With the National Association of Realtors signing off on public-facing websites as a “basic” service that multiple listing services may charge all members for, listing syndicator Point2 is offering MLSs and Realtor associations a “white label” solution for providing consumers with access to listings.
“If you already have a public-facing MLS website and are not happy with the results, or if you think your association can’t afford a competitive public portal for listings display with all leads generated sent to the listing broker in charge, we have a program tailor-made for you,” the company announced today.
Point2 is offering to build public-facing MLS websites “customized for your organization” that “take into account your branding and the regional intricacies of your area.”
The websites will use the same platform as real estate portals Point2Homes and PropertyShark, allowing MLSs to display and promote their members’ listings “and directly monetize their listing data, becoming less dependent on third-party aggregation sites” — many of which get their listings from Point2.
Point2 claims its public-facing MLS websites “are not reliant on dues dollars, and will be a revenue-generating resource, as well as a lead source for members.”
Point2 wanted to give MLSs an alternative to Zillow and Trulia, to make it easier for them to monetize their listings by selling ads on a popular consumer site they run, said Saul Klein, senior vice president of Point2.
“We’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Klein said.
Many MLSs — Klein estimates 400 to 500 in the U.S. — already operate a public-facing site. (See a tool Klein and a partner built a few years ago that collated all the public-facing MLS sites they could find here).
The new offering from Point2, Klein said, offers a way for MLSs who have never had a site to jump into the portal game. And those MLSs that currently do have sites that aren’t streamlined have an opportunity to upgrade their sites to Point2’s design, which shows up well on mobile, allows unlimited photos for each property, allows users to save and compare properties, among other features.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Saul Klein, senior vice president of Point2 Technologies.
Should most MLSs operate a consumer-facing site? What do you think?