Realtor.com to amplify agent reviews through partnership
The consumer portal is partnering with RateMyAgent, whose participating agents can boost their visibility to Realtor.com's 86 million monthly users.
Key points:
- The partnership makes more real estate agent reviews accessible to consumers, raising the profile of the agent.
- A key goal, says RateMyAgent, is building consumer trust and transparency, which can help agents who provide great service.
A whole new crop of real estate agent reviews will soon become much more accessible to consumers browsing homes and agents on Realtor.com.
RateMyAgent, an Australian company known for its transparent reviews, will be able to share consumer feedback on real estate agents directly to Realtor.com through a partnership announced on Feb. 14. RateMyAgent believes this will help agents build their personal brand, strengthen client trust and ultimately reach new customers.
The new feature will first be available to members of the National Association of Realtors, but will soon be available to all agents.
"We're trying to make it as easy as possible for agents to capture reviews… and then we want to put that in as many places as we can. One of the biggest places is Realtor.com," said Michael Davey, CEO of RateMyAgent in an interview.
The reviews are tied to a real estate transaction that took place, providing more credibility for customers. Agents have control over who can provide a review — but bad reviews, while not promoted, are not deleted. "The bad reviews make the good ones seem more real," Davey said.
A key goal of the partnership is to build consumer trust and transparency through the power of social proof. By having reviews on Realtor.com, agents have an opportunity to gain more exposure through the portal's 86 million monthly users.
"We're thrilled to announce this relationship with RateMyAgent. We pride ourselves on ensuring home buyers and sellers have a positive experience throughout their real estate journey — and this new integration with RateMyAgent will elevate that experience," said Marissa Alemeida, lead product marketing manager at Realtor.com, in a news release.
After getting established in Australia, RateMyAgent expanded into the U.S. in 2018 and has partnerships with MLSs from Florida to California, including CRMLS. In Australia, RateMyAgent is used by agents who sell 80% of property across the continent.
While consumers stand to benefit from the partnership, RateMyAgent's key objective is increasing exposure for agents; Realtor.com, with its wide reach, provides an ideal platform. Over the past few years, RateMyAgent has grown significantly in the U.S. Florida and California have been particularly strong, but the company has agent reviews from all 50 states.
Davey expects that growth to continue through their Realtor.com partnership.
"It's fantastic to partner with them," Davey said. "This will help build greater trust and transparency with what we're doing."