Realtors: Unite against data giveaways
Letter to the Editor
By Inman News, Thursday, December 17, 2009.Re: 'Chasing opportunity in downturn' (Dec. 17)
Dear Editor:
Teresa Boardman's comments about the tragic giveaway of intellectual property is spot-on. As a member of the board of our regional multiple listing service in San Diego, I have been demanding that at the very least we copy-protect this data, but to no avail.
Everyone makes money on our data except us. It's a joke and a very bad one. Realtors unite! Stop paying operations like Realtor.com to display what you own!
Jim Abbott
Abbott Realty Group
San Diego, Calif.
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Submitted by Kathleen Buckley on December 17, 2009 - 3:48pm.
Kathleen Buckley
Broker-Owner
STAR REALTY Hopkinton
@kvbuckley
How about we stop paying MLS and let Google pay us to index our listings?
Submitted by Don Stewart on December 18, 2009 - 5:33am.
Agents charging for access to listings data is never going to happen in my opinion. I agree that it is more then annoying to think that you need to pay others to post your listings so they can attract eyeballs.
It would be very easy for google to index all of the listings in the country and become the new and improved realtor.com - I think that this is likely to happen in any case.
Keep in mind all this data originates with the consumer - it is their information. It would not take much for consumers to submit their own information to google in a consistent format without much help from an agent. Then the listing data would be free to all consumers and all agents.
Submitted by robert klein on December 18, 2009 - 8:25am.
This is a much larger issue for realtors than simply listings (which granted is significant). All realtors are at the mercy and whim of their brokers and the system.
We are one of the only groups of working people categorized as Non-Statutory Employees by the federal government. No access to health insurance, unemployment benefits, disability, ovetime laws, categorized as Independent Contractors which requires us to pay our own social security and other taxes (IC's pay the most in taxes compared to all other categories of workers); we don't have ownership over our work product, which can be removed from us at any time by the broker and given to another agent (with no compensation), or used by others fo profit with again no compensation towards us.
We need to change our status with the government to begin the process of having basic employee rights and protections. We are professionals and should have the basic rights of workers.
Submitted by John Owen on December 18, 2009 - 9:07am.
John Owen
Robert, what is it you want? Professional and employee status are not really the same thing. Frankly, I would never want the level of control that is implied in an employee relationship. If your broker treats you as you describe, you need to seek another who respects the fact you are an independent business. They are out there; just find one.
Submitted by Jim Haisler on December 18, 2009 - 1:19pm.
Agents who believe that all they do is market property should re-evaluate themselves. That is the last thing on the list of justifying your commission, in my opinion. What's all the fuss about where consumers get the data? Most consumers will always demand to see a property before they buy it. This isn't a stock or CD, it's where they live, invite their friends and raise their children - it's personal. The home buying and selling process is becoming more and more complex and professionals are needed to help the novice through the process. Data is such a small part of it.
Submitted by Don Stewart on December 18, 2009 - 1:29pm.
Robert, John - I think that you need to make sure that your business does not rely on any broker - you need to be able to move your business if you need to. Consumers know that the value is in the individual agent, not in the agents' broker, franchise or other affiliation. I think agents need to band together online to attract consumers. Listings will be available free anywhere (everywhere?) - knowing how and where to find a known good agent will always be much more valuable to a consumer - we just need to give them an easy way to find a great agent and reach out to us online.
Submitted by Albert Clark on December 20, 2009 - 4:34am.
Don, I am reading this as I put my plans together for 2010. I help agents differentiate their service level-not by just having data but by being an advocate for their clients and prospects. 70% of an agent's future revenue is from referrals and past biz relationships. Why do only 11% of consumers use the same agent for another transaction? There is a lot of lost potential if agents are not easily found or Top Of Mind with their database when a real estate topic comes up. For many years I have pontificated to Realtors that 95% of everyone they know is NOT on their website.. no need to be! Its all about Relationships and insulating them from the competition. When the time is right.. they will be there
Have a nice Holiday season everyone!
Albert Clark
Home Actions Relationship Platform
Scranton, PA
570 510 3507
aclark@homeactions.net
Submitted by Key Yessaad on December 20, 2009 - 10:07am.
There is a fear that hording the data, charging for it, or even banning it from the internet would make MLS Boards irrelevant - Many Services like Realtor.com, Trulia, and Google Base are so entrenched they will continue to attract Real Estate Agents for the simple proposition that "Consumers want to start they Buying Experience on the Internet." Real Estate Professionals must offer Local market Expertise that transcends the mere data - and many do and are succeeding.
Key Yessaad - Web Trainer
Real Estate Web Trainer
www.RealEstateWebTrainer.com
Submitted by Frank LLosa on December 20, 2009 - 8:44pm.
