Brokers can better control their marketing choices
ListHub, a Move, Inc. company, provides Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and real estate brokers and agents with a listing syndication platform. Today, the company gave AGBeat an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming launch of new controls for their 43,000 broker users regarding where they syndicate their listings and what marketing choices they make.
Through the ListHub dashboard, brokers have been able to opt in or opt out of syndicating to particular real estate search sites, and recently, the company added a scorecard to each syndicator so that brokers can educate themselves on what exactly each site offers, their terms of service, and the like, and today, ListHub has added filtering through their system. Now, brokers can choose to syndicate based on filtered parameters based on how each site uses data or what practices they adhere to.
Current filters set for brokers
Brokers can query based on that criteria, so they can opt in or out of each real estate search site if, for example, a site does not display broker contact information or whether they provide metrics or not. The options include:
- No Re-Syndication
- Posts Redirect Link
- Provides Error Reports
- Provides Metrics
- Real Estate Network
- Shows Broker Contact Info
- Timely Listing Removal
- MLS Preferred
The company tells AGBeat that the list of filters will grow over time, based on feedback and demand. ListHub will also be soliciting broker ratings of each real estate search site and offering ratings and comments based on a five star system, featured next to each syndication option. All data can be sorted based on their score, which because the system is new, has few reviews, but ListHub anticipates this will grow so brokers can add their subjective thoughts on the matter.
For each real estate search site, brokers can drill down into very specific data presented by ListHub, viewing everything from response time to exact terms of use. For companies like Zillow that offer an “extended network,” there is also a frequently updated list of where all of the listing data from their company appears on other sites like local papers or other websites (note: data never leaves a real estate search site’s databases, but is framed in a search page elsewhere, as the search is “powered by” a company like Realtor.com, typically in a widget).
Brokers don’t have to keep up with hundreds of changes
If a broker decides they only want to syndicate under certain conditions, they are not required to keep up with the changes at each real estate site, rather ListHub does that and will automatically add or subtract sites from the list of where brokers syndicate based on the rules the broker has set (like “do not syndicate to any site that does not show broker contact information”), and notifies the broker of the changes. This is a tremendous advantage for brokers concerned with the minutia of real estate search site updates, which are quite complex.
Otherwise, if a broker has manually selected a real estate search site to syndicate to, rather than opting in or out of one rule, ListHub notifies the broker but does not flip any switches.
Agents and MLSs
Agents are also able to log into the ListHub dashboard and review the wealth of data on these real estate search sites and their scorecards, but only brokers can make any alterations to where their data is syndicated. This could change in the future, as it appears possible that one day, this option system could apply to each individual listing rather than a broker’s entire data feed.
Additionally, MLSs are now able to log in, as opposed to just getting monthly reports, and each MLS can now mark real estate search sites as preferred. ListHub notes that the demand and response for this feature has varied wildly, as some MLSs cannot imagine marking anything as preferred, while others have reviewed the practices of all of the search sites through legal review and wish to allow their brokers to filter based on their recommendation, and are willing to do so.
The new features will roll out to all ListHub users in the next 24 hours (and Georgia later this week), and are already live in five beta markets. ListHub tells AGBeat that they wish to offer flexibility with listing data, be a point of research, and offer transparency about data distribution so brokers can better evaluate their marketing choices.
Matt Thomson
April 23, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Wouldn’t it be nice if the NWMLS in the Seattle area would see this value and allow ListHub access?
Tina Fine
May 3, 2012 at 3:30 pm
I think list hub giving control over the data back to the broker/agent is good, but not far enough. The “lister” / seller should have control over what information hits the web, even how it is displayed on all third party sites. Ultimately, home owners should be able to get a report of wherever their home is advertised and have the ability to take data down if they choose. Someone should create a GLOBAL HOUSE TAG, that follows all listing data, and can be found and deleted by the request of the seller or broker/agent.