By Warner Ransone
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October 9, 2025
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (Oct. 9, 2025) – Universal Consulting Opportunities (UCO), a subsidiary of Stellar MLS, one of the largest and most influential MLSs in the U.S., has entered into a strategic alliance with the Confederación Inmobiliaria Latinoamericana (CILA), a private international organization representing 700,000 real estate professionals in Latin America, to deliver Multiple Listing Service (MLS) expertise and education across the region. With this agreement, CILA and UCO will work to elevate real estate practices across Latin America, where the residential market is expected to expand from $478 billion to more than $712 billion by 2029, according to Modor Intelligence. CILA unites brokers and property managers from 18 countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. CILA members serve more than 527 million people, representing 80 percent of Latin America’s population. This collaboration empowers both organizations to further advance their respective missions while maximizing their impact on critical issues of transparency, professionalism, and trust across the industry. “We are delighted to be working with our esteemed colleagues at CILA and share best practices to guide the advancement of real estate across Latin America,” said Merri Jo Cowen, CEO of UCO and Stellar MLS. “This is a critical market and aligns with our vision of supporting organizations with multiple member countries—as we do with CEPI in Europe and FIABCI worldwide—and deepening our engagement across diverse geographies.” “One of the greatest challenges we face throughout Latin America is transforming long-held cultural beliefs and building customer confidence in the value of best practices, as shown in the practice of using MLSs,” said CILA President Enrique José Morales Choto. “This is precisely why UCO was a natural fit—their extensive global expertise and proven ability to guide organizations on this path make them an invaluable resource in moving CILA toward lasting success.” This agreement comes on the heels of CILA’s 10th Latin American Real Estate Congress in August, where UCO’s leadership joined some 600 professionals and global experts in the Dominican Republic to focus on innovation, market trends, and digital transformation. This landmark step with CILA marks another large milestone in UCO’s international initiatives, reinforcing its role as a strategic leader in the global real estate industry. By modernizing the Latin American markets through this collaboration, UCO and CILA are guiding organizations, empowering professionals, elevating industry standards, and delivering enhanced value to consumers. Currently, UCO is advising real estate organizations to adapt MLS solutions to the unique needs of markets across several regions, including South Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and now, Latin America. These efforts are designed to elevate professionalism, increase market transparency, and build efficient MLS ecosystems that benefit agents, brokers, and consumers worldwide. Learn more at stellarmls.com/Global .