Comments on: Dear Zillow-meisters – Better start makin’ copies of the Trulia-nator http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/ Seattle's Leading Resource for Real Estate Information Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:05:28 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Pete Flint from Trulia.com http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243679 Pete Flint from Trulia.com Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:56:18 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243679 Robbie, I'm glad you like the new product launch! We're really excited about the potential of this new service for our real estate partners, Trulia and the new publisher partners. We're reviewing all the feedback from all across the web and inbound comments, but if you have any other thoughts on how we can improve the service as it evolves or other ideas, feel free to email me directly. Best wishes Pete Robbie,
I’m glad you like the new product launch! We’re really excited about the potential of this new service for our real estate partners, Trulia and the new publisher partners.
We’re reviewing all the feedback from all across the web and inbound comments, but if you have any other thoughts on how we can improve the service as it evolves or other ideas, feel free to email me directly.
Best wishes
Pete

]]> By: retrove http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243605 retrove Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:45:49 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243605 @Robbie - "1. You as the buyer live in another county, another state, or another country, and are blissfully unaware of the agent/broker web sites that are using the MLS data that serves the area in question." If I remember correctly according the NAR something like 85% of people buy a home within 9 miles of where they currently live. Therefore it is important to have inventory, since many are driving around -> see a sign -> write the address -> go home and look up the price and inside photos instead of calling the local agent as they are not ready to be sold a home. If they don't find the house on a larger site, they will in turn move onto sites that have the listings. This maybe part of the reason why T is also reducing mapsearch size since they are seening this trend in the analytics. I think that savy consumers will really start to understand lack of inventory from most of these major sites and purposefully seek out local sites. @Robbie – “1. You as the buyer live in another county, another state, or another country, and are blissfully unaware of the agent/broker web sites that are using the MLS data that serves the area in question.”

If I remember correctly according the NAR something like 85% of people buy a home within 9 miles of where they currently live. Therefore it is important to have inventory, since many are driving around -> see a sign -> write the address -> go home and look up the price and inside photos instead of calling the local agent as they are not ready to be sold a home. If they don’t find the house on a larger site, they will in turn move onto sites that have the listings.

This maybe part of the reason why T is also reducing mapsearch size since they are seening this trend in the analytics.

I think that savy consumers will really start to understand lack of inventory from most of these major sites and purposefully seek out local sites.

]]> By: 45 Things I Learned at RE Connect « 4realz.net http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243204 45 Things I Learned at RE Connect « 4realz.net Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:01:50 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-243204 [...] Trulia launched their Publisher Platform. Robbie loves this! I can’t tell what Joel thinks… and Greg pans the service. I don’t follow Greg’s logic that it weakens overall traffic to Trulia… Mainly because nobody in the online real estate space has enough market penetration to think there are a finite number of users for their services. Trulia needs more listings. If this helps convince more brokers that they need to send their feeds to Trulia, then it is a good move. (Joel has an example of what the branded service looks like on FOREM) [...] [...] Trulia launched their Publisher Platform. Robbie loves this! I can’t tell what Joel thinks… and Greg pans the service. I don’t follow Greg’s logic that it weakens overall traffic to Trulia… Mainly because nobody in the online real estate space has enough market penetration to think there are a finite number of users for their services. Trulia needs more listings. If this helps convince more brokers that they need to send their feeds to Trulia, then it is a good move. (Joel has an example of what the branded service looks like on FOREM) [...]

]]> By: nickster http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-242149 nickster Fri, 11 Jan 2008 21:44:24 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-242149 you can supplement any of these sites by linking to HTTP://www.beekast.com upload video for free you can supplement any of these sites by linking to HTTP://www.beekast.com

upload video for free

]]> By: Harrisburg House Guy http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-242054 Harrisburg House Guy Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:38:53 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-242054 Personally, I would like to see Trulia succeed. I've grown tired of the traditional MLS real estate system. The combination of 3rd party mapping with house listings is only going to grow until it becomes sort of the Google of real estate, IMHO. Personally, I would like to see Trulia succeed. I’ve grown tired of the traditional MLS real estate system. The combination of 3rd party mapping with house listings is only going to grow until it becomes sort of the Google of real estate, IMHO.

