Here’s the PR, which the vendor cheerleaders will have reported:*
Leading real estate Web site Zillow.com and MLS Property Information Network today announced a partnership to feed listings from the New England area MLS to Zillow.com on a daily basis. This partnership initiates the first participation at the MLS level in Zillow’s Listings Feed program, which launched in November 2007. To date, the Zillow Listings Feed program has attracted several top brokerages for participation, and now allows all customers of MLS PIN to automatically gain free marketing exposure for their listings on one of the most-visited real estate sites in the country, while providing Zillow’s users with a more robust search experience.
That is, rather than having made yet another feed agreement from a brokerage or a franchise of brokerages, Zillow will be taking a feed of every listing from MLS PIN — a fairly big MLS system.
Okayfine. Now here’s the actual news:
Each listing will include a description of the property with multiple photos and contact information for the listing agent, including links back to the listing brokerage’s Web site where they can find more information and connect with a sales associate to guide them through the home buying and selling experience.
That is to say, whatever form the IDX agreement takes at MLS PIN, it is being cast aside for the Zillowfied listings. The IDX-like policy of concealing the listing broker’s and agent’s contact information will not be the policy for Zillow’s echo of the MLS PIN feed. (I find this so amazing that I’m avidly listening for some back-peddaling.)
There’s more. If a listing agent creates a profile on Zillow.com, that will be linked through from that agent’s listings. The MLS PIN feed will provide information for Zillow’s Virtual Sold Sign program, which is another way of promoting individual listing agents. This is all of a piece with Zillow’s general policy of promoting individuals rather than organizations.
But the important fact is that Zillow’s agreement with MLS PIN splits up the clubby conspiracy against the consumer that is the MLS philosophy. If buyer’s agents are squealing in Massachusetts today, the proper target of their complaints is the schizoid idea of the co-broke and it’s precious anti-consumer secrets, not Zillow or MLS PIN.
More: *I was wrong. Apparently the vendor cheerleaders haven’t gotten out of bed yet.
Here’s a question for David Gibbons: On the Virtual Sold Sign Program, what happens when an agent has changed brokerages? Will the link from the Sold done at Lighthouse Realty still connect to the agent’s profile now that he is working for Rockfish Properties?
ZillowBlog: “This partnership will simplify the lives of their customers – brokers and agents alike – by allowing them to opt in to have their listings displayed on Zillow[.]” This supports Michael Wurzer’s remarks in the comments below.
Technorati Tags: disintermediation, real estate, real estate marketing, technology, Zillow.com
Sean Purcell says:
Greg,
*I was wrong. Apparently the vendor cheerleaders haven’t gotten out of bed yet.
Maybe the tag line for BHB should be:
You Heard it Here First!
As Zillow and other online entities continue to openly disseminate information, it benefits primarily the consumers and the listing agents. Why? Because there are two major chokeholds in the real estate industry: the MLS and the outdated (as it now stands) Brokerage system.
MLS is already working hard to retrograde the planets in an attempt to justify their “we are the center of the universe” theory. What I find most interesting here is the continuation of disbrokeration. The listing agents gain a great deal from what Zillow is doing, which is to say the rain makers are gaining in stature. The Super Teams are one step closer to being the new model.
Thanks for the timely information.
March 19, 2008 — 8:09 am
Michael Wurzer says:
Greg, the link back to the listing agent for syndication is not new, this is the way all syndication works because the feed is from the listing broker, not the MLS, even though MLSPIN is facilitating the feed in this case. In other words, the listing broker makes a choice in the MLS system as to what listings to send and MLSPIN is simply the conduit for that decision by the broker. Thus, this has nothing to do with IDX and is essentially the same service that Point2, ThreeWide and other syndicators provide, only for free.
March 19, 2008 — 8:23 am
Greg Swann says:
> the feed is from the listing broker, not the MLS, even though MLSPIN is facilitating the feed in this case
This is not what the press release says. To the contrary, the implication is that the entire MLS PIN DB will be fed to Zillow.com.
David, would you care to clarify?
> Thus, this has nothing to do with IDX and is essentially the same service that Point2, ThreeWide and other syndicators provide, only for free.
That much is a stretch. An MLS system is a cartel, an artificial chokepoint on commerce created to benefit vendors at the expense of consumers. The other companies you cite are much more like phone companies — neutral data conduits. If MLS PIN is becoming more like a conduit and less like a cartel, that’s a good thing. But it’s not the same thing.
March 19, 2008 — 8:55 am
Michael Fisher says:
C’mon, ya think they will keep track of Sold agent’s brokerage as s/he hip hops from office to office? In my opinion they can’t correctly post the 1/3 of the current listings that are imputed wrong, mislabeled, incorrectly priced, no longer for sale, pending or sold several months ago so how could they keep track of a lowly agent’s every move.
