Petition:
We feel that REALTOR.com has not been responsive to the needs of REALTORS and that the current relationship between NAR and Move,Inc. (as currently constituted) is not in our interest as REALTORS for the following reasons:
1) Move, Inc. has a long standing pattern of raising fees on REALTORS and charging them exhorbitant fees in comparison with the costs of developing a national real estate listings site. Fees (which yet again are expected to be raised in 2009) are out of line with what other national listing aggregator websites cost their shareholders. Why should we be paying many multiples of what companies like Trulia and Zillow are costing THEIR shareholders for aggregating real estate listings on their sites?
2)After being provided ALL of our listings and photos, they have stripped off all but four, unless REALTORS pay them an annual “enhancement” fee. This effectively takes our clients and holds them hostage until we pay their “fee”. Much of this fee goes right back into “Sales expenses” which are Move,Inc.’s marketing to REALTORS that they MUST have their service. This adds HUGE costs to what is needed for a national website and is NOT acceptable.
3) In a world where many websites offer REALTORS social networking opportunities to connect REALTORS to potential clients, REALTOR.com has been sorely lacking in developing these types of programs.
4) The 2007 10K (released Feb 28, 2008) from Move, Inc. shows STAGGERING General and Administrative Expenses of over Million and Sales expenses of over 8 Million..these expenses are RIDICULOUS given their online properties and a development expense of Million. While we realize that this includes Top Producer and other assets of Move, Inc., that actually makes the ratio of development / Sales, General and Administrative Expense even MORE out of line. We are tired of having NAR tell US to pay for THEIR inefficiency.
We are not against paying for what WE receive. If you want to charge us for “enhancing OUR contact information” then fine. But don’t hold our CLIENTS and CUSTOMERS hostage. That is unconscionable. Many of them don’t know what you are doing to us and if they did, they would find it incredibly offensive.
More importantly, because the National Association of Realtors leased the rights to our web presence to third parties, they put themselves in the position of defending REALTOR.com’s inefficiencies and deficiencies to the general membership for their own financial gain.
We call on NAR to take steps to BUY BACK Realtor.com from Move, Inc. or to buy a controlling interest in Move, Inc. to provide a national listings site for REALTORS at a price that is REASONABLE and RATIONAL. With the current stock price so low, a controlling interest can be purchased at a reasonable price and other assets like TopProducer can be spun off to repay (partially) the investment. This is a strategy that makes SENSE.
Until NAR SERIOUSLY takes up this issue and hears our concerns, we vow to raise awareness, talk to the press, let our clients know what you are up to, and most importantly, we will NOT continue to pay higher and higher fees to cover Move, Inc.s inefficiencies and largess.
We do not do this out of spite. We do this to protect OUR good name and our industry. It only makes sense with Move, Inc’s stock price this low to take these actions. We call on you to address these concerns completely, totally, and immediately.
After you have added your name to this petition an e-mail will be sent to the given address to confirm your signature. Please make sure that your e-mail address is correct or you will not receive this e-mail and your name will not be counted.
http://www.takebackourr.com/the-petition/
Duration : 0:2:50
Automate Your Real Estate Marketing and Brand Yourself as the Neighborhood Specialist! It’s the fastest, easiest way to save time, money and grow your business in today’s market! This system of sending Just Listed and Just Sold Postcards integrates with your MLS, making your marketing, hands-free, affordable and Automatic! Try it today using Promo Code TRYMLSM and save the registration fee AND get your first 100 postcards for just the cost of postage!
http://PerformanceWebPage.com REALTOR Training – Most Realtors need training on how to get a web page to produce leads. The purpose of a great web page should be based on the results of its lead generation ability… Most real estate agent training focuses on script and dialogue, important stuff, just not the right Realtor training for producing a great lead generating website.
Diane Turton, owner and President of Diane Turton, Realtors appeared on NBCs Today Show Weekend Edition. The segment aired on Saturday August 22nd. It featured, along with Diane, first time home buyers. 
BusinessRealtors, Ranchers Prepare for Oil BoomRealtors, Ranchers Prepare for Oil BoomThe Associated PressWith home prices dropping across the country, finding a boom town where prices are holding steady is a rarity. But these rocky hills and open farmland in North Dakota and Minnesota are bucking the national trend. (May 27)With home prices dropping across the country, finding a boom town where prices are holding steady is a rarity. But these rocky hills and open farmland in North Dakota and Minnesota are bucking the national trend. The reason? Location, location, location. A few billion barrels of oil under the surface doesn’t hurt either. The U.S Geological Survey estimates that up to 4.3 billion barrels of crude can now be extracted from these hills, which sit atop the Bakken shale formation. Until recently, extracting the oil was cost-prohibitive. But thanks to the surge in oil prices and new horizontal drilling techniques, oil is starting to make its way to the surface. And for the housing industry, that means vertical growth. [Notes:SOT Scott Louser, Minot realtor]“WE SAW, JUST TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, THE FIRST QUARTER OF ‘07 VERSUS THE FIRST QUARTER OF ‘08 OUT AVERAGE PRICE WAS UP ABOUT FIVER PERCENT. IN APRIL THAT PICKED UP SUBSTANTIALLY. SO, WE ARE GOING TO SEE SOME REAL HEALTHY APPRECIATION THROUGH ‘08 AND I ALSO THINK THROUGH ‘09, JUST BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF BUILDING THAT IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR. WE COULD SEE DOUBLE DIGIT APPRECIATION.” And while many property owners don’t own the mineral rights to their land, they do expect to see economic benefits from the boom in the form of services their land will provide to the oil companies. [Notes:Gene Harris, North Dakota rancher]“THIS WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER GENERATIONAL TURNOVER OF FAMILY FARMS AND RANCHES. BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN INCOME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN.” .Even without the oil boom, realtors say the property in the region is holding its value well in the face of a national decline. Scott Louser, Minot realtor “WE HAVE CONSERVATIVE HOMEOWNERS THAT DON’T SPECULATE, THAT DON’T FLIP HOUSES, THAT DON’T BORROW ON INTEREST ONLY AND ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGES WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF STRONG GROWTH IN THE FUTURE. THAT TYPE OF THING OF THING JUST HASN’T HAPPENED IN OUR MARKET.” Whether that conservative streak continues is anyone’s guess. The Petroleum Council says the North Dakota oil industry needs to hire nearly 12,000 new employees by 2010 to keep up with growth. That means new homes like these will likely be in as much demand as the oil they sit atop of. ___ ___, The Associated Press.(****END****)
Monday’s PM Show
This guy is really REALLY upset that techies are pretending to be Realtors- all WordPressing their widgets into your Facebooks! It’s okay to have a laugh…
Prestigious Homes Realty real estate company , we do offer in flrida flat fee mls This was shot in the bahamas with Carmela (http://www.prestigioushomes.net flat fee mls service) Dolphin swim at atlantis in the bahamas . Vacant land Realtors from Prestigious Homes Realty .bahamas girls Carmela Dolphin swim Atlantis bahamas Vacant land Realtors Prestigious homes realty flat fee mls service
California Association of Realtors, a trade association dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate, talks about their deployment of an open communications solution from Siemens to better serve members calling their contact centers for support. Find out how Siemens could help your business.
Genie Birch, president of the Chicago Association of Realtors, talks to YoChicago.com about the challenges that Realtors faced in 2009 and how they can prepare for 2010. She also offers some advice for new Realtors who are trying to get a grasp on market conditions and their role in the home-buying and home-selling process.