Placester is announcing a new pricing structure today, which they say “takes aim at Zillow,” a claim which is not only bold, but rarely put in print. Many brands launch features to take on larger brands, but simply allude to it quietly behind closed doors. Not Placester.
Agents can now launch fully featured websites for only $10 a month, previously $45 per month. They call themselves the “most affordable website product in the industry.”
Matt Barba, Placester CEO, said in a statement, “This new pricing model represents a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to give every real estate professional a presence online. Placester’s suite of websites and marketing tools is challenging the real estate technology model of national sites like Zillow. Big real estate portals have thrust themselves between agents and brokers and the consumers they’re trying to reach.”
Again, bold statements from the tech startup.
“While this trend has made the technology of online search more convenient,” Barba adds, “it has also hurt real estate professionals’ ability to build direct relationships with consumers.” He asserts that a personal connection remains critical to the transaction, and believes the first step is for agents and brokers to have their own sites to make that direct connection.
The race to meet the consumer where they shop
Because the most recent data from the National Association of Realtors indicates that even more consumers find their home and agent online, it is a free-for-all to be the first to meet consumers as they hop online.
Placester continues pounding the drum of doing their part to get every agent online, beginning with their push for nationwide IDX coverage. The company now supports IDX search and data for over 95 percent of MLSs in the U.S., representing nearly one million agents. They say that with the new pricing, they’re addressing another obstacle for real estate pros: the high cost of doing business online.
Barba concludes, “If having a great website is a given, then affording a great website should be too. We strongly believe this is what it should cost to build and run a quality real estate website. Anyone charging more doesn’t have the best interests of real estate agents in mind.” Whoa.
