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Old 12-05-2019, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,527 posts, read 13,921,267 times
Reputation: 7908

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman View Post
Yes, they pull data from mls that agents enter (description, photos, home info, school zones, lot size, etc) as well as info from other sources like tax records to attract the consumer. Then when a consumer requests info or a showing they sell the consumers name and contact info to an agent as a lead.

The broker is suing because he doesn't feel zillow should be able advertise his listings to attract consumers and sell the leads generated on his listings to his competition (other agents).
If you look at a listing on Zillow, it's really REALLY hard to make the argument that they are NOT trying to deceive the consumer as to who the listing agent is. They often put the listing agent's head right above a "contact" box the consumer fills out. Except if you fill it out the inquiry does not go the listing agent it goes to a "Zillow Premier" agent who pays for the lead.

As Mike J said, Zillow is burning cash. They're currently piloting a program in a couple of cities where you pay a referral fee instead of a monthly subscription fee as that will likely earn them more money. Any RE agent who pays Zillow for leads is penny wise and pound foolish. Keep paying them for leads and our industry will end up like the travel agents.

VCs are wising up though. After the WeWork debacle they're not so eager to pump money into businesses that are constantly losing money.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman View Post
Does it open the door for other such suits? Maybe, and at the very least I'm sure Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and all the other sites are already scrambling to check the language for loopholes they need to close or troublesome clauses they need to amend or clarify. Probably in the future it will have specific language regarding what they can do with leads if the contract doesn't already have it in there. Most of those sites operate in a similar fashion.
My guess is that this lawsuit is probably not going to get very far. I'm sure the MLS the broker has agreed to be a member of has an agreement to provide their listing data to Zillow as most of them do. Most MLS systems also have a feature where the broker can choose to turn off 3rd party syndication of listings. Of course, it would not only stop the listing from going to Zillow it would likely stop it from going anywhere that wasn't an IDX site (Agent/Broker website).

Personally, I think it would be great if each MLS had functionality where you could pick and choose exactly where your listings go. Just don't want it to go to Zillow and Trulia (they're both the same company)? No problem! Just click here and it will still go everywhere else.

Anyway, the time for such a lawsuit is long past. Before Zillow formed agreements with most MLS platforms, they were a data aggregator and would scrape listing information and photos from other websites in order to populate their own. At that point, they had no right to display our listings. However, Realtors were so short sighted and techno-ignorant that everyone thought . . . great! Now I don't have to do it. Until Zillow started selling your leads back to you and every agent under the sun started moaning and groaning about it.
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Old 12-06-2019, 06:55 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
10,907 posts, read 21,870,313 times
Reputation: 10539
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
If you look at a listing on Zillow, it's really REALLY hard to make the argument that they are NOT trying to deceive the consumer as to who the listing agent is. They often put the listing agent's head right above a "contact" box the consumer fills out. Except if you fill it out the inquiry does not go the listing agent it goes to a "Zillow Premier" agent who pays for the lead.
It does note the listing agent, but it gives you 4 to pick from and shows the ratings and reviews next to the agent names. It's easy to you as an industry professional, but just yesterday I had an agent send me message asking about my listing through Zillow, except it wasn't my listing. When agents can't figure it out the public will do worse. Granted, I did a deal with that agent earlier this year, and he sucked so bad I had to get his broker involved to move it forward. Dude wouldn't return calls or text messages for days. But in the eyes of the Real Estate Commission and the public, that sorry agent is our equal.
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Old 12-06-2019, 07:37 AM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,527 posts, read 13,921,267 times
Reputation: 7908
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman View Post
It does note the listing agent, but it gives you 4 to pick from and shows the ratings and reviews next to the agent names. It's easy to you as an industry professional, but just yesterday I had an agent send me message asking about my listing through Zillow, except it wasn't my listing. When agents can't figure it out the public will do worse. Granted, I did a deal with that agent earlier this year, and he sucked so bad I had to get his broker involved to move it forward. Dude wouldn't return calls or text messages for days. But in the eyes of the Real Estate Commission and the public, that sorry agent is our equal.
The part I'm referring to is the "Contact Agent" button at the top. The thing you come across is the listing agent's name and most people assume if you click on this button that the inquiry will go to the listing agent when in fact it goes to a "Premier Agent."

I've definitely had other agents contact me through Zillow. I think universally you can assume when that happens that the other agent is one who has their head squarely inserted in a very dark place.
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Old 12-10-2019, 08:34 AM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
25,118 posts, read 16,097,454 times
Reputation: 14408
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hal Roach View Post
Some of the worst, inexperienced, unprofessional agents I have ever encountered..referred by Zillow. I do like the search features of the site, but there is obviously no validation of some of the data..seems like it would be easy enough for the listing agent to go in and correct things that were imported wrong from MLS. Some agents even refuse to mark a property as pending, even on a cash deal with a close in a week.
Zillow's only qualification to appear as an "expert" is willingness and ability to shell out $2K.

