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Another Brokerage, ARG, Takes a Stand on Listings Syndication

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Drew Meyers

Well, here we go again — add one more brokerage, ARG, to the list of brokerages abandoning listing syndication in 2012.

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Since regular readers already know what I think on this topic given the Edina article I wrote, just head over to Jay’s blog and read his take. It’s spot on.

Who’s next?

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    About Drew Meyers

    Drew Meyers is the founder and managing editor of Geek Estate Blog. He currently runs ESM Exec Designs, a web design firm specializing in corporate and personal blog design. Travel addict and social entrepreneurship & microfinance advocate.

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    • http://SeattleHome.com Sam DeBord, SeattleHome.com

      This was an industry “call to arms” from ARG.  It really wasn’t intended for consumers, even with the short consumer pitch.

      It was too long, and tried to argue too many points.  There are a handful of strong arguments made, and it would have been more concise if Jim stuck to those points, because he could’ve made a stronger case.

      Most of us agree that the syndication exposure is too great for us to ignore if we’re serving our sellers’ best interests in the current situation.  However, the data inaccuracies at the syndication level are exponentially larger than those at the MLS level. 

      Inflated/inaccurate inventory is a real problem.  It misinforms consumers and the agents who are advertising on these sites.  It may actually part of the strategy of some within the industry.  If aggregators/syndicators are never given access to the real data, they can always be held out as inaccurate.

      I have a feeling we will see quite a few more brokers get on board.

    • http://www.drewmeyersinsights.com/ Drew Meyers

      Craig-
      The tactics like no-follow linking these sites employ are NOT black hat SEO. If some brokerages could figure out how to crush Z/T/R.com in seo, more power to them. But sadly for them, that is a long way off from happening.

      Something else people often forget about Zillow (and yes, i’m biased on this) is that they had 4 million uniques visitors before there was a single listing from an agent/broker on the site. Are listings important to traffic growth? Yes. But listings aren’t everything.

      • http://SeattleHome.com Sam DeBord, SeattleHome.com

        It’s an interesting thought, Drew:  Where would Zillow traffic be without listings?  I used it before there were listings.  Zestimates were interesting, even if inaccurate.  Mapping/parcel visuals were as good as anywhere.  The site could’ve expanded significantly by just being the best tech site for real estate.

        I don’t think there was every a long-term revenue stream without listings, however.  No IPO without advertising revenue from agents.  At least not this quickly.

    • Dominic Morrocco

      It’s 2011 and we’re having a debate about the merits of listing syndication?  Really?   
      Let’s see their sales metrics in 36 months.  Have a feeling that chart goes down and to the right.  I personally thank Jim. It’s brokers like him than enable brokers like us to thrive.  

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