IDX Archives - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

Why your listing is on my website

March 3, 2012 By Jay Thompson

I get emails like this all the time from agents who wonder why their listing is on my web site…

Hello Phoenix Real Estate Guy. Can you tell me why you have my listing on your web site? This is my listing and you aren’t authorized to have MY listing on your web site. Please remove it immediately.

The short answer is because YOU authorized it when you entered the listing.

Apparently though, there are a number of real estate agents and even Designated Brokers that do not understand IDX (Internet Data eXchange).

How it is possible in this day and age for agents to not understand the fundamentals of IDX is mind-boggling. That Designated Brokers don’t understand it is… well, it’s incomprehensible. Yet many don’t seem to get it.

Given that, here is the long answer…

What is IDX?

IDX is the system and technology that allows agents and brokers to share real estate listings on IDX enabled websites. There are, according to ARMLS (Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service), “thousands of Broker/Agent Websites that display ARMLS IDX listings on the Internet”. If you need SEO services from seo companies for auto repair shops, you can check it out here!

So you see, not only is your listing displayed on my site, it is also displayed on thousands of sites in the Phoenix metro area (as well as national listing aggregation sites).

And that’s a good thing, right? I mean you are trying to get your listing sold aren’t you? You found your listing on my site — and so can potential home buyers. In marketing-speak that is called “exposure”.

But what if I don’t want my listing shown on other websites?

Easy-peasy, just opt out of IDX. You have two options:

In ARMLS, agreeing to display your listings via IDX is the default. If you don’t want your listings displayed on other IDX enabled real estate sites then you need to opt out of the program.

Option 1

For individual listings you can opt out of IDX by UNchecking a box when you enter the listing in the MLS. Here is a screen shot of the ARMLS listing entry “Export” tab: Feel free to check or uncheck any of the boxes you so choose.

See where it says, “Listing Export Options”? And under that is a checked box labeled “IDX”? Just uncheck that box, click save and that particular listing will not be sent out in the IDX data feed to thousands of web sites. I’d be sure to disclose to your seller however that your marketing plan includes removing their listing from those thousands of websites. They’ll probably want to know that. But, you’ll no longer be bothered with the fact that your listing is on my web site…

Option 2

If you are a Designated Broker, you can complete an opt out form and submit it to ARMLS to have ALL of your current and future listings removed from the IDX feed. Of note, opting out of IDX completely also means that you cannot display other brokerages listings on your IDX enabled real estate site. Please contact ARMLS for any necessary forms.

There you have it

*I* can’t remove your listing from my site. You authorized it to be displayed on my site, so only you can have it removed from the data feed that puts it here. If you don’t want your listing exposed to potentially thousands of prospective home buyers, go into the MLS listing and uncheck the box, or opt-out of IDX altogether. Just remember, you owe it to your sellers to explain what you are doing, and why you are doing it.

Of Note: The IDX providers that we utilize on our websites are authorized and approved by ARMLS and are fully compliant with all ARMLS IDX rules and regulations. If you have heartburn over how listings are displayed here, you need to take that up with ARMLS. We don’t change or manipulate the authorized IDX displays in any way, form or fashion.

Further Reading:
I strongly recommend reading the following web page and document. They explain IDX in detail. You owe it to yourself and your clients to fully understand how IDX works — it’s a HUGE part of Internet marketing in real estate.

ARMLS Web Page on IDX: Contains a ton of info on IDX. Please contact ARMLS to learn more about IDX if you’d like to know about their IDX Policy, IDX Data sets, and how to sign up for a free IDX product. You can call them, instead of us, at 480-921-7777. You can read this document about the ARMLS IDX policy, as well.

If you are an agent outside Arizona, your MLS and / or Association should have similar documentation available.

Sandicor Fires Another Round in the Listing Syndication War

February 7, 2012 By Jay Thompson

OK, maybe “Listing Syndication War” is a little too sensationalistic.

Maybe.

There’s no question though that news about real estate listing syndication is now coming at a fast and furious pace.

Back in November, Edina Realty lobbed the first round when they announced they were pulling their listings from Trulia and Realtor.com

Then a couple of weeks ago it was Jim Abbott and ARG Abbott Realty Group in San Diego doing the same, and adding Zillow into the mix.