Whether a property has been changed to Pending in the agent's MLS within those requirements, and Zillow has decided to correct their website are completely unrelated.

Please don't think of Zillow as a LINK to the MLS. It is not. Think of Zillow like a news aggregator (see below). They cull the MLS feed every few hours and then post what they want to - which is primarily the new listings. 99% of folks are going to Zillow to see "what's new", not "what's gone under contract".

Breaking News - updates hourly = new listing
Regular News - every 3 hours = pictures added
Sports News - daily = price change
Entertainment News - weekly = status change
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Old 12-11-2019, 09:51 AM
 
Location: Ocala, FL
6,407 posts, read 10,212,424 times
Reputation: 7792
Bottom line is that Zillow is a free site to consumers and you get what you pay for, garbage. I used Zillow advertising for about 3 years as a Realtor and my results were nothing like I expected, very few leads and hardly worth my investment.

Don't get me wrong, for the consumer it is helpful to find new listings but not as accurate as the MLS information.
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Old 12-11-2019, 10:45 AM
Status: "Made the Retirement Run in under 12 parsecs!!!" (set 4 days ago)
 
Location: Cary, NC
43,076 posts, read 76,631,641 times
Reputation: 45393
Quote:
Originally Posted by dontaskwhy View Post
Bottom line is that Zillow is a free site to consumers and you get what you pay for, garbage. I used Zillow advertising for about 3 years as a Realtor and my results were nothing like I expected, very few leads and hardly worth my investment.

Don't get me wrong, for the consumer it is helpful to find new listings but not as accurate as the MLS information.



Zillow? "Free?"
I dunno. I think, "If you aren't paying, you are the product" clearly applies to Z.
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Old 12-12-2019, 05:11 AM
 
8,005 posts, read 7,135,701 times
Reputation: 18165
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal View Post
Zillow's only qualification to appear as an "expert" is willingness and ability to shell out $2K.
And there are 500 " local experts" on Zillow in my town of 12,000 souls. Well over half work out of an office in another town.
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Old 12-16-2019, 10:35 PM
 
658 posts, read 822,812 times
Reputation: 836
Zillow is not the only site, Redfin and the other do the same. It is misleading and makes buyers believe their paid agents are the listing agents. Truth is they advertise every home on the MLS so the person buyers contacts does not know a darn thing about the house.

A buyer should sue, I was buying out of state and the contact agent gave me the wrong info on a lot we were looking at with square footage minimums etc.

It should be clearly disclosed they are NOT the listing agent and would have limited information.
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Old 12-17-2019, 03:58 AM
Status: "Made the Retirement Run in under 12 parsecs!!!" (set 4 days ago)
 
Location: Cary, NC
43,076 posts, read 76,631,641 times
Reputation: 45393
Quote:
Originally Posted by forzalugano View Post
Zillow is not the only site, Redfin and the other do the same. It is misleading and makes buyers believe their paid agents are the listing agents. Truth is they advertise every home on the MLS so the person buyers contacts does not know a darn thing about the house.

A buyer should sue, I was buying out of state and the contact agent gave me the wrong info on a lot we were looking at with square footage minimums etc.

It should be clearly disclosed they are NOT the listing agent and would have limited information.

Well, generally, it IS clearly disclosed. Sort of like CD Forums where people decide to overlook that a thread is old when it is clearly disclosed it is not, IDX and VOW site users have to read the site. Redfin is a brokerage firm with a brokerage site, and they manage their site in compliance with MLS rules for sharing listings via IDX and VOW.
They do provide minimal required notice of the listing agent's name and firm. Some firms provide that information right up front, rather than making you scroll and look.


Of course, Zillow is a flipper, lender, and ad site. But, they do NOT advertise every house on every MLS. Some agents decline to syndicate and withhold their listings from Z in MLSs where it is a firm or agent decision.
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Old 12-17-2019, 07:03 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
10,907 posts, read 21,870,313 times
Reputation: 10539
Quote:
Originally Posted by forzalugano View Post
Zillow is not the only site, Redfin and the other do the same....
Redfin isn't the best comparison. They are a brokerage. ZTR sell leads so one of the other lead gen companies that sell leads to agents are comparable. Redfin is trying to generate business for their own agents, like Re/Max, KW, CB and the other companies with sites.
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