Why You Can’t Find Listings on Our Website
By Pat Kilner
A few months ago, I ran into an old friend who has never been shy about telling me what she thinks. While it had been ten years since we’d seen each other, after just 2 minutes, her posture stiffened, her gaze seemed to lock on mine, and her brow furrowed.
“I have a gripe with you!” She blurted out.
Alarmed but trying to smile and appear calm in the face of this unexpected volley, all I could come back with was: “Really? Why’s that?”
“I was on your website the other day and couldn’t find a single listing!” She said with feigned exacerbation.”
My smile grew. Effortlessly this time.
THE DECISION TO OFFER SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
A couple of years ago, we began revamping our website spurred by two simple but powerful questions: What do we offer that is unique in a sea of 1.5 million real estate agents? And does our website put this on display?
We landed on a vision for a website that - while not easy to accomplish - has driven a complete reshaping of how we articulate our value and introduce clients to our methodology. Why? Three simple principles:
1. THE BUSINESS OF HOW, NOT WHAT:
We’ve found that people work with us not because of what we can do (facilitate a deal) but rather because of how we think. While it’s easier to show off beautiful properties we’ve sold or helped purchase (what we do), it’s far more impactful to articulate what we believe and how this shapes our thought process for clients.
2. RELATIONSHIPS OVER LEADS:
We’ve been honored with the opportunity to represent thousands of clients over the years. More than 99% are referred to us by people who implicitly trust us. We are not in the lead capture business. Instead, we are in the business of trust.
3. UNIQUE IS VALUABLE:
There’s nothing unique about having listings on a site. What is unique are the tools we put at our client’s disposal. We believe that if you are going to look into working with us, you should not have to look hard for our value.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
I realized in my friend’s reproach that there are many erroneous assumptions about how the world of online real estate works. These misconceptions are often rooted in the old ways real estate used to work 30+ years ago.
ERROR #1: Brokerage websites only carry their own listings.
For nearly 20 years now, every brokerage has had the right to display every listing in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) in the area they service. This means that if you are on Zillow, Coldwell Banker, Redfin, or any other brokerage or agent site, you have access to every listing in the area you are searching for as long as it’s in the MLS. Listings on the MLS constitute the vast majority of homes available to purchase today.
ERROR #2: If the listing is not on your agent’s site, they can’t sell it.
Any agent licensed to sell in the area you are searching can help you purchase the property you find online. It is, in fact, illegal for a listing brokerage to prevent you from buying a home because of the agent you choose. Practically speaking, on a near daily basis, we write offers and win contracts on properties found on sites that are not our own.
ERROR #3: Every listing is online.
While most listings for properties are online, not all are. This is why we have a particular member of our team whose primary focus is to scout out opportunities that have yet to post online or are simply “off market” by design.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS:
If you ever want to search for homes online, there are many ways to do this. We can always help you buy properties found here, and we use these platforms daily to market our client’s properties.
And if you are interested in how to invest more wisely into the incredible asset of real estate, you won’t find a better resource than our site.
