From John Cook’s Venture Blog:
As an investor and board member at Avvo, I asked [Zillow.com’s Rich Barton] when Zillow might roll out an online rating system for real estate agents. That idea is in the works, with Barton saying that the company also is trying to develop ways for consumers to search for agents based on specific criteria. Stay tuned…
First we’ll milk ’em for free content as the only persistent members of our “community.” Then we’ll sell ’em astoundingly low-yield advertising. Then we’ll get anonymous misanthropes to write poison-pen letters about them. That sounds like a plan…
Am I missing something, or is this evidence of an unbounded cluelessness?
Technorati Tags: disintermediation, real estate, real estate marketing, Zillow.com
Tim says:
misanthrOTHERS maybe. Ghost towns, ghost writers, ghost claimants (kind of like the witness protection program)…now ghost critics…
Maybe I can sell a haunted house to this target audience.
July 11, 2007 — 6:34 pm
David G from Zillow.com says:
Greg –
I can see why you jumped to your conclusion but please note that this was a misunderstanding.
Rich just posted the following clarifications on John’s blog. Let me know if you have any further questions.
“Zillow is *not* going to have numeric or star-like ratings for agents like Avvo has for lawyers. What we will have is a directory of agents full of great information provided by agents, clients, and associates, that potential clients can use to help them choose the right agent. Already, Zillow has 50,000 agent profiles that are linked to For Sale Listings, Zillow Q&A contributions, picture contributions, EZ Ads, etc. However, we have not built a UI yet to search those 50k profiles. We would be ninnies not to build that, however, and it is being worked on along with a whole host of other fun, useful, and provocative stuff. More to come soon.
Rich”
July 11, 2007 — 6:38 pm
Tim says:
FYI,
Here’s a great blog just posted on Jeff Jarvis’ Buzz Machine about hyper-local content and the community:
http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/07/11/hyperlocal/
Goes to things that are “insanely great.”
July 11, 2007 — 6:41 pm
Orange County, NY Real Estate says:
David G,
So will the agent be able to control what is written about them then?
July 11, 2007 — 7:33 pm
Michael Cook says:
Call me crazy, but a realtor rating site seems like it would be helpful. I am not sure how to make it honest and unbiased, but I like where they are going. Thinking about other professions like Doctors or Dentists, who get rated by a variety of sites, it seems that this might be a benefit to consumers. Like most of you, I could obviously think of ways this system would be abused by both realtors and the customers they service, but I appreciate people at least trying to make something like this work. If I was a first time buyer or new to the area, this would be a God send.
July 11, 2007 — 8:02 pm
Dave Barnes says:
I object.
I am not an “anonymous misanthrope”.
I am a known misanthrope.
July 11, 2007 — 8:02 pm
David G from Zillow.com says:
OC —
The reality is that the design for this feature is so far from agreed that Rich really shouldn’t be talking about it and I can’t answer any questions with certainty! We’ve told you what it won’t do; why not tell me what it SHOULD do.
Here’s the goal … we have 4 million monthly visitors … how do we best match them up with the 50 thousand Realtors who are registered on Zillow? It’s a given that we need a searchable agent directory that understands geography … how do you suggest we present and sort those search results so as to help buyers and sellers find a great agent?
Michael –
What features would you look for?
Tim –
Thank you, that post is gold.
Dave –
🙂
July 11, 2007 — 8:24 pm
Brian Brady says:
A rating system won’t work. Angry consumers rate, satisfied consumers paint and change drapes.
David,
If I’m spending tens of thousands of dollars on Z-advertising, and you allow me to be sabotaged by some anon “consumers”, I’m going to scream!
This begets this question. How can Zillow ever offer truly unbiased ratings when it solicits advertising from the providers it rates?
Now, if anyone can do it, Zillow can. Your approach there is truly consumer-focused. Airlines are different from Realtors. Late arrivals can be documented. A Realtor’s service offering is just too subjective.