Yesterday Metrolist, the Denver, Colorado area MLS announced they were not renewing their contact with leading IDX supplier Diverse Solutions, which was recently acquired by Zillow.

And today brings the announcement that Sandicor, the San Diego area MLS is making significant changes to what they will be feeding listing syndication sites.

Take a moment to go read Lily Leung’s article in the San Diego Union Trbune Business section, San Diego MLS turns table on Zillow, Trulia.

Here are some highlights:

Sandicor, the county’s MLS, has added a text field to its listings that allows members to enter contact information, including names, email addresses and brokerage websites. The information, along with the usual listing data, would be disseminated by syndication websites such as ListHub and Point2 Agent, which are sources of information for popular real estate sites.

The main idea is that the contact information in the extra field would be displayed prominently for home hunters to see, nixing any confusion over the listing agent and an agent who is advertising on Trulia or Zillow.

Further…

Soon, the company will decrease the number of photos that can go out to syndicators to four, down from the maximum of 25. Another upcoming change: Images sent out to outside parties will bear watermarked contact information of the listing agents.

Well howdy doody! To my knowledge this this is the first time a Multiple Listing Service has taken steps to — what many will argue — take back some semblance of control over listing data.

Good move? Bad? Meh?

Must. Ponder. Implications. Further.

My immediate thought in reading what Sandicor was doing was, “Interesting!” Followed immediately by, “I wonder if other MLS’s will follow suit?”

It wouldn’t surprise me if they do.

Personally, and this is coming from someone who is obviously “pro syndication”, I like the idea. Or at least parts of it.

While I am not one to believe that we need to wrest all control and display of listing data away from third-party sites, I don’t see anything wrong with including additional information about the listing brokerage. BUT, if you are a home buyer, think about why you’d want to work with the home seller’s agent. The seller’s agent has THEIR best interest in mind, not yours. If you are buying a home, work with a buyer’s agent that will have YOUR best interests in mind..

Reducing the number of photos? Well, there is zero question in my mind that potential home buyers searching for home online like to see listing photos. Generally speaking, the more the merrier. (Though seriously people, it is quality not quantity that matters when it comes to photos. Maybe we could cease & desist uploading photos of toilets? Particularly those images with the seat up?) I’m speculating that Sandicor feels limiting the number of photos displayed on third party sites will drive those photo-seeking visitors back to the local agent/broker site (or, in the case of Sandicor and a handful of other MLS’s, to their public-facing MLS site).

Only time will tell how or if that pans out. Personally, I think it’s more likely to frustrate home searchers. Why make them hunt around for photos? Oh, that’s right. To capture them as a lead. ::sigh::

In the mean time, it is going to be very interesting to see if other MLS’s step forward and make an effort to better highlight the listing agent on third party sites, how this additional info (along with fewer photos) might impact the sale of advertising on third party sites, and what the next salvo will be that is fired in the Syndication War.

What are your thoughts?

More info: Sandicor’s formal announcement.

On Compensation for Listing Data

January 29, 2012 By Jay Thompson

I’ve read (and participated in) many discussions about ARG Abbott Realty Group pulling their listings from national syndication sites over the past 24 hours.

A recurring theme keeps coming up.

It is another point the “anti-syndication” crowd tends to rally around, and another point I don’t understand.

“Agents and brokers deserve compensation for their listing data.”

“In the information age, Agent’s listings data are Valuable, and they need compensation for it.”

“That listing data is valuable. They should pay us for it!”

Syndication sites take listing data “without compensation to the brokers, agents, photographers and videographers who create, pay for and own the content.”

So it seems there are many out there that feel we should be compensated for our listing data.

Uhm, we are compensated.

It’s called a commission check.

You know, that payment you get from your home selling client when you do what you were hired to do — sell their home.

Some of those commission checks can be rather substantial.

But you want additional compensation for your listing data?

Plan to share that additional compensation with your client? You know the one who really, if you think about it, should “own the data” from their own home.

Good grief.

