As the race to build a national MLS rages on, MLS Maps takes a shortcut to the problem and offers visitors links to local real estate web sites that provides free access to MLS listings which are displayed on local maps. As a result, at it’s launch, MLS Maps provides visitors with access to over 1.2 million real estate listings all searchable on local maps, and they expect to grow the number of listings to over 2 million by year end.
Working with agents who are using WolfNet Technologies MapTracks IDX search solution, MLS Maps is able to provide visitors with the best in map search technology, without having to invest heavily in IT development, which helps keep this an affordable marketing program for local agents who want to capture the lions share of people searching for a home on the internets.
Unlike many internet marketing sites which sells agents small geographic territories like zip codes, or single suburbs, MLS Maps allows agents to own entire metro areas for less than what a zip code might cost at some of the other sites.
Horst, founder of Agentopolis, a national directory of real estate agents, said MLS Maps benefits from a simple user interface and fast connections to homes for sale in most major metropolitan areas.
In addition to listings, MLS Maps also provides users with access to school information, city, county and federal statistical information for all 50 states as well as three different ways to get a home value.
This real estate blog represents the voice and thoughts of Agentopolis, A National directory of Real Estate Agents, real estate brokers and Realtors. Use Agentopolis to find a local real estate agent.
Showing posts with label mls search. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mls search. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
What's The Big Stink About Real Estate Commissions?
It kills me to see real estate agents or anyone else for that matter getting beat up about their compensation plan. All this talk about the commission structure being antiquated and in need of revision is insulting. All this talk about how the internet has changed the game and given the consumer more control over the process, hence agents should be charging less is intriguing but definitely requires closer review.
To say that ALL agents are worth the full commission would be a lie, but it is also a lie to say that every doctor, lawyer, or mortgage professional is worth their industries average fees. I don’t see this as an industry issue but more of an agent issue. The question isn’t whether or not real estate commission rate are too high, the question should be, “Where can I find an agent who is worth the money and how will I know?”
Listing agents
Good listing agents are worth their weight in Gold! I think it is far more difficult to be a great listing agent than a great buyers agent because, at least in today’s market, it is easier to find a home than to find a buyer. Above average listing agents need to be;
1. A marketing geniuses, both online and offline,
2. An expert in staging,
3. An expert in negotiating and
4. They need to be experts in the markets they serve so they can price the home correctly in order to balance the sellers financial and timeline needs.
The best testimonial a listing agent can get is, “They sold our house fast and at full price!”
Buyer’s agents
It costs money to deliver the best home search technology to their buyers. A good buyer’s agent, someone who is definitely worth the commission, must provide a buyer with at least these three components;
1. Access to technology to help the buyer find the right home, (idx broker reciprocity mls site)
2. Superior negotiating skills and
3. Superior knowledge of marketplace. (i.e. city, neighborhood, schools, etc)
The best testimonial a buyers agent can get is, “The found exactly the home we were looking for and got the sellers to drop the price!”
It is critical that every agent be able to answer the question, “What is my competitive advantage in the marketplace?” or “What do I do as a listing agent or buyer’s agent for my clients that totally justifies my compensation?” When you can answer this question in a way that is relevant to a home buyer or seller, compensation will never be an issue.
At the end of the day one of the best ways for any agent to prove their value in their market place is with agent recommendations/testimonials. I’ll be the first to admit that I hate asking for testimonials, even when I know I have exceeded expectations, so before anyone goes off on me about how this is an unfair measure of value because not every agent is comfortable asking for them, let it be known that I am not saying it is easy. Agentopolis tries to help address this concern by being online and making it easy for agents to simply email their past clients with a link and a simple request, versus having to call each one and ask. (Although the top agents tell me that this call for a testimonial is where they generate a number of their referrals)
Threats by Refin, Zillow and others to change the Realtor profession into that of a hourly wage factory worker makes great news stories but I for one don’t think it will create a wholesale change in the industry. The bottom line is that the internet is changing the way people buy and sell homes but the fact is that the Human Side of Real Estate is not going away anytime soon. People will continue to do business face to face with people they like and trust so my advice to consumers is find a great agent to help you buy or sell your next home and be glad you are only paying 6 or 7%.
