RealScout Making All the Right Moves
I’m extremely impressed with what I’ve seen from RealScout.
Some of you may have watched the interview with Bob Goldberg, conducted by RealScout’s CEO, Andrew Flachner (see his founder interview from 2014 here). If not, head over to Facebook and watch it here.
The fact Andrew and new NAR CEO, Bob Goldberg, spent an hour talking is a very, very good sign for RealScout. The fact that the conversation was published is an even better sign for the company.
I still believe IDX and real estate search are going away (for many, not all). It’s simply going to be too expensive to compete on traffic (aka client) acquisition with Zillow, Realtor, and Redfin.
I agree; network effects is indeed the only way to future proof a brokerage.
It goes without saying NAR would be a fantastic partner on the industry outreach side. If I were NAR, I’d think very strong and hard about making a strategic investment into RealScout.
What do you think about the future prospects for RealScout? (I’m especially curious to hear from those who currently use RealScout’s product).
Andrew Flachner
Posted at 14:10h, 25 AugustDrew — Thanks for the kind words. Our team deserves the credit for pulling together this interview in a matter of days. It was a lot of fun and we may do more in the future, so stay tuned!
Drew Meyers
Posted at 14:30h, 28 AugustKeep up the good work
Andrew Weinberger
Posted at 16:56h, 28 AugustIn NYC I’ve definitely seen a shift away from IDX and back to VOW in recent years. It definitely makes sense as a VOW is a much more powerful tool that can provide clients with more information while offering superior tracking to an IDX. The big issue with VOWs over here is the cost- which is also why IDX sites aren’t great. Most companies rely on an IDX vendor and the quality of the product is usually quite poor so there’s no way to compete with a big listing aggregator. Firms could built their own IDX or VOW sites, but it’s an expensive endeavor and very few firms are willing to invest that much when a vendor can provide a “similar” solution.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 17:00h, 28 AugustYea, anyone that licenses search will have zero differentiation. Which means using it for lead generation is going to be pretty damn hard.
Is there a single IDX vendor who is innovating? I honestly can’t name the most innovative idx vendor at the moment..
Andrew Weinberger
Posted at 17:14h, 28 AugustI haven’t seen any innovation from IDX vendors. Some have tried to spruce up their designs and to offer a better, more intuitive UX, but it’s really nothing compared to what you’ll find on major listing portals. In NYC however you can check out Compass’ site for an example of a great VOW. Actually, if I’m not mistaken they combine VOW and IDX data. Another brokerage that’s interesting is Nooklyn. They forego IDX/VOW and simply create their own listings and content. They’ve been tremendously successful with this and have a huge following. A big contributing factor is also their roommate section (their mates has more users than any roommate startup in NYC). They’re really a great example of how creating unique content can drive traffic and growth.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 17:17h, 28 AugustYup. It’s crazy to me that more don’t figure out a differentiated offering with unique content.
Andrew Weinberger
Posted at 17:26h, 28 AugustHonestly, most brokerages are just looking for easy solutions. And there’s also a serious lack of knowledge and understanding of online marketing. A lot of firms that used to create content have moved to using IDXs recently because to them the “off-the-shelf” IDX looks better than their site and is a cheap solution.