Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is laying the groundwork for its 2017 expansion into international markets. The company just announced its updated home-search platform optimized for international buyers and a listing-syndication program that displays properties on 70 real estate websites.
“Until now, global shoppers of U.S. real estate see only a portion of homes for sale in their searches of states, cities and postal ZIP codes,” said Gino Blefari, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, in a press release.
“When you register and search for U.S. real estate on our website, you see every property for sale in your search area, and then you can filter and sort those searches as you would on other sites. It’s a much more effective way to begin searches of homes in America.”
Search portal and property reports
On BHHS’s platform, international consumers can search for homes in any U.S. city or state served by BHHS and its franchisees.
Furthermore, consumers can view MLS data that includes pending and sold information and view “Inside Access” reports that include market information and property-price history.
According to BHHS, the reports are “generated by a variety of sources, including Collateral Analytics, which also supplies lenders and banks with its high-quality data and market information.”
Translations for 10 languages
The crown jewel of the site is its seamless translation into 10 languages at the click of a mouse.
Consumers can translate the full site into Chinese, French (European and Canadian), German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian and European) and Spanish (European and Latin American), and they can access converted currency and measurements.
The translation services are courtesy of the brokerage’s proprietary translation dictionary, which eliminates any lag time between when a property hits the MLS and when it’s available on the site.
Streamlined syndication
In addition to the home-search platform, BHHS launched a listing-syndication program that displays residential listings priced at $200,000 and above on 70 real estate websites serving 37 countries on five continents.
“A key priority in global expansion is to help our existing U.S. franchisees earn more business from beyond our borders,” said Peter Turtzo, senior vice president of international operations for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, in a press release.
“Our investment in these resources will help our network capture international client leads and generate transaction opportunities. These resources will also help our existing franchisees win more domestic listings, and recruit and retain more top sales professionals.”