March 19, 2008 — 9:14 am
Michael Wurzer says:
Explain to me how MLS providing software for brokers to syndicate is different than a third-party providing that software? That’s what this post was about.
March 19, 2008 — 9:25 am
Scott Hurst says:
I’d have to agree with Michael that it would be near impossible for Zillow to keep up with not only the agents, but also the solds, relists, etc.. It seems that they are getting in over their head. Maybe down the road zillow can support this type of database infrastructure, but I dont think they are ready. Folowing agents and daily updates will be tough.
March 19, 2008 — 9:28 am
Matt Lavallee (MLS PIN) says:
As a point of clarification, MLS PIN is NOT syndicating every listing in the MLS to Zillow; it is a broker, opt-in service that, as MWurzer indicated, works much the same as ThreeWide, et al. As of this moment, we have 1285 brokers included in the Zillow feed.
The meaningful difference here, I think, is that we are the first _MLS_ facilitating data into their system — working against the traditional view that the MLS is a gatekeeper. We currently syndicate listings for our membership to more than 50 outlets.
MLS PIN is more realistically a service bureau: we provide a suite of benefits to our membership that improves their efficiency and effectiveness in the marketplace.
-Matt
March 19, 2008 — 9:33 am
Greg Swann says:
> Explain to me how MLS providing software for brokers to syndicate is different than a third-party providing that software?
Because “[a]n MLS system is a cartel, an artificial chokepoint on commerce created to benefit vendors at the expense of consumers. The other companies you cite are much more like phone companies — neutral data conduits.”
The threshold of epistemology is logical distinction. If you insist that everything is alike and equally everything else, you change nothing about the nature of reality, but you turn your own discourse into mush.
ZillowBlog supports your contention about brokers opting in to the feed.
March 19, 2008 — 9:33 am
Michael Wurzer says:
Greg, your insistence on viewing MLSs through your veil of a cartel is blinding you to the reality of what is happening, which is that MLSPIN is providing a valuable service to their members different only in that it is easier and more efficient than having to re-enter the data into yet another service to accomplish the same objective. You’ll soon see MLSs everywhere providing this same service.
March 19, 2008 — 9:41 am
Greg Swann says:
> As of this moment, we have 1285 brokers included in the Zillow feed.
Out of how many brokers in the system? This represents what proportion of actively marketed listings?
Is it your impression that brokers feel a pressure to go along with efforts like this?
As much as you and Michael are trying to portray this as being something normal, it’s not. An MLS system is making it very easy to gain contact information for the listing broker and agent, a complete reversal of the essential MLS idea — holding the principals hostage for compensation. This consumer-hostile idea cannot be ripped asunder fast enough for me, but that makes today a Red Letter Day, a history-making day in the battle to do away with the co-broke.
> We currently syndicate listings for our membership to more than 50 outlets.
These all expose contact information as well? Does your IDX system expose contact information?
> we provide a suite of benefits to our membership that improves their efficiency and effectiveness in the marketplace.
May god give you wings!
March 19, 2008 — 9:43 am
Greg Swann says:
> your insistence on viewing MLSs through your veil of a cartel is blinding you to the reality of what is happening
Ahem.
You see coercion where there is none and deny the application of coercion in plain sight. I don’t think you are being deceptive, but I do think you are deceived. When the commissions are divorced, an MLS system will be alike unto any other voluntary organization. Right now, MLS systems exist by withholding material facts from the principals to real estate transactions — which is fraud. To the extent they do this less, that’s good. But while they are doing it at all they are a cartel, not an honest business.
March 19, 2008 — 9:54 am
Michael Wurzer says:
Nobody said it was normal. Since MLSPIN is first, they are leading the way and defining “normal”, which is exactly what Matt and MLSPIN have proven very adept at doing for a long time.
March 19, 2008 — 9:55 am
David G from Zillow.com says:
The MLSPIN listing feed is supplied and maintained by MLSPIN. To be included in the feed their members are required to agree to opt in to feeding their listings to Zillow. MLSPIN then sends the listing agent’s email address in the feed along with the listing. That email is then used to associate the listing with the listing agent’s account on Zillow.
MLSPIN has done a great job of communicating this value added service to their members. We’re seeing the listing count grow nicely as they opt in. This is an awesome innovation for MLSPIN members and it demonstrates the important role an MLS can play in the evolving world of RE marketing. I obviously hope to see this service offered by other MLS’.
Michael Fisher –
Please flag any stale listings you see on Zillow. If they’re on the site it’s because a listing agent is still advertising the listing and we’d like to contact that person and have them take it down.