This ought to play out well with the general public — that group of people that buy and sell homes. That group of people that become your clients. A significant percentage of that general public thinks all real estate agents are blithering idiots. Smarmy sales people. Money grubbers.

And now you want “additional compensation” for listing data.

::Sigh:: It’s no wonder this profession has a big giant scarlet letter ‘A’ tattooed across our collective foreheads.

Here’s an idea.

Do your job. Sell your client’s home. Smile and thank them profusely when you get your compensation.

And stop being greedy.

Photo Credit: What Lies Behind. By Truthout.org on Flickr. CC Licensed.

ARG Abbott Realty Group Pulls Listings from Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com

January 28, 2012 By Jay Thompson

The real estate interwebs blew up last night when the announcement from San Diego based real estate brokerage Abbott Realty Group (ARG) came down that they were going to stop syndicating their company’s listings to national listing aggregator sites Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com.

Sounds exactly like what Edina Realty announced in November 2011. (Though curiously, Edina never mentioned backing out of Zillow).

Is there an “anti-syndication movement” afoot in the real estate vertical? Maybe. Maybe not. Only time will tell where this is headed.

Here is the video that Abbott Realty Group Broker and President Jim Abbott released explaining ARG’s decision to no longer syndicate their listings to Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com (hereafter referred to as TruZillTor, just because that is faster to type).

If you haven’t watched the video, I encourage you to do so.

First, let me say this. I respect Jim Abbott and ARG for taking a stand on a topic they obviously feel passionately about. That’s not an easy thing to do, and Jim’s video is well produced, and he makes many points. Perhaps too many, as sometimes, for me, it’s difficult to know if he is addressing the real estate industry or real estate consumers. But that’s neither here nor there. This article isn’t a critique of the video. It’s a critique of the message.

Second, let me say this. I am “pro-syndication.” That shouldn’t be a surprise. If you read my article on the Edina announcement, that position is clear. I am not against other people advertising my listings, as was clearly stated in You Have Full Permission to Advertise My Listings, written almost three years ago. There are countless other places here and all across the internet where I have supported listing syndication.

Why I disagree with the ARG Abbott Realty Group decision

This is a complicated topic that many feel strongly about regardless of which side of the syndication fence they fall on. I think the best way to tackle it is to discuss each of Jim Abbott’s points in the order he made them. So let’s go”¦

Listing syndication sites are in business to sell advertising to real estate agents and brokers.

Yep, true statement.

Neither the home seller or the potential home buyer is remotely well served by listing syndicators.

Hmm. This is debatable. Jim’s first point in support of this statement is that the syndication sites, “are really nothing more than slick advertising platforms. They often use fear and peer pressure to induce agents and brokers to sign costly long-term contracts for their lead generation services.”

Yes, we’ve already established that syndication sites sell advertising. “Fear and peer pressure”? Inducing agents to buy advertising? I don’t know about you, but I began the “don’t succumb to peer pressure” talk with my kids when they were about five years old. If you don’t like the fact that syndication sites sell advertising, that’s fine. Don’t buy it. Peer pressure? Put on your big girl panties and stand up to the peer pressure and do what YOU think is right. ARG is doing what they think is right. So is Edina. So am I.

Jim states the real estate industry is vigorously regulated by local, state and federal government to protect the public, and they the syndication sites face no such regulation and have no legal responsibility for the accuracy of the data they display.

Also a true statement.

The syndicator sites will tell you they go through many gyrations to ensure accurate data. Well, I agree with Jim and can assure you that these sites are filled with inaccurate information ”“ sold listings, expired listings, missing listings, homes listed for sale that aren’t.

Unfortunately, inaccurate listing data isn’t limited to the syndication sites. Take a peek at your local MLS. If it’s anything like mine, and I suspect it is, it too is filled with inaccurate and missing data.

I just logged into the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) and in 30 seconds or less found this:

283 listings with no square footage entered. That’s just agent laziness.
12 listings showing a square footage of 0, 1 or 2 square feet. When is the last time you saw a one square foot home? My ass is bigger than one square foot.
14 listings showing both zero bedrooms and zero bathrooms. A home with no bedrooms or bathrooms? What is it, a tent?
484 listings showing property taxes of less then $10/year. I *wish* my property taxes were less than 10 bucks.

