Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Why doesn’t MOVE just shut down ListHub?

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

I had many great side conversations at last week’s Inman Connect in New York City. One of them imagines the premise that MOVE shutdowns ListHub.

Think about the consequences. It would basically cut off the largest source of listing data for Trulia and Zillow. At the same time Realtor.com would immediately become the largest single source of all listing data in the United States.

It also puts brokers back in the driver’s seat. For Trulia and Zillow to compete they would now have to do a full court press to brokers for data. Think about it, who would have the leverage in those conversations?

Brillant or batshit crazy?

The ground is shifting below us.

24-Science-NZealand_486271eI was thinking how fitting that NAR’s conference and expo is being held in San Francisco this week. Not only a hub for technology and innovation but San Francisco is a place where the ground literally shakes from time to time. And things in real estate are getting shaken up.

The combined market cap of Zillow and Trulia is about 3 billion dollars.

The Really Alliance has all but declared war on MLS providers (or not).

A few MLS providers have stopped syndicating listing thru ListHub (more on the way?).

and nobody likes their MLS system (who knew??).

Is there anything solid that we can hold on to? What’s a poor vendor or MLS provider to do in such a unbalanced world? What’s the “new normal”?

I don’t have the answers but, I’m optimistic about the future, and San Francisco is as good a place to start to look for answers as anywhere. My search begins tomorrow. See you there.

Is ListHub playing favorites?

I don’t get it. Maybe I missed the memo.

At the most recent Clareity MLS Executive Workshop it was revealed by Matt Cohen that Zillow is sending a single data file over to Google for “indexing purposes”. I guess having a single file makes it easier for Google to index all of Zillow’s listing inventory.

But hold on, Zillow’s listing inventory is made up, in a large part, of syndicated listings from ListHub. And as Luke Glass of ListHub pointed in a comment to my post,

“ListHub does not permit resyndication and we take this matter very seriously.”

Which in turn Matt responded.

“Luke, you asked me to follow up with Zillow, and I did – I was assured a data file was being provided and specifics were discussed.”

Why does Zillow and Google get a free pass? What got me thinking about this was an email forwarded to me that is being sent by Trulia. If you haven’t seen it, click below.

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So basically Trulia has a free app for agents. Which helps them respond quicker to leads and other benefits. In the past I thought this was a clear case of repurposing data. Now I’m not so sure. ListHub is saying it doesn’t comply with it’s rules and is requiring Trulia to obtain permission from every MLS and broker in the country who syndicates its listings through ListHub. Which isn’t a small task I’m sure. And does anyone think that these brokers (besides Edina, et al.) and MLS providers are going to say no to this letter? Fat chance.

So I ask the question again. Why does Zillow and Google get a free pass but Trulia needs to jump through a bunch of hoops? And what makes it more absurd, Trulia’s free app directly benefits agents.

Makes me wonder. Is Realtor.com/MOVE (ListHub’s parent company) getting any special treatment from Google for allowing Zillow to send them a single data file to index?

Nobody can doubt MOVE made a brilliant strategic “move” by acquiring ListHub. Plus Luke and his team have a lot of smart people, so I’m hoping I’m missing something here. But as I wrote in a previous post they need to be consistent. Otherwise ListHub risks the perception of playing favorites, or worse being a bully.

Did Edina make the right move?

To pull or not to pull?

Via Paul Hagey at Inman News.

“Living without the large portals isn’t easy. Operators of third-party listing portals are often able to devote more resources than brokerages to building consumer-friendly websites aimed at providing a wealth of information on neighborhoods and market conditions.

A recent review by real estate consulting firm Clareity Consulting concluded that Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia have the best mobile apps for consumers.”

I have to say that Inman is really doing a great job lately at deep diving into these stories (the RPR story also comes to mind). Paul’s article really gets in to the nitty gritty. As for the answer to the article’s question. I think it’s a no-brainer; Don’t pull. The elephant in the room is mobile. ZTR mobile traffic is Tsunami like.

RE/MAX Results chooses Trulia, calls Edina Realty bluff.

RE/MAX Results Partners with Trulia to Reach Home Buyers in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin

Ginger Wilcox:

“As part of this agreement, nearly 700 RE/MAX Results real estate professionals will receive prominent placement and brand exposure for their property listings on Trulia. 23 million home buyers, sellers and renters come to Trulia each month to search for homes.”

Seems like all I hear about is Zillow lately. But it appears that Trulia is making some moves of its own. Since Edina Realty pulled the plug on Trulia, Realtor.com and other portals it was only a matter of time before one of their competitors jumped at the opportunity. Smart move by RE/MAX Results in my opinion.

