An MLS is a private offer of cooperation and compensation by listing brokers to other real estate brokers. ... The MLS is a tool to help listing brokers find cooperative brokers working with buyers to help sell their clients' homes 

An MLS is a private offer of cooperation and compensation by listing brokers to other real estate brokers. In the late 1800s, real estate brokers regularly gathered at the offices of their local associations to share information about properties they were trying to sell