MLS Insights Archives

ListHub’s API and Golden Ruler Report Helps a Broker

There are all kinds of reasons why a company wants analytics on the performance of their online marketing. Listhub provides this service to brokerages that use their syndication services. The fee for the service is typically just a few dollars per month per agent, but it will track where your listings appear online – for better or for worse. WAV Group has gained an appreciation for the reporting by reviewing MLS level reports that show a federated view of all listings syndicated in the market through Listhub. I will be using these reports in my upcoming talk at the Colorado [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:50-07:00October 5th, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights, Suveys and Research|Comments Off

WAV Group WEBINAR – eCommerce 101: It’s Not As Easy As It Looks!
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WAV Group WEBINAR – eCommerce 101: It’s Not As Easy As It Looks!

Main category, MLS Insights, Sales Advisory, Strategic Planning

WAV Group WEBINAR – eCommerce 101: It’s Not As Easy As It Looks!

Come join the partners of the WAV Group as they draw on their experiences in eCommerce to talk about ways to create new revenues for your organization. While I was at Fisher-Price, I launched the company’s first ever eCommerce program. Since then I have worked with several companies in many business sectors launching their own eCommerce programs. While the Fisher-Price is now one of the most profitable divisions of the company, it did not come without gaining a few bumps and bruises along the way. Bottomline – eCommerce is a LOT harder than it looks. WAV Group would like to [...]

By Marilyn Wilson|2018-05-03T21:24:50-07:00October 5th, 2012|Main category, MLS Insights, Sales Advisory, Strategic Planning|Comments Off

WAV Group Publishes Study Showing that Local Real Estate Brokerage Websites Offer the Most Complete, Accurate and Timely Information About Homes for Sale

October 3, 2012—The WAV Group today published the results of an independent study of 11 major markets that found local real estate brokerage websites give consumers the most complete, accurate and timely information about homes for sale. The study evaluated sites from three local brokerages with real estate agents who help consumers buy and sell homes, comparing listing search results to those found on two national portals, Trulia and Zillow, which operate almost exclusively online. In the markets analyzed, the study concluded: Local real estate brokerage sites display 100% of the agent-listed homes for sale compared to about 80% for [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:51-07:00October 3rd, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights, Press Releases, Reports|25 Comments

Update on Dot MLS Domains Association

There is some interesting news on the effort of a bundle of MLSs to procure the Internet Top Level Domain of MLS. But first, let me begin with a sidebar about Canada and trademark. In Canada, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) filed a trademark on the brand, MLS®. To avert a long winded discussion of the implications – think of it as a trademark that provides CREA with all of the rights that the REALTOR® trademark provides to the National Association of REALTORS®. It was a brilliant move that prohibits anyone from using the term MLS® in Canada. In [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:51-07:00October 2nd, 2012|Main category, MLS Insights|6 Comments

Leveraging Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics

I am a big fan of client servicing portals that leverage full MLS data rather than IDX data. The key here is that the consumer can see the full compliment of business intelligence powered by the MLS. Clearly, days on market, price changes over time, and recent sales history in the area are the fundamental elements of understanding listing price. Market Analytics are really helpful in informing predictions on what will happen in the near term for hyper local markets and hyper refined property attributes. If days on market for a 2 bedroom condominium in a building in San Francisco [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:51-07:00October 1st, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|5 Comments

Homes.com partners with newspapers

Following in the path of Homefinder, Trulia, and Zillow, the Nation's 4th largest portal - Homes.com has announced that they are seeking to partner with Newspapers to offer online property search. Moreover, they are offering this service to Newspapers for free, in line with others. The new twist is that Homes.com seeks to leverage the relationship that Newspapers have with advertisers to develop a sales channel for their other products. The announcement of the new strategy is coupled with the launch of their first newspaper partner. In this case, it is actually an announcement of a partnership with 50 newspapers [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00September 9th, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off

What is a participant

NAR published revised guidelines this year that outline the definition of a Participant in the MLS. It is a long description, so I will put it at the end. One key element is that the mere possession of a broker's license is not sufficient, the broker must actively endeavor to make or accept offers of cooperation and compensation with respect to properties of the type that are listed on the MLS. If you are an NAR affiliated MLS, you probably have already adopted this language and amended your rules and regulations. Some MLSs go further. They require the broker to take training. Some state [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00September 4th, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off

Move buys Tigerlead Solutions

Move, operators of Realtor.com, AOL Real Estate, and MSN Real Estate, Listhub, Top Producer, is growing through acquisition as they announce their purchase of Tigerlead. Presumably, Tigerlead will be alternative product with similar functionality to Top Producer. The company was purchased for $22 Million. The executives from TigerLead Solutions will be joining the Move management team, strengthening their already deep bench of experts who understand how to attract, convert, cultivate, and close online home buyers and sellers. Existing Tigerlead customers will benefit from MOVE's consumer traffic that will fill lead funnels. Here is the Move Buys Tigerlead press release. "Move has long [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00September 4th, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights, Press Releases|Comments Off

What’s Right for Me?
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What’s Right for Me?

Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation

What’s Right for Me?

A new era is born for MLSs delivering technology solutions to their subscribers: Tiered Pricing. What do I get from My MLS/Association? Service levels offered by MLSs across the nation vary widely. Some MLS offerings are as minimal as a base MLS system, rules enforcement, and a RETS server. No training or help desk (vendor does that); no tax system, just a core MLS. Minimum Service MLS: This is really not as minimum as it sounds. MLS systems today are feature rich and have many necessary features that come standard like: CMA; User defined Hot Sheet; Roster; Prospect Management & [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00August 29th, 2012|Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation|1 Comment

How the MLS ‘Language’ May Die
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How the MLS ‘Language’ May Die

MLS Insights

How the MLS ‘Language’ May Die

In many ways, the MLS is like a dictionary. They each contain the language of their respective communities – in a dictionary, these are words; in the context of the MLS, these are listings. The MLS and the dictionary each began as books and have been modernized and digitized to fit the online space. A dictionary does not tell a story, it is merely a set of words. In a similar way, the tools that are layered on top of MLS data give the agent the ability to verbalize data into meaning. The data does not have real meaning until [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00August 28th, 2012|MLS Insights|Comments Off

Annual WAV Group MLS Technology Survey – Get the Benefits!

WAV Group has always been passionate about research and helping our industry obtain data that assists professionals in making the right decisions for their organizations. We conduct numerous studies every year to that end and this September we will be fielding one of the most important studies we do, the annual WAV Group 2012 MLS Technology Survey. We started this survey in 2011 meaning 2012 will be the first year we are able to see how this critical data is trending and to see how our vendors are moving up or down in various rating areas. We would like every [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:53-07:00August 28th, 2012|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights, Our Services, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

MLS Photo Fail

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is a rather famous old adage that refers to the notion that an idea with complex meaning can be conveyed in a single image. It allows the viewer to experience large amounts of information in a moment, and in doing so - often have an emotional reaction. In real estate, photos are the most powerful and compelling elements of a listing - they are the essence of meaning. Many suggest that without the substance of a photo, you fundamentally do not have a listing. The notion dates back to the days of Aristotle, [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:54-07:00August 28th, 2012|Main category, MLS Insights|8 Comments