Not all the large listings sites offer Web pages or Web sites to Realtors, but the ones who do provide a special advantage for agents with listings and for those who wish to be linked to the listing site's databases. That's where the consumers are, and being close to listings can be a real marketing advantage for any agent.

The national listing sites can be particularly good for listing agents whose listings baskets are empty or buyer's agents who don't seek to have listings, because the agent isn't dependent on producing individual listings to hold the consumer's attention. The site itself has already provided that attraction. Where you can stand out instead is either through your listings on the site or in the site's agent directory. But first, you have to choose with which listing site(s) you are going to affiliate and make sure that the money you spend is going to help you in your particular market.

Start with a Web presence

Just because your listing is on the Web doesn't mean that you have a presence. Most of the listings sites link to the broker's site, and if an e-mail or a call comes from an interested consumer, it could easily go to your broker who may or may not pass the lead to you, or to whomever has floor duty.

A Web presence means that you can be found on the Web, but there are different ways to accomplish that. Look at the Internet as a vast library. Every Web site is like a book with an address that allows it to be found by visitors, just like the Dewey Decimal System allows you to locate books at your local library. The advantage to having your own web site(s), www.yourname.com, is that you can name it what you want, you can submit it to search engines so people can find you, and your web site address will be easy for you and others to remember. But like any other media with your name on it, you have the responsibility to make sure that the site is maintained either by yourself or others, and that the information on your site is timely, correct, and legally yours to use. To make your site stand out, you may have to pay higher prices for custom features, or have your site designed by a custom Web site builder.

Another way to have a web presence is through a Web page. Your Web page is not a stand-alone site - it is a page out of a book that belongs to another entity such as your broker, your franchise, or some other site partner. The advantage to a Web page is that they are generally lower in cost than a Web site, and you have an opportunity to be found by some consumers because you're piggy-backing on the name of a larger, better known organization and that can be very profitable. The disadvantage is that you are a page in a book, not a book, so it is more difficult to establish a Web identity. Because your name is a page on someone else's site, your web address will have a long string of characters that are harder to remember, to give to customers, and to print on business cards. You'll also have a tougher time being found on Web search engines. Not having your own URL can also make it appear as if your commitment to Web promotion isn't very serious. You may also have to pay a premium to the larger organization in order to get noticed by customers in the form of upgrades to your Web page or higher cost to have a Web page.

There is no right or wrong answer. Either way, you are going to have a cost for doing business on the Internet, and those companies with which you associate will put a premium on the one thing you can't generate alone - visitors' eyeballs. You have to simply evaluate which site affords you the most opportunity to meet and capture customers.

Which listing site is best for your market?

The national listings sites all get their listing information the same way, through affiliations with local MLS and Realtor organizations. Some MLS organizations allow relationships with more than one listing aggregator.

The reason that coverage is significant in your selection is that consumers will be using the listing service to access listings. If for some reason, the site they are visiting doesn't have listings in your area, the consumers will quickly click off and search for another listings source.

Marketing opportunities with the national listings services actually begin with your local MLS. Because the local MLS is able to deliver listings in quantity, they are sought after by the listings sites. Listings are so valuable, that some listings organizations will pay the MLS as much as $1 apiece for every listing; other MLSs have received substantial gains through stock options offered by publicly traded companies such as Homestore and Homeseekers. For that reason, some MLSs have entered into exclusive arrangements with one listings service or another.

But, what is good for the MLS coffers may not necessarily be the best choice for you personally. You could be paying high prices to advertise your services with the exclusive company because competition has been eliminated. That also means that your competitors will have exactly the same options you do, so you'll also be getting the same exposure that they do. On the other hand, the up side is that pricing will eliminate some of your competitors, and you'll get lots of leads directed straight to you.

For that reason, some competing companies offer a broker-direct recourse in which the broker and listing agents can input listings directly to the listing site via the Internet. This is done through a signed agreement with the broker in which the MLS is directed to forward the broker's listings from the MLS database. This can be a marketing advantage for the broker and agent, because when a consumer uses that site to find listings, your listings will stand out because of fewer participants. However, you run the risk that because the broker-direct site may not have many listings in your area, the consumer will simply click off before viewing your listings and go on to another site with more critical mass.

Call your MLS and find out which listings services have agreements to publish the MLS data. If you would like to input your own listings with a service which is not under agreement with your MLS, then find out how cooperative the MLS will be in assisting you.

Evaluating exposure VS costs

Keeping in mind that you will probably buy more than one web site or page, shop the listings sites according to which service can give you the most bang for the buck. An easy way to determine these is the relative exposure the site can bring you versus the costs to gain that exposure.

The listings sites advertise their strong points, so you can use the information they seem to care about to evaluate where to spend your money. Look at factors such as overall traffic, number of listings, number of viewings per listing, and leads generated per listing.

Also, look at the site's affiliates. Some of the listings sites may not be so large on their own, but they may have affiliate agreements with other large data aggregators that make them desirable partners for you. To find out, ask about all the possible places where your web site/page and listings could possibly being exposed.

Remember that one aspect such as consumer traffic or leads generated may outweigh another when it comes time to make your final decision.

Here are some points to consider when making your choices:

• Does the site give you your own web site and URL, or are you a page? Is it a specific, easy-to-remember URL?
• Can you edit the site? Change the look?
• Does the site submit your web page or site to search engines?
• Does the site have an Agent Directory or Find An Agent feature? Are you included with your Web site/page purchase?
• Is there a means for you to update your listings daily? Does your MLS update its aggregator partners daily?
• Are your listings automatically added to your web site from the site's MLS partner?
• Do ancillary features of the site direct consumers away or back to you?
• Are there marketing alternatives if you don't have any current listings, or you are a buyer's agent?
• When consumers search for homes from your site, are they directed to other agents?
• Does the listing service have a relationship with your MLS? Is it exclusive?
• How easy is it to collect leads from the site? Are you notified when you have a lead? How?
• What are the costs? What is the least/most you can spend? What are the benefits for spending more on your site/page?
• What relationships does the site have that can give you additional exposure?

Tomorrow, we will begin our coverage of the large listings sites with Cyberhomes.com followed by HomeAdvisor.com, Homes.com, Homeseekers.com, and Realtor.com

PART I of this article:
Which Listing Company Is the Best Marketing Partner for You?

PART III: CyberHomes: MLS Information Partner

Is Your Domain Name Available?

Published: March 28, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.