I have no way to count how many listings have the wrong price, the wrong listing status, the wrong directions, the wrong address.

We get calls every day about listings showing as Active in the MLS and when we call the listing agent it is not unusual, at all, to hear things like:

Oh yeah, that one. It’s been under contract for a couple of weeks. I forgot to change the status in the MLS
Yes, there is an HOA. I just haven’t had time to look it up
There are multiple offers submitted, we aren’t taking any more
I don’t know if it’s a one story or two story
I don’t know if it has a pool

The list goes on and on. You can’t make this stuff up.

Garbage in, garbage out. And shame on us for being so lousy at entering, maintaining and correcting listing data.

The MLS is not a sanctity of data integrity. I don’t believe the data in the MLS is as bad as it is on the syndication sites, but it’s clearly bad enough that the “integrity of the data” argument is moot.

And lest we forget, every major syndication site has a way to correct inaccurate data. If you aren’t correcting bad data, that is just as much your own fault as it it is the syndicators.

Jim Abbot asks why do syndication sites inflate their inventories and says again that one reason is to, “extract exorbitant fees from unsuspecting agents and brokers”. Extracting exorbitant fees? Well I’ll say again the stunningly obvious solution is to keep your credit card in your wallet or purse. Unsuspecting agents and brokers? Why are you “unsuspecting”? If you aren’t researching who you are spending your advertising dollars on, that’s your mistake and your problem.

Jim mentions that CraigsList scammers and burglars use syndication site listing data to target their victims. Uhm, how does he know that they aren’t using any real estate agent site that utilizes and IDX home search solution. Tens of thousand do, including ARG’s web site. It took me two clicks on ARGs site to find a property address”¦ Throwing syndication sites under the bus for enabling scammers sounds like fear mongering, and rather absurd when your own web site offers the same information.

Next up we have the often heard argument that syndication sites take our content because they have to have it to drive traffic, and they do so, “without compensation to the brokers, agents, photographers and videographers who create pay for and own the content”. He even states, “As if the theft of our intellectual property weren’t enough”¦”

They take our content? They steal our content?

Hardly. We give it to them. Now Jim’s chosen not to, as is his prerogative. I chose to give them my content, as is my prerogative. But please, don’t tell me they are stealing it. That is ludicrous.

Consumers are the ones who really get a raw deal at the hands of syndicator sites.

Here Jim tells a story of a potential home buyer who finds a home on a syndication site and calls the agent most prominently featured. Jim is correct when he says this may not be the listing agent, rather it is the agent who paid for the advertising to be featured. The poor consumer may be routed to a call center, where the operator offers to “put you in contact with a qualified professional who knows the area” and that, “it is almost certain they have not seen the property you called about”.

There are currently 25,312 active residential listings for sale in Phoenix. According to the home search on ARG’s website, there are 12,259 active residential listings in the San Diego area.

I don’t know Jim, and I don’t believe I know any ARG agent. But I’m quite comfortable saying that if you find a property on ARG’s site ”“ or any other real estate agent or broker site with IDX listings ”“ and call that office the odds are overwhelming that the agent who answers the phone hasn’t seen the listing you are calling about. I *know* that I don’t have an agent that has seen the every one of the 25,000+ listings in Phoenix.

These sites represent a failed approach to property marketing

Jim says that the “hundreds of thousands of hits” on their own listings on syndication sites, “did not cause buyers to view those homes, nor did they produce quicker sales or better outcomes for our clients” and that a few buyers who responded to listing syndicators often “got the wrong information or got it too late to be of value to them as consumers”.

That may well be true. I am not privy to ARG’s numbers, and certainly can’t question them. Jim seems like a good guy. Professional. Passionate about his brokerage, agents and clients.

To be honest though, I have no idea how ARG (or anyone) can track this sort of data accurately.

Let’s say I’m an agent in San Diego, the home of Abbott Realty Group. Let’s say I pay Zillow to “own” a zip code where ARG has a listing. Let’s say a potential home buyer finds an ARG listing on Zillow and contacts me. We drive out, my client loves the home, and we submit an offer the seller accepts.

