Now we will need our car keys to access the MLS

House made of Money

The Austin MLS is implementing a new security standard called “SafeMLS”, to further restrict access by Realtors to our own MLS system. Now, in addition to needing our MLS username and password to access the MLS, we will also have to type in a pin number. This pin number will be obtained from a small electronic keychain device called a “Security Token” that we must have with us at all times, or not be able to log in to the Austin MLS system.

One of my clients works for a company that makes these devices. The information given to us by our Austin Board of Realtors is somewhat vague (see http://abor.com/news_events/ne_mlsnews.cfm), but as my client explains it, this device will produce a pin number that constantly changes, perhaps every 60 seconds. The MLS server somehow knows what the pin number should be for each user, each minute of every day for the rest of our lives. If the pin number we enter from our device does not match what the server thinks it should be, access will be denied to the MLS system and will be dead in the water as far as performing MLS searches. This is a recipe for major problems, as is already the case this morning, as my MLS login is asking for the pin number 1 week before we will be issued the devices, and I can’t log in because I have no such device or pin number.
New Austin MLS SafeMLS Device

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