WebHomeUSABlog

A National MLS: Who, Where, When and How?

Wednesday, 5/24/07, Yahoo announced its new and improved Home Values Section. The Section is a mash-up of data and information from Yahoo's partners and providers and takes Yahoo a big step closer to becoming the "Go-To Site" on the Web for Real Estate information.

Yahoo's new Home Values Section moves its association with Zillow another step toward a purchase.

Google, Yahoo and MSN don't have Local Search down yet. The battle for the minds and hearts of Local Searchers could well be won or lost with their search for a home, and their ease and ability to find the most relevant home data and information. Yahoo's dominance in this area could give it a leg up and puts it a click closer to Local Search dominance.

Besides providing Zillow's data and information, Yahoo adds information and data from 2 other noted Online Real Estate sources: Reply.com and eppraisal.com.That even satisfies your father, who told you to get 3 estimates. Why go anywhere else? And Yahoo even advertises, which gives it a distinct advantage over Google.

Yahoo now provides tax assessments, sales histories and neighborhood comparables. With this information, Yahoo may rest the role of Online Real Estate Spear-Catcher from Zillow.

I've thought in the past that Zillow would become "The Google of Real Estate",but with these moves Yahoo has positioned itself to become "The Google of Real Estate" and "The Walmart of Real Estate".

All this is happening while Move Inc, the NAR and Realtor.com is standing by watching.

As Alan Yassky of the NAR put it to Move Inc, operators of Realtor.com for the NAR, "The lions are here and they're eating our lunch".

In the past the NAR negotiated with Google to supply the search functions for Realtor.com. The NAR wanted to hide some of the listing data and include FSBO information. Both of these issues violated Googles' stated vision to: "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".

Google, Yahoo and Zillow are Web 2.0. We can either join them in the Web 2.0 Lion Hunt, or be eaten along the way to Real Estate 2.0.

Adapt Or Die!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Charge 6%

Football, Baseball, Basketball and now Realtor Baiting.

Bear Baiting is banned in most States, but  Realtor Baiting is alive and well.

They used to call Baseball, "America's Favorite Pastime". But Realtor Baiting or Realtor Bashing now surpasses Hockey as America's fourth favorite sport. There's a Realtor Basher behind every landscaping rock.

Donald Trump, arguably America's most famous Real Estate Agent, may not even get his show, The Apprentice, picked-up for next year. But the Democrats are still hoping "Flip This House" doesn't get picked-up for 2008.

The DOJ and the FTC seem to have nothing nice to say about our hiding our listing data.

Tony Soprano had an affair with his Real Estate Agent. I wonder when she took her last mandated Realtor Ethics Course? So much for being professionals like Doctors and Lawyers. I'm not filing a grievance on Julianna Margulies any time soon, though. And the DOJ seems to be closer to busting the NAR then Tony.

Where are our political buddies when we need them? Where are our friends in high places who gave us the Statutory Non-Employee, the deductibility of mortgage interest, and agent mandatory levels of service, when we could use some political cover?  Don't they know our direct mail costs just went up 2 cents a letter?

In Freakonomics, Realtors and the NAR are compared to the KKK, although somewhat favorably. I wonder what their yearly dues are? Do they have an MLS?

Freud had his 7% solution. Why can't we keep our 6% solution?

Now Sixty Minutes gives us hours of conversation. Leslie Stahl seemed to have no problem finding Internet Sales Models, Discount Sales Models and happy "Do-IT-Yourselfers". But they couldn't find an NAR spokesman or a Realtor with the right scripts. Where's Mike Ferry when we need him?

Got Scripts?

Adapt Or Die!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing

Zillow And The Other Hot New Start-Ups That Are Taking On Google

The May, 2007, issue of Inc Magazine features an article titled "The Hot New Start-Ups That Are Taking On Google".