Sorry but "DATA" is not copyrightable.
Frank
Submitted by Lexie Pay` on December 21, 2009 - 8:59pm.
If you don't want to get things caught up with regard to your own properties make sure you have a copyright and guided by the law.It's absurd posting your ideas and concepts on internet because it is really possible that this things can happen and worst things may come.For instance, homeowners experienced the foreclosure of their primary residence, a lot of foreclosures were residential, but not primary residences – they were rental properties. Can you imagine renters all of a sudden finding their landlord had defaulted, and they had to find a new home?Its the same as not securing your own properties, So, If I were you, think of the possibilities that may come, because if someone takes advantage of the situation you can never get it back.
Submitted by Susie Blackmon on January 8, 2010 - 6:35am.
Oh I just love it. Times they are a'changing! Go Google.
Susie Blackmon
http://www.google.com/profiles/Susie28751#about
Submitted by Allen Quinn on January 8, 2010 - 10:36am.
Spot on.
I am all for the sharing of information, and making it publicly available, but why are we the ones being punished for it while companies like trulia and realtor.com reap the rewards, then, with a grin on their faces try and sell back to us.... Double dippers. Let's hope google brings real estate to the US soon, seems like Australia is having good luck with it so far!
Allen Quinn
REALTOR®, e-PRO®
Submitted by Ashley Covington on January 13, 2010 - 8:38am.
Transparency is best for everyone. Keeping the data private is one thing but then charging for it is another. I am against someone making a profit from the information.
In reply to Jim above, it is very very important where consumers get their information. Realtors who have embraced the internet and have spent thousands of dollars and hours to relay pertinent facts to the public deserve to be compensated.
Submitted by Justin Britt on January 14, 2010 - 8:48pm.
Aloha Jim,
Whose making money off of your MLS listing information? Your not paying Realtor.com to display your listings. They do that for free. You're paying them to give preferential treatment to your listings which puts your seller's property in front of more people. This is not an obligation but a form of advertising.
Placing your listing in front of as many eyeballs as you can is your obligation as an agent to your seller. Privatizing MLS data goes completely against this.
Jim, you need to think about what's in the best interests of your client...the seller. This is an obligation you agreed to when you became a real estate agent. How easily you've forgotten that.
--
Justin Britt
Head-Web-Head
Hawaii Life Real Estate Services, LLC
www.HawaiiLife.com
www.RealAppy.com
Submitted by James Kamron on January 19, 2010 - 5:52pm.
Listings will be available free anywhere- knowing how and where to find a known good agent will always be much more valuable to a consumer - we just need to give them an easy way to find a great agent and reach out to us online.
Orijen Dog Food
Submitted by Michael Stuart on January 23, 2010 - 10:53am.
This is the most important issue for the Realtor community and the survival of local real estate agents.
If you give away one of your primary assets with nearly no return, you loose.
There is no longer any need to freely distribute listing content. Google can easily identify by local area the Realtor sites that contain the MLS data for that area. All links to the property data detailed information should arrive at a participating member of the local MLS.
There should be no other way to see the details, but at a local Realtor site, who has the ability to answer questions about other aspects of the area and properties.
The Realtor organization and local MLS should be providing the leadership and technologies to aggregate and analyze the MLS data - and therefore blow away any benefits of national aggregation.
National level features should be category like directories and high-level summary information that always lead to the local MLS systems.
Why are local Realtors paying dues and then paying for advertising and then paying for leads from so many different organizations and companies for their own data?
It should be the other way around. Once most of the local Realtors are put out of business, the rich source of content that national parasites are living off of will dry up. the local expertise vanish and the consumer left without the valuable information they need to make an informed decision - and will be back to having to visit the local areas and seek out expertise, the local Realtor's will once again become appreciated.
To avoid the pain of such a cycle, the national and local Realtor/MLS community should look at the issue from the value of the consumers and local agents. The two main ingredients for success in buying and selling real estate.
The technology and procedures to properly handle the MLS data is still in the hands of the Realtor community. Wise up and leverage it, instead of giving it away to the demise of both the consumer and local agents.
Submitted by Tasia Balding on January 23, 2010 - 1:32pm.
This is obviously an issue that is hotly debated.
For the other side of the opinion, read the manifesto put out by our founder, Riel Roussopoulos where he outlines why now is the perfect time for an open source MLS.
Access to relevant, real time data is what drives the digital economy, see why we belive that putting limits on that only limits the growth of the industry as a whole.
http://strataxl.com/blogs/internet_marketing/2010/1/23/the-argument-s-for-an-open-source-real-estate-listing-service/37849