Selling the contact information of prospective homebuyers to real estate agents as buyer “leads” has long been the bread and butter of listing portals like Zillow, Trulia and realtor.com.
Now Trulia will offer agents the opportunity to advertise themselves to potential home sellers, using a product it’s launching in February with its new subsidiary, Market Leader.
When the product is live, agents will have the opportunity to reach consumers who visit Trulia’s “seller portal” where they can request a set of free home value estimates from agents.
The contact info and images of agents who buy “Trulia Seller Ads” will be included in the free home value report consumers get from the portal. The report includes information like price history and comparable nearby homes sold. Consumers then may contact one or more of the agents to get further advice on determining an asking price from a pro.
Trulia CEO Pete Flint said the new product will be the first tool to see light that the two companies have fully collaborated on since Trulia’s acquisition of Market Leader closed in August. Agents can view, manage and convert leads in Market Leader’s “Pro” software.
“As we enter 2014, one of the biggest housing stories continues to be low inventory,” Flint said in a statement. “This trend has created huge demand for seller leads. With today’s launch of Trulia Seller Ads, we are focused on addressing this need by helping agents meet more sellers and win more listings.”
