RISMedia
  • News
  • Premier
  • Reports
  • Events
  • Power Broker
  • Newsmakers
  • More
    • Publications
    • Education
No Result
View All Result
  • Agents
  • Brokers
  • Teams
  • Marketing
  • Coaching
  • Technology
  • More
    • Headliners New
    • Luxury
    • Best Practices
    • Consumer
    • National
    • Our Editors
Join Premier
Sign In
RISMedia
  • News
  • Premier
  • Reports
  • Events
  • Power Broker
  • Newsmakers
  • More
    • Publications
    • Education
No Result
View All Result
RISMedia
No Result
View All Result

It’s Time to Take Back the Consumer

Home Brokers
Commentary by Craig McClelland
June 17, 2019
Reading Time: 3 mins read
It’s Time to Take Back the Consumer

The real estate industry made a mistake: We let companies come in from outside the industry and offer what we should have offered the consumer for years. Instead of focusing on the evolving consumer needs, we got in our own way.

We didn’t want the norm to change. We got stuck in conversations where everybody brought their own initiatives and problems to the table. That’s how we let an outsider get between us and the consumer.

Today, we have an opportunity to move back into the driver’s seat, supporting our consumers. They deserve to get their information directly from the people who list and sell homes, not ads. But to serve the consumer, we must avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Broker Public Portal With Homesnap
We’re in charge again with the Broker Public Portal (BPP) with Homesnap. In less than two years, this industry-born initiative has exploded from 200,000 agents to more than 1 million with access to the technology.

Agents have reaped thousands of free leads worth tens of millions of dollars by using Homesnap technology, yet industry professionals continue to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars every month to a company that competes with them.

The new initiatives that BPP with Homesnap is bringing to the table give the real estate industry the ability to serve consumers in remarkable new ways. The dangers are myopia and self-interests. We cannot let our industry squander these new opportunities by going back to old habits of bickering and squawking about what “could” happen. Don’t forget what did happen.

If You Knew Then What You Know Now
In July 2013, the head of Zillow was interviewed by Motley Fool and said, “We are not a brokerage. We sell ads, not houses. We don’t intend to compete with brokerages.” Last April, Zillow announced that it would begin buying and selling homes directly to and from homeowners, and, most recently, said that it will let consumers tour a Zillow home without an agent.

What does our industry do? Agents, brokerages and loan officers continue to fund Zillow with their marketing spend because they’re hooked on the leads, continuing to subsidize Zillow’s growth. Zillow is not our friend. Zillow is our competitor. Zillow is between us and our customer, and now they’re taking our customers away.

Serving the Consumer
Brokers often think they’re serving consumers because they think that a consumer would do what they would do.

Brokers have to stop saying, “If I were a consumer…”. They’re not the consumer. They’re not in the middle of a life-changing experience that’s emotionally challenging. That means we also have to stop our old business ways. We need to listen to consumers and do what they want.

Quit Waiting to Align With a Win
BPP with Homesnap is bringing us bold new opportunities to take back the consumer. Let’s stop pointing to reasons we can’t do something and find a way to do it.

To those MLSs and brokerages not supporting BPP with Homesnap: Quit waiting to align with a win; align with a purpose. Stop sitting on the sidelines until we’ve won. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, because if we’ve already lost, it’s over.

It’s time for this industry to bind together and back this intentional, purpose-driven initiative. Let’s come together as an industry and take the consumer back.

Craig McClelland is COO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, Georgia’s premier real estate brokerage with 26 offices and more than 2,400 REALTORS® throughout Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, and serves on the Board of Managers for the Broker Public Portal. For more information, please visit www.brokerpublicportal.com or www.homesnap.com/bpp.

Tags: Broker Public PortalHomesnapiBuyerReal Estate Technology
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

New York-Based Marquee Realty Joins Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Industry News

New York-Based Marquee Realty Joins Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

June 20, 2025
Cutting Out the Noise
Brokers

Cutting Out the Noise

June 20, 2025
RISMedia Wins Gold, Silver Awards, Special Recognition at 2025 NAREE Journalism Competition
Industry News

RISMedia Wins Gold, Silver Awards, Special Recognition at 2025 NAREE Journalism Competition

June 20, 2025
Mortgage
Industry News

Mortgage Mix: CFPB’s Attempted Rollback on Redlining Settlement Denied by Judge

June 20, 2025
Housing
Agents

The Housing Crisis Demands Action—Here’s a Blueprint

June 20, 2025
Empowering Female Business Owners on Their Path to Aligned Ambition
Agents

Empowering Female Business Owners on Their Path to Aligned Ambition

June 19, 2025
Please login to join discussion
Tip of the Day

Why a Dirty Car Could Cost You the Deal

Think a dirty car doesn’t matter? Think again. Learn just how much first impressions can make or break a deal. See how.

Business Tip of the Day provided by

Recent Posts

  • New York-Based Marquee Realty Joins Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
  • Cutting Out the Noise
  • RISMedia Wins Gold, Silver Awards, Special Recognition at 2025 NAREE Journalism Competition

Categories

  • Spotlights
  • Best Practices
  • Advice
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Social Media

The Most Important Real Estate News & Events

Click below to receive the latest real estate news and events directly to your inbox.

Sign Up
By signing up, you agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

About Blog Our Products Our Team Contact Advertise/Sponsor Media Kit Email Whitelist Terms & Policies ACE Marketing Technologies LLC

© 2025 RISMedia. All Rights Reserved. Design by Real Estate Webmasters.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Premier
  • Reports
  • News
    • Agents
    • Brokers
    • Teams
    • Consumer
    • Marketing
    • Coaching
    • Technology
    • Headliners New
    • Luxury
    • Best Practices
    • National
    • Our Editors
  • Publications
    • Real Estate Magazine
    • Past Issues
    • Custom Covers
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Podcasts
    • Event Coverage
  • Education
    • Get Licensed
    • REALTOR® Courses
    • Continuing Education
    • Luxury Designation
    • Real Estate Tools
  • Newsmakers
    • 2025 Newsmakers
    • 2024 Newsmakers
    • 2023 Newsmakers
    • 2022 Newsmakers
    • 2021 Newsmakers
    • 2020 Newsmakers
    • 2019 Newsmakers
  • Power Broker
    • 2025 Power Broker
    • 2024 Power Broker
    • 2023 Power Broker
    • 2022 Power Broker
    • 2021 Power Broker
    • 2020 Power Broker
    • 2019 Power Broker
  • Join Premier
  • Sign In

© 2025 RISMedia. All Rights Reserved. Design by Real Estate Webmasters.

X