I think we should start a list of moving companies to warn people about. These are the companies that get your contact number from the MLS, meaning there are obtaining it illegally. I would like to find out who is selling this information and put an end to it. You have to balance unwanted solicitation with actual business related calls. How do you set up showings and not get calls from moving companies?
I think we should take a clue from other markets. They have set up a central calling service that schedules all showings. You put in there phone number and the showing agent can schedule the showing with them. I am willing to bet that they do not have the same problem with solicitations that we have.
Anyone in Washington willing to set up a company for that purpose?
I advise all my listing clients that they are not to schedule an appointment with a moving or security company that calls them right after their transaction is entered. It is a shame that we have to even warn about those things.
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Donna Homes, powered by JPAR - TexasRealEstateMediationServices.com - Austin, TX
Realtor,Mediator,Ombudsman,Property Tax Arbitrator
How is it illegal? It's public information when the house goes up for sales. I, as an agent, do not receive soliciting calls, but every listing in the MLS gets some type of mailing from a moving company as they have systems that download the new listings everyday, just like when you target Expired listings. There's nothing illegal about it. I actually used one of those companies when I moved last year as I got their postcard in the mail.
Oct 16, 2006 07:18 AM
Champions Real Estate Services - Lake Forest Park, WA
Donna-
The phone number listed on the listing is not public information. It is information for licensed real estate professionals only. It is true that others can see the listing when it is posted, but the phone number is not one of the fields that is shown to the publc. What is happening is a real estate agent is selling this information to the moving company.
For instance, my most recent listing, I put on her cell phone and the address is new construction and does not show up on anyone's records (not even the tax records). So how could a company use public information (address is the only information that could be used for identification on the public access system) to get her cell phone number? They don't even get a name of the owner and there is no system that has the information about the address to get a name or to look up the phone number of the house.
If they did a mailing then that is different. That is public information, but in this case unless they knocked on the door and asked who the owner was, they would have to address it to Resident.
If you want to see for yourself, here is the site and info needed to find the listing.... www.nwrealestate.com, King County and then Condo and enter ID 26158047. In this case why would a company go to such lengths to find the cell phone number of a person when they could just send out a mailing to all the area residents for less than it would cost for the employee to do the research? I think it prooves that the information is being sold to the companies instead of them getting it from public sources.
This may be different in Dallas, but when I purchased homes in San Antonio, I did not get an owner's phone number from the public printouts, so how would a non-member get that information other than buying it from a member?
Oct 16, 2006 02:06 PM
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