It looks like MOVE, operators of Realtor.com have taken a stride that is not altogether different from the success that Zillow is garnering with their acquisition strategy. MOVE is doing their best to control the pipelines that deliver advertising to portals in the United States. MOVE already owns Listhub, the largest syndicator of listing content. Now they pick up their nearest competitor – Point2 – much in the same way that Zillow picked up Trulia. The biggest difference, beyond taking out a competitor, is that they will removing a layer of duplication of listing syndication. Spencer Rascoff of Zillow describes today’s listing syndication feeds as spaghetti. MOVE will now have a pretty good chance of cleaning up the problems.
Point2 is providing a single data point for CREA that amasses the country’s listings from every market. MOVE did not buy that. Point2 will also continue to manage all of the syndication for CREA. Point2 will also retain all of their syndication technology, Listhub is just getting the contracts in the US with MLSs, Associations, and publishers.
This acquisition is for US Listing Syndication Services Only. Point2 will continue to provide MLS Consumer facing websites, Point2 Agent Websites, Team Websites, Point2 Mobile, etc.
I tried to reach out to Saul Klein to chat with him about this, but he was not available. I imagine that his phone is on fire. Saul has been at the forefront of a project he called Contract Alignment – a process of using the listing syndication agreements between content providers and publishers to cure many of the ills of syndication. Knowing Saul, I doubt that he will drop the ball on this topic as a vocal supporter. He has a pretty untamable passion of this stuff. The saddest part is that he will no longer have a mechanism for getting in the middle to impact change. In other stunning news, Saul Klein and his partner John are no longer working with Point2 or Yardi effective September 1.
This may provide a boost to Nationstar’s Real Estate Digital division, or RED. RED has been making many inroads with their REDataVault product. MLSs and Brokers like to have choices when choosing products, and with another choice off the table, RED may find themselves getting more requests for their syndication services. Immobel, who offers both domestic and global listing syndication may also find that they get a boost from this acquisition.
Change is always good – and we congratulate both Yardi’s subsidiary, Point2 along with MOVE’s subsidiary Listhub on this transaction.
Press Release follows:
Move, Inc. Acquires Point2’s U.S. Listing Syndication Service
Combination with ListHub Creates a Single Data Platform to Streamline and Improve Industry’s Syndication and Data Protections
Sep 4, 2014
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Move, Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE), a leading provider of online real estate services, today announces the acquisition of the listing syndication arm of Point2, operated by Yardi Canada Ltd. ListHub, the nation’s foremost listing syndicator and provider of marketing analytics for the real estate industry, operated by Move, will assume Point2’s syndication relationships with 112 Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) in the United States representing more than 900,000 listings to offer the industry a streamlined and unified syndication platform. The combined network will remove duplication of listings currently served by both systems, and will now provide information from more than 600 data sources, and distribute approximately three million listings nationwide, or close to 85 percent of residential listings in the country.
The acquisition enables ListHub, as a single, trusted source for online listing syndication and reporting services, to deliver even greater value to MLSs, brokers and real estate publisher websites. Combining the two platforms will reduce listing duplication and data fragmentation, reduce online listing inaccuracy through ListHub’s rigorous requirements, and provide more accurate metrics and measurement of online marketing across numerous websites.
“This is a critical step toward our vision of a single industry platform to manage listing, agent, lead and other analytics information in a single platform, which is an important component for the largest brokerages and franchises that span multiple MLS markets,” said Luke Glass, executive vice president of industry platforms for Move. “Once the transition is completed, these listings will be protected under ListHub’s stringent terms that guide the responsible and fair exchange of value between content owners and publishers, while brokers will have a single point of control through their dashboard. This model offers significant advantages to the industry in improved online listing accuracy, a single platform for MLSs and their largest brokerages and franchise members, and streamlined service for the publishers who strive to serve the industry through marketing websites and other software solutions.”
ListHub’s data agreements with publisher participants ensure that the listing data provided by ListHub is used for consumer display only, is supported and removed in a timely manner, and meets high standards for broker and agent attribution. Point2 customers who transition to the ListHub platform will be provided with the same content protections.
