Comments on: Online real estate’s dirty little secret http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html Turn On Tue, 22 May 2012 20:19:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Greg Cooper http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-6799 Greg Cooper Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:43:58 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-6799 <p>EDIT....my apologies to John...meant to reference Ryan in my comments. </p> EDIT….my apologies to John…meant to reference Ryan in my comments.

]]> By: Stacey http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2489 Stacey Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:44:04 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2489 <p>Anybody have a good resource list of trusted developers? </p> <p>Thanks for laying out the steps in this post, Brian. That kind of education for brokers is needed. Are there IDX "coaches" out there that are trusted and intelligent sources that can help a broker develop this kind of site? Am I clueless for asking, as certainly there are plenty of web developers but I'd love to get a list of real estate focused, trusted sources.<br /> Thanks.</p> Anybody have a good resource list of trusted developers?

Thanks for laying out the steps in this post, Brian. That kind of education for brokers is needed. Are there IDX "coaches" out there that are trusted and intelligent sources that can help a broker develop this kind of site? Am I clueless for asking, as certainly there are plenty of web developers but I'd love to get a list of real estate focused, trusted sources.
Thanks.

]]> By: Tom Emmendorfer http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2488 Tom Emmendorfer Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:06:23 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2488 <p>Amen to Greg's post regarding agents lack of quality control. We offer a TON of features with our Home Zone Mktg. system. Narrated tours, listing websites, videos for youtube, call capture audio tours and many other products - plus pushing to all the agg. feeds. All this in a few minutes... But it's really only as good as the info and photos the agents add. It is amazing how many agents upload thumbnail photos, dump in a few misspelled property points and think it's fine. The ability is there to spend 15-20 minutes and have a gorgeous electronic marketing campaign. Yet many agents won't take the time. The real answer, in my opinion, is brokers and office administrators taking control and insisting their agents do better with quality of listing respresentations. We, the vendor, can't make diamonds from dirt. It hurts to think my agent wouldn't spend more than 15 minutes on my homes online presence. </p> Amen to Greg's post regarding agents lack of quality control. We offer a TON of features with our Home Zone Mktg. system. Narrated tours, listing websites, videos for youtube, call capture audio tours and many other products – plus pushing to all the agg. feeds. All this in a few minutes… But it's really only as good as the info and photos the agents add. It is amazing how many agents upload thumbnail photos, dump in a few misspelled property points and think it's fine. The ability is there to spend 15-20 minutes and have a gorgeous electronic marketing campaign. Yet many agents won't take the time. The real answer, in my opinion, is brokers and office administrators taking control and insisting their agents do better with quality of listing respresentations. We, the vendor, can't make diamonds from dirt. It hurts to think my agent wouldn't spend more than 15 minutes on my homes online presence.

]]> By: Tom Emmendorfer http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2487 Tom Emmendorfer Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:03:13 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2487 <p>Amen to Greg's post regarding agents lack of quality control. We offer a TON of features with our Home Zone Mktg. system. Narrated tours, listing websites, videos for youtube, call capture audio tours and many other products - plus pushing to all the agg. feeds. All this in a few minutes... But it's really only as good as the info and photos the agents add. It is amazing how many agents upload thumbnail photos, dump in a few misspelled property points and think it's fine. The ability is there to spend 15-20 minutes and have a gorgeous electronic marketing campaign. Yet many agents won't take the time. The real answer, in my opinion, is brokers and office administrators taking control and insisting their agents do better with quality of listing respresentations. We, the vendor, can't make diamonds from dirt. It hurts to think my agent wouldn't spend more than 15 minutes on my homes online presence. </p> Amen to Greg's post regarding agents lack of quality control. We offer a TON of features with our Home Zone Mktg. system. Narrated tours, listing websites, videos for youtube, call capture audio tours and many other products – plus pushing to all the agg. feeds. All this in a few minutes… But it's really only as good as the info and photos the agents add. It is amazing how many agents upload thumbnail photos, dump in a few misspelled property points and think it's fine. The ability is there to spend 15-20 minutes and have a gorgeous electronic marketing campaign. Yet many agents won't take the time. The real answer, in my opinion, is brokers and office administrators taking control and insisting their agents do better with quality of listing respresentations. We, the vendor, can't make diamonds from dirt. It hurts to think my agent wouldn't spend more than 15 minutes on my homes online presence.

