Comments on: Is Trulia totally clueless? http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/ Seattle's Leading Resource for Real Estate Information Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:47:42 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ron http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20332 Ron Sun, 01 Oct 2006 16:17:06 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20332 Two points about MLS and FSBO: 1. MLS is paid for and run by real estate associations. Why the f**** should they allow random home sellers who hate realtors to post their FSBO listings? MLS is not a public entity, it's a private database. 2. Data quality is of great importance to MLS. Most local MLSs are getting policed by their own memebers and bad data results in a steep fine. Imagine if random tom, dick and harrys start posting garbage data on MLS? Btw, flat fee listings are a disservice to MLS. Those agents are taking MLS memberships they pay for and reselling them at $500-$1000 to their "clients" without adding any value beyond entering the actual data. They're not even there to take care of things when the buyer agent wants to make an offer. Talk about useless middlemen. Two points about MLS and FSBO:

1. MLS is paid for and run by real estate associations. Why the f**** should they allow random home sellers who hate realtors to post their FSBO listings? MLS is not a public entity, it’s a private database.

2. Data quality is of great importance to MLS. Most local MLSs are getting policed by their own memebers and bad data results in a steep fine. Imagine if random tom, dick and harrys start posting garbage data on MLS?

Btw, flat fee listings are a disservice to MLS. Those agents are taking MLS memberships they pay for and reselling them at $500-$1000 to their “clients” without adding any value beyond entering the actual data. They’re not even there to take care of things when the buyer agent wants to make an offer. Talk about useless middlemen.

]]> By: Galen http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20226 Galen Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:56:17 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20226 Ardell, I'm with you on this one. Aside from the double speak, Trulia has a nice site that, when they get the traffic, could expose listings to a lot of people and make finding a home easier for consumers. <strong>The point of listing houses should be to sell them,</strong> not to support your favorite business model or get more business. Customer choice will nto be improved if agents and brokers wield listings as if they were power chips to be given out to agent and broker-friendly interests. Ardell, I’m with you on this one. Aside from the double speak, Trulia has a nice site that, when they get the traffic, could expose listings to a lot of people and make finding a home easier for consumers.

The point of listing houses should be to sell them, not to support your favorite business model or get more business. Customer choice will nto be improved if agents and brokers wield listings as if they were power chips to be given out to agent and broker-friendly interests.

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20222 ARDELL Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:41:37 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20222 Calculator, I don't agree that Realtors should complain about paying for enhanced listings. Basic, it is there, is free. Enhanced should be extra dollars for "advertising" vs. simply viewing property. The real Realtor.com debacle was about shifting leads from the listing agent to whomever bought into "School Reports" etc. Using A's listing to give it to B at a referral fee, not the cost of enhanced listings. Personally I don't think agents should harp so much about FSBOs. Personally I feel if someone can sell it without a Realtor, then more power to 'em. Go for it! I don't want a job that can be done for free. I only want it if the FSBO effort fails, and they really NEED an agent. I just sold a listing that was previously an MLS ONLY listing. It was great! Better than if the seller had not tried to FSBO before me. Calculator,

I don’t agree that Realtors should complain about paying for enhanced listings. Basic, it is there, is free. Enhanced should be extra dollars for “advertising” vs. simply viewing property.

The real Realtor.com debacle was about shifting leads from the listing agent to whomever bought into “School Reports” etc. Using A’s listing to give it to B at a referral fee, not the cost of enhanced listings.

Personally I don’t think agents should harp so much about FSBOs. Personally I feel if someone can sell it without a Realtor, then more power to ‘em. Go for it! I don’t want a job that can be done for free. I only want it if the FSBO effort fails, and they really NEED an agent.

I just sold a listing that was previously an MLS ONLY listing. It was great! Better than if the seller had not tried to FSBO before me.

]]> By: Calculator http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20220 Calculator Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:29:14 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20220 Sure, Ardell, brokers have the freedom to pull their listings from Trulia, but why put themselves in the same realtor.com pickle again in the first place? Most smart brokers would not give realtor.com their listings now if they could somehow get out of the pickle they are currently in - between sellers wanting the exposure on realtor.com and the MLS contracts. The end result is agents end up pissed off about having to pay realtor.com for enhanced listings, on their own listings! What's amazing is how many short-sighted brokers are falling for Trulia's sales job and giving up their listings to the company that want's to be the next realtor.com, but with FSBO's!!! Sure, Ardell, brokers have the freedom to pull their listings from Trulia, but why put themselves in the same realtor.com pickle again in the first place?

Most smart brokers would not give realtor.com their listings now if they could somehow get out of the pickle they are currently in – between sellers wanting the exposure on realtor.com and the MLS contracts. The end result is agents end up pissed off about having to pay realtor.com for enhanced listings, on their own listings!