One of the advantages to using a recommendation such as Agentopolis’s system is that because of the way we have set it up, only one recommendation is allowed per verified email. (see recommendation process) This prevents an agent from giving themselves 25 glowing reviews. Yes it’s true that every agent can give themselves at least one glowing review with their own email, but that is why we made each recommendation worth 1 point and rank order agents in total number of points. Any agent can get one glowing review from a client but only an experienced agent who consistently exceeds expectations can generate a larger number (see Agentopolis Top 100 Agents)
Real Estate Agent Income Numbers from NAR
Median income was $47,700 in 2006, down from $49,300 in 2004, which had also had declined from 2002. Members license as brokers earned a median of $73,700 last year, while sales agents earned $34,600. During the last two years, NAR membership increased 23.2 percent.
Realtors® in the business for two years or less earned a median of $15,300, while those with three to five years of experience earned $44,200. For six to 15 years, the median was $64,600, while members in the business for 16 years or more earned $76,200.
Clearly Realtors are not getting rich off the public. Once again, what’s the big stink about real estate commissions?
To say that ALL agents are worth the full commission would be a lie, but it is also a lie to say that every doctor, lawyer, or mortgage professional is worth their industries average fees. I don’t see this as an industry issue but more of an agent issue. The question isn’t whether or not real estate commission rate are too high, the question should be, “Where can I find an agent who is worth the money and how will I know?”
Listing agents
Good listing agents are worth their weight in Gold! I think it is far more difficult to be a great listing agent than a great buyers agent because, at least in today’s market, it is easier to find a home than to find a buyer. Above average listing agents need to be;
1. A marketing geniuses, both online and offline,
2. An expert in staging,
3. An expert in negotiating and
4. They need to be experts in the markets they serve so they can price the home correctly in order to balance the sellers financial and timeline needs.
The best testimonial a listing agent can get is, “They sold our house fast and at full price!”
Buyer’s agents
It costs money to deliver the best home search technology to their buyers. A good buyer’s agent, someone who is definitely worth the commission, must provide a buyer with at least these three components;
1. Access to technology to help the buyer find the right home, (idx broker reciprocity mls site)
2. Superior negotiating skills and
3. Superior knowledge of marketplace. (i.e. city, neighborhood, schools, etc)
The best testimonial a buyers agent can get is, “The found exactly the home we were looking for and got the sellers to drop the price!”
It is critical that every agent be able to answer the question, “What is my competitive advantage in the marketplace?” or “What do I do as a listing agent or buyer’s agent for my clients that totally justifies my compensation?” When you can answer this question in a way that is relevant to a home buyer or seller, compensation will never be an issue.
At the end of the day one of the best ways for any agent to prove their value in their market place is with agent recommendations/testimonials. I’ll be the first to admit that I hate asking for testimonials, even when I know I have exceeded expectations, so before anyone goes off on me about how this is an unfair measure of value because not every agent is comfortable asking for them, let it be known that I am not saying it is easy. Agentopolis tries to help address this concern by being online and making it easy for agents to simply email their past clients with a link and a simple request, versus having to call each one and ask. (Although the top agents tell me that this call for a testimonial is where they generate a number of their referrals)
Threats by Refin, Zillow and others to change the Realtor profession into that of a hourly wage factory worker makes great news stories but I for one don’t think it will create a wholesale change in the industry. The bottom line is that the internet is changing the way people buy and sell homes but the fact is that the Human Side of Real Estate is not going away anytime soon. People will continue to do business face to face with people they like and trust so my advice to consumers is find a great agent to help you buy or sell your next home and be glad you are only paying 6 or 7%.
