Realtor com - Agent Marketing Opportunities

Web site: http://www.realtor.com

Overview

Realtor.com is the official site of the National Association of Realtors, and part of a larger organization called Move.com.  According to their Web site, Move.com provides consumers with the real estate content, decision support tools, and professional connections they need before, during, and after a move.  Move.com is a publicly traded company (their symbol on Nasdaq is MOVE) that operate several other real estate-related Web sites in addition to Realtor.com.  The relationship Realtor.com has with NAR allows them access to many, though not all, of the active for sale listings in the country.  Typically, Realtor.com will receive listing information directly from the more than 900 MLSs across the country, though in some areas (like the Pacific Northwest) the broker may have to submit a feed to them in order to have their listings displayed.  They are the most visited real estate site on the internet (possibly the second most visited if Google broke out their real estate traffic separately).  They do not display homes that are for sale by owner or many of the new home development properties.

Advertising Options and Rates

As indicated above, Realtor.com displays for free any basic listing information on for sale properties that it receives from MLSs or brokers.  

Realtor.com also offers a number of fee-based advertising options for real estate agents, including options for adding contact information to your listings, adding additional photos and expanded descriptions, and featured agent and featured home options that are zip-code specific.

Here are details on some of the programs Realtor.com offers.

Showcase Listings Enhancements Marketing System

This program allows an agent to add up to six photos and their contact information to each of their listings.  In addition, the program includes certain offline marketing products, including: an agent press release, an agent direct marketing letter, a sample marketing proposal, and new to market postcards.  According to Realtor.com, 80% of realtors don't enhance listings on the site.      

Pricing for this program is based on the number of listings an agent had in the previous 12 months and on which market the agent wishes to enhance their listings.  Pricing is as follows:
        
               
#listings       AA market    A            B            C
0-3               $193           $181       $171      $160
4-10             $350           $329       $310      $291
11-25           $740           $696       $654      $614
26-50           $1,282        $1,205    $1,132   $1,065
51-75           $1,935        $1,819    $1,710   $1,608
76-100         $2,480        $2,331    $2,192   $2,060
101              $3,024        $2,843    $2,672    $2,512

Featured Homes Marketing System

This product is designed to draw more attention to specific properties and is limited to eight slots per zip code per year, with four of those spots appearing at any given time on the page.  An agent who subscribes to this program will have their listings rotate randomly through the spot they purchased.  The program also includes press releases, direct mail letter, brochure, and just listed or just sold postcards for an agent to announce this program to their customers.

Pricing is based on market type and paid annually, with the more popular markets being more expensive.       
       
Market        Annual fee
AA              $2999
A                $2199
B                $935
C                $385

Featured Community and Featured Agent Marketing Systems       

This product allows an agent or builder to promote themselves or a development within a specific zip code through banner ads on Realtor.com.  There are ten spots per market available, with each appearing in rotation one at a time on a given page.  This product also includes a press release, a direct mail letter, brochures, and postcards that an agent or builder can use with prospective customers.   

Pricing is based on market type and paid annually, with the more popular markets being more expensive.   
       
Market Tier    Annual fee
1                   $27,286
2                   $22,716
3                   $18,146
4                   $13,576
5                   $9,910
6                   $6,244
7                   $4,611
8                   $2,978

Related Links

• Online Marketing Opportunities for Agents