I think Mr. Barton would do well to scrap this idea in the “This ain’t like Expedia” file
July 11, 2007 — 11:11 pm
CJ, Broker in L A, CA says:
Brian is right, it is an angry consumer that will post a rating, not a satisfied consumer.
And why is that consumer angry? A real estate transaction can go bad for any number of different reasons. Not all of those reasons are the fault of the agent. But most times, the agent will get the blame, regardless.
July 12, 2007 — 7:06 am
Kris Berg says:
I’ll go one more. How do you keep competitive Realtors from anonymously, posing as the wronged-consumer, slamming their competition? Unfortunately, I know too many agents who would not hesitate to throw their compadres under a bus for greater market share. Brian’s rigth – Our happy clients are otherwise occupied in their new home. Once the deal is sealed, they are no longer “playing Zillow”. BAD idea.
July 12, 2007 — 8:03 am
David G from Zillow.com says:
“satisfied consumers paint and change drapes”
ROFL. How True.
OK – I understand how you feel about reviews. Now, how do you think an agent search feature on Zillow should work?
July 12, 2007 — 8:09 am
Greg Swann says:
> how do you think an agent search feature on Zillow should work?
Reverse alphabetical order. Kris Berg already has too many unfair advantages.
July 12, 2007 — 8:10 am
Michael Cook says:
How come this kind of system seems to work for other professions? It would seem like they would face the same issues. Perhaps I am too optimistic, but it would seem more helpful to figure out a way it could work than piling on with reason why it will not work. Is there no way to give consumers honest recommendations about realtors? Secret shopping agents, anything?
July 12, 2007 — 8:51 am
Agent Scoreboard says:
Wow… interesting thought. I would disagree with Brian that rating system don’t work… Their just are no credible ones out there for real estate. People make millions of high ticket purchases based on consumers reports reveiws.
If you have a dissatisified customer you better know about it, I have a post on my blog about a popular blogger that blindsided a realtor here in SoCal with her very scathing review of one of her listings. The realtor didn’t even know it was out there.
To ignore customer review is insane. They are coming they are built into the framework of web 2.0, homethinking, incredible agents and Agent Scoreboard are all trying to develop a netural forum where industry professional can cultivate review with processes that allow for disputes and replies. But beware if you ignore this.. your going to have 50 bad reviews on goolge, yahoo, and yelp and you won’t be able to do anything about it.
http://www.agentscoreboard.com/blog/2007/07/12/thomas-l-friedman-cheats-on-his-wife/
July 12, 2007 — 10:17 am
Reba Haas says:
I’ve been able to ask clients that were pleased with their service during the transaction to post good reviews about our team. We’ve got them posted on Judy’s Book and LinkedIn. Clients that really do appreciate your work for them will be happy to provide you with a positive review if you ask them. The problem most agents have is they’re too afraid to ask.
After a transaction closes we always send out an evaluation form that covers our services, the lender and the escrow company. We ask for honest feedback and if someone has extra things they want to say they are given a forum to do so. Those that go above and beyond the simple check boxes are the ones we ask to write a nice review for us online or for our website. It seems to work just fine.
July 12, 2007 — 10:29 am
Reba Haas says:
samples of those reviews: http://www.judysbook.com/cities/seattle/Real-Estate-Agents/26701782/p1/Rebecca_Haas__Team_Reba_of_RE_MAX_Metro_Realty_Inc_.htm
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewRecs=&key=613084
http://www.teamreba.com/testimonials.htm
July 12, 2007 — 10:34 am
Brian Brady says:
Reba,
You couldn’t buy better advertising than those testimonials on LinkedIn. LinkedIn enjoys a reputation as a serious professional network.
I have heavily asked for professional recommendations on my Linked profile. The result? Once every six months, I sit down in a loan app and they tell me how they enjoyed what Jeff Brown said about me.
Testimonials trump ratings every time. It’s someone putting their name and reputation on the line to laud your service offering.
Now, Zestimonials might be the way to go, David G.
July 12, 2007 — 9:46 pm
Agent Scoreboard says:
agreed… ratings devoid of any substantive comments are pretty lame. We try to stay away from that. Testimonials are great; the rating systems attached to testimonials help consumers use them in making comparisons. If there is no common framework it’s very difficult to compare one set of testimonials to another. Some feedback is better than none.
