Did you see Amazon’s placeholder page for a new Real Estate Referral Service offering?  Don't worry, if you didn't see it you're not alone.  It was up and then quickly removed last week.  This move has Agents and Brokers (who saw the page or saw the reports) wondering what the online giant is up to, and while it might not be clear now there are a lot of theories out there.

Amazon listed the "Hire a Realtor" service under the “Home & Business Services” tab on the services page.  Those in favor of this move view it as a natural extension of other Amazon service offerings like home inspectors, interior designers and other home repair and installation specialists.  However, others see it as a direct challenge to existing companies in this space like Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin.  They point to the fall of Zillow’s stock by 4% on July 12th as evidence.

From what we (the My Buying Buddy team) know, the service offering would work like it does for other professional services on Amazon.  Agents, Realtors and Brokers would likely pay Amazon referral fees.  Additionally, an unnamed source said that an upfront fee would be required to qualify and receive leads through the professional services marketplace.  

As smart home tools become more pervasive in our lives, including Amazon’s Echo device, Amazon has not only offered services to its users through third parties but has also quietly entered the space itself.   It is speculated that the move into Real Estate Services could be a part of a broader push to create its own service-provider business.   Many of those same speculators are comparing this developing arm of Amazon's business to Best Buy’s “Geek Squad”.

As Amazon “disrupts” yet another industry, the predictions and rumors swirl.  However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Don't cue up the articles we typically reserve for Zillow, just yet.  Technology and online service provider marketplaces aren’t going anywhere, so this is not one more step towards “the end” but rather a continuation in the evolution of our industry.  Whichever way this news takes us, and wherever your leads come in from, we will be ready.  If you need help managing your leads now with a Real Estate ready IDX CRM, contact us.