Why does everyone think they can get into my pockets?
New web site for people that are looking for Real estate and mortgage services. This is what the consumer sees on the front page:
"MyHomeThing is the only consumer driven marketplace that connects you to a network of lenders, REALTOR and contractors locally or across the U.S Free with No-Obligation. So come on and try us today. Whether you’re looking for a loan, a REALTOR, or a contractor, Myhomething.com can help you get there with one simple form!"
This is what the REALTOR or lender sees:
"Let Myhomething.com deliver your next client! Get access to motivated buyers and sellers in your area View verified leads with no-obligation to buy Select only the leads you want - Pay only for the leads you choose No monthly or annual fees and No long-term commitments Best of all, Leads are first come first served!"
What I see is someone else trying to get into my pockets. What you should see is that any real estate or mortgage licensee can sign up. The very best agents and the worst.
Twitter
Flickr
LinkedIn
Facebook
RSS
Posterous
Email
FourSquare
Yelp
SlideShare
Teresa,
For the sake of transparency, I also have a problem reconciling the business model of web based lead generation. The potential home buyer should understand that any time they input their contact data into a consumer-facing “realtor network” brokerage website, they will receive the followup phone call from a realtor who has paid for the lead. This is not transparent to the layperson.
I have heard that the commission fee split can range as high as 30%… this detracts the realtor from performing the best possible marketing work for this “joint” client.
I’ll be searching for more articles about this opaque issue and making sure the Consumer understands how this game is played (you’re the first link I’ll make in this exposé…
Hi Teresa…
Always great commentary on your blog!
Pls. don’t post this, but I’m wondering how do I use trackbacks? I’d like to trackback to you but don’t know how… (sorry for such a newbie question, pls don’t reply until you have time, or just fwd me any url that explains it better… I haven’t seen an article that explicitly tells me how to do this :-{