More Questions and Less Answers: a 10 minute phone conversation with REBGV about Reciprocity

The Call

(Note, reponses from REBGV are in bold below)

Hi there, I wondered if I could talk to you for a few minutes about Reciprocity and some of the questions I have?

Sure

So, I have never done a Real estate web site before and one of the features the agent is asking for is to provide their listings on their web site. Now, I know there are bunch of different ways we can go about doing this. I don’t mind doing a framed page where their listings show up in a different frame, but I’m wondering if there is a more elegant way of doing it?

What features are they asking for?

What I would like to be able to do is take the listing information maybe through an API of some kind, and be able to reformat that information so its more inline with how their web site is being designed?

Is that your only feature for their web site?

Yes, their own listings. Why do you ask? Is there something else I should be asking for?

Yes, what office are they with?

One is with Amex, and the other is Century 21.

Let’s see. I don’t even know where to start. OK. I think one feature that agents will eventually want on their web site…a lot of agents have this, so I would be a little bit surprised if they don’t want to go their eventually. We have an advertising program called MLS Reciprocity also known as IDX that we don’t internally refer to as IDX, but that’s the common acronym in other jurisdictions. Basically, it’s an advertising program that allows participating members to advertise other agents’ listings on their web site as long as those agents are from a participating office. Right now about 90-92% of listings, man thousands of listings – all are in the Reciprocity pool and there are lots and lots of web sites where you can see the results of what happens when people advertise using other people’s listings. The simplest method is the search. We provide one such search engine which is relatively customizable, but not super customizable. It’s relatively low cost but really there is a data API. It’s relatively difficult to work with. If they are willing to go there, the sky is the limit. So for example, there is a site at Burnabycondo.com and NewWestCondo.com. There are bunch of sites that use this pool of data for various reasons and that’s within our advertising guidelines. So, you are asking if we can get this data for just this one person? Yes, you can. I have got at least a couple of ways of doing it, but that’s probably going to lead to other questions pretty soon and so you should cover off those questions with your clients sooner rather than later. There is an FAQ available online. I’m working on a new one that answers questions a little better.

I’m actually looking at it right now. Is it http://members.rebgv.org/mlsr/?

Yes. It’s in that directory but that one is old. There is a newer one at ….. (please email me for the link). I think it’s a better description about what’s available. I really do think it’s a better description and how these members have to get into it. I know you started the conversation with how do I get data for these one members, but if you decide to go for a data API for Reciprocity, you are agent’s information will almost invariably be in it. If they decided to use the board solution for IDX, we also have a way that we can make it work. I could easily provide you a couple of links that provide their active listings, but they are somewhat linked to this because I built everything in the same time. I don’t think I have directly answered your questions, but given you more to think about.

Yes, I thought it was straightforward where I log into some tool, pull some JS and off I go.

To tell you the truth, it is simple. I can give you a link right now that will give you a white blank page with some grey highlights that would provide listings for one agent. I can do that right now but then they are going to want, can we customize this a little. Well, yes, you can but when you start customizing it a little.. you know searches.. you know not just search pages but listing pages. I think the agent will want to go there anyways. I don’t think it’s that much of an advantage to have searching anymore but it seems to be an omission anyways.

OK. I will look through this. I guess you are actively working on this and making it better for people to use?

Well, we have got a product, a basic search product, that does not draw a lot of attention. Its something we have built up 6 or 7 years ago and its a basic low cost sort of solution for members but we also provide access to the data and other 3rd parties have taken that and run with it and done things like searches that use Google maps and expanded the data, and maybe walk scores and such. All of that is possible, but we choose to let the market decide. We provide a basic solution that our members have a low cost option and everyone else can “have at er”.

How do I found out about that? You said there was a more complex solution with a data API. Is it RETS.org?

You are looking through the FAQ I assume. The question is “You are a third party. How do I obtain my own data?”. RETS is the protocol that we use and then you would have to figure out the code. We have some PHP samples, but you have to figure it out yourself after getting the agreement signed. It’s quite a lot of work so you have to decide how many realtors you are working for and how much they are willing to pay and all that sort of thing.

So I could potentially as a web designer setup my own customary app using the RETS protocol, talk to this data, pay for the fees obviously that are listed, and then…

Yes, but that data is always used on behalf of a realtor. We cannot license that data for people to use any AnyWebSite.com. We only license it for use on AnyRealtorsWebSite.com.

I understand. OK, good. You have given me some good info. I really appreciate it. I’m going to send you my email and if you have any other information you haven’t talked about, or links or documents, that would be great.

One thing I’m actively working on, is the new FAQ and if there are some questions it doesn’t answer, let me know.

Takeaway

So, it’s quite clear, I have a few options:

Use the existing free listing and integrated search offered by REBGV
Pay the fees and build my own custom interface using RETS and the data API

What Realtors need to do

Sign the license agreement for Reciprocity with their office
See if their office offers custom in house Reciprocity data via the RETS protocol based API
Signup for a Real Estate Website through a 3rd party vendor – for example Ubertor.com.
Work directly with a web designer to create a custom web site and possibly forego custom search and listing data.

What I’m going to do next

To be honest, this isn’t the first time I’m looking at this problem. It’s clear that REBGV hasn’t come up with a great solution, and is truly leaving a massive revenue stream on the table with regard to their Reciprocity data. I mean, they have spent all that time to get the data and make it available, but literally nothing to interface directly with agents and offices to provide custom search and data listing functionality. As my contact suggests, they prefer to “let the market decide”. That’s not very smart to be perfectly honest.

The Call

Takeaway

What Realtors need to do

What I’m going to do next

Further Reading

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