What is The Bahamas MLS?

The Bahamas MLS, which stands for Multiple Listing Service, is a centralized website portal where all the exclusive listings for a particular area, in this case The Bahamas, are kept and shared between real estate agent and property buyer alike.

Wikipedia defines a ‘Multiple Listing Service’ as, “a suite of services that enables brokers to establish contractual offers…, facilitates [broker] cooperation…, accumulates…information to enable appraisals, and is a facility for…correlation and dissemination of…information to better serve…clients…”

“A multiple listing service's database and software is used by real estate brokers… representing sellers under [an exclusive] listing contract to widely share information about properties with other brokers who may represent potential buyers or wish to cooperate with a seller's broker in finding a buyer for the property…”

“The listing data stored in a multiple listing service's database is the proprietary information of the broker who has obtained a listing agreement with a property's seller.”

Recently The Bahamas implemented an MLS system where real estate agents and brokers alike participated in the growth of the database with exclusive listings throughout The Bahamas Islands. March 17th 2008, The Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) soft-launched The Bahamas MLS strictly for real estate agents to use. The Bahamas MLS has taken steps towards becoming a public media and soon estate agents and potential property buyers alike can search the same database for real estate listings in The Bahamas.

Click here to read the previous MLS article: The Bahamas MLS; Increasing in numbers

Nassau's Harbourfront Finally getting it's due!

Just when you think the good news for real estate in The Bahamas is starting to fizzle, we get the news that the government of The Bahamas has finally signed the deal to move the main shipping terminals from the ultra-valuable Nassau Harbour front to a more effective and environmentally friendly area to the west of the main harbour.

In a news release today, The Tribune reported, "Wider distribution of the profits from the freight shipping industry, reduced cost of living for Bahamians and the facilitation of the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Nassau were highlighted as the major benefits of a signing between the government and private investors to develop Arawak Cay into New Providence's freight hub yesterday."

For the real estate industry in The Bahamas this means that downtown Nassau can be transformed into the charming harbour front city it used to be! New opportunities for commercial and residential development are imminent and I can tell you that most citizens and residents are extremely excited for the probable economic benefits.