REBNY taps Realtor.com exec to lead RLS

Ninve James replaces John Canniffe, who left last month

Ninve James 
Ninve James

REBNY’s Residential Listing Service has a new chief.

Ninve James is joining the Real Estate Board of New York to lead the RLS, the trade association announced in a release.

James, a former vice president at Realtor.com where she managed the site’s New York City market strategy for five years, was also part of Trulia’s founding team. She replaces REBNY’s former RLS chief, John Canniffe, who departed last month after a one-year stint.

The RLS has about 17,000 active home listings at any given time and syndicates those listings to more than 90 consumer-facing partners that publish the listing data. In recent years, the RLS has been laboring to guarantee accurate data, announcing in July that starting next week it will begin levying fines for violations.

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Last year, Perchwell was selected to operate the RLS system, replacing its previous operator Stratus Data Systems. The process of awarding the contract generated controversy among competing firms and had some critics decrying a lack of transparency.

James will be managing RLS operations and strategy, and working with REBNY’s residential board of directors and RLS board.

“I could not be more excited to welcome Ninve James to her role as head of the RLS,” said Clelia Peters of Warburg Realty, the co-chair of the RLS Board. “This is a pivotal moment for the RLS.”