By Jeff McKinney
Enquirer staff writer

EDGEWOOD - The Northern Kentucky Multiple Listing Service will consider next week whether to shut down its Web site that lets consumers shop for homes.

The move comes after the board of directors of the Greater Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service said it voted to suspend CincyMLS.com Oct. 31 unless it receives a proposal for an alternate plan for a Web presence before then. The MLS operations committee must determine whether there could be alternative uses for the site.

The public would still be able to access 97.5 percent of all listings that appear on the MLS through area brokers' Web sites, according to Sandra Butler, president of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors.

Cindy Dobias, executive vice president of the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors, said she has received a request from a member of the Northern Kentucky MLS late Wednesday to eliminate the site Nkar.com, which allows people to see homes for sale in different neighborhoods, check home prices and compare real estate firms' listings.

The Northern Kentucky MLS is a unit of the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors.

Nkar.com was created eight years ago to allow residents to review all home listings, similar to CincyMLS.com.

Competing brokers could not view each others' listings until about four years ago, when the National Association of Realtors began allowing brokers to share listings over the Internet.

Dobias said the board of the Northern Kentucky MLS will meet Tuesday to consider the request.

About 1,300 real estate agents and brokers belong to the Northern Kentucky MLS. Membership includes Realtors from Cincinnati who are licensed to do business in both states.

Cheery Malone, president of the Northern Kentucky MLS, said the request will be discussed with broker-managers from firms that are part of the MLS before any further action is taken.

E-mail jmckinney@enquirer.com