Now the interesting thing is if the newly formed Berkshire Hathaway Home Services will continue the same strategy as it did with Edina.

Errol Samuelson shows us how its done.

This is a cyclical business. You don’t want to burn any bridges. I think a lot of vendors don’t fully appreciate this notion. Two examples come to mind. When ARG pulled their listings from Zillow and Trulia you immediately saw that the You Tube site, where ARG posted a video, was filled with comments from Trulia and Zillow reps denouncing the move and going in to full on spin mode. Zillow took it a step farther by contacting ARG clients directly (through mail).

A few months ago ARMLS decided to move from iMapp to Realist. The members didn’t like the decision, a great thing for iMapp you would believe? Nope. iMapp decided to fan the fire instead of playing the role of peacekeeper. They might have won all or part of the business back but their actions made it almost impossible for ARMLS to do so.

Not exactly shining moments for any of these companies.

Now lets take a look at this recent hub-hub with Edina deciding to remove their listings from Realtor.com. Personally this move from Edina is a head scratcher. I think they have some valid points regarding accuracy, non-mls data commingling, branding and lead forms. But none of these concerns are a factor for Edina’s listings on Realtor.com. (My prediction is that they will be back on Realtor.com before the end of the year.)

But maybe this nonsense can serve as a “teachable moment” for the rest of us. The lesson today comes from Errol Samuelson from MOVE, Inc. His response to Edina is exactly how to handle the situation. If you haven’t read it yet go read it now.

Here’s an excerpt:

“However, these things said, I want to be absolutely clear: we respect Edina Realty’s decision.
We’re not going to play games with their agents, or try to compromise their standing with consumers in their market.”


Bravo.

5 MLS providers play it SAFE

Looks like Clareity is gaining some traction on their SAFE Syndication platform. Some big names here.

See full press release below:

May 7, 2012 – Scottsdale, Arizona – Clareity Security (www.clareitysecurity.com), the leading provider of data security and syndication management solutions for the real estate industry, is pleased to announce new SAFE Syndication™ agreements with the My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service (MFRMLS), the Cooperative MLSs of Contra Costa Association of REALTORS®, East Bay Regional Data, Inc. and the Bay East Association of REALTORS®, and the greater Sacramento area’s MetroList Services, Inc (MetroList®). These customers have chosen SAFE Syndication™ as their solution for data compliance and distribution management joining an ever-growing list of Clareity customers.

SAFE Syndication is designed to serve as a contract management, compliance and reporting tool for MLS organizations, brokerages and franchisors. SAFE Syndication provides a consolidated system for measuring and reporting on all listing distribution activity. In addition, the compliance tools in the product provide independent verification and reporting by the MLS and/or Clareity Security as a neutral, trusted third party. These features allow the MLS to eliminate unnecessary expansion of compliance costs and refocus internal resources on more strategic projects. Most importantly, SAFE Syndication, with a focus on compliance reporting and complaint tracking, complements all existing and emerging syndication tools, along with producing detailed information to help brokers and MLS organizations make better syndication and distribution decisions.

“Starting late last year, MFRMLS went through an extensive search and review of the various listing syndication solutions available to the market. The capabilities of SAFE Syndication to meet our immediate, as well as long-term needs, were readily apparent. My team is very much looking forward to implementing SAFE Syndication as a piece of our overall data distribution strategy,” said Merri Jo Cowen, CEO of MFRMLS.

Clareity Security would like to invite everyone interested in SAFE Syndication to meet with our team. Contact sales@clareitysecurity.com to schedule a detailed presentation.

About Clareity Security:
Clareity Security, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the leading provider of data security, Single Sign On and compliance management products and services for the real estate industry. Our Scout for SAFEMLS® and SAFEACCESS™ products help MLS organizations and real estate professionals easily and effectively safeguard sensitive consumer information against unauthorized access and provides strong authentication solutions for secure online transactions. Additionally, Clareity Security is the creator of Safe Syndication™, the leading listing syndication and IDX/VOW compliance management tool for brokerages and MLS organizations.

Contact:
Amy Geddes, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
480-444-0014 or Email

Listing Syndication 3.0

I got a chance to take a look at the new ListHub interface a few days ago. The product/service is what I would term a 3.0 release. “3.0” is software parlance for a “mature” product/service.

One thing struck out at me though, “MLS Preferred Publishers”.

For some reason, and it may just be me, but the ability for MLS providers to call out (by non inclusion) publishers they don’t condone seems problematic. It reminds me of the early days of IDX when new business models (internet only brokerages) were popping up and MLS providers (via broker members) would come up with rules and regs to keep them out. We all know what happen next. Three little letters: DOJ. As I’ve said, I could be wrong here, and I understand the spirt of this feature but it will be interesting to see how many MLS provider actively participate and denote publishers “preferred”.