MLSs new to the ListHub platform will benefit from ListHub’s comprehensive toolset, including protective terms for listing content, lead management controls, and reporting. With ListHub, broker members will continue to have full control over their syndication, with the ability to opt-in/opt-out of syndication or specific publisher websites in the ListHub network. The ListHub network offers broad online coverage, including exclusive access to Freddie Mac’s Homesteps.com, Fannie Mae’s HomePath.com, and both the Franchise and MLS Real Estate Network (REN), enabling brokers to advertise their listings on franchise and MLS websites. Additionally, ListHub’s MLS partners have the ability to redirect traffic to their own public websites and include the MLS public site traffic statistics in the ListHub reports to better quantify the value the MLS provides to members.
“ListHub was a pioneer in the early days of syndication, and today we continue to innovate and evolve to increase the return on investment that real estate professionals receive from third party publishers,” said Celeste Starchild, general manager for ListHub. “We have made a significant investment in our reporting platform by adding more metrics across more publishers, including mobile apps, and making strides in delivering the highest quality in real-time metrics analysis. 2014 has been a year of record growth, with an average of 800 new brokerage accounts per month, organic growth of 55 new MLSs, our recently announced relationship with Systems Engineering, Inc. (SEI) to serve its 130 MLS customers, and now, consolidation with Point2. Point2 customers will now have access to the gold standard in marketing analytics and IP protection for their content to help them drive more effective online marketing programs and reach more online consumers while ensuring control of their listing content.”
Point2 will continue to provide its signature real estate solutions including Point2 Agent, Point2 Homes, agent and MLS public websites, IDX tools, mobile applications, and additional tools to help real estate professionals be more productive and competitive.
“Both Point2 and ListHub serve brokers and agents by helping them to expand their digital presence online,” saidGordon Morrell, chief operating officer of Point2. “As the industry evolves, we want to stay focused on providing the top quality programs and services Point2 is known for throughout the United States and Canada. We believe that ListHub has shown leadership in syndication and contract alignment by ensuring that the agreements with publishers align with the intentions of the content owners, and moreover we believe it’s in the industry’s best interest to have a single, managed pipeline for feeding data to those websites. We are confident that this strategic shift lays the best framework for the future for Point2, ListHub, the industry and for our customers.”
While the acquisition has been completed, ListHub and Point2 will work collaboratively over the coming months to ensure a seamless transition for all customers. MLSs and Associations interested in ListHub can visit ListHub’swebsite or contact mls.info@listhub.com for a demo of the platform or to access additional training and education tools.
About ListHub
ListHub provides a platform to MLSs and real estate brokers to effectively manage every aspect of advertising listings online, including tools for making informed advertising choices, flexible options for routing consumer traffic and leads, and reporting for accurately measuring the results of their online marketing. Listing information is kept up-to-date to provide today’s homebuyers with the most accurate information available from MLSs.
About Point2
Founded in 1996, Point2 provides online marketing solutions for real estate agents worldwide and real estate organizations in North America. Point2’s full suite of easy tools delivers more traffic, more leads and more sales to agents and brokers in over 85 countries. Websites, IDX, syndication, prospecting utilities and more, the platform offers the complete real estate marketing package. Point2 also owns and operates the consumer real estate search portal, Point2 Homes. Point2 is a member of the Yardi® family of companies. For more information, visitPoint2.com.
About Move, Inc.
Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), a leading provider of online real estate services, operates realtor.com®, which connects people to the essential, accurate information needed to identify their perfect home and to the REALTORS® whose expertise guides consumers through buying and selling. As the official website for the National Association of REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers to make smart home buying, selling and renting decisions by leveraging its direct, real-time connections with more than 800 multiple listing services (MLS) via all types of computers, tablets and smart telephones. Realtor.com® is where home happens. Move’s network of websites provides consumers a wealth of innovative tools and accurate information including Doorsteps®, HomeInsightSM, SocialBiosSM, Moving.com™, SeniorHousingNetSM, homefairSM and Relocation.com. Move supports real estate agents and brokerages by providing many services to grow their businesses, including ListHub™, the nation’s leading listing syndicator and centralized intelligence platform for the real estate industry; TigerLead®;Top Producer® Systems; and FiveStreetSM; as well as many free services. Move is based in the heart of the Silicon Valley — San Jose, CA.
REALTOR® and REALTOR.COM® are trademarks of the National Association of REALTORS® and are used with its permission. These and all other trademarks used in this work are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management’s view of Move’s future expectations, plans and prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of Move, its subsidiaries, divisions and concepts to be materially different from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risk factors and others are included from time to time in documents Move files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Move’s future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Move cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Move expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Media Contact: Christie Farrell, Move, Inc. 408-558-7115 christie.farrell@move.com
SOURCE Move, Inc.
