Sam DeBord, CEO of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO), will deliver a keynote at the 4th International MLS Forum, taking place November 16-17, 2026, at Raffles Istanbul in Istanbul, Türkiye. His address will focus on the more than $1 trillion in real estate purchased annually by buyers who do not live in the country where they are buying, and he will ask MLSs, brokers, and technology providers what role they intend to play in that market.
DeBord points to a fundamental information gap. While U.S. buyers can typically view nearly every home for sale on a single portal, buyers in many other countries must approach one broker after another to learn what is available. “The inventory exists, but access to it is very fragmented from an information perspective,” DeBord says. “Creating a more factual, comprehensive picture of what international investment looks like can help the professionals represent buyers better.” That fragmentation is at the heart of his keynote, which he frames as a decision point: “Knowing that this trillion-dollar marketplace exists, what’s your role in it?”
The implications for MLS organizations are significant. DeBord acknowledges that many U.S. organizations see themselves as local, but he argues that local focus does not preclude cross-border relevance. “If organizations feel that their only focus needs to be the local marketplace, that’s fine,” he says. “Probably not everyone in Atlanta is interested in buying a second home in Italy, but some people in Atlanta are.” First MLS, which serves the Atlanta area, has already connected with an MLS in Italy, demonstrating that cross-border data sharing is moving from concept to practice.
For agents, DeBord identifies three client groups that benefit from access to international listings: people moving abroad, buyers relocating to the U.S. who want to see local listings before they arrive, and local clients seeking a second home or investment property overseas. Such access also gives agents listings that clients may not find on the sites they already use. “It’s a new reason for a consumer to reach out and talk to you, and something exciting and different to add to your set of tools,” DeBord says.
RESO’s role in this shift is to support data partners’ ability to use standards and create an efficient, interoperable information marketplace. “The outcome we’re all working toward is to see buyers, sellers and investors have access to more accurate, transparent, efficient transactions across borders,” DeBord adds. The keynote therefore signals a broader push to standardize cross-border listing data, which could lower barriers for consumers and open new referral and partnership opportunities for MLSs and brokers. MLS leaders considering where their organizations fit can hear DeBord in person in Istanbul, where the forum will convene MLS executives, brokers, and technology providers from a few dozen countries. Tickets are available now.
