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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: September 25, 2002 Realtors to Internet: Drop dead -- "The National Association of Realtors is considering a rule that could severely limit the amount of information potential home buyers would be able to find on the Internet. ... I wonder why the real estate industry should be exempted from the democratization of information that has changed so many other industries, from healthcare to finance." (Jack laments: Home buyers and sellers lose in the restriction of information. It seems the gatekeepers want to shackle the gates so we're forced to use them as middlemen every step of the way. Why should they care? They get their cut of the sale either way.)
Reader Comments...
When I researched my house I used three methods: a) My realtor faxed me prospective houses (detailed MLS print-outs). The faxes came about every other day and were a very small sample of all properties being listed. b) I received e-mailed MLS data (one-line summaries on each new property) three times a day. The e-mails were a free service of a realty company I was not using. This service allowed me to drive by houses on my lunch hour or straight after work, or I could e-mail my wife and she'd check the properties herself. We enjoyed not being hassled with trying to reach our busy agent, waiting for her to fax us information, waiting, waiting, waiting for everything. c) Regardless of how we identified a potential house, we always walked through a house with our realtor. The realtor was never cut from the equation. If MLS data was restricted, our job hunt would have taken three times as long. I might have even given up and resolved myself to apartment life. Buying a house ranks right up there with buying a car and doing your taxes. The idea that MLS data might become restricted, to me, reinforces the unsavory stereotypes of the profession. Restriction = not acting in the best interest of buyers and sellers.
Jack, thanks a million for telling everyone what "MLS" means. Here are some possibilities: Me Like Sugar ...not very funny. I'm tired; not clever right now.
Definitely bad, Mr. Jack, not to define the acronym for me and Charlie The Knuckle. Posted by: Annoying Puff Cat on September 25, 2002 11:34 PM
MLS = Multiple Listing Service An MLS is a computer database containing listings of real estate available for sale through various realtors.
Silly me, I thought some of you might actually read the article. MLS is used in the third sentence. Are you guys discussing the articles or just responding to user comments? Posted by: Jack on September 26, 2002 01:16 AM
I read it, so I know what MLS is. Now, could somebody tell me what a 'realtor' is? And what is 'real estate'? Is that the opposite of 'imaginary estate'? Only joking. While no-one in Europe uses these terms, most of understand what Americans mean when they use them. But if you're going to start asking for explanations of terminology, where do you draw the line? Back to the article. How can any profession believe that these sort of restrictions are going to do anything other than hasten their demise. Embrace the technology, make it work FOR you. And finally - it looks like realtors have as bad a reputation in the USA as estate agents have in the UK. Wonder why? Posted by: Alan Fisher on September 26, 2002 04:39 AM
The why in my case is that my realtor: I don't have a negative view of Certified Public Accountants and their ties to taxes. I think maybe the issue is that anyone can become a realtor with a little effort. It's considerably harder to become an accountant. So the quality of person you get in the realty field may widely vary.
Short of buying your house on eBay...realtors still have all the power. So what you find out details about the house and prices in the street...it is public data - the internet makes it easier to find. I think this is today’s first official knee-jerk reaction (admittedly a very slow 3 year one) Hey Jack….did Google get back to you about the revamped news thingy you sent them the other day?
JB, no, I no longer expect responses from Google. My feeling is that there's a level of arrogance at Google that rivals my own. Posted by: Jack on September 26, 2002 11:48 AM
Pity on two levels. One they seem not to care about feedback and two they have very poor customer service. Posted by: JB on September 26, 2002 01:21 PM
I was disappointed by the attitude of the Realtors but maybe if we get the information out about this topic, consumers will no longer tolerate the current Realtor practices. Is is just me or is 7% just too high? BTW, I like Realtor.com but it could be sooooo much better. Posted by: boysen on September 26, 2002 02:52 PM
I started to post here and it started to get way too long, so I posted it on my site instead: "I have a fair amount of information and opinion on this subject. I was Product Director for a company that made real estate software. We made MLS software, transaction processing software, and were in the process of creating software that would allow realtors, brokers, and the MLS to put their homes on the Web." http://kalsey.com/blog/2002/09/internet_mls_discussion.stm Posted by: Adam Kalsey on September 26, 2002 06:55 PM
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