Other than that concern I think this is a solid release that shows that the people at MOVE and ListHub have been listening to feedback from all participants, and that’s a good thing.

For a great overview of the new features see the video below:

Luke Glass of ListHub, shares their intentions with REN in a special guest post on Vendor Alley.

This is a guest post from Luke Glass General Manager of ListHub….

REN

There has been a lot of productive discussion lately within the industry about the role that syndication plays in today’s real estate experience. The decision to syndicate property listings ultimately lies with the broker who is entrusted with acting in the best interests of the listing agent and the selling client.

At Move we believe managed syndication benefits both home sellers and home buyers, providing each with the widest range of options available.

I wanted to share our intentions in providing the ListHub solution, and why we recently launched The Real Estate Network.

The ListHub platform is focused on 3 principles: (a) Controlled access to listing data – the brokers have the ability to choose where they advertise their listings; (b) a Managed Marketplace – the brokers have access to information on how their listings will be used; and (c) Tools and Reports – providing brokers visibility into the effectiveness and benefits of their advertisements.
ListHub is a platform that provides brokers with a complete solution for managing the advertisement of their listings on real estate websites. ListHub does this by connecting to MLS listings and offering a point-and-click dashboard for brokers to syndicate listings. This dashboard contains the list of publisher sites, tools to help brokers make informed decisions – including a scorecard that clearly shows where publishers stand on key usage issues, and access to reports to help brokers determine the effectiveness of their advertisement activities.

Recently, ListHub launched The Real Estate Network (the REN). The Real Estate Network is an array of websites operated by real estate franchise organizations and similar broker organizations that are now available to brokers in the ListHub platform. The REN is a natural extension of our vision to support brokers’ ability to effectively market listings and connect with consumers. Brokers will have the opportunity to participate with no paperwork and no fees, using the same ListHub dashboard that they use to send their listings to an array of other real estate search websites.

Last year, we all followed the changes to the MLS IDX policy that set the stage for The Real Estate Network. For years, franchises and similar organizations have been operating their websites under strict rules that did not give them the ability to utilize IDX listings as an MLS participant is able to do. This has compromised their ability to maximize SEO value and provide a first class consumer search experience, both of which are necessary to compete and attract consumers.

The MLS Policy Committee ultimately decided that the rules would stand as they apply to franchise organizations being non-participants. As an alternative, NAR spoke out in support of syndication as an option for franchise organizations – as well as brokerage networks – to display listings, as long as brokers can opt-in and opt-out freely.

The Real Estate Network makes this vision a reality. REN participants will be able to operate their websites more effectively and with fewer restrictions. We see real estate franchises as part of our real estate family, and now we look forward to providing them with a model for acquiring listing information that gives them a stronger footing for connecting with consumers.
From the MLS perspective, the REN provides a no-cost, plug-and-play solution for offering members the NAR-recommended option to syndicate listings for display on franchise and brokerage network websites. Our MLS partners have looked to us for a solution, and we are responding to their immediate need for an engine to support syndication to franchises. More than 350 MLSs participate in ListHub today in order to provide a flexible and reliable platform for advertising member listings. MLSs who currently partner with ListHub will automatically gain access to REN.

The key to success of REN is use of a standard set of display rules [www.listhub.net/networkrules.html]. REN was created to enable brokers and franchises to better compete in the online marketplace through differentiation in the consumer experience they offer. There is no difference in the terms and rules surrounding the display of syndicated listings among the REN participants. We have accepted a vast amount of input from industry participants including MLS leadership, franchise leadership, and consultants to assemble a set of display rules that satisfy needs of the multiple parties. The Real Estate Network participant sites, franchises, brokers, and MLSs can all participate in REN with a clear-cut understanding of the exchange of value between all parties, including consumer usage metrics from all sites receiving listings from the Network.

We believe everybody is a winner here. Franchises benefit from the ability to create a better experience for consumers. MLSs benefit from having a utility that immediately supports their ability to implement the NAR IDX rules, and brokers benefit from the ability to have more choice when it comes to advertising their listings online. The ultimate goal remains the same, to produce the greatest amount of transactions so that home buyers can find a home they will love to live in and home sellers get a fair price for their home within a reasonable amount of time. The Real Estate Network is designed to serve both these purposes while leaving control with the listing brokerage. We look forward to continuing to conversation on this within our ever-evolving industry.

Editor’s Note: If you would like to write a guest post please don’t hesitate in contacting me. – gr

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