]]> By: David Pylyp http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2486 David Pylyp Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:54:59 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2486 <p>Some buyers just want to look at the listings.<br /> Some want neighbourhood Vibe and flavour.<br /> Two condo buildings beside each other can have a very different vibe that doesn't translate on a balloon pin.</p> <p>That said; in Canada we have a national site that feeds all the MLS data from all the boards into one system. Therefore changes and upgrades require the majority to approve (and spend development money) and improve their sites.</p> <p>Many consumers do not realise that some agents maintain access portals for online real time updates.</p> Some buyers just want to look at the listings.
Some want neighbourhood Vibe and flavour.
Two condo buildings beside each other can have a very different vibe that doesn't translate on a balloon pin.

That said; in Canada we have a national site that feeds all the MLS data from all the boards into one system. Therefore changes and upgrades require the majority to approve (and spend development money) and improve their sites.

Many consumers do not realise that some agents maintain access portals for online real time updates.

]]> By: Alan Barker http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2485 Alan Barker Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:31:23 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2485 <p>From my experience, buyers just want all the listings to be up to date and in the same place. It is really frustrating having to go from site to site just to find one property in your criteria, then call about it just to find that it isn't on the market anymore. </p> From my experience, buyers just want all the listings to be up to date and in the same place. It is really frustrating having to go from site to site just to find one property in your criteria, then call about it just to find that it isn't on the market anymore.

]]> By: Dave http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2484 Dave Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:21:15 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2484 <p>I have zero data to support my hunch, but I would guess that MLS search is pretty far down the food chain on the list of buyer concerns and trepidation right now.</p> <p>Maybe I'm in left field, but I have not run into too many buyers out there that are afraid that they are not being exposed to all of their housing options. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. </p> <p>I would guess the buyers are a little more concerned about a collapsing economy, wars, gas prices, tightening lending standards, bank failures, and mortgage meltdowns.</p> <p>Just a guess. IMO, the IDX opinion is very important. The brokers that "get it" will be postured greatly for success when (errrr... if) we get out of this economic mess. </p> I have zero data to support my hunch, but I would guess that MLS search is pretty far down the food chain on the list of buyer concerns and trepidation right now.

Maybe I'm in left field, but I have not run into too many buyers out there that are afraid that they are not being exposed to all of their housing options. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact.

I would guess the buyers are a little more concerned about a collapsing economy, wars, gas prices, tightening lending standards, bank failures, and mortgage meltdowns.

Just a guess. IMO, the IDX opinion is very important. The brokers that "get it" will be postured greatly for success when (errrr… if) we get out of this economic mess.

]]> By: Brian Boero http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2483 Brian Boero Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:05:36 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2483 <p>@Derek</p> <p>You point out a key problem: the "long tail" of listings aggregation. Getting the big broker(s) in a market is the easy part; scooping up the small players is where many listings sites fall down. </p> @Derek

You point out a key problem: the "long tail" of listings aggregation. Getting the big broker(s) in a market is the easy part; scooping up the small players is where many listings sites fall down.

