The power that HomeStore gets from having "Gold" arrangements with MLS's across the country does not just affect the consumer. It affects the Realtor in at least two distinct ways. First, it becomes almost a "given" that a listing agent has to sign up with Realtor.com to make sure that their personal information gets in front of the web visitor viewing the listing. This requires an expenditure of approximately $500 a year or more and creates a captive market for HomeStore.com. One would think that NAR membership should be enough to ensure a member's name should be included with listings on the "official web site of the National Association of Realtors." Is the real goal to keep the Realtor "central" to the real estate transaction, or to make more money off NAR members? Second, having the largest amount of listings has made Realtor.com one of the most popular destinations on the web. However, the organization reaping the benefits appears to be HomeStore.com, not Realtor.com. HomeStore.com has been able to grow in power and size to currently include not only resales, but new homes, apartments, and more. As a result, national advertising and publicity now promotes HomeStore.com, not Realtor.com. This has been the trend over the last two years, and what if it continues? The only time I see advertising and promotion for Realtor.com is when it is aimed at Realtors to sign up for services. There has been a lot of commentary how the role of the Realtor, especially listing agents, has been "marginalized" as a result of the web. The National Association of Realtors and HomeStore.com say their goal is to keep the Realtor "central" to the real estate transaction. Realtors should look at the trend on their "official" site over the last three years and draw their own conclusions. Just to make things clear, I believe that the Realtor is extremely important in real estate, and on my own web site, I promote Realtors strongly. My observations are about how the relationship between NAR and HomeStore.com may be contributing to the marginalization that both organizations say they are fighting.

Back to Previous Post Printer Friendly Version | E-mail This Article to a Friend