New tool aims to help agents win leads, sell listings
Realtor.com's newly launched Listing Toolkit is designed to get listing agents in front of more sellers and uplevel their listing presentations.
Key points:
- The subscription-based Listing Toolkit gives agents higher placement in search results and includes integrated local data and consumer intel to improve listing presentations.
- It’s the first major rollout for Move Inc. CEO Damian Eales, who was appointed to the position in June.
- It’s part of the company’s overall goal of growing consumer traffic and better serving agents and brokers.
Agents looking to win more listings in this low-inventory market have a new tool available to them.
Realtor.com has announced a nationwide launch of its subscription-based Listing Toolkit, designed to help listing agents connect with more motivated sellers through higher placement in search results on both Realtor.com and UpNest, the seller-leads platform acquired by Move in June 2022.
The product also gives agents tools to improve their listing presentations with integrated local market data and buyer intelligence data powered by Lone Wolf Technologies, and helps them find buyers with matching budgets and home preferences.
It's the first big product rollout under new Move CEO Damian Eales, who took over the position on June 12 after David Doctorow stepped down. Since taking the helm, Eales has said his top priorities for Realtor.com, the second-most visited home search portal behind Zillow, include growing consumer traffic and better serving agents and brokers.
Product goes head to head with ShowingTime+
Listing Toolkit is similar to products recently launched within Zillow's ShowingTime+ suite of tools, such as Listing Showcase and Listing Media Services, which aim to help generate demand for listings through increased exposure.
But a differentiator, said Blake Elmquist, Realtor.com's vice president of seller category management, is that Listing Toolkit includes more features to win and sell listings.
"It includes enhanced agent branding to help listing agents stand out in front of more in-market sellers, not just buyers searching for properties," Elmquist said in an email. "After they've won the listing, Listing Toolkit also includes ways to connect directly with agents representing buyers who have matching budgets and preferences."
Realtor.com focused on audience growth, 'acceleration of new tools and features'
Along with launching the new product, Elmquist said the company is working to drive more traffic by increasing its media spending, developing a new brand campaign and harnessing the power of News Corp.'s media universe. (Move, Inc. is owned by the mass media and publishing company News Corp.).
Through their own research, Elmquist said they've learned that consumers who visit Realtor.com are more likely to be serious, active buyers and sellers than those who visit other home search portals.
"We're focused on growing and engaging that audience even further, because we know it will result in more quality leads for our customers," Elmquist said.
"We aim to be the most valuable platform for agents and brokers and their business growth, so you're also going to see an acceleration of new tools and features like Listing Toolkit from Realtor.com in the future," he added.
With so few homes on the market, Elmquist said the rollout of Listing Toolkit comes at just the right time for agents who need all the help they can get.
"Now is the time to prepare for an upswing in market conditions; as inflation lowers and interest rates begin to stabilize and fall, inevitably sales will rise. Agents need to prepare before that begins to happen," Elmquist said.