Real Estate Marketing Blog

Real Estate MLS

Most Real Estate Board of Realtors seem to look at the MLS as something of a public service.

How do I know?

Well, I had a conversation today with a very nice gentleman that works for a local MLS Board. Seriously, he was as nice as he is sincere. And he told me they were making the IDX data freely available as a public service.

Are you kidding me? Last I checked Realtors have a website in order to make money. My clients do not pay me a handsome sum of money such that they can provide charity, err I mean a public service.

This man works for a board of Realty that has blocked their members from using reputable MLS IDX Feed Services. The reason they did this, is in my opinion, a move to make themselves profitable. Seemingly a conflict of interest when they are supposed to be representing the Realtor that pays their dues.

But of course, why should the board worry about this when NAR, created Realtor.com to provide MLS data. Where listings are shared freely with the public and the brokers that NAR represents has to pay up to $100,000 to get leads from this site.

Now, lets be clear. Realtor.com exists only because NAR had to compete against MSN and others that were going after the stronghold that the Realtor community has held for all the years prior to the internet. NAR had originally got member brokerages and agents to subisdize this montrosity. They then started finding ways to monetize the free disemenation of their member data.

Then, after using the Realtor data, they have the gall to charge their member brokerages and agents such that they can get the benefits of the data. The Realtors already were supposed to be getting the benefits as each Realtor pays dues to be part of NAR.

Mimmicking a government bureacracy like perhaps the DMV, Realtor.com's base of supporters continue to put up with lousy service and poor results.

The Bastardization of the Realtors MLS

This in affect causes a Napsterdiztion of the Realtor's information. You will recall that Napster allowed the free sharing of MP3 files across the internet. This got the record industry into an uproar because they felt that sharing their records would in affect cheapen their product.

This is what is ocurring in the free sharing of the MLS.

The biggest problem as I see it it that the Realtor does a very poor job of creating tangible value for their service. Most of the perceived value of an agent is in his or her ability to negotiate a contract and hold a deal together.

However, the public has never really believed this.

While NAR, goes on with naive slogan campaigns, the Realtor that NAR represents, suffers. If John Q Public really does not get the true value of an agent, then the only tangible tool the agent has to offer is the perceived value of the MLS.

And if the MLs is for FREE. Then what is the perceived valuable of an agent to the real estate transaction? This is more than likely why websites like Real Estate For Sale By Owner has popped up over the past few years, offering cut rate, no frills listings.

Asking the public to register before viewing the Realtor data called the MLS is not only good marketing, it is neccessary for the very survival of the current model of marketing real estate.

Google Search Engine

Lots of Google News:

I recently installed Google's Desktop Search. Still not sure of the point.

However, lots of Privacy and Security guru's argue it gives Google and others too much access to our behavior. You be the judge. I chose to uninstall for another reason. It was dragging my system down.
More Conspiratorialish Google resources:
What Google Knows About You
Anonymize the Google Cookie
Gartner:Don't Use Google Desktop in Search 

In more Search Engine News:
IProspect-The "Original Search Engine Marketing Firm" sold to Isobar, the global full service digital network (an Aegis Company) for $50 million.

A November study shows that Internet Explorer's share dropped to less than 89 percent, 5 percentage points less than in May. FireFox now has almost 5 percent of the market, and it is growing. Other Cool Browser: Opera. So do web designers have to start compying with these browsers unique design standards?

Comment: The answer speaks to the power of Microsoft and certain marketing principles.Do you think as web surfers get more serious about their web viewing, that they will stop putting up with the MS barrage of security holes? My take is that the answer is no. Old habits are hard to brake.

Just like Macs are better computers, but we all use a Microsoft Operated machine. Sure Opera and Firefox browsers are better, faster, more secure. However, standard is Internet Explorer.

Real Estate Click Fraud

It can happen. You are bidding on Google Adwords, Overture, Kanoodle or whatever is your favorite PPC engine.  And, next thing you know your costs skyrocket. You are out of money before you know it.

This is a growing trend and it can come from a competitor clicking away on your ad. Or a nefarious software that stealthily bangs away on your ad links while your dollars disappear.

What is a Realtor to do?

Call in th epay per click advocates like:  WhosClickingWho or ClickAssurance .

That is exactly what an Oregon insurance company did when they found they were getting clicks from the same IP address.

On Sales and Influence

...I was flipping channels last night and came upon a documentary on why people succeed at their trips to Vegas.

As a student of influence I am always interested in new distinctions.

An executive at one of the hotels said, "Your run of the mill visitor will base their wagers on possibility, while pros base their wagers on probability."

Now, this is a "jillion" dollar a year enterprise telling us how they make their money.

He further pointed out that like a piano player seeding their tips jar, the hotels make sure that people win. Because they know that they will come home and tell 200 people they won.

Business Blogs

I have said before that there will come a day that if you are not blogging then you will not have a web presence. Give your real estate marketing and business a big boost. Blog.

This site has done a nice job of contrasting the various blogging software that is available. This particular site is on moveable type and hosted by typepad.com

Of course, we at Spider Workz can help you with your real estate marketing and your blogging such that you get great traffic without having to become an internet nerd.

Real Estate & The Internet

Broadband Has Record Quarter

According to the recent release from the Leichtman Research Group, the twenty largest cable and DSL providers in the US - representing about 95% of the market - achieved record net additions in the third quarter of 2004.

Flashy and bulkier webpages are becoming more possible for Real Estate Marketers to keep.

What is the Definition of "BLOG"?

Merriam-Webster dictionary has just listed the Blog word. It says the word "blog" has earned a place on its list of the 10 words of the year. Merriam reports that "blog" ranks as one of the most looked-up words on its Web site this year. The dictionary defines a "blog" as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks."