CCIMLS Updating Villages and Sub-Areas June 21st

After a thorough review of CCIMLS data and practices, it was discovered that over the years, there have been inconsistencies as to what is considered a 'Village' inside the MLS. Villages have been loosely defined in the MLS, leading to consumer confusion about the exact location of a property, as well as properties being improperly excluded from searches due to inaccurate labeling of a village. For example, a property listed as being in New Seabury would show under a search for "New Seabury," but may not show under a Village search for "Mashpee," leading it to be excluded from a consumer's search.

As part of our commitment to accurate, accountable data that you and your clients can rely on, the CCIMLS Board of Directors voted to define what a 'Village' is for the purposes of MLS data as only a village that is listed in the official Massachusetts GIS Zip Code map.

Under this definition, a zip code is equal to a village. We are making this change because zip codes can be validated against an objective data set that can be relied on as being accurate. This makes village a more valuable searchable field in the MLS and in search portals.

This means that some areas currently referred to as villages will be redefined as 'sub-areas' in the MLS, falling in between a Village and a Subdivision in terms of scale.

You can still use these sub-areas for marketing purposes. However, since there is no objective data set to define what is considered a sub-area, we do not recommend using it within your searches. Allowing it as a marketing field acknowledges that a sub-area can be a valuable means of marketing a property.

Click here to view all towns and their updated villages.

What is a Village
A ‘Village’ will only be based on the Massachusetts GIS Zip Code map. A zip code is equal to a Village.

What is a Sub-Area
A sub-area is an optional field that an agent can add a property into for marketing purposes. It defines an area that is in between a Village and a Subdivision.

Why This Change is Important
Currently, there is no marker for this and we felt that it was necessary in order to clean up what we currently have. This is important for accurate, accountable data that REALTORS® can rely on. And most importantly, the data needs to be against a data set, so there is no ambiguity as to where a property lies.

What You Can Expect From This Change
The CCIMLS staff has already begun working with Flexmls staff to implement the necessary changes. You will start seeing updates to the Villages & Sub-Areas fields in listing input over the course of the next few weeks.

Additionally, FBS will begin the work of transferring all listings (past and present) to the appropriate Villages and Sub-Areas, so there is no additional work needed on your end.

When Should You Expect This Change to be Complete
The CCIMLS staff will begin the updates to the Village & Sub-Areas over the next couple of weeks. We expect to have all updates completed on June 21st, 2022.

What You Will Need to Do
Agents should not have to do any work on their end once all of the data has been transferred. This means that you should not have to update any Searches or Subscriptions due to this change. You are welcome to contact mlssupport@cciaor.com if you have any questions about this new policy.