Does ARG survey every buyer of every one of their listings and ask them where they found the home?

Maybe they do, I can’t say. We certainly don’t, and I don’t know anyone who does. Honestly, I couldn’t care less where the buyer of one of our listings first found the home. We take listings to sell them. And whether some buyer finds our listing on TruZillTor, our own site, some other local agents site, or via any other marketing, I don’t care. We sold the client’s house, which is what we were hired to do.

Is it possible no Thompson’s Realty listing has ever been sold via TruZillTor? Yep. Is it possible some have? Yep.

The total cost for me to put our listings on syndication sites is $0.00. I have never given any syndication site a nickel. The cost is not passed on to our clients, the cost is zero. You see, we investigate the ROI of every marketing avenue. We don’t succumb to fear, intimidation or peer pressure. Heck, I’ve had potential seller clients that insisted we run ads in the Sunday paper. When we explain that they don’t work, and why, the vast majority of sellers understand and we move along without the shiny Sunday add. The two or three I can recall insisting we run ads found another agent. We don’t take listings for the sake of taking them, to plant signs in the ground, to generate “leads”. We take listings to sell them. We don’t spend time, money or effort that doesn’t work to appease sellers. Syndicating our listings is done through our MLS. We check a box (or not if the client doesn’t want syndication). The fraction of a second it takes to check a box has essentially zero cost.

At ARG we believe that when you hire a skilled, professional Realtor to represent your property that he or she is the best qualified and most logical person to respond to questions from buyers and buyer’s agents.

This is an argument I heard several times since the ARG announcement was made. It sure feels like what we’re talking about here is single-agent dual agency — where the same agent represents both the buyer and seller in the same transaction. We abhor single-agent dual agency, practice it only under very rare and extenuating circumstances and honestly wish it was outlawed.

Maybe dual agency isn’t the ultimate goal in either ARG or Edina’s pulling out of syndication. I don’t know. Let’s assume that is not their goal as I’d rather not go down the dual agency rat hole 2,100 words into a blog post (and kudo’s if you’ve read this far. It’s almost over”¦).

But here is what I will say about this “the listing agent is the best qualified, and who the potential buyer needs to answer questions” argument.

If you feel syndicators are harming consumers by making it difficult to contact listing agents, they you must, MUST, also keep your listings out of IDX distribution. The exact same issue of not reaching the listing agent that seems to bother so many in syndication also exists in IDX.

Trust me, we get calls and emails ”“ seven days a week ”“ from people searching on this very site who think we are the listing agent for the property they are viewing. Every. Day.

Don’t get me wrong. I **LOVE** IDX. It’s the lifeblood of my prospect generation efforts. 6,742 IDX search registrations in 2011 is a great thing. But if one of your main arguments for pulling your listings out of syndication is because potential buyers are confused and can’t reach the listing agent, then you MUST also pull out of IDX. The same problem exists in both systems. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Pulling out of syndication but using IDX smacks of hypocrisy.

This comment about IDX was made by an agent I have tremendous respect for, J. Philip Faranda:

If I am on Thompsonsrealty.com or TPREG and inquire about a listing I know who I am being connected to. It is your site. There is no ambiguity. If I am on a 3rd party site it is misleading to the public far more. I DO get my share of IDX calls where people assume Jay’s listing is really mine, but it is easy to clear up because it is My site they are on. Not so with Z, T and R. IDX is the solution, not the problem.

Problem is, there IS ambiguity. The very ambiguity that exists on syndication sites. The vast majority of site visitors don’t know (or quite possibly don’t care) what site they are on. Sound far-fetched? I mean “Phoenix Real Estate Guy” is plastered all over the place. Along with logos, contact forms, call to action buttons, you name it, we’ve got them all over our site, just as ARG does, just as any good real estate site does. Our sites are many things ”“ information, brand promotion, advertising, and prospect generation vehicles. I can assure you that many many people think we’re the listing agent for any listing on our site. Heck, I get phone calls and emails asking about things as diverse and non-real estate related as what hours a restaurant is open, to whether or not you need a passport to cross the Mexican border. Why? Because people Google those questions and land on an article I’ve written about them. Clearly my site isn’t a restaurant site, or the State Department. But people think it is, because Google sent them there.

