Editor's note: This series is designed to help real estate professionals evaluate the large listings services as potential marketing partners. The information is provided by senior level executives with each company.

CyberHomes.com is a listings-based research service for consumers who are in the process of buying and selling homes. The site, according to CyberHomes vice president and general manager, John Mosey, is designed to connect qualified buyers and sellers with real estate professionals using the mechanisms of free links and, the agent/broker contact information that is attached to every listing on the site.

CyberHomes is owned by VistaInfo, Inc. who completed the purchase of the Web site and a sister company, Moore Data Management Systems, in December 1999. As a result of this transaction, Vistainfo is now the the largest supplier of MLS information management systems in the country, serving over 100 MLS organizations and 350,000 real estate professionals. An inherent advantage that CyberHomes offers to listing agents is that listing information is updated daily and, while it is easier for CyberHomes to provide technical support when the MLS information is managed by VistaInfo, CyberHomes partnerships are not exclusive to MLS organizations whose data is managed by VistaInfo. The company has many listings agreements with MLS organizations that use competing MLS information systems.

Governing philosophy: "Every listing that appears on every possible Web site ultimately should point back to the broker or agent and their web site/page. Listings on qualify Web sites, whether national or local, are important advertising opportunities for real estate professionals. They bring people to your door (or to your web site) where you can initiate a one-on-one dialog and create a customer relationship." - John Mosey

Restrictions: The listings found on CyberHomes come from MLS organizations only. Brokers and agents are not allowed to input their own listings, which limits individual agent participation. The site does link the broker or agent's listing to the agent's Web page or Web site regardless of where the real estate professional's page or site originates. This makes CyberHomes an ideal partner for agents who want to showcase their services through their own listings. The down side is that if agents aren't allowed to input listings to CyberHomes they will not benefit from the CyberHomes audience unless CyberHomes has access to the agent's MLS system.

Active listings nationwide: 400,000, see MLS in your area

Number of visitors monthly: 332,000 (February 2000)

Number of viewings per listing monthly: N/A, CyberHomes reports 9.8 million impressions (February 2000)

Daily updates of listings: Yes

New listing email alerts: Yes, through CyberHomes "Homes By Email" feature.

Does CyberHomes sell Web sites/pages to agents?: Yes

Pricing: $159 to $299 per year

Most Expensive: Premium Agent Program Internet Starter Program - $299

• one-page personal profile at www.top-agent.com/yourname
• links from all your CyberHomes listings to your email and home page
• listing and link in agent directory, "Meet Your Real Estate Professional"
• View My Listings - a connection to all your listings available from your personal home page

Least Expensive: Classic Agent Internet Program (When you have your own home page) - $159

• links from all your CyberHomes listings to your email and home page
• A listing and link in agent directory, "Meet Your Real Estate Professional"

Other programs available: Yes, see CyberHomes Agent Internet Marketing Programs

Is Broker/office marketing available: Yes

Pricing: $149 to $1045

Most expensive: $1045

Least expensive: Free, broker's listings link to their Web sites free of charge

Upgrades to Web site/page available?: Yes

Affiliates where my listings will also be seen: CyberHomes offers branded views with media partners such as NBC's Detroit affiliate WDIV-TV and the American Homeowner's Association's Realhome.com.

Company revenue model: advertising, products for agents and brokers

Last word: - by John Mosey:
"Our revenue model is not built on selling products and services to agents and brokers. We started out that way, but now we have evolved to an advertising model. This allows agents and brokers to promote their listings and themselves at low to no cost as companies wishing to reach potential homebuyers and sellers foot the bill for the service. In 1998, 37 percent of total revenues were derived from agent/broker products.

In 1999, that number had dropped to 13.6 percent, and in fourth quarter 1999 it was down to 10.8 percent. Agent web pages and other services such as the View My Listings & Search My Listings links are valued by many brokers and agents in MLS markets where we have content partnerships. As we continue to grow our audience, I expect that these services will become even more valuable; particularly, at the price points that we have staked out VS competition in the space. Even so, CyberHomes will continue to facilitate links to broker Web sites without charge regardless of who sold that broker their site.

"My personal goal is to become the most heavily trafficked real estate site on the Web through a combination of market by market site promotion and by creating branded views for advertising alliance partners such as broadcast and print media outlets who are operating their own sites. Listings never leave CyberHomes, yet we can adapt the look and feel so that it complements the alliance site. Click a navigation button and see homes for sale that are on CyberHomes.

"The local partner drives the traffic and the Realtor gets better exposure in that market. By providing the branded views, we are increasing the number of views of the listings while adding attractive content to sites, and we pay them based on the traffic that they are able to generate for CyberHomes. We ask them to act in their own self-interest and to promote their Web sites aggressively in their markets. By promoting themselves, they will attract people to their site and we will gain a larger audience for the listings on CyberHomes.

"Our primary mission is to connect qualified buyers and sellers with real estate professionals. CyberHomes was created by Moore Data and is operated by Vistainfo with the express purpose of making sure that our real estate customers are served by the full potential of the Internet.

"Contact information is included in every listing, and we provide free links from every listing to the broker's web site. When those links are maintained at the MLS host. visitors to CyberHomes can click from the listing information to the listing broker's Web site without it costing the broker anything for the connection.

"CyberHomes was the first company to include free links and contact information on every listing back in 1995."

Overview

Pros: Broker- friendly; listings never leave the site even when used as content for site partners; links to listings from any agent Web site or page; relative low cost to other service providers; offers exposure on key media sites which could be very beneficial at the local level.

Cons: Limited number of listings nationwide, but that could improve if MLSs who are Gold Alliance partners don't renew this year and decide to open their databases to Realtor.com competitors; no opportunity for buyer's agents or agents without listings, or for those agents whose MLSs have no agreement with CyberHomes. However, CyberHomes says it is developing a buyer's resource center which will feature an advertising venue for buyer's agents and dual agents. The feature is scheduled for debut in May 2000.

Published: March 29, 2000

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