]]> By: Derek Overbey http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2482 Derek Overbey Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:26:04 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2482 <p>Brian,</p> <p>Having worked both sides of the fence, I can tell you that most brokers are still finding it hard to balance their offline and online efforts. Not just their marketing and advertising but their dedicated resources to technology. Sure brokers have had the most up-to-date data for years but most have fallen behind as it relates to powerful real estate search.</p> <p>I think the problem lies in the fact that most real estate brokerage executives are so far removed from the trenches of the day-to-day real estate world that they are not reacting to today's new real estate consumer. Now don't get me wrong, there are a few brokerages like Baird & Warner and Prudential Fox & Roach that have jumped on the wagon and are reaping the rewards of leveraging their local brand with top-notch real estate search. But from my perspective, those examples are few and far between.</p> <p>But I do want to point out one thing that clicked with me in regards to your post"Displaying listings via IDX. Before I even started working at Roost.com, I knew that the consumer was going to run into data completeness and accuracy issues with listing aggregation sites. How did I know? Well the CFO of the brokerage I worked for told me that in Santa Clara County (the largest county in the Bay Area based on population), the top three brokerages made up approximately 40% of the market share. The other 60% was spread amongst more than 800 brokers. </p> <p>I never understood how it would be possible to keep the data accurate under those conditions.</p> <p>Derek Overbey<br /> Sr. Director of Partnership Strategy<br /> Roost.com<br /> <a href="http://www.roost.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.roost.com</a><br /> <a href="http://blog.roost.com" rel="nofollow">http://blog.roost.com</a><br /> </p> Brian,

Having worked both sides of the fence, I can tell you that most brokers are still finding it hard to balance their offline and online efforts. Not just their marketing and advertising but their dedicated resources to technology. Sure brokers have had the most up-to-date data for years but most have fallen behind as it relates to powerful real estate search.

I think the problem lies in the fact that most real estate brokerage executives are so far removed from the trenches of the day-to-day real estate world that they are not reacting to today’s new real estate consumer. Now don’t get me wrong, there are a few brokerages like Baird & Warner and Prudential Fox & Roach that have jumped on the wagon and are reaping the rewards of leveraging their local brand with top-notch real estate search. But from my perspective, those examples are few and far between.

But I do want to point out one thing that clicked with me in regards to your post”Displaying listings via IDX. Before I even started working at Roost.com, I knew that the consumer was going to run into data completeness and accuracy issues with listing aggregation sites. How did I know? Well the CFO of the brokerage I worked for told me that in Santa Clara County (the largest county in the Bay Area based on population), the top three brokerages made up approximately 40% of the market share. The other 60% was spread amongst more than 800 brokers.

I never understood how it would be possible to keep the data accurate under those conditions.

Derek Overbey
Sr. Director of Partnership Strategy
Roost.com
http://www.roost.com
http://blog.roost.com

]]> By: Douglas Humphrey http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2481 Douglas Humphrey Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:07:52 +0000 http://wp.1000wattconsulting.com/2008/08/online-real-est-2.html#comment-2481 <p>New IDX, old IDX, new web site, old web site, it doesn't matter. The sites are handicapped by the agents. Until you can get quality info, everyone just presents the same data, formatted differently, but still the same. Agents take bad photos, they're posted on hundreds of sites. Bad photos everywhere. And that's if the agent takes more than one. Most computers sell with 19" monitors or more. Why is a picture typically 640x480 or smaller. I want to see details. I want to see what's around the corner. I want to see the details of that crown moulding, the upgraded fixtures, the closetmaid organizers. Did anyone think to stage a closet? What do people really want? Until the agents "get it", it doesn't matter who you use. Carlin said it best, "homes are place where we store our stuff". Until the agents understand their client's wants, it's the same old tired junk. </p> New IDX, old IDX, new web site, old web site, it doesn't matter. The sites are handicapped by the agents. Until you can get quality info, everyone just presents the same data, formatted differently, but still the same. Agents take bad photos, they're posted on hundreds of sites. Bad photos everywhere. And that's if the agent takes more than one. Most computers sell with 19" monitors or more. Why is a picture typically 640×480 or smaller. I want to see details. I want to see what's around the corner. I want to see the details of that crown moulding, the upgraded fixtures, the closetmaid organizers. Did anyone think to stage a closet? What do people really want? Until the agents "get it", it doesn't matter who you use. Carlin said it best, "homes are place where we store our stuff". Until the agents understand their client's wants, it's the same old tired junk.

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