I don’t think anyone in the realtor industry recognizes the harm being done to the consumers by squeezing out the buyer-agents. The good ones offer a valuable service by assisting homebuyers with the complexities of purchasing a home; a challenge that is tougher than ever in 2023.

For example, let’s say you come across a good buy – what do you do with this?

This weekend, the listing agent got 20+ offers and shut it down. Then he just accepted one. Game over.

None of the other buyers got a chance to win. But at least they had a chance to offer.

If buyers were directed to the listing agent, do you think the realtor teams would have 20+ buyer-agents ready to serve everyone who wants to make an offer? Or would they just write offers with the first couple of buyers and shut it down?

I can’t tell you how many times we see in the confidential remarks, “PLEASE NO MORE SHOWINGS”. We already have an environment where listing agents believe there is no incentive to keep taking offers – especially if/when they already wrote an offer with their own buyer and will double-end the commission.

It’s only going to get worse. Forces within the industry are conspiring to eliminate buyer-agents altogether, and are conspiring to create a system that makes it even harder for buyers to get a fair chance. The local MLS companies are launching a new search portal that directs all inquiries back to the listing agent.

Do you think an outside buyer-agent will have any chance of selling that listing now? If multiple buyers contact the listing agent, then what happens?

Here is the article:

https://www.realestatenews.com/2023/01/24/leading-mlss-come-together-to-launch-consumer-home-search-portal

An excerpt:

With the goal to “promote a more competitive marketplace,” three of the largest multiple listing services announced plans to launch a new consumer home search portal this spring.

Called Nestfully, the website will be owned and operated by California Regional MLS (CRMLS) and Bright MLS, under a joint venture, and REColorado has signed on as a participant. The founding MLSs designed the site and its features, and real estate tech company Constellation1 is providing technology services.

Key points:

  • Nestfully is expected to debut by April 1 with listings from a pool of 240,000 agents and brokerages that are MLS subscribers.
  • Agents will get leads at no cost, and consumers will have direct access to the property’s listing agent.
  • “With Nestfully, we believe we are in the best position to deliver what agents want and need in this changing market,” said Brian Donnellan, CEO and president of Bright MLS.

With the goal to “promote a more competitive marketplace,” three of the largest multiple listing services announced plans to launch a new consumer home search portal this spring.

Called Nestfully, the website will be owned and operated by California Regional MLS (CRMLS) and Bright MLS, under a joint venture, and REColorado has signed on as a participant. The founding MLSs designed the site and its features, and real estate tech company Constellation1 is providing technology services.

“Nestfully is run by MLSs whose primary goal is to promote an open, clear, and competitive marketplace,” Art Carter, CEO at CRMLS, told Real Estate News. “We are a neutral source working in the best interests of consumers, brokers and their agents.”

For agents, Nestfully offers a financial advantage over advertising-powered portals. The site will not have ads, and leads will be delivered directly to agents and their brokerages at no cost, “taking a significantly escalating cost out of the existing system,” Carter said.

Agents and brokerages companies will also have access to a lead management platform on Nestfully with lead tracking, analytics and metrics that gauge success.

“We believe we are in the best position to deliver what agents want and need in this changing market,” said Brian Donnellan, CEO and president of Bright MLS, adding that the new search engine will “serve as an extension of the agents’ marketing initiatives to promote listings, attract qualified lead prospects and forward these opportunities directly to the agent at no cost.”

The goal is not to monetize the consumer search, he said, but to help answer consumer questions about properties for sale and connect potential buyers with property listing agents or with a local agent or broker in their communities.

Asked in an interview if MLSs will be compensated for the initiative, a company spokesperson said that “financial arrangements are not being disclosed.”

https://www.realestatenews.com/2023/01/24/leading-mlss-come-together-to-launch-consumer-home-search-portal

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Will they advertise enough to compete with the established search portals? They will need to promote some new whiz-bang feature…..which will be that buyers should go direct to the listing agent, and use their fancy new portal to do so.

I don’t think they have a clue – or they are flat out ignoring – how they will be putting buyers at a bigger disadvantage, and destroying our business as we’ve known it for the last 100 years.

An auction company would fix everything though!

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