Since Allan Dalton of Realtor.com chastised Zillow, there has been a flurry of posts and comments about how Realtor.com may not be serving NAR members effectively.
Here are 10 of the top complaints we found:
- Not a consumer friendly site. Listings lack details and contact information
- Lead Capture - requiring consumers to submit personal information
- Charging extra for enhanced listings
- Charging extra for leads
- Charging extra for featured listings
- Charging extra for virtual tours
- Sponsored links divert traffic away from member listings
- Banner ads distract consumers
- Ineffective Search
- Lack of member trust in a for-profit website
Related Posts:
Realtor.com to Lose More Listings - Greg Tracy - BlueRoof Blog
Realtor.com: An Advertising Model for Realtors - Pat Kitano - Transparent RE
Search Columbus - Maureen McCabe - Columbus Best Blog
Realtor.com takes a step closer to Trulia - Galen Ward - Rain City Guide
Realtor.com vs. Zillow: Realtor’s Allan Dalton calls Zillow Carnival Act - Sellsius° - Active Rain
NWMLS to Pull Feed from Realtor.com - Marlow Harris - 360°
Realtor.com Banner…A good move? - Jennifer Giraldi - Active Rain
Online Searches Fun But Too Few Details - Greg Swan - Bloodhound Realty
NWMLS to Suspend feed to Realtor.com - Ben Kakimoto - Active Rain
Agents Concerned About Lead Redirection on Realtor.com - Blanche Evans - Realty Times
Am I missing Something Here? - Christine Forgione - NY Houses 4 Sale
Update:
Realtors or Service Providers? The Debate Continues - Maria Patterson - Ris Media
Realtor.com…Game Over? - Steve Hurley - Open House
To me Realtor.com is a vendor like any other. I have never paid for any of the enhancements, upgrades etc. I have heard from most that do pay for enhancements, upgrades etc. that they do not see a return on the investment. I reserve the right to resent Realtor.com just as I resent all the other vendors who say to us “buy this” and the consumers will flock to you, everyone will see your listings, everyone will beg to work with you… if you just pay us $x for our site, enhancement, service. ”
I think the Realtor.com site is very busy and unappealing.
I think most consumers today can Google (or use another search engine) to find better local sites in my market. I believe that must be true in other markets. I don’t see why a nationwide search of real estate is important. Maybe it was earlier…before IDX. I would imagine there are companies other than those in NWMLS that believe it is better to lure the buyers to their own site than Realtor.com
Realtor.com might not be providing the best services to the realtors who work with them. Zillow might not be embracing the real estate industry like it should.
However, the fact that we’re having a conversation about web-based technology is really where the it’s at. This is a time of change for service providers and real estate professionals alike. The shake out over the next couple years will be big.
I think we all can agree there is no perfect site or model, yet. The question we would like answered is what is best for consumers, a national centralized real estate site (realtor, zillow) or decentralized regional (NWMLS) or local sites (broker or franchise sites). Would this answer be the same for real estate brokers and agents?
I am 100% aggree they are not improving a lot. If they continue to do same then I will say soon they will be history and google base which is going to be based social media advertising.
Realtor.com is an extension of NAR and so it should be an extension of my business as a real estate broker.
I have no complaint that my listings are on Realtor.com (I also want my listings to be marketed as much as possible)- my complaint is that they use the site to suck money from the agents who supply them their data, ala MLS- and leverage their position as NAR’s official website (with all of it’s MLS licensing agreements) to strong-arm agents and brokers to pay money to have their properties “featured”, or suffer the consequence of having your listing sit without an address, multiple photos (and the site basically directs people to ONLY search for homes with multiple photos), or most importantly, the direct contact information for the listing agent.
If I am paying for the existence of an organization I expect that organization to serve me, not continually find new ways to charge me more to use the data I provide them.
My clients, along with your clients want to be featured on the #1 real estate website.
Oh, but it became the #1 website because of it’s relationship to NAR and it was funded, unwillingly, in part by me, who is now in the uncomfortable position of either paying for the ugraded account or explaining to my sellers why their property doesn’t have multiple photos, etc. on the #1 website.
Bottom line is- Realtor.com should be in existance to market my listings next to your listings and every other listing by a paying member without cost or obligation. And it certainly shouldn’t be so pretentious as to claim to be the public arm of NAR and bally-hoo the fact that it is the #1 real estate site because of that relationship while hiding the fact that it doesn’t give a shit about the consumer having a relevant and complete home search.
Realtor.com should be built for the benefit of it’s members and serve the needs of it’s members and their clients, but it does not. It serves it’s own financial needs and deceives the public and everyone else toward those financial gains.
I don’t even smoke, but somehow I feel like a smoke…
You left one out of your 10, I know that would make it 11 they have an agreement with Coldwell Banker and all Coldwell Banker listings are enhanced listings, the agents don’t have to pay for this.
Honestly to me the success of Realtor.com prooves that is is not about the content, it is about the domain name.
Aloha,
Personal experience of having a featured homes site for 1 year was next to no feeds. Also spoke in person to Allan Dalton at our local Realtor Expo regarding concern in the lack of response to our listings and his response was that we needed to move on to the next listing??? Sounded more like a car salesman than a savy Realtor.
Realtor.com is not the #1 real estate website - it is actually #3.
Have hugely diversified my marketing $ after wasting my efforts focusing on Realtor.com.
This is a GREAT idea, thank you for posting these Top 10 Complaints. I’ve read and heard agents complaining, but it’s nice to see the complaints on a list and then the added benefit of reading these valuable comments, especially Greg Tracy’s.