Oh, good ol’ ARMLS (Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service). Gotta love you. Who else could get away with a 70% increase in fees during one of the crappiest real estate markets in the Phoenix metropolitan area?

If I raised my fees by 70% I think my clients might balk. They might find a writer who will be more reasonable when rates are raised.

But what are Phoenix area REALTORS going to do? Protest? Not pay? Sure, there are plenty of ways to find homes for your buyers and market your listings for your sellers. But using the MLS is expected. Heck, most brokers in the valley REQUIRE you to be a member. And what about having those updated, groovy little lock box keys?

I am still a licensed REALTOR. And I intend to remain so…I love real estate and I like staying on top of the market here. I still work with a couple of clients from time to time and am gearing up to create a referral service via my old site: AZTina.com.

But as I paid my MLS fees this morning, I wasn’t a happy camper. I was annoyed. Especially as I re-read the ARMLS explanation for this insane hike in fees. It’s apparently the fault of agents here. We’re too demanding. We want faster service. We want better maps. Gasp! We actually expect something useful from our local multiple listing service! What ungrateful, nit-picky jerks we are!

Look, I’m all for increases. I understand how the economy works. I get it…overhead increases and typically these increases are passed along to the consumer. Duh.

But 70%? Gimme a break!