Google Challenges Referral Sites

Can MLS data be used by websites that then charge brokers hefty fees for consumer leads and referrals -- brokers who generated the MLS data in the first place? That's what the recent today's article in RealtyTimes: Google Challenges Referral Sites by Peter G. Miller asks. For the full story click here. Since Google does not charge referral fees, and since the pattern of Google to this point has been to present search results with mathematical purity, referral sites must now compete with a new and unbeatable pricing option: zero. With Google, you just type a location, say Brooklyn real estate. Toward the top of the listings you'll see "Refine your search for Brooklyn real estate." You'll then be able to select from properties for sale, for rent or both. Press the button and a series of listings will appear -- plus a box which will let you search by price, bedrooms, baths, distance and newest to oldest -- or vice versa. Also, a map shows where properties are located. You can also add your own listing to the system if you're registered with Google. The Google real estate option much resembles its Froggle project. Both use thumbnail photos, both use content from other sites and neither charges a referral fee. The real estate system uses maps while Froggle does not. (I would like an option to exclude the map to speed up pages.) What's attractive about the Google approach is that it costs brokers nothing -- which means it costs consumers nothing. Google makes its money by selling ads as pages come up. There are no referral fees, no online agency agreements, no distinctions regarding how a broker charges or who a broker represents. Read more . . . . Appraisal