According to HousingWire, Baldwin Realtors just completed a major shift that hasn't happened in over two decades. They moved their entire membership of about 3,500 agents from an older system called Paragon over to Perchwell, a newer MLS platform. The transition required serious work on the back end, with a three-month period where both systems ran in parallel and then over 135 training sessions to get everyone up to speed.
What makes this moment significant, according to Perchwell's CEO Brendan Fairbanks, is that most MLS technology has remained largely unchanged for twenty years, while agents are using modern software everywhere else in their professional lives. Fairbanks sees this conversion as a signal that the industry is ready to move forward. The core difference with Perchwell is its architecture, which allows for one central platform that can be customized to fit each market's specific needs, rather than building and maintaining separate systems for every location.
For agents working day to day, Perchwell emphasizes speed and accessibility. The platform is built around how agents actually work, featuring fast search capabilities, client collaboration tools like a new feature called Workspaces that keeps buyer searches organized in one place, and mobile functionality that works just as well as the desktop experience. The idea is that agents spend less time wrestling with clunky systems and more time serving clients and growing their business.
Fairbanks emphasized that the MLS itself is evolving beyond its traditional role as a listing database. He sees modern technology making it possible to build platforms that stay current and continuously improve, rather than becoming outdated after launch. For agents, this means expecting their MLS software to be among the best tools they use professionally, not a legacy system that frustrates them.
What I'm seeing locally here in the Bay Area is that agents are hungry for tools that actually work the way they think. We're in such a competitive market, and every edge matters. When an MLS can actually move fast and respond to what agents are telling them they need, that changes the game. It means more time with clients, better service, and frankly, a better experience for everyone trying to buy or sell real estate.
