Realtors must be insane. We’re constantly abused by the public, the government and the business community and we continue on our way, write another check and sell another property.
Here’s the belief. Everyone in the world (except for realtors) think that Realtors are mega wealthy icons that can afford to pay out to everyone who has their hand out so that we can stay in business, working 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Right now, whether you realize it or not, our industry is more and more becoming an industry of high technology. You’ve seen the numbers. Almost everyone who buys a home starts their search on the world wide web and where are they searching? Trulia, homes.com, Realtor.com, Frontdoor, and on and on and on.
Where do these websites get their data? From me. From you. We are the reason they even have any data to post on the websites.
Here’s what happens; We work several years in the business eating peanut butter and jelly for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then we finally get a return call from a seller after weeks and weeks of door knocking, canvassing, telemarketing, mail outs, emails, social posts and on and on. We spend hours and hours putting together the perfect listing presentation. Spend thousands on high tech devices to do our presentation, put together a listing packet, try to determine a market value by doing a high stress CMA that the seller may shoot you for insulting the value of his castle, make an appointment, rearrange your schedule, drive across town, do your presentation without making an ass out yourself, convince the seller that he is not being realistic, fill out papers for 3 hours, and finally you get the listing.
Now the work begins. We get out our $1,000 camera, our digital measuring device, and give the house a once over. Collect surveys, tax documents and other important paperwork, upload pictures, add the data to the MLS, add it to our company website, scan the documents, upload the documents, make a virtual tour, put the sign together, put up the sign, add the text rider, add the info to the text rider website, and then breathe.
Here’s what Trulia, Zillow, Homes.com, Realtor.com, frontdoor, oodle, Yahoo Real Estate and the other guys do to get a new listing. Ready? Pay attention, you may miss this. Click. That’s it.
Whether you realize it or not, these guys are taking the data that you put in the MLS, using it FOR FREE, competing with you for search engine placement and then SELLING THE LEAD CREATED BY YOUR LISTING BACK TO YOU.
Are we stupid? We must be. Our own NAR is doing to us and we pay dues to them (that have recently gone up).
All I’ve got to say is “what’s up with that?”
We NEED to unite on this issue and say “no more free data”. The data was entered into the MLS by MY hard work and therefore it is MY data.
I will gladly sell it to you (Mr. Multi-national conglomerate) for say… $500 per listing.
Whaddaya say? You in?
http://www.leethomas.net
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