Along with positive news of a rapidly rebounding market come certain challenges. Competition in the real estate market is fierce. Securing increased exposure for listings online has never been more important—to individual agents and brokers. In order to successfully amp up business and ride the progressive waves of the marketplace, it’s imperative that agents capitalize on opportunities that further promote their listings and entice inquisitive buyers to reach out. But how can proactive real estate agents ensure that more eyes are seeing their listings and that they’re first in line for new lead inquiries?
Laffey Fine Homes, a Long Island, N.Y., brokerage with about 600 agents, joined Zillow Pro for Brokers in July. Soon after, the company saw an uptick in contacts from Zillow, with 411 contacts reaching out to its agents in July alone. After an introductory session on how to make the most of the free partnership, Laffey agents quickly recognized its benefits.
According to Managing Principal Emmett Laffey, the biggest change is the buzz around the firm.
“On a daily basis, we hear agents discussing Zillow and the amount of Zillow inquiries they’re getting. The agents are definitely excited about the amount of direct calls they’re getting from their listings,” he says.
With Zillow Pro for Brokers, brokers have the ability to set up a direct feed and maintain total control of their information, helping agents stay efficient and on schedule. Agents also have the opportunity to influence their contact rate by populating their Zillow profiles with a summary of expertise, past sales and client reviews.
“The single greatest advantage is having the listing agent be the natural first choice to be contacted on their listings. It’s very beneficial. The agent is on the top right, and if they comply with the simple tasks of writing a bio and submitting sales, they have a five-star rating and the consumer will see the agent on top,” says Laffey. “The consumer can then reach out to the listing agent at our company first. That’s the name of the game and it has been a great thing.”
Not only does Zillow Pro for Brokers allow for total control over listing data and more exposure for agents, Laffey Fine Homes also retains brand value, with their logo, link and source info appearing on every single listing. With this kind of brand recognition and spotlight on agent info, consumers are more than primed to contact the right agent when they’re ready to dive into the buying process.
“Getting more calls from consumers means agents are getting more visibility,” says Laffey. “There’s an increase in the amount of consumers that are directly calling agents, and if I were to drill it down, it’s because more eyes are seeing their properties.”
Thanks to the many positives that have come from their partnership with Zillow Pro for Brokers, Laffey Fine Homes plans on including information about the partnership in their marketing material for listing presentations.
“Since Zillow is the number one site for real estate consumers, we know it’s very important to let our clients know how we market their properties on Zillow and how we get the consumers to call the agent directly,” says Laffey.
With such a high importance placed on the listing agent, partnering with Zillow Pro for Brokers is a no-brainer…especially since it’s free to join.
“It’s a simple process for agents to receive a five-star ranking. Consumers see that and they want to call the person on top—the listing agent. No one is more motivated to sell than listing agents.”
For more information, visit www.zillow.com/broker-partners.
