Brokers pulling listings
We reported last week that San Diego-based Abbot Realty Group (ARG) President and Managing Broker, Jim Abbott released a video on YouTube explaining why their brokerage will no longer permit third party syndication sites like Trulia, Realtor.com and Zillow to syndicate their listings, but will continue to syndicate company listings to their local MLS, Sandicor. ARG’s announcement is the latest in a string of similar developments.
Last fall, AGBeat broke the story that 75 big brokers were rumored to be considering refusal of syndication of their listings, suspecting that others would also follow. ARG’s plea for industry professionals to consider their own syndication and for buyers and sellers to do their homework is a more tangible, public-facing and viral proclamation than other brokers have delivered to date.
Additionally, Milwaukee brokerage Shorewest pulled their real estate listings from syndication last fall. WAV Group Partner, Victor Lund told AGBeat, “As you can see by the graph – Shorewest is the #1 website in their market, and they do not syndicate – proving that brokers and agents do not need to syndicate to drive traffic and leads on their listings. In fact, this may argue that the opposite is true – if you do not syndicate, you provide consumers with an incentive to visit your broker or agent website to find the cheeze. In this case, the cheeze is listing accuracy, comprehensive listing inventory, and most of all, the service of a real estate professional.”
Regarding brokers pulling listings from syndication, Trulia’s company spokesperson, Ken Shuman told AGBeat, “The accessibility of open and accurate listing information benefits everyone in the home buying and selling process–consumers, agents and brokers. We know that Trulia has a transaction-ready consumer audience and we are confident that brokers and agents who syndicate their listings to Trulia have a greater opportunity to meet new clients and close more transactions.”
Open letter:
In a video exclusive to AGBeat, Fred Glick, real estate broker/owner, mortgage broker and co-inventor of RentScoper.com offers his detailed analysis of ARG’s video announcement of their removing listings from third party syndication sites. Glick weighs in with exasperated counterpoints to ARG’s reasons for leaving, including his questioning of the exiting brokers’ motives.
Editorial (op/ed) commentary are the author’s personal opinions only, and not necessarily those of other AG columnists or this publication.
