A wise person once said: “People who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.”
Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty broker/owner Blake Morar, who believes in transparency in the real estate market, likes this quote. And he seems to really believe it.
For the past three months, Morar has prominently placed sold listings information of all the properties in his market in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, on his website.
It’s something zealous homebuyers could probably find if they put their minds to it, but Morar has laid it out nicely and clearly for both buyers and sellers. Visitors can just click on the big central blue button on his home page marked “find sold properties,” and details and photos of recent sold listings — including listing price, sold price and days on the market — are all there.
The inspiration
It all began when Morar found out that the National Association of Realtors was planning to require MLSs to allow members to display sold listing data on their websites.
As he was re-designing his company website, he found a sold listings feed was available from his local MLS board and he decided to incorporate the new data on the site.
Morar has included an explanatory pie-chart illustration about why sold information is important to buyers — full transparency, empowering the consumer, make an informed decision, determine fair price and compare similar homes. He has also included two videos to help explain how people can use and customize the information.
And the response?
“We have gotten a very good, warm response from clients who really appreciate having access to that information,” said Morar, who has a marketing background.
“Buyers are very grateful and appreciative to be able to have it in a format that is so easy. You can establish a polygon to define the areas that you want to see — and it will return the results that are specific to the user — therefore empowering them. They don’t need to listen to an agent’s ‘comps.’
“This enables a buyer to have their own mindset — to make an educated decision,” he added.
The rewards
It has done the Morar Group no harm at all, he said.
“I think it’s a credibility builder, and it gives the consumer a reason to stay on the company site versus leaving the site. That’s a big plus,” said Morar.
What do his fellow agents in the market think about him displaying all the recent sales in the market, not just his properties?
“They have a strong appreciation for it as well. Any time I’ve shown it to people, they are amazed at how well it presents,” he said.
“In the end, real estate agents are problem solvers,” he added.