Greg –
Future plans for VSS include separating the broker and agent attribution but we’re not quite there yet. I’m still checking into the current behavior and will get back to you when I know more.
March 19, 2008 — 10:06 am
Greg Swann says:
> Future plans for VSS include separating the broker and agent attribution but we’re not quite there yet. I’m still checking into the current behavior and will get back to you when I know more.
Attribution by email addresses won’t work for VSS. As stupid at Clueless@AOL.com might seem to be, BrokerBroken@PeonsRUsRealty.com is even worse. It stays with the broker when the agent moves on.
March 19, 2008 — 10:11 am
Michael Wurzer says:
Greg, you are mixing two separate issues. Syndication is a decision of the listing broker about where to promote their listings. Your link to the post about branding in the MLS remarks field involves the promotion of listings by those other than the listing broker. The difference here is similar to your comments policy, which focuses on what others can do “in your house”. In the latter case involving promotion by one agent of another’s listings (e.g., IDX or MLS e-mails or client gateways), the “house” is the person promoting the listings on their own site or under their brand, where they logically would not want to promote the listing broker.
In contrast, for MLS and other listing portals (e.g., HAR.com, MLSLI.com, MLSlistings.com, etc.), the “house” is the listing broker’s (or at least they are renting space there) and so the listings are branded to them. This compromise is one of many struck to maintain cooperation among competitors. Perhaps I am being deceived as you suggest, but I fail to see how this cooperation is fraud or a cartel.
March 19, 2008 — 10:16 am
Dave Phillips says:
Greg, I have to agree with much of what Michael W is saying. Many MLS’s are outdated and have failed to find a meaning in this changing business we call real estate. MLSPIN is following one model – collect data and help brokers spread it around anywhere possible in a cost effective manner.
The old school collect and display model is also a viable model. In this model, the MLS collects the data and serves the broker/agent’s needs for public Internet display of listing data. I actually like like this model better and that’s probably why I’m not on Zillow’s Christmas card list. While I could care less if Zillow has the local MLS data and could even argue that the more exposure a listing gets the better, there is a negative side for agents when you send data to multiple aggregators. The negative is that such distribution REQUIRES agents to pay to play on one more site. To compete, an agent must pay to upgrade their image on every site that the MLS data goes to. So that means that an agent has to pay the local MLS to collect it, then pay REALTOR.com, Zillow, Trulia, etc. to gain a strategic marketing advantage.
Okay, that may separate the men from the boys and the gals from the girls, but is that an efficiant marketplace? Locally, we only send all MLS data to REALTOR.com. We’ve looked at sending to other sites, but my Board always answers that doing so would just create another place for them to have to pay for leads. 35% of the local real estate shoppers in Charlottesville use our local site (which has featured on-line listings since 1993). The next closest competitor is Google at 13%. REALTOR.com, Zillow and Trulia do not even show up in the survey.
Greg, I am confused about your cartel mindset for MLS’s. I need to read up on your views before I comment. Seems a bit harsh based on our local MLS, but I’ll reserve judgement until I do the research.
March 19, 2008 — 11:19 am
Jason Doyle says:
Homes.com has had the exact same partnership with MLSPIN for many years. Per Matt Lavalee’s (MLSPIN) post, they provide the broker the option to syndicate to 50 others so I’m not sure how news worthy this is. But it’s Zillow so go figure.
March 19, 2008 — 11:36 am
David G from Zillow.com says:
Dave –
There’s no charge for listing agents to play on Zillow. Also, all leads received as a result of posting your listings on Zillow are yours – at no charge. Please point this out to your Board when next the topic comes up.
The two models you mention are complimentary, not competitive. The MLS’s that create the most value for their members will be the ones like MLSPIN that adopt both strategies.
March 19, 2008 — 11:48 am
Dave Phillips says:
I must apologize to the Hounds and others about incorrect statistics I posted in my comment above. I was too quick to rely on my memory before spewing off some facts about web traffic in Charlottesville.
Here’s what I said…
“35% of the local real estate shoppers in Charlottesville use our local site (which has featured on-line listings since 1993). The next closest competitor is Google at 13%. REALTOR.com, Zillow and Trulia do not even show up in the survey.”
Here’s the correct facts (which only vaguely resemble what I posted):
55% of the 500 folks who responded to a phone survey of random people in Charlottesville reported that they had searched for real estate on our local web site CAAR.com. 45% used Google or some other search engine and 34% had used REALTOR.com.
The survey was conducted in Sept 06, so we did not even ask about Trulia, Zillow and others. I apologize to you guys as well for my misspeak.
March 19, 2008 — 2:00 pm
Thomas Johnson says:
Hoo boy- Watermarking Zestifarm photos just became essential. Now I gotta figure out how to do it!
March 20, 2008 — 9:08 am