What is so important about ABOR (Austin Board of Realtors)

For years banks and private investment groups have wanted 'in' on real estate multiple listing services, the MLS. "They" consider it public records that "they" should have access to. And for years this has been prevented, you should hope this continues if your a home owner or interested in buying a home.
The multiple listing service (MLS) is run by a governing board in the area it serves. In Austin it is Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR). These boards are non profit. The only way a state licensed person can become a Realtor is by joining one or more of these boards then following board rules and guidelines, otherwise one is just licensed in the state of Texas and NOT a Realtor. Realtor's are directly associated with the details of the sales and it is these same Realtor's that follow board procedures on board software in specifics of a transaction. The data is imperative to the entire process; pricing a new home on the market, formulating an offer to a new listing, knowing trends, Appraising (Appraisers are Board members). When a home owner wants to learn more about pricing is not done through 'zones' or grids like on Zillow or how our Texas Counties value for tax purposes. This home owner calls their Realtor and they review data from The MLS sponsored by The Board of Realtors in their area. When a buyer seeks data to formulate how they will offer on a home the same procedure is applied. A board employee even calls us Realtor's when something is not filled out correctly. Since each Brokerage Office and every Realtor is basically independent the data IS NOT influenced by a conglomerate or investment group nor does the board have any interest serving share holders like a bank would. This way data has a better chance of remaining market driven. Data from a board of Realtor's has less chance of being influenced than if it were under an investment group with a number of other companies that could or could not have real estate holdings.