New realtor dot com sucks - recommend another search site?
jenswrens
15 years ago
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jenswrens
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Do I need a realtor to buy a house?
Comments (44)"...but the buyer must remember that the realtor is representing himself/herself first." If there is a contract of agency between the buyer and agent, this is against the law and the quickest way to lose a client and your license to practice. berniek, this happens all the time. I'm sure you've seen it if you are an experienced agent. Both the seller and buyer really need to look out for their own interest. An experienced agent won't do anything illegal or much that anyone could claim was not in the client's interest, but all agents work to close the transaction (that is a good thing) . An agent may see some bad "signs" but won't mention to their client, nothing illegal or especially "bad", but why upset the client (unless it is your mother) and risk losing the closing. I'm sure all agents do it or see it, it is naive to say it doesn't occur. The old "buyer beware" is still true in RE....See MoreRevamped realtor.com
Comments (24)Logic, Sounds like you are correct... But, as Terriks says, the data is delayed, and sometimes incorrect due to the unreliabilities of IDX feeds. Can I ask why you spend so much time on researching home sales if you are not a buyer or seller? Just trying to figure out how to improve my own web site. History of REALTOR.com In November 1996, the Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS� approved an agreement between the REALTORS� Information Network (RIN)�NAR�s wholly-owned subsidiary--and RealSelect, Inc. to take over the operations of NAR�s official Internet site, REALTOR.com. At the time, many business models were considered to finance the development of REALTOR.com. NAR�s Leadership Team decided against using dues dollars or asking for a special assessment of the membership to fund REALTOR.com. While Homestore and its investors have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build and operate REALTOR.com, no NAR funds or NAR member dues dollars have ever been used for the creation or operation of the site. Helping REALTORS� Thrive in the Information Age REALTOR.com was created to be an Internet site that would always be owned and controlled by REALTORS�, and it has helped thousands of REALTORS� thrive. Its success has: Protected members against business models intended to disintermediate them or force unfriendly tariff models upon the industry; and Provided a REALTOR�-friendly level playing field, as each member is afforded the same opportunity to decide how they want to use the site in their own Internet marketing strategy. Key Provisions in the Operating Agreement The operating agreement negotiated more than eight years ago contained a number of important provisions ensuring NAR�s control over the content and operations of the site. Those provisions remain in full force today and continue to guide the relationship between NAR and Homestore (NASDAQ: HOMS), which owns RealSelect. 1. The National Association of REALTORS� owns and controls REALTOR.com. NAR's subsidiary, RIN, also owns approximately 4% of Homestore's stock, and maintains two seats on the Real Select board, and one seat on the Homestore board. In addition to their fiduciary responsibilities to those entities, the NAR appointees also: Represent NAR and RIN�s interests in all matters pertaining to the agreement; Assure compliance with all agreements with RIN and NAR, and report any non-compliance or other concerns to the RIN board and through them, to the NAR Board of Directors; and Provide quarterly reports to the Leadership Team on all significant Homestore activities. 2. Basic real property ads on REALTOR.com, including the primary photo, are free to REALTORS�. 3. No "For Sale by Owner" properties may ever appear on REALTOR.com. 4. NAR remains the sole owner of the REALTOR.com site and trademark. 5. The use and presentation of property listings remain under the control of NAR. Homestore cannot market any property data or information derived from the data without NAR approval. 6. Advertising on REALTOR.com is strictly controlled. For example, no REALTOR� detailed listing will ever contain a banner from a competitor. Advertisers are limited on the amount of space they can occupy on the site at any given time. 7. NAR must approve changes to the design or text of the REALTOR.com home page. 8. Homestore must conduct all of its real estate related business in Real Select, where NAR has substantial control. Should Homestore ever be acquired by a real estate related entity, RIN has the ability to terminate its agreement for the operation of REALTOR.com. Homestore operates REALTOR.com as a business. Its separation from NAR allows the company to make decisions that could potentially pose difficult problems for a trade association on business terms. These include the pricing of REALTOR.com products and services to REALTORS� and the development and marketing of new products and services. Outlook for the Future Homestore has survived the shake-out among dot com start-up companies and complete turnover in its management team. It has undergone major cost-cutting and restructuring to adjust to changing business realities. Certainly, its relationship with NAR has helped see it through challenging times and REALTOR.com has never lost its lead in the real estate space. The two organizations have continued their relationship essentially unchanged because they both benefit. Homestore has access to the best brand in real estate and NAR has a vehicle to provide its members a strong presence on the Internet without incurring the cost or risk of operating REALTOR.com itself. Time and trials have tested the formula, and now it�s poised for new growth, profitability and service to REALTORS�, shareholders and consumers alike....See MoreHow to get realtors to give me data?
Comments (20)josephene_gw- how long before you move? If it's more than 60 days, the agents may not be sending listings now, because many of them will be under contract before you are ready. Are you going to be buying sight unseen, or making a trip down there to look at homes/put in offer? I have out of state buyers quite often. I will initially talk to them on the phone to find out about what they want, their lifestyle, what is important to them, and their price range. I will usually encourage them to get preapproved, so they know what amount of pmt they qualify for/what dn pmt/loan type eligibility (VA? First time buyer?). I prefer a pmt over a loan amount, because if they aren't from here, they may not know that property taxes are really high (can easily be 500-1000 mo), and if they got qualified not knowing that, there could be issues with their debt to income ratio when it goes to underwriting. Then I will send them about 10 listings that meet their criteria, so they can get a feel for what is available, and I try to get their feedback so I can get a better idea of what they like. I won't send more listings until about a week or so before they are coming here (assuming they aren't buying sight unseen), so I am only sending available homes. I have them go through the list, and send me back a list of what they want to see. So if you are having a hard time getting responses... 1) Call them. Don't email. You'll have an easier time if you can develop rapport with the agent, and see how well they listen, answer questions, etc. 2) get preapproved- Agents don't want to spend hrs sending people listings that haven't even determined what amount they qualify for. (MAKE SURE YOU GET A PAYMENT AMOUNT that you are approved for, not just a loan amount. Taxes can vary in different parts of the country and screw up your debt to income) 3) ask for them to send you some listings to get an idea of what is available. 4) Try to get listings about a week before visiting to view homes, then go thru list and send list back of what you want to see....See MoreHOUZZ, your new format SUCKS BIG TIME!
Comments (108)While I will admit that some do seem have difficulties navigating or posting (I think most of that is due to a less than ideally compatible device or browser) I do not find the new format any more difficult to work with or use or navigate than it was before. Different, yes.........but no less user friendly (in many ways it is more user-friendly). And I think some are just a lot more resistant to change than others :-) As an old time GW user (here since almost from the start in the late 90s with Spike), the site has gone through a lot of changes over the years and with different ownership, much good and some not so good. It took me just a couple of days to become comfy with the new format and I have no issues with it now. My primary complaint is with cross posting. While it is NOT a requirement, many seem to think it is so you get threads posted to 3 completely unrelated forums. And those new folks entering directly from the Houzz side of the platform with gardening questions do not realize there are several dozens of gardening forums and just post in the Gardens or Landscape Design forum (the only GW forum that shows up in the Houzz topics listing as well as GW) and I find that very irritating. The LD forum is frequently innundated with completely inappropriate questions!! And I don't find it to be any less of a "community" than it was before. Depending on what forums one frequents, all the same old regular posters are present for the most part with the same friendly interchange and bantering. 11otis, if you scroll up to the start of this thread, you will find that it is posted to the Soils, Compost and Mulch forum in addition to a couple of others. Click on that forum title and it will take you directly to ALL the threads on that forum. Really couldn't be much easier............. :-)...See More
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