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The Nasty Marriage of Realtor.com and Opcity

By
Real Estate Agent with Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker DRE #00697006

Why is that everybody thinks they can stick their hands into our pockets? There seems to be this big push for so-called "referrals." It is not that we don't like referrals because who doesn't like referrals? Genuine referrals. From a bonafide source, like an agent who is working with the client in another area. We are happy to give that agent a referral fee.

However, we can't survive in this business if we paid a referral fee on every single transction, or even half of our transactions. That's too big of a chunk of income to give away. It is especially bad if the referral is not really a referral, but instead some unknown person from the internet who might want to sell or buy a house. In that instance we are not paying a referral fee based on an existing relationship. We are paying for it based on SEO. It's not the same relationship. It's just a name and a phone number.

Then, into the mix of thieves and merry pranksers comes our very own Realtor.com and Opcity to begin charging for buyer inquiries on specific listings or for potential sellers who might want to sell. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Realtor.com and Opcity Sell Out Realtors Nationwide.

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Weintraub and Wallace Realtors

 

 

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Elizabeth Weintraub is co-partner of Weintraub & Wallace Team of Top Producing Realtors, an author, home buying expert at The Balance, a Land Park resident, and a veteran real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown, Carmichael and East Sacramento, as well as tract homes in Elk Grove, Natomas, Roseville and Lincoln. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put our combined 80 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold. DRE License # 00697006.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of RE/MAX Gold. Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice; it could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

Comments(17)

Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Realtor Top 1%  Really makes one wonder doesn't 

Mar 29, 2019 11:25 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Hi Elizabeth... "milking morons!" Couldn't have come up with a better description myself! Now, if all agents just stopped buying leads, these companies would be out of business.

Mar 29, 2019 11:45 AM
Anthony Acosta - ALLATLANTAcondos.com
Harry Norman, REALTORS® - Atlanta, GA
Associate Broker

Good afternoon 

Thank you for sharing your information with us and as I mentioned in another blog, I do not pay for leads from anyone.  I agree with Nina Hollander if all agents stopped buying leads, these companies would be out of business. 

Have a great day.

Friday March 29, 2019. 

Mar 29, 2019 11:53 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Elizabeth - quite the marriage, huh?  I guess you weren't invited to the ceremony. Hey wait, none of us were invited and I imagine if you were at the event you would be voicing opposition to this union.

Mar 29, 2019 03:53 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hannah Williams Yes, it does. If NAR had been on the ball way back when, none of this would be happening today. Imagine if Realtor.com was the premier website for property searches? But it is not.

Mar 29, 2019 04:49 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Nina Hollander I think most agents figure out that buying leads doesn't really work except for one entity where it does. But you need to be methodical and many agents don't tend to think with their brains.

Mar 29, 2019 04:50 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Anthony Acosta - ALLATLANTACONDOS.COM I do not know of any agent who has had success buying leads from Realtor.com, even now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 29, 2019 04:51 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

 Michael Jacobs I read in some instances Opcity is collecting 30% (perhaps they need to spread around the riches?).

Mar 29, 2019 04:52 PM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Increasingly, we have seen third party vendors enter into the real estate referral or lead generation arena.  And, rarely have I seen it benefit to the level they have promoted.  I remember one day, when a local builder had several of us sit around in a phone bank. We called numbers from a lead generation list the builder had purchased by one of those "great" companies.  What we found was the leads were incredibly stale.  Some "buyers" had purchased the year before, etc.  Out of about a dozen agents, phoning for several hours, only a half dozen productive leads existed!

Mar 29, 2019 06:50 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Elizabeth- not being an agent I can't speak from any front line knowledge. But from what I've read, there aren't a lot (if any) agents who have benefited from buying leads. 

Mar 29, 2019 08:56 PM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Realtor Top 1%  I am not fond of them sorry to say 

Mar 29, 2019 11:23 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Elizabeth, many people wonder who sold out the Realtor.com... when he was in charge... I know his name and I am sorry to see him still meddling in Real Estate... so in all fairness Realtor.com has nothing to do with Realtors... just sayin, Endre

Mar 29, 2019 11:52 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Myrl Jeffcoat And those cards were typed with a name, address and phone number, LOL. Smile and dial days.

Mar 30, 2019 09:17 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Kathy Streib Agents for the most part don't tend to analyze how they are seen on websites where they purchase leads. They spend money inappropriately. That's one of the reasons they don't get anywhere.

Mar 30, 2019 09:18 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hannah Williams I find many people feel that way about Realtor.com, most of all other REALTORS!

Mar 30, 2019 09:18 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Endre Barath, Jr. I hear ya, they just bought a domain name, that's all.

Mar 30, 2019 09:19 AM
Debra Leisek
Bay Realty,Inc Homer Alaska - Homer, AK

So Opcity is not a good thing?  I just got a call from them Just say No??

Oct 24, 2019 01:35 PM