Tech Update: Rental Beast, Delta Media, zavvie, and CoreLogic

Rental Beast Moves to Help Multiple Listing Services Open Up a $12 Billion Annual ‘Millennial-Driven’ Opportunity for Real Estate Agents, Brokers

A new service developed for Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) will make up to 8 million rental listings available to real estate agents and brokers nationwide for the first time. Rental Beast, the leading all-in-one online rental listing service, is launching a new program that will enable MLS agents and brokers to connect with more Millennials and tap into $12 billion in annual rental commissions.

Rental Beast seamlessly integrates with MLS platforms, allowing agents direct access to more than 8 million non-MLS listings, the largest number of verified online rental listings available, directly sourced from property owners and managers, and updated in real-time. More information about the Rental Beast MLS program can be found online at RentalBeast.com/MLS.

Delta Media reports real estate brokerages see big gains in online traffic, lower cost-per-lead despite COVID-19 outbreak  

Real estate brokerages of all sizes are seeing significant gains in their online traffic as well as a lower cost-per-lead despite the COVID-19 outbreak, according to research from Delta Media Group, one of America’s most established and largest broker technology solutions providers.

Delta Media tracked the performance of brokerage websites that it provides to large (250+ agents), mid-size (70 to 250 agents), and smaller (<70 agents) brokerages. The research shows the vast majority of brokerages are outperforming last year based on average organic online traffic and lead generation performance through May 2020, which includes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The biggest surprise: for organic leads. Brokerages cost per organic lead is well below market standards, with the averaging between $4.56 and $6.69. WAV Group, a leading real estate consulting and research firm, notes many brokerages pay between $35 to $100 or more per online lead.

Highlights of the Delta Media broker website research includes:

Averages for all brokerages year-to-date through May 31, 2020:

Overall, brokerage web traffic is up an average of 28% year-over-year.

Organic brokerage web traffic is up an average of 36% year-over-year.

Lead generation is up by almost 10% — 9.32% higher than 2019.

The average cost per organic lead for all brokerage websites was only $5.41.   

Large Brokerages turned in the some of the most robust averages:

Overall, brokerage web traffic is up an average of 23% year-over-year.

Organic brokerage web traffic is up an average of 56% year-over-year.

Lead generation is up by 13% year-over-year.

The average cost per organic lead from large brokerage websites was only $4.56.
 

Mid-sized Brokerages enjoyed website traffic as nearly as strong:

Overall, brokerage web traffic is up an average of 24% year-over-year. 

Organic brokerage web traffic is up an average of 30% year-over-year.

Lead generation is up by 13% year-over-year.

The average cost per organic lead from mid-size brokerage websites was only $4.98.

Even Small Brokerages, those with 70 or fewer agents, enjoyed similar gains in their brokerage website’s organic traffic and lead gen:

Overall, brokerage web traffic is up an average of 32% year-over-year. 

Organic brokerage web traffic is up an average of 22% year-over-year.

Lead generation is up by 6% year-over-year.

The average cost per organic lead from small brokerage websites was only $6.69. While this is slightly higher than the average cost-per-lead that Large and Mid-size Brokerage clients captured from their Delta-provided websites, it is still substantially below the average cost to purchase online leads.
 Discover more at deltamediagroup.com.

CoreLogic OneHome™ Provides A Data-Driven Virtual Collaboration Tool for Agents, Home Buyers, and Other Important Constituents Engaged in the Homebuying Journey 

CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced the debut of OneHome™, a virtual, collaborative platform for real estate agents and their clients looking to buy, sell or make improvements to a home. Following a successful launch with Ohio-based Yes-MLS, OneHome is expected to be nationally available by the end of 2020 to the more than 850,000 real estate agents in North America who currently use CoreLogic’s market-leading multiple listing platform.

As real estate professionals seek to deliver home buyers and sellers with reimagined solutions that enhance the experience and reduce pain points, OneHome combines multiple features to create a frictionless homebuying process. This includes a digital collaboration platform for real estate agents and their clients, artificial intelligence-enabled search to find the right home, an intuitive guide for the homebuyer and agent throughout the process and a virtual marketplace that seamlessly connects homebuyers to mortgage, property and casualty insurance and home improvement options. 