July 12, 2007 — 10:22 pm
CJ, Broker in L A, CA says:
The seller review model originated … where? E-Bay, I’m guessing. The criteria for judging an Ebay seller … “Did the product ship on time?” “Was the product received the same as pictured and described?” … is simple and objective. Different, I think, than in the criteria that should be used to judge an agent.
July 13, 2007 — 6:30 am
David G from Zillow.com says:
Thank you all for your feedback – the Zestimonials concept seems to have some agreement. If you have any other ideas, please ping me [davidg at z] or post your ideas in the Zillow Discussions.
Reba –
It’s fantastic to hear that you do satisfaction surveys. I wonder how many brokerages have a similar program.
CJ –
What should those different criteria be?
July 13, 2007 — 9:04 am
Greg Swann says:
> the Zestimonials concept seems to have some agreement
I’m back to my original complaint. I see no way of doing that that would not permit the savage bubbleboys to savage reputations. Without a copy of page 2 of the HUD-1 emailed from the testator, what you have is an anonymous post — the main ingredient in a poison pen letter.
I would have no objection to reviews or ratings based on objective, independently verifiable criteria — such as the agent’s performance in Q&A, the wiki, the forums, etc.
July 13, 2007 — 9:21 am
Orange County, NY Real Estate says:
David G,
If you want to sort out your 50,000+ Realtors then I’d suggest asking them to write in more details about their services. More specifically, what niches do they cover? Allow the Realtor to select three to four niches maximum and add that to your search. Now when your Zillow buyer uses the search you can ask what type of experience would you like to find in a Realtor (or agent if you let them in too) and let them checkmark what items they want (3-4 maximum again). Once the search goes into the system Presto! you’ve got your top list of local Realtors who excel in the niche that buyer is in. If you are so gung ho on doing testimonials then I say you should put the testimonial approvals in the hands of the agent themselves and allow them to decide what is posted and what isn’t. Will it defeat the purpose of the system? Maybe. But only if the buyer is looking for negative ratings. When I search for a professional I’d love to know more about how they swooped in and saved the day for someone from that person’s perspective rather than read about the wacko who is upset that the Realtor found a house for them and then they moved in and six months later the neighbor brought home a dog that barks continuously all night and they can’t get any sleep making that person quite possibly the “WORST REALTOR EVAR! 1-STAR!!!11!!”. If you’re going to do it then do it right.
… or just merge with ZipRealty. I hear they do a bang up job of helping clients and it’s been suggested before.
July 13, 2007 — 3:46 pm
Duane says:
Just an idea, what if the person rating a Realtor would have to insert the Agents e-mail during the rating to be forwarded to the agent at the time of the rating? If the person rating actually worked with the agent he or she should have the agents e-mail address. (Yes, most are posted on the agents web site)
Knowing that the rating would be forwarded to the Agent with the comments and ratings along with the ratter’s name and e-mail address would help eliminate some of the fraudulent ratings by the competitors. Maybe even have information on the address or the transaction (hidden on the rating report the general public views) that goes into the agents e-mail report when they have been rated. This would also help to eliminate the shot in the dark ratings. (Yes, anyone could set up a fake e-mail address and name, but this way the agent can at least rebut if the ratter has not done business with the agent)
July 19, 2007 — 6:40 am
Steve says:
Currently our state Realtor association is toying with a REALTOR® rating system. The finial plan has yet to be determined. The problems are similar to those being discussed here. Some believe a blueprint for developing a REALTOR® system is the peer review system utilized by some attorneys. An independent third party company Martindale-Hubbell® (via LexisNexis) operates the attorney system. Furthermore, this system is optional and attorneys can choose not to be reviewed / rated.
If any system has a consumer commentary component, it must be strictly controlled and monitored. Web sites that post unfounded and potentially slanderous comments could be swimming in legal muddy water.
March 7, 2008 — 3:53 pm