Comments on: Inbox: How much is too much around your client’s listing?

By: Jeffrey Owen

Jeffrey Owen — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:53:26 +0000

I think it is a great idea. It’s all about knowledge right? There will have to be some checks and balances, but the concept is sound ala ebay.

Jeffrey
IonHomeInspection.com
Houston, Katy, Sugar Land

By: FBS Blog » Blog Archive » How Do Consumers Discuss Listings Today?

FBS Blog » Blog Archive » How Do Consumers Discuss Listings Today? — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:01:11 +0000

[...] Dustin and The Notorious R.O.B. are discussing the pros and cons of on-line comments about specific listings. This is a good extension of my posts from a week or so ago about how consumers choose agents. The basic question I was asking in those posts (how do consumers choose agents today?) is the question I think is most important here: How do consumers discuss listings today? [...]

By: MLS, Cluetrain, and Social Web - One Step At A Time, Gingerly « The Notorious R.O.B.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:27:24 +0000

[...] 26, 2008 A reader of Dustin’s sent him an email that both were kind enough to allow to be published at 4realz. The reader, a member of a MLS committee, raises some very interesting and very important questions [...]

By: Dustin

Dustin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:14:17 +0000

That last fact (no agent complaining about other agent’s remarks) is quite interesting and definitely compelling.

By: David G

David G — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:01:32 +0000

It’s fantastic to hear of progress on this issue.

My primary advice is; don’t create a different set of rules for what an agent can and cannot do “on the internet.” The rules that govern how agents compete should apply equally whether the agent is online or offline. Be consistent. If existing MLS rules limit how agents can use MLS information for competing purposes then merely clarify how those rules would be interpreted using an online example. And if there are no existing rules for limiting what an agent can say about another agent’s listing offline, then you probably don’t need rules to control how that happens online.

Secondly, don’t over-think this problem. I guarantee you it’s less likely to happen online than offline. You can thank the cluetrain for that – public transparency is a fantastic control system. Surely an agent is more likely to slander another agent’s listing offline where there is little record of what they’ve said and where the offended agent has no opportunity to correct the comment.

Lastly, I can give you some feedback from my experience with Home Q&A on listings at Zillow. So far, 55K people have used the feature and we are yet to have a single complaint related to this concern that agents would abuse each others listings.

I hope that helps.

By: Why I Can Say Things About The Home You Are Listing That You Can Not! — The Real Estate Bloggers

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:42:10 +0000

[...] letter he received about a MLS that is looking into opening up their listings to comments. Go give it a read and then come [...]

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:33:39 +0000

I think this is the Catch 22 of the real estate world. They created a cartel that keeps real estate agent complaints in house with onerous restrictions in a tough marketplace.

Before the internet it was very difficult for information to be put out without going through the cartel (MLS) or one of it’s members without the cartel rules being invoked.

Add to that the pressure of the government adding another layer of restrictions and compliance factors, almost all homes are forced to be discussed in a very narrow way.

But with the internet and non cartel members there are ways to take this data and avoid the legal and industry barriers to the truth.

It will be tough when I as a non Realtor or agent can say things about a home that you can not when it comes to marketing or getting eye share for the information on real estate in a particular area.