"...life was good, Agents & Brokers...owned the customer"
Check out this hilarious nonsense from an MLS over in DC:
The Story of Mr. Is
Hat tip: Aubrey Cohen of the P-I
The Story of Mr. Is
An interesting look into the mind of the real estate agent.The real estate industry is a real world Metropolis. We might call it Realopolis.
Its inhabitants, 1.2 million real estate agents and brokers.
Once, life was good in Realopolis. Agents and brokers were masters of all they surveyed. They owned the listings. They owned the customer. They were marketing masters. And, when needed, they were a phone call away.
Much of their might was safely housed in their Fortress of Data: The MLS. Within its walls were the precious gems of information only they, the local REALTOR®, could touch.
But a crack in the foundation appeared one day in the mid 90's. The Internet had shaken Realopolis. In time, the crack became a gaping crevasse.
And through that rip, outsiders entered. These outsiders were different. With powers all their own. They had Speed. Capital. Flexibility. Some even gave the appearance of benevolence.
With their super powers, they began to extract precious gems — listings — from Realopolis. Then they began to extract customers, and, somehow, changed them into something called "Leads" that were packaged up and sold to the agents and brokers of Realopolis.
Today, the fabric of life in Realopolis is badly frayed. Agents and brokers have been robbed of something precious: The immediate connection to homebuyers and sellers free of interference from outsiders.
Hat tip: Aubrey Cohen of the P-I
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