Realtor.com Adds Home Valuation. Apparently Blows It.
Dustin Luther on 4Realz.net has an analysis of Realtor.com’s “Home Values” — the latest in Automated Valuations for home prices.
Looks like they pooched it.
Pooched: adj. (slang) made unusable; broken; buggered (British)
.
Blanche Evans Hammers the “Benefits” of Realtor.com
Blanch Evans, the Senior Editor of Realty Times, unloaded on the new “benefits” Realtor.com is offering agents.
And I for one, think her opinion is spot on.
Wow, now we get a whopping FOUR photos for free! Puhlease.
Evans ends her editorial with:
Realtor.com isn’t bringing any game. They need to come up with something better than four free photos, and quick.
No doubt… an upcoming revamped interface on R.com may be good for consumers. But as the “Official site of the National Association of Realtors” is seems like there should be something of value for ….. Realtors…….
.
More New Blogs and Whatnot
NAR announces new member-based email distribution service
“MARION, Iowa USA — The NAR is responding to member’s requests for better communication between the operations of the organization and the member body. The NAR has started its response by establishing an electronic newsletter distribution service.
In an online statement today, NAR president Mark Bundick invites members to…”
Mark Bundick? Wait a second…
Oh! This is the National Association of Rocketry, not the National Association of Realtors. My bad! 
Silliness aside, I found another new “organizational” blog. This one from Realtor.com — Realtor.com Report.
Looks like it spooled up on March 24. Five posts in the first two days, but only two since March 25. A posting frequency rivaled only by this very blog (I’ll try to do better, I promise).
Speaking of Realtor.com, I just got off the phone with them after receiving a courtesy call. Seems when I left Century 21 and started my own brokerage, I somehow forgot about having listings on Realtor.com (perhaps because nothing has ever come from having listings there. But I digress).
After spending countless minutes trying to convince them I did not want to pay for: 1) enhanced listings; 2) banner ads on their site; 3) Featured Homes; 4) Company Showcase; 5) Featured Company status; or 6) a “print solution”, I managed to get the paperwork required to get our brokerages listings for “free”.
Fortunately the agreement is only 7 pages of single-spaced text.
.
The Great Debates: Realtor.com: Friend or Foe
Head on over to Real Estate Politics and watch Brian Wilson of Zolve take on mega-producer Russell Shaw in the first “Great Debate”.
It’s all about varying aspects of Realtor.com. From two decidedly different points of view.
Interesting stuff.
And if you haven’t already done so, please vote in our poll to the right “Are Enhanced Listings” on Realtor.com worth the cost?”
Move.com Does Good
Obviously I’m not a big fan of Realtor.com. But Move.com (the “parent” of realtor.com) has done a very good thing to help out those displaced by the horrible fires in southern California.
A lengthy (and growing) list of temporary housing in the San Diego / Los Angeles area is posted at Move.com.
There are also links to additional housing resources.
Here is a map showing locations of temporary housing. Click on the map for more details.
Nice work Move.com!
H/T to Dustin Luther
Realtor.com vs Cyberhomes.com
Jim Duncan has an excellent post up today comparing Cyberhomes to Realtor.com.
There is no comparison in my opinion.
Realtor.com best get it in gear, quickly, if they plan on staying the top dog. Or whatever dog it is they are trying to be…
There is a fundamental concept that Realtor.com/Move/the NAR don’t seem to have grasped yet. Jim sums that concept up in one sentence:
It’s been said before - consumers want all the information, they want it now and they want it for free.