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241291 Robbie Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:47:39 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241291 Andy, What about the RealtyTrac listings bothers you? It kinda feels like mixing new & used books in a way, but I can't put my finger on what I don't like about it. Reba, RE/MAX to their credit, does have a national site that generates roughly the same amount of traffic as the national portals (millions of visitors/month). Of course, if you compete against RE/MAX in the trenches, you may not be happy about that fact, since unlike Trulia, they probably won't send you referring traffic. And if you are a RE/MAX agent, I hope the national site is sending you referrals and/or traffic. Andy,

What about the RealtyTrac listings bothers you? It kinda feels like mixing new & used books in a way, but I can’t put my finger on what I don’t like about it.

Reba,

RE/MAX to their credit, does have a national site that generates roughly the same amount of traffic as the national portals (millions of visitors/month). Of course, if you compete against RE/MAX in the trenches, you may not be happy about that fact, since unlike Trulia, they probably won’t send you referring traffic. And if you are a RE/MAX agent, I hope the national site is sending you referrals and/or traffic.

]]> By: Reba Haas http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241270 Reba Haas Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:11:51 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241270 Nice to see that our advertising on all of these sites is getting a boost! We use so many online avenues today that we like to see them working hard to keep our listings online with them. I will say though, as a RE/MAX agent, we have our own kick-butt site that provides national listings and that ranks just as highly as these other sites and the REALTOR.com site. As a local agent though our clients expect us to use as many resources as possible to showcase their home - and we do. Nice to see that our advertising on all of these sites is getting a boost! We use so many online avenues today that we like to see them working hard to keep our listings online with them. I will say though, as a RE/MAX agent, we have our own kick-butt site that provides national listings and that ranks just as highly as these other sites and the REALTOR.com site. As a local agent though our clients expect us to use as many resources as possible to showcase their home – and we do.

]]> By: Andy Kaufman http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241237 Andy Kaufman Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:45:14 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241237 I totally agree & appreciate your analysis Robbie. The RealtyTrac listings still rub me though. I totally agree & appreciate your analysis Robbie.

The RealtyTrac listings still rub me though.

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241229 Robbie Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:34:44 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241229 Andy, There's nothing really preventing an MLS board from giving Trulia their listings, like many MLSes do today with Realtor.com. Many <a href="http://www.flexmls.com/blog" rel="nofollow">MLS vendors</a> are trying to make this even easier than it is already. I agree they'll never get 100% of the inventory, they just need "critical mass". (I don't know if that number is 25%, 50%, 95%, etc, but they are getting closer every day). Even a broker / agent MLS/IDX site doesn't have 100% of the inventory because it's always playing catch-up and sync-up with the MLS servers, so it probably hovers around 99%. My clients are getting a lot of traffic from Trulia. It's not organic Google levels, but it's a solid first place in terms of non-search engine traffic. At any rate, it's a better bargain for your ad dollars, than many/most other alternatives. Andy,

There’s nothing really preventing an MLS board from giving Trulia their listings, like many MLSes do today with Realtor.com. Many MLS vendors are trying to make this even easier than it is already. I agree they’ll never get 100% of the inventory, they just need “critical mass”. (I don’t know if that number is 25%, 50%, 95%, etc, but they are getting closer every day). Even a broker / agent MLS/IDX site doesn’t have 100% of the inventory because it’s always playing catch-up and sync-up with the MLS servers, so it probably hovers around 99%.

My clients are getting a lot of traffic from Trulia. It’s not organic Google levels, but it’s a solid first place in terms of non-search engine traffic. At any rate, it’s a better bargain for your ad dollars, than many/most other alternatives.

]]> By: Andy Kaufman http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241219 Andy Kaufman Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:09:53 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2008/01/09/dear-zillow-meisters-%e2%80%93-better-start-makin%e2%80%99-copies-of-the-trulia-nator/#comment-241219 Yep, that's the rub with Trulia. Having less than a full MLS feed is a huge hurdle. I know that they they added foreclosure listings from RealtyTrac (which aren't included in a MLS feed), but IMO without a full address and requiring registration they just make the search results 'noisier'. In the meantime, coming from an agent's point of view, I'm getting traffic from Trulia and as long as my properties are getting additional exposure and I can track it, I'll stick with them. Yep, that’s the rub with Trulia. Having less than a full MLS feed is a huge hurdle.

I know that they they added foreclosure listings from RealtyTrac (which aren’t included in a MLS feed), but IMO without a full address and requiring registration they just make the search results ‘noisier’.

In the meantime, coming from an agent’s point of view, I’m getting traffic from Trulia and as long as my properties are getting additional exposure and I can track it, I’ll stick with them.

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