What’s amazing is how many short-sighted brokers are falling for Trulia’s sales job and giving up their listings to the company that want’s to be the next realtor.com, but with FSBO’s!!!

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20213 ARDELL Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:48:08 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20213 Maybe not so crazy, Calculator. Trulia not being subject to rules is more of a two way street. The problem with the original (more than the current) Realtor.com is that along with the rules imposed on Realtor.com, the Realtor organization tied its own hands in many way. Rules usually go like this "I won't do this IF you won't do that. So no rules imposed on Trulia, likely gives the brokers more freedom to pull their listings, unlike the original Realtor.com debacle. Maybe not so crazy, Calculator. Trulia not being subject to rules is more of a two way street. The problem with the original (more than the current) Realtor.com is that along with the rules imposed on Realtor.com, the Realtor organization tied its own hands in many way. Rules usually go like this “I won’t do this IF you won’t do that. So no rules imposed on Trulia, likely gives the brokers more freedom to pull their listings, unlike the original Realtor.com debacle.

]]> By: Calculator http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20207 Calculator Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:28:52 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-20207 Great discussion. It's amazing how many Brokers are being duped into giving up their listings to Trulia. Like realtor.com, Trulia can not exist without Broker's listings. And just like realtor.com, Trulia is charging agents for ads on their own listings. But unlike realtor.com Trulia is not subject to any rules. Crazy. Great discussion. It’s amazing how many Brokers are being duped into giving up their listings to Trulia. Like realtor.com, Trulia can not exist without Broker’s listings. And just like realtor.com, Trulia is charging agents for ads on their own listings. But unlike realtor.com Trulia is not subject to any rules. Crazy.

]]> By: Digging out: A 102 link real estate weblog post about real estate weblog posts . . . | BloodhoundBlog | The weblog of BloodhoundRealty.com in Phoenix, Arizona http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19693 Digging out: A 102 link real estate weblog post about real estate weblog posts . . . | BloodhoundBlog | The weblog of BloodhoundRealty.com in Phoenix, Arizona Thu, 28 Sep 2006 07:27:40 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19693 [...] And from Galen Ward at Rain City Guide comes a discouraging word on Trulia and the virtue of moral consistency. To give the MarkerMen their due, their riotous quibble was not with listing originators like an MLS system — or Trulia itself — choosing not to not commingle co-brokered and FSBO listings, but, rather, with MLS rules that prevent MLS members from doing this, if they choose, with their syndicated IDX feeds. This distinction sits right next door to gemeinschaft and gesellschaft, and you have to be either a drunken German or a philosophy major (there’s a difference?) to wrap your mind around that… [...] [...] And from Galen Ward at Rain City Guide comes a discouraging word on Trulia and the virtue of moral consistency. To give the MarkerMen their due, their riotous quibble was not with listing originators like an MLS system — or Trulia itself — choosing not to not commingle co-brokered and FSBO listings, but, rather, with MLS rules that prevent MLS members from doing this, if they choose, with their syndicated IDX feeds. This distinction sits right next door to gemeinschaft and gesellschaft, and you have to be either a drunken German or a philosophy major (there’s a difference?) to wrap your mind around that… [...]

]]> By: Tyler http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19653 Tyler Thu, 28 Sep 2006 04:23:15 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19653 To answer my own question, it appears they will allow FSBOs to list alongside agents. To answer my own question, it appears they will allow FSBOs to list alongside agents.

]]> By: Tyler http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19652 Tyler Thu, 28 Sep 2006 04:18:56 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19652 Thanks Ardell, exactly the kind of response I was hoping for from you ;) btw, you mentioned Sellsius - do you know if they're planning to allow FSBOs to list? Thanks Ardell, exactly the kind of response I was hoping for from you ;)

btw, you mentioned Sellsius – do you know if they’re planning to allow FSBOs to list?

]]> By: Galen http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19645 Galen Thu, 28 Sep 2006 03:48:37 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/09/27/is-trulia-totally-clueless/#comment-19645 Ardell, I realize that other MLS systems are not run by brokers, but as you eloquently point out, they would lose brokers if they allowed FSBO mixing on member sites. I still think it's crazy and dishonest to accuse MLS systems of being "fascist dictatorships" for not allowing FSBO listings when Trulia won't allow FSBO listings on their site. You're welcome to think that that is a perfectly rational argument if you want. Ardell, I realize that other MLS systems are not run by brokers, but as you eloquently point out, they would lose brokers if they allowed FSBO mixing on member sites.

I still think it’s crazy and dishonest to accuse MLS systems of being “fascist dictatorships” for not allowing FSBO listings when Trulia won’t allow FSBO listings on their site. You’re welcome to think that that is a perfectly rational argument if you want.

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