Just like Google sends them there for a listing address or MLS number they Google.

Jim Abbott supports IDX. He does not support syndication. Yet many of the issues he cites as problematic with syndication also exist in IDX. Edina supports IDX, but not syndication for many of the reasons Jim Abbott and ARG Abbott Realty Group state.

Sorry folks, I don’t get that. At all.

As I said in the beginning of this tome, I respect Jim Abbott and ARG for taking a stand in what they believe. Ditto for Edina, and anyone else that decides to do this. I believe their feelings are genuine.

Genuine, but misguided.

Photo Credit: Experian Hitwise

NAR Announces Formation of Technology & Emerging Issues Subcommittee

December 20, 2011 By Jay Thompson

Members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee received an email this morning from Cliff Niersbach, NAR Vice President, Board Policy and Programs and NAR Staff Executive to the MLS Committee:

Good morning Committee members.

I respectfully advise that NAR’s Elected Leadership has established and appointed a Technology and Emerging Issues Subcommittee of the Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee.

The Subcommittee will be asked to anticipate, identify and analyze emerging issues and trends related to cooperative real estate transactions facilitated by real estate professionals, with special emphasis on those brought about through MLSs. The Subcommittee will be expected to develop timely, relevant proposals for optimizing the value of MLS for REALTORS® and consumers for consideration and action by the Multiple listing Issues and Policies Committee and the NAR Board of Directors.

Members of the 2012 Subcommittee will be notified of their appointment by the NAR Executive Offices.

Thank you for your participation and support as members of the Committee, and best wishes to you and your families during the holidays and throughout the new year ahead.

(email reprinted with permission)

Some readers may recall that shortly after the Annual Conference 2011 meeting of the MLS Committee, I penned a little diatribe about my experiences at the MLS Committee meeting. In that article I made two suggestions for the powers that be: 1) cut the size of the MLS Committee in half; and 2) form a subcommittee to address the ongoing and seemingly never-ending saga surrounding IDX issues.

Knowing full well that suggestion #1 would never happen, the politics just run too deep, I held out hope a subcommittee would be formed. Why? For two simple reasons. The MLS Committee consists of 117 people, and a 117 member committee cannot possibly work efficiently and effectively; and IDX and technology aren’t going away and they change rapidly. Forming and disbanding and reforming Work Groups and Presidential Advisory Groups provides little to no continuity for affecting change.

I have no idea if the suggestion for a subcommittee made in my post had any impact to form this new venture, and I could not care less if it did. The important thing is a subcommittee has been formed under the full MLS Committee to, “anticipate, identify and analyze emerging issues and trends,” that have real potential to affect real estate practitioners and consumers.

Appointments were just sent out (thanks NAR for including me on the subcommittee) and there is now a group of 17 people identified and tasked with doing some important work.

17 people can get things done.

And dare I say, we will get some things done.

The subcommittee members have a wide variety of backgrounds — real estate brokers, Association executives, MLS staff and executives. Some subcommittee members have years of service on the MLS (and other) committees, as well as the NAR Board of Directors, and some are new to the MLS Committee. The current and past Chairs of the MLS Committee are members as well. I’ve met several of the subcommittee members from past IDX Work Groups, others I have yet to meet. Those I have met are all outstanding choices to sit on the subcommittee.

It’s not often I get excited about NAR committee and governance announcements, but I see this announcement as a huge step forward, with tremendous potential to do some good work and actually get something accomplished.

Only time will tell of course, but hey, it’s a big step in the right direction. Let’s give it a chance before we write it off. Will it be perfect? Of course not. Will everyone agree with what the subcommittee recommends? Nope. But I’m confident that a dedicated small group has a far better chance at resolving complex and changing issues than a massive group mired in bureaucracy and politics. Some might argue that all this does is insert another layer of bureaucracy into the mix. Fair enough. But few could argue successfully that the full MLS Committee has been able to address some pressing issues in a timely manner.

Now maybe they can.

We’ll keep ya posted!