The noise being generated by Realtor.com and Microsoft, not to mention other national listing sites such as CyberHomes, HomeSeekers, and HomeScout, drowns out the fire that ListingLink generated not so long ago. In fact, during the past year, the real estate industry -- particularly the 'Net-savvy portion of the industry -- has heard scarcely a peep from ListingLink, who dominated the scene until Realtor.com came into the picture and quickly established itself as one of the Web's leading and most comprehensive home listing sites.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based ListingLink made its debut during the National Association of Realtors Anaheim, Calif., show in 1994. The company's mission was to help real estate agents throughout the country maximize the value of the Internet, streamlining their businesses and saving them considerable amounts of time and money. The company, whose site contains listings from every state -- including virtually every residential real estate listing in California, as well as a substantial percentage of listings in New York counties -- claims more than 6 million "hits" each month from potential buyers and sellers (for some perspective on that figure, Web giant Realtor.com claims 230 million hits per month). ListingLink has considerable backing; the company is a partner of the Times Mirror Company, the publisher of The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, and other major daily newspapers throughout the United States. ListingLink's other alliances include distribution partners The Los Angeles Times, Pacific Bell's At Hand, and Yahoo!; real estate partners CAR and the New York Association of Realtors (an association which has given ListingLink considerable territory in New York); and technology partners Be Here Corporation and 2001 Beyond.

ListingLink burst onto the scene when agent Web site construction represented perhaps the biggest revenue-generator available from the Internet. The Enterprise, Brian June, HomeSeekers, and RIN (Real Estate Information Network) were ListingLink's most formidable competitors in November 1995, when the company negotiated a deal with the California Association of Realtors in order to obtain access to major multiple listing services (MLSs) in California. That agreement effectively pulled ListingLink away from the pack. The Enterprise and Brian June went on to focus their businesses primarily on agent and corporate Web site construction.

In November 1996, the Times Mirror Company bought 50 percent of ListingLink, exhibiting its confidence in the direction ListingLink was headed. Sometime between the end of 1997 and early 1998, the Times Mirror Company purchased the remainder of the company and assumed responsibility for the management of ListingLink. The big question remains: What plans does Times Mirror have for ListingLink? Nobody seems to know the answer yet, although one Internet consultant says the company's plans aren't ambitious enough. Whether that sentiment will be echoed by other real estate professionals remains to be seen; Times Mirror is likely to reveal its plans for the site during the next several months.

What is clear is that ListingLink will have to focus much of its marketing efforts, when implemented, on gaining ground in other states outside of California. The company's association with CAR has brought an impressive total of 55 California MLSs and 150,000 California home listings to the site. While California certainly is a feather in anyone's cap, ListingLink is a national site with the bulk of its business in California. Whether or not ListingLink is going to have the strength to face the heat generated by Realtor.com and Microsoft depends on its ability to gain access to major MLSs in other states.

Right now, Times Mirror is incorporating new hardware for ListingLink, but its marketing efforts on behalf of ListingLink appear to be either minimal or awfully silent. The company did, however, make an appearance at last month's NAR Midyear Meeting in Washington, D.C. While ListingLink didn't blow any horns or whistles to call attention to grand-scale strategies for 1998, it's too early to discount the company that enjoyed the sweet taste of unparalleled success just a few short years ago -- and still does to a certain extent. But the rules in this game are ever-changing. Realtor.com and Microsoft have upped the ante. Will ListingLink rise to the challenge? With the Times Mirror company standing behind it, ListingLink is certainly armed for the task that lies ahead.

ListingLink remains mum about the upcoming changes the Times Mirror company has in store for the company, but rest assured, you can expect to hear more from this silent giant in the months ahead.

"We expect to make an announcement shortly regarding our future positioning in the industry," says Stephen Bedikian of ListingLink's marketing and advertising department. "Obviously, that strategy will be consistent with our parent company's interest in maintaining a strong, mutually beneficial relationship between newspapers and the real estate agent and broker community nationwide, both in print and online." Stay tuned.

Published: May 22, 1998

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