OneHome hosts the entire home-buying process online, creating simple channels of communication for agents and their clients that connect all touch points important to a homeowner and buyer. From browsing and finding a home, financing and insuring it, to making home improvements, OneHome makes every step seamless and accessible in one portal. 

As real estate agents continue to engage with homebuyers during what is historically real estate’s busiest season, they need to take advantage of the latest digital tools to remain successful with the added challenges of social distancing.  

For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

New Research Finds Consumer-Created Social Media Visuals Capture Consumer Brand Perceptions

New research has found that there is a strong link between the visual portrayal of a brand in online imagery created by consumers and the larger brand perceptions.  

The research study, to be published in the July edition of the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, is titled Visual Listening In: Extracting Brand Image Portrayed on Social Media.  It is authored by Liu Liu of the University of Colorado, Daria Dzyabura of the New Economics School in Russia, and Natalie Mizik of the University of Washington.

According to the study authors, their research sought to measure how brands are portrayed on social media and how it relates to brand perceptions. Their goal was to better understand consumer brand perceptions and attitudes towards brands reflected in the imagery consumers post on digital platforms.

“Consumer-created brand images on social media are different from product images on retailer websites,” said Liu Liu.  “Consumers-created brand imagery posted on social media depicts consumers’ interactions with brands and links brands with usage context, feelings and the consumption experiences.”

The researchers argued that these consumer-generated images send a powerful message as a form of testimonial for other consumers. They also offer the brand owners the opportunities to understand consumers’ brand perceptions. More information is available at www.informs.org or @informs.

iBuyer platform provider zavvie launches new streamlined Offer Optimizer

zavvie, the nation’s first iBuyer platform for real estate brokerages, announces the release of an improved Offer Optimizer to bring home sellers all their options with unprecedented accuracy and clarity.

“Feedback from thousands of agents using Offer Optimizer in the field reveals many sellers have heard of iBuyers, but are unfamiliar with how they work,” said Lane Hornung, zavvie co-founder and CEO. “A streamlined Offer Optimizer makes it easy for the agent to explain how an instant sale works, and why it might be the right choice for their client.”

Individual estimates from each iBuyer have been replaced with an estimated offer range for all iBuyers. The market-specific ranges are based on zavvie’s proprietary data set, with a statistically significant 95% confidence interval.

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HGTV Aligns with LeadingRE and Luxury Portfolio for the HGTV Ultimate House Hunt 2020

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and Luxury Portfolio International® announce the launch of the HGTV Ultimate House Hunt 2020. This is the ninth consecutive year HGTV has worked exclusively with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and Luxury Portfolio International® for the popular online promotion, which generated more than one million votes last year.

This year’s Ultimate House Hunt runs from June 30 through August 4 on HGTV.com and features extraordinary homes for sale in eight categories: Amazing Kitchens, Beachfront Homes, Big City Digs, Countryside Retreats, Curb Appeal, Homes with a History, Outdoor Escapes, and Waterside Homes. A special Global Homes gallery is also featured, spotlighting beautiful properties from outside of the U.S. All featured homes are represented by members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and Luxury Portfolio International®.

Consumers can tour the 89 homes selected as finalists by viewing photo galleries on HGTV.com and can then cast a vote for their favorite properties. A winner will be chosen in each category based on the highest number of votes received, and an overall favorite will be awarded for the listing receiving the most votes. 

This year’s finalists include 89 homes represented by 35 real estate companies: @properties; Allen Tate Company; Ansley Atlanta Real Estate; Baird & Warner; Chase International; Dickens Mitchener; Dunes Real Estate; Ebby Halliday Realtors; Edina Realty; Florida Executive Realty; Greenwood King Properties; Halstead Real Estate; Harry Norman, REALTORS; Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers; Hilton & Hyland; Houlihan Lawrence; Locations; Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc.; Long Realty Company; McEnearney Associates, Inc.; Pinnacle Estate Properties; Premier Estate Properties, Inc.; PureWest Real Estate; ReeceNichols Real Estate; Richardson Properties; Sibcy Cline Realtors; Silver Creek Real Estate Group; Smith & Associates Real Estate; Strand Hill Properties; The Group, Inc.; Village Properties/ William Raveis Real Estate; Williams Trew; Willis Allen Real Estate; and Windermere Real Estate – Utah.

To view all homes and cast your vote, visit: HGTV.com/househunt