Midwest Real Estate Data, a home listing source in the Chicago area ties up with Zillow Group, reports Chicago Tribune.
This pact is reportedly expected to bring positive results such as "improve the accuracy of for-sale home information" that are seen on the websites of both Zillow and Trulia, a listing website recently acquired by the Zillow Group.
The announcement of Midwest Real Estate Data, one of the nation's largest multiple listing services, teaming up with the Zillow Group was reported on Monday. The timing was just perfect because on Tuesday, one-quarter of the Chicago-area MLS or 20,000 local home listings are bound to be removed from the Zillow website as it cut ties from ListHub.
In April 2011 Zillow announced that Move, Inc. and Zillow, Inc. signed new listing syndication agreement for ListHub publishing network, which is the largest online syndicator of real estate listings to real estate websites. In January, a news report from Housing Wire stated that Zillow is ending its four-year listing agreement with ListHub.
Now, the new deal with the two parties will keep Chicago listings still channeled to Zillow and Trulia, also.
As per agreement, Midwest Real Estate Data will directly give out listings to Zillow and Trulia and not through another party, and that should improve the accuracy of the said listings, said Rebecca Jensen, Midwest Real Estate Data's CEO. The updating of the listings will still be up to the listing websites, says Jensen.
Another term the parties agreed to is to include "brokerage logos and a link back to the brokerage's website", aside from another provision of having contact details of the property listing agents "be more prominently displayed."
"The listing agent and brokerage attribution is better for the buyers because they can differentiate who will have the information and can answer their questions," Jensen said to Chicago Tribune.
PR News Wire noted that both parties seem excited and hapy wih the partnerships.
"For every new partnership we build with an MLS, the experience on Zillow and Trulia gets better for everyone - from brokers and agents to home sellers and buyers," said Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group chief industry development officer. "
"It's a very exciting time for Zillow Group as we are helping more brokers and agents than ever. We appreciate the support of the MLSs who are joining us to work for the benefit of their members," adds Samuelson.
"We received great feedback from our brokers and were able to negotiate an agreement with the Zillow Group that kept the flow of listings to Zillow and Trulia uninterrupted," stated Jensen.
