Louisville market numbers, week of May 24–30.
Listings: 528. Same week last year: 506. Solds: 315. Same week last year: 352 — solds are actually down year-over-year. Year-to-date listings sit at 10,927 versus 9,193 this time in 2025. YTD solds: 5,921 versus 5,744.
More supply. Fewer closings. That gap is widening. Buyers have leverage right now that they haven't had in years. If you're an operator or an investor paying attention, this is worth sitting with.
Now — something bigger.
GLAR and APEX MLS are in early conversations about a regional MLS expansion. No decisions have been made. But I've read through what they're proposing and I think every agent and investor in this market should understand it.
Here's the context. Ten years ago, there were over 850 MLSs in the country. Today there are fewer than 500. That's a 40% drop. And just 4% of MLSs now serve half of all Realtors in the U.S. 94% of MLS leaders nationally have already considered moving toward a regional model.
This is not a local conversation. This is where the whole industry is going.
What's being explored is one login across a bigger market. More listings. Better comps across a wider footprint. Permanent data access instead of annual agreements that can disappear. Better tools, better data, AI features — all funded by sharing technology costs across more members. And a stronger voice nationally when the rules get written.
Charlotte did this with Canopy MLS. Florida did it with Stellar. The Mid-Atlantic did it with Bright MLS. All of them came out with broader markets, better tools, and more opportunity.
What doesn't change: your GLAR membership. Your local advocacy, your education, your relationships, your identity. None of that moves. The market just gets bigger around you.
For investors and agents — think about what a larger MLS footprint actually means. More Realtors with eyes on your property. More opportunities to send LOIs and seller-financed offers. More JV partners. For the wholesalers in the room — your novation deals get more eyes on them across a larger region. That is real deal flow. That is real money.
For anyone who doesn't know what a novation is: a novation is a creative real estate deal structure where a wholesaler takes over the marketing and sale of a property by stepping into the contract with the seller. Instead of a traditional assignment — where you find a buyer off-market and flip the contract — a novation allows you to list the property on the MLS, get full market exposure, and typically achieve a higher sales price. The seller stays in the property until closing. The wholesaler earns a fee at closing. It's one of the most powerful tools in creative real estate because it merges the reach of the MLS with the flexibility of wholesale deal structure. A bigger MLS means more agents, more buyers, and more eyeballs on every novation deal you bring to market.
There's a lot of upside here. And honestly — I'm in. I'd rather lead than be led.
One more thing. A top South Korean policymaker just proposed a "citizen dividend" funded by AI-tax revenue.
The idea: as AI generates massive economic value — automating industries, concentrating wealth — governments tax that AI revenue and distribute it directly to citizens. Like Alaska's Permanent Fund, but powered by AI instead of oil.
South Korea is having this conversation at the policy level right now.
Could we see it in the U.S.? Honestly, I don't know. We can't agree on broadband. But here's what I think it's telling us — serious policymakers are already planning for a world where AI displaces enough economic participation that governments feel the need to write compensation checks. That's not theoretical anymore.
The people who own AI-driven systems — the assets, the data, the automation tools — are going to be on the right side of that shift. The ones waiting to see how it plays out may find themselves on the receiving end of that government check.
Build the thing. Own the asset. Don't wait for the dividend.
Warmly,
Rob Bergeron
Owner–Realtor at Award-Winning Winner Realty
PS: Hey Realtors — if your brokerage isn't talking about the MLS expansion, isn't preparing you for what's coming, and isn't making sure you have a seat at the table — we should chat. Grab a walk, hop on a call, grab a coffee. I'd love to connect. The market is changing fast and the agents who are informed and aligned with the right people are going to have a real advantage. Let's make sure you're one of them.
PSS: Some of my favorite people have a one bedroom apartment available on Norris near Sunergos, if you know anyone looking!