One of the advantages to using a recommendation such as Agentopolis’s system is that because of the way we have set it up, only one recommendation is allowed per verified email. (see recommendation process) This prevents an agent from giving themselves 25 glowing reviews. Yes it’s true that every agent can give themselves at least one glowing review with their own email, but that is why we made each recommendation worth 1 point and rank order agents in total number of points. Any agent can get one glowing review from a client but only an experienced agent who consistently exceeds expectations can generate a larger number (see Agentopolis Top 100 Agents)
Real Estate Agent Income Numbers from NAR
Median income was $47,700 in 2006, down from $49,300 in 2004, which had also had declined from 2002. Members license as brokers earned a median of $73,700 last year, while sales agents earned $34,600. During the last two years, NAR membership increased 23.2 percent.
Realtors® in the business for two years or less earned a median of $15,300, while those with three to five years of experience earned $44,200. For six to 15 years, the median was $64,600, while members in the business for 16 years or more earned $76,200.
Clearly Realtors are not getting rich off the public. Once again, what’s the big stink about real estate commissions?
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Agentopolis Improves Home Search
Agentopolis February UpdateSent to Members only, February 20, 2007
"Home Search" Now Allows Consumers to Search All Property Listings on Agentopolis by City, State, and Other Criteria.
What this means is that if you have uploaded your property listings, they will now be found by consumers who are looking for properties, and for Agents, and hundreds of you already have done this. There is no charge for adding your listings, so login and see how easy it is. Click Home Search now to see our new property search feature.
Add Unlimited Property Listings on Agentopolis
We realize the best way to help out our Agents is to let you upload every listing that you have, so we have made this feature unlimited at every level of membership. Over 500 agents have added property listings in the past 6 days. Try out this new feature, and send us your feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
Silver and Gold Members Can Link to Their Website's MLS Search.
If you are a Silver or Gold member you can and should link to your site's IDX MLS search page. This allows a visitor to leave Agentopolis and land on your website where you show them every listing in your area. If you are already a Gold or Silver member, and have not yet done this, or if you would like information on how to add MLS search to your web site, call Ken at 800-219-9943 to learn how.
According to Google Analytics, www.agentopolis.com is already over 150,000 Page Views in February!
Over 8600 Agents verified their listings, and those Agents have gathered over 1400 client recommendations. Take a look at Texas, Minnesota, Florida and California to see great examples of how gathering recommendations instantly places you at the top of your state, above all other Agents.
New Seach Keys
We are planning to add several new search keys in the next two weeks. Please email us what new search keys you want added. What makes you unique???
Lastly, If you know other Agents that may benefit from learning about Agentopolis, feel free to forward this member email to them. Helping us spread the word helps all of us!
Ken Horst President and Founder Agentopolis
800-219-9943
"Home Search" Now Allows Consumers to Search All Property Listings on Agentopolis by City, State, and Other Criteria.
What this means is that if you have uploaded your property listings, they will now be found by consumers who are looking for properties, and for Agents, and hundreds of you already have done this. There is no charge for adding your listings, so login and see how easy it is. Click Home Search now to see our new property search feature.
Add Unlimited Property Listings on Agentopolis
We realize the best way to help out our Agents is to let you upload every listing that you have, so we have made this feature unlimited at every level of membership. Over 500 agents have added property listings in the past 6 days. Try out this new feature, and send us your feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
Silver and Gold Members Can Link to Their Website's MLS Search.
If you are a Silver or Gold member you can and should link to your site's IDX MLS search page. This allows a visitor to leave Agentopolis and land on your website where you show them every listing in your area. If you are already a Gold or Silver member, and have not yet done this, or if you would like information on how to add MLS search to your web site, call Ken at 800-219-9943 to learn how.
According to Google Analytics, www.agentopolis.com is already over 150,000 Page Views in February!
Over 8600 Agents verified their listings, and those Agents have gathered over 1400 client recommendations. Take a look at Texas, Minnesota, Florida and California to see great examples of how gathering recommendations instantly places you at the top of your state, above all other Agents.
New Seach Keys
We are planning to add several new search keys in the next two weeks. Please email us what new search keys you want added. What makes you unique???
Lastly, If you know other Agents that may benefit from learning about Agentopolis, feel free to forward this member email to them. Helping us spread the word helps all of us!
Ken Horst President and Founder Agentopolis
800-219-9943
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