Areas where Google is challenged:

• Technology: Natural Language Search: hakia.com and powerset.com
• People Powered: chacha.com and search.wikia.com
• Comeback Kids: yahoo.com, ask.com and live.com
• AdSense Assailants: contextweb.com and quigo.com
• Specializers: toptenwholesale.com, kayak.com and:

Our favorite Real Estate Vertical Search Engine, Zillow.com.

Google uses advanced algorithms and indexing technology to generate millions of results in seconds.

The good thing about Google is: it generates millions of results in fractions of seconds. The bad thing about Google is: it generates millions of results in fractions of seconds.

Business competition is based on being Cheaper, Faster, Better. Since Cheaper or Faster aren't possible with Google, you'd better be Better. Vertical Search, as in Real Estate (also Video Search, Blog Search and Social Networking) are areas where Google is still vulnerable.

Google has Google Base where a Realtor can post his listings for free. For some reason(s) Google hasn't pushed itself into the Real Estate Market.

Some years ago Google was in negotiations with the NAR to provide its Real Estate Search. But whether it was Google's tag line, "Don't Be Evil" or its stated vision to, "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful", that left a bad taste in its mouth, Google still hasn't actively pursued Real Estate Search.

Zillow's vision is to provide a free online value estimate for the over 83 Million residential properties in the United States.  Zillow now allows you to change and customize your home's listing and even list it for sale yourself. Realtors have the opportunity to post their bios and to even advertiseon all the homes listed in their Farm/ZipCode.

The US needs a National MLS:

• The Post Office has all the addresses.
• The Telephone Company has all the phone numbers.
• Pictometry will soon have all the pictures (at least in Canada).
• Zillow will have all the value estimates.

Google is a Media Company. They didn't understand it at first, but they do now. Google's business model is a media business model: Free Valuable Conent > Drive Traffic > Sell Advertising. Their revenue model is "Sell Advertising", not "Sell Houses".

If you haven't noticed, Zillow is a Media Company too. Zillow has yet to sell its first house. Zillow wants to be "The Google of Real Estate", not Real Estate's next RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker or whatever Cendant/Realogy is calling itself this week..

We should fear Zillow getting into Real Estate Sales, as much as we fear ABC, NBC, CBS, Google, USAToday (All media companies) getting into Real Estate Sales. Who'd want to be the next RE/MAX, USA Today or even CBS; when you can be the next Google?

Will a home buyer check Zillow first for a ballpark home value estimate in seconds, or call you for a CMA in hours? (I don't even call myself anymore.)

Zillow doesn't want our commission checks. Zillow just wants a part of our advertising budgets.

Adapt Or Die!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing

Business Models, Real Estate 2.0, Realtor.com and Zillow

If Google is dominating Web 2.0 Business Model, Free Features, MSN and Internet Traffic, will Zillow dominate Real Estate 2.0 Business Model, Free features, Realtor.com and Internet Real Estate Traffic?

Here's a few reasons why Zillow just might:

• A Value Estimate for Every Home: FREE
• A Potential Internet For Sale Listing for Every Home: FREE
• The Potential for a National MLS: FREE

DOMINANT INTERNET REAL ESTATE TRAFFIC: PRICELESS

(You also could say, "Beating Realtor.com at their own game: PRICELESS")

Adapt Or Die!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing

Google, MicroSoft, YouTube, DoubleClick, Zillow And The Value Of Traffic

In discussing the importance of Business Models, Web 2.0, Real Estate 2.0 and Internet Traffic; my friend, Tom Collins, and I came up with an interesting analysis of Google's recent purchases (With apologies to MasterCard) :

• 03/05; Urchin Search Analytics: $30 Million.
• 10/06; YouTube Video Search: $1.65 Billion.
• 04/07; DoubleClick Internet Ad Services: $3.1 Billion.
• DOMINANT INTERNET TRAFFIC... PRICELESS.

I guess you could say: "BEATING MICROSOFT... PRICELESS"

Adapt Or Die!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing