Are Zillow ShowingTime Fears Irrational or Real?
When Zillow Group announced the acquisition of ShowingTime, the industry began kicking up dust the same way they did after the dotloop deal. Our guidance is the same today as it was then -- look at your agreement! Specifically, look at the change in control provisions and the terms of use policies related to data and derivative uses. WAV Group always focuses on these types of terms when supporting associations, MLSs, and brokers with contract review – and you should, too. If you need help, call us and we can review all of your existing agreements and/or look at contracts before you sign them. Since the acquisition of dotloop, I do not believe that any harm has come to any of their customers. We have not witnessed the use of transaction data or data exhaust causing any concern. With dotloop, the transaction is done, or nearly done, by the time ZG gets the data. Nevertheless, the ShowingTime acquisition should put customers on alert. In addition to reviewing your agreement, keep your eyes and ears open. Did you listen to the Zillow Group quarterly investor webcast? Here is the link. Here is an excerpt from the transcript where the CFO and the CEO agree that they are going to use the ShowingTime data for driving revenue in their Premier Agent and mortgage businesses, which might create a breach of your contract. Allen Parker (CFO) Yes, yes. And so I guess what I talked about is — yes. What we look at when we look at the opportunities in our Premier Agent business is high-intent customers and there are actions that customers take which are more sticky than others. For example, touring is a great example – as we invest and develop the touring technology, especially with ShowingTime now part of the Zillow Group, we believe that those actions to schedule a tour generate a higher-intent customer that we can connect with an agent in a much more friction-free basis with a higher actual face time connection. 3D homes and floor plans allow our customers to engage in a variety of different homes and then pick the ones they want and so they're higher intent. Zillow 360 and a lot of these discussions we're having about what — how do we drive an integrated transaction with ZHL and sellers or buyers who need financing when they're buyers or need to free up equity when they're sellers of an old home and want to buy. All of these things, as we think about moving forward in Zillow 2.0, are going to generate additional, as Rich mentioned, partner leads that are coming off of other channels or other areas of our funnel, then the current channel, which right now is HDP submits that we have that then turn into connection. So we continue to get better about monetizing our current traffic and transactions, but we're also investing and developing tools and technologies that create higher-intent, slightly stickier actions that get our customers to agents in a way that are driving conversion up and we get paid for that either in as part of a return on the ROI through MVP or through just number of transactions based on conversion rates with a flex transaction, if that helps. Would you add anything, Brad or Rich? Rich Barton (CEO) That was great. We all know how ShowingTime works. It is a great service that simplifies the scheduling of property showings. In the text above, I believe that two senior executives have clearly said that they plan to use the data to drive revenue opportunities in home lending and Premier Agent. I am quite certain that these features were never intended or discussed when folks signed up with ShowingTime before the acquisition. Furthermore, I am pretty sure that the consumer is not aware that their home buying intent – which they have shared with their Realtor – is being shared with Premier Agents or Zillow's lenders, unless it is tucked away in a new click-through agreement somewhere. Another issue that MLSs and associations have concerns about is the relationship with Zillow being a member of the association, and a subscriber to the MLS, and also a vendor to either the association or MLS. I keep saying association or MLS because ShowingTime is normally site-licensed by one of those two entities. In a number of MLSs and associations, they do not like the idea of their dues and subscriptions enriching a competitor. What's Your Plan? WAV Group is available to help you with your plan. We can help review your agreements and point out opportunities to amend the agreement with your vendor and continue to use ShowingTime. ShowingTime has always been a great service. Alternatively, we can help you select a new vendor if amendments are not accepted, or if you simply want to explore other options. The world is not ending, but it is constantly changing. MLS subscribers to the WAV Group WAVes of Change program are able to stay informed about changes in the industry that impact your business and discover best practices and tactics that keep your organization well-positioned for positive growth through change management. Last week's WAVes of Change meeting was fantastic! Reach out to Marilyn Wilson if you would like to view a recording so that you may see if WAVes of Change is right for your organization. If you are a broker, consider joining the Broker Resource Network to stay informed on changes impacting your business, along with opportunities to collaborate with other firms advocating for positive change and exchanging best practices. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Redfin Expands Direct Access Home Tours to 22 Markets, Powered by Partnership with ADT
Redfin announced a nationwide rollout of Direct Access, which lets homebuyers self-tour vacant Redfin-listed homes with or without an agent, using the Redfin app to unlock the door. Redfin also announced it has partnered with ADT, a leading provider of security and smart home solutions, to provide 24/7 security monitoring for Direct Access homes. ADT will equip Direct Access homes with smart locks and sensors that allow buyers to enter and tour a home worry-free and keep sellers informed about who enters and exits the property. By making it easy to tour with Direct Access, Redfin is able to generate more interest in its customers' homes so they can sell quickly, for top dollar. Homes with Direct Access get double the tours on average compared to other homes and Redfin makes it easy for sellers to track tours and buyer feedback in real time on their Redfin Owner Dashboard. Redfin launched Direct Access for customers selling vacant homes in select markets last year, the first national brokerage to offer self-guided tours for its home-selling customers' vacant properties. "In this hot market, more than a third of homes are finding a buyer within the first week and buyers are hustling to see new homes as quickly as possible. Direct Access makes it simple to tour our sellers' homes conveniently and safely without having to coordinate with an agent to schedule a showing, driving double the foot traffic that leads to offers for our sellers," said Bridget Frey, Redfin's chief technology officer. "Thanks to advances in automation and smart home technology and changing consumer expectations, we're able to offer a convenient and safe self-touring option that would have seemed outlandish just a decade ago. Our new partnership with ADT gives customers confidence that their home is protected by the most trusted brand in smart home security." The ADT partnership is helping Redfin bring Direct Access to new markets faster by taking advantage of ADT's national network of security professionals to install the smart home hardware in Redfin's Direct Access listings. The feature is now available in the 22 markets listed below, and Redfin plans to expand the program to eventually reach all of its U.S. customers. Keith Holmes, ADT's chief revenue officer added, "We're thrilled to partner with Redfin to deliver ADT smart home security services to Redfin's customers' homes via our team of 5,000 smart home installation professionals. This is a win-win situation for home buyers and sellers who get a professionally installed ADT smart home security system and the peace of mind provided by our U.S.-based network of security monitoring professionals. We're eager to welcome new Redfin homebuyers to the ADT family." In addition to keeping their home secure while it's listed for sale, sellers get the advantage of marketing the ADT smart home security system as an additional feature of their home. The buyer keeps the pre-installed smart lock, ADT security panel, and sensors, which are valued at $899. After closing, the buyer can take advantage of special offers on ADT's smart home security services. The ADT smart home security system comes in addition to multiple security features Redfin already has in place to help protect its customers and their homes, including verifying the identity of every buyer before their tour, using geofencing technology to monitor when a buyer enters and exits the home, and covering up to $100,000 in the event of loss or damage to the home. Direct Access Markets Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Boston, MA Dallas, TX Denver, CO Houston, TX Inland Empire, CA Las Vegas, NV Los Angeles, CA Maryland Orange County, CA Palm Springs, CA Phoenix, AZ Sacramento, CA San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Santa Barbara, CA Seattle, WA Ventura County, CA Northern Virginia Washington, D.C. To learn more about Direct Access, visit redfin.com/direct-access. More information about ADT's offer for buyers of Redfin-listed homes is available here.

Delta Media Greenlights National Independent Real Estate Showing Service
Delta Media Group announced today that it would rapidly finalize and deploy a full-featured, wholly independent real estate showing service nationwide in response to an "avalanche of immediate industry support." The new service will be called Local Showings. One of the nation's largest, most established and family-owned real estate brokerage technology firms, Delta Media's CEO and owner Michael Minard said its showing service is already well over "90 percent complete." He notes that Delta already works with MLSs that cover 97 percent of the properties sold in the U.S. "We have been inundated with calls from real estate brokerage customers, non-customers, and MLSs to build an independent system. The industry needs a showing service that is not beholden to Wall Street. Delta Media will staunchly protect the relationship between real estate agents and their clients," said Minard. "Unlike others, we can turn on a dime," Minard added. He notes Delta Media proved this when the pandemic struck, building a Virtual Open House system to meet broker and agent demands in record time. "We are ready to help out those who have been disenfranchised by recent events. Delta Media already has trusted relationships with nearly all MLSs, the ability to scale fast, and a nationwide footprint in place as we partner with many of real estate's most coveted brokerage brands," he said. Delta Media Group, established in 1994, notes it is uniquely positioned to build and swiftly deploy a full-featured showing service that is entirely independent as the firm has no debt. Delta is real estate's largest family-owned and operated technology innovator with no outside investors or VC funding. Delta Media is known for its DeltaNET 6 CRM, web, and all-in-one digital marketing platform with a reliability record of 99.999 percent uptime. Last week, Delta polled the real estate industry to gauge the level of interest in a new, full-featured, independent showing platform. The company reports that all of the industry responses received—100 percent—said they wanted a full-featured independent showing service. Minard said Delta Media is committed to a significant investment of dollars and resources to complete its independent showing service.

Virtual Showings: Buyers and Their Brokers' Considerations
In a previous post we discussed some sellers' concerns related to the possibility of 'virtual showings,' where buyers' agents come to listings, take photos, make video recordings, or even live-stream tours, all to permit potential buyers, not physically present, to get a look at a listed property—and perhaps even buy it! Here, we consider the concerns of buyers and their respective brokers.

A Real Virtual Open House Tour
Last weekend, a brokerage showed its ability to adapt and innovate through difficult times. The Michael Saunders & Company team executed a live Virtual Open House Tour event across its markets in Florida. I spent my Sunday afternoon -- while smoking a few racks of ribs -- watching how these agents leveraged Facebook Live to safely promote their listings. While some livestreams were very good and others were just okay, I was impressed on another front. Agents and the company extended themselves outside of their comfort zones. They took a risk to change from the norm to perform their duties, and sell their customer's home.

Dealing with Squatters: How to Calm an Agitated Person
So the home you're showing has a squatter, and the squatter not only won't leave the property, but the situation seems to be headed toward a confrontation. What can you do de-escalate the situation? Watch this week's episode of "Real Answers" to find out: The body language to use to show squatters that you're not a threat Why you should validate the squatters feelings, even if you don't agree with them A sample script to use to talk down an agitated squatter Once you've calmed the squatter and de-escalated the situation, it's time to take the next step. What's that? Find out in next week's episode of Real Answers! Next week: How to safely ask a squatter to leave a property.

How to Show a Vacant Property Safely, Part 1
Vacant properties, while convenient to show, present a host of safety issues for real estate agents. First among those concerns, according to Real Safe Agent CEO Lee Goldstein, is the potential presence of squatters. In this week's episode of "Real Answers," a video series on real estate safety issues, Goldstein shows us how to deal with vacant homes in general and squatters in particular. Watch the video above to learn: What to do before you enter a vacant listing Why it's important to take accompaniment when previewing or showing vacant properties And more! Next week: Be sure to tune in again as we cover Part 2 of how to show vacant listings!

Safe Selling: How Taking the Literal High Ground Can Protect Your Agents
There are several subtle tricks that real estate agents can use to psychologically "turn off" a predator who's posing as a prospect. We've talked about about a few of them over the last few months--everything from maintaining control of the showing time to a phone technique that agents can use to screen prospects. This week, we're sharing a simple secret that can demonstrate to predators that this agent is not one to mess with. That secret? Taking the high ground... literally. Watch the video above to learn: How standing slightly above a prospect unconsciously signals the agent's dominance How agents can find slightly elevated surfaces to stand on when greeting prospects at a listing or public place Why this simple act works as a "buzzkill" to potentially dangerous prospects Why legitimate prospects won't be affected by this technique--so agents don't have to worry about alienating them Next week: The sales technique that turns off predators, but makes real prospects feel like a million bucks!

Safe Selling: 4 Times Real Estate Agents Should ALWAYS Have a Showing Buddy
Brokers, how often have you advised your agents to "Just take someone with you" on a showing to stay safe? While the buddy system is an effective way to stay safe, it's not always practical. Other agents aren't always available, and the last-minute nature of some showings makes recruiting a colleague challenging. So even though agents with solid safety skills can usually go to showings without accompaniment, there are still times when your agents should ALWAYS pair up with a colleague. Watch the video above to learn the four scenarios where a showing buddy is CRITICAL for safety—and make sure your agents are aware of these situations. In this video, you'll also learn: How the buddy system tips the "flight or fight" balance in the agent's favor The unexpected reason why cell phone coverage matters to agent safety Why "Uncomfortable saves your life, but scared gets you dead"

Safe Selling: Buyer or a Thief? How to Tell
Is the buyer your agent is showing a home to actually a thief? Do your brokerage's agents know how to tell? Last week, we showed you one common scam, "The Couple's Play," that pairs of thieves use to distract an agent. In this week's episode of "Safe Selling," we're showing other behaviors that agents should look for to identify a likely thief. Share the video above with your agents so they can learn: Why a prospect who 'dust checks' a window may actually be a thief The type of photo a prospect takes that fingers them as a likely thief Why single buyers are more likely to be burglars The type of photo a prospect takes that fingers them as a likely thief Questions to look out for that indicate your prospect may intend to burglarize the home later Tune in next week when we'll learn how an agent's headshot can either attract or drive away potential predators!

Is Your Home Showing Being Recorded for Intel?
It seems that sellers are getting increasingly overbearing these days. Real estate trends point to eyes and ears – both literally and figuratively – on potential home buyers. How bad is it? Holy privacy violations and paranoia, Batman, creepy clients are everywhere... A Sneak Peek As it turns out, clients nationwide are becoming a bit too voyeuristic. Perhaps social media has the average Sally Seller thinking privacy is relative, but it is now commonplace for a seller to follow a prospective buyer through the home on a home tour, and even install 'nanny cams' and other digital security devices in efforts to track potential buyer conversations and actions. Post-Facebook privacy invasion drama, this rise of seller shenanigans is seriously stirring the pot.

What Real Estate Pros Should Know About Private Communications During a Showing
Those glued to HGTV well know the benefits of bugging a home with hidden cameras and listening devices during a showing. Opening the eyes of sellers and agents, these devices can point to overlooked or ignored strengths and weaknesses, making real estate selling a much easier endeavor. In the private sector, however, bugging could set you up for some ethical and legal pitfalls. Buggy benefits Bugs can give you timely, clear, honest feedback – the kind you're not likely to get from buyer's agents. Pricing feedback. Staging advice. Unappealing features (you know, the ones you've been nagging your sellers about for months). But while bugging can bring to light ways a home can be improved to boost mass market appeal, they can also reveal details that present ethical dilemmas. Bug bites What if you overheard a potential buyer touting their willingness to go over-and-above listing price for a home – but they later submitted an offer less than asking price? Would it be ethical to use this knowledge in negotiations? Turns out, just because you need or simply want this feedback doesn't make it legal.

Tips for Selling that Hot Property with the Sellers' Kids Out of School
Getting a house ready for showings involves educating your sellers on the ins and outs of staging a home, but what happens when the seller's children are home from school for the summer? You want the property to appeal to the widest variety of buyers, including buyers with children and ones without children. Use our following real estate selling tips to ensure the home is portrayed in the best possible light. Declutter Buyers prefer to see a house with the bare necessities in order to be able to picture their own belongings in it. The less clutter on countertops and in rooms, the better. Neutral, Neutral, Neutral The sellers may think their kid's pink and purple paint job is adorable, but chances are a potential buyer will just see more work for them. Sellers should paint any room with a neutral color before listing. Depersonalization Your sellers will be best advised to remove as many personal effects as possible from walls, including family photos and children's drawings. Have sellers fill in the holes with putty and paint.

The Keys to a Killer Open House
A successful open house showing is a key to a successful real estate business — but it's easier said than done. Coach Tom Ferry is back with some fantastic tips on how to run a killer open house. Check out the 1:35 mark for some great insight!

Showings On Demand With Curb Call
The concept of on-demand service via mobile app was made most famous and well known by Uber, the car service company. I've always been in love with how Uber works because of how happy it makes both drivers and riders. But there's a new app on the streets called Curb Call, a peer to peer mobile app that connects nearby and available real estate agents with buyers who are on the curb of a listing, ready for a showing. Though Curb Call connects agents and buyers like Uber connects passengers and drivers, there are some important differences between how it works compared to Uber. Here's how Curb Call works: For the Agent Imagine you've just wrapped up some showings for a buyer client and you find yourself with some time this afternoon where you'll be checking emails at a coffee shop. With Curb Call, you can set yourself to "available for showings" just by starting the app and pressing the "Available" button. Now, nearby buyers will see your bio and can request a showing from you during the time that you keep your status set to "Available." For the Buyer Buyers tend to start searching online, narrowing their favorites down to a handful and then do "drive-bys" to see the listings in real life, get a feel for the neighborhood, see the other nearby houses, etc. When a listing looks as good in real life as it does online, buyers have historically only had the option to call the number on the sign for the showing. But the problem is, what are the chances of that listing agent being available right then? What are the chances that they can even answer their phone right then?

Friday Freebie: The Complete Open House Productivity Package from realtor.com®
April is Open House Month, and realtor.com® is offering tools to help real estate professionals prepare open houses that convert visitors into sales. Read on for more about this week's Friday Freebie. The Complete Open House Productivity Package from realtor.com® According to NAR's 2012 Survey to Home Buyers and Sellers, almost 45% of home purchasers used open houses as a key part of their home search. In fact, open houses top the list of ways consumers find their agent! A strong open house can turn listings into sales, or even bring you new clients. Realtor.com®'s free open house productivity package shows you how to create effective open houses. The package includes: Instructions on how to post an open house on realtor.com® Free e-newsletter to offer their open house guests so they'll be more likely to sign in and leave good contact information Downloadable sign-in sheet for the newsletter so that agents can follow-up afterwards Open house flyers with information provided from their listing on realtor.com® and a QR code offering more information A mobile website so consumers can learn more about the home from their mobile device A free downloadable "Home Buyer's Guide" that agents can use to engender good will and build rapport Click here to learn more about this free benefit from realtor.com®.

Monthly Real Estate Showings Data: April 2012
This article comes to us from the Showing Suite blog: Everyone has their own opinion on the current real estate market, whether it's recovering or still in a downfall. There are many contributing factors that are influencing the current market conditions, including how many real estate showings, or "foot traffic" a home gets. We've compiled our CBSA real estate showings data for the United States throughout April 2012 and it proves to raise a few questions about where the market is headed for the rest of 2012. Real estate showings were steadily on the rise from January 2012-March 2012, but saw a large drop in April. Compared to the previous months of 2012, real estate showings in April are down 3% compared to March 2012.

A Story That’ll Get You Ready For April’s Nationwide Open House Weekend
This article comes to us from the REALTOR.com Lockbox blog. You can view the original article at Lockbox.REALTOR.com. Some days, I really miss working on the brokerage side of the business. Sharing in the excitement of a hard-fought closing. Celebrating the successes of an agent new to the business, determined and eager to learn. Caravans on Tuesdays touring broker’s opens. A Saturday spent visiting agents holding opens. This business is hard, but boy, can it be fun. And most importantly, it’s full of wonderful people who come to it from all walks of life. And really, when it comes down to it, it’s the people that make real estate such a special business to be in. So when Scott, the owner of the brokerage I used to work for, invited me to meet him for a cocktail and conversation, I gladly accepted. I always enjoy time with Scott. He’s done pretty much all you can do in this business; he’s sold real estate as an agent, he’s been a managing broker, and for about the last 20 years, he’s owned a pretty successful company. He’s got a unique perspective on this industry, and he’s always willing to share what’s working, and what’s not.

ShowingSuite Quick Tip: Use Your New Statistics Feature to Sell Your Listings Faster
ShowingSuite is a popular tool among RE Technology's readers. We pulled this post from their blog to help the ShowingSuite users in our audience use this product more effectively. With the most recent release, a new showing feedback statistics report view was included.  What does this mean for you?  A much easier way to track how your listing changes have affected your feedback responses! One of our top feedback questions is “What did you think of the price?”  When agents respond back, stating that the listing is overpriced, they are automatically asked to provide a dollar amount they believe the home is overpriced by.  Showing Suite tallies those answers and averages the amounts the showing agents have indicated.  The statistical report shows you not only that average, but it combines all of the showing feedback responses in an easy to read, graphical report. What Do Your Showing Statistics Show? Feedback suggests this home is overpriced by about $5,000.

Increase Office Productivity with These 5 Technologies
Do you ever look at your inbox and feel overwhelmed by the volume of emails, only to find that once you dig in and read them all only 10 percent are actually relevant and require significant action? In the age of social networks and collaboration tools, we are finding new and greater ways to communicate. But all this over-communication tends to hamper our productivity and make us feel besieged. Worse yet, the lost productivity sorting communications can affect our relationships with clients. If you want to increase your productivity and put some of that time back into client relationships, a surefire place to start is to streamline your communications. Since so much communication takes place over email, start by taking a good look at your inbox. How much of the following do you see? Group email threads where you are copied as an “FYI” Endless email strings where you are not relevant to the conversation Emails with revised document attachments Meeting requests, updates, and cancellations Email threads trying to find the best time for a client meeting eNewsletters Google alerts Spam If greater than 10 percent of your inbox are of this time-sucking, productivity-draining nature, it is time to tame the inbox by implementing a few simple tools and processes: