH

A bridge over the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval

The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.

November 10 - WTOP News

A crowd of people cheering for an unseen performer.

‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds

Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.

November 10 - Chicago Sun Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.