Makeover or takeover?
November 1, 2008
Move Inc.’s makeover of Realtor.com has created a buzz — our coverage of the rollout of a redesign that’s been through months of testing was the most widely read story on the Inman News site this week — but apparently little enthusiasm.
Judging by reader comments on the story, many Realtors remain unconvinced that their interests are aligned with Move Inc.’s, and question whether Realtor.com (the official site of the National Association of Realtors) works for them.
A comment from Charlottesville, Va. Realtor and blogger Jim Duncan sums up the mood:
"It’s time to reclaim [Realtor.com] and give the Realtors access to the data and information rather than keep selling it back to the Realtors themselves - the ones who generate that which gives [the site] the advantage it currently holds."
Phoenix-based Realtor Russell Shaw has created a Web page with links to posts around the ‘Net dedicated, he says, to reclaiming Realtor.com for Realtors.
"When it comes to residential real estate it is still the most recognized and most respected name in the world," he says of the Web’s most visited real estate site. "I want the National Association of REALTORS to fully reclaim REALTOR.com. Take it back and make it a member benefit."
One of the links on Shaw’s site is to a post by ActiveRain Corp. co-founder Jonathan Washburn, "NAR: It’s time to make a move on Move."
In short, Washburn — who also runs his own brokerage, Brio Realty — says NAR should just buy Move Inc., because it will be hard to get out of the agreement it made with the company to operate Realtor.com, and Move’s stock price has fallen to the point where it’s within reach of NAR.
Practical? Necessary? Tell us what you think.
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