Online Real Estate Auction Sites Traffic From February
It seems that there is a little bit of competition heating up in the online real estate auction sites battle for the top spot, according to www.compete.com stats. Newcomer ListedBy.com entered the race for the top spot with site record Web traffic for February 2013 with more than 50,000 visitors coming to the site during the month, putting it slightly behind direct competing online real estate auction site www.bid4assets.com and ahead of other similar real estate sites such as realtown.com and others.
The month also saw industry leader www.auction.com remain at the top of the pack with nearly 800,000 visitors for the month according to the site but the strong display of traffic for ListedBy.com is a great thing for a site that has still only been around less than a year and has little resources by comparison to the billion dollar entity such as auction.com.
In other news for real estate auction sites, Hubzu.com, formerly gohoming.com, has presented itself as a major competitor in the sector with more than 200,000 visitors.
The ListedBy.com brand that went live no more than 11 months ago on May 2nd 2012 has quickly shown the industry that there is a new way to present the online real estate model to users with all of the users being able to use the site and the marketplace completely free unlike all of the competing auction sites noted here which charge insertion fees and commissions after the transaction.
Below are the official numbers that were reported by compete.com for traffic in February 2013 including all the major sites in the real estate auction segment. As always, thank you to all the loyal users that are helping ListedBy.com grow as the first completely free online real estate marketplace and social network with live bidding auctions.
- WWW.TRULIA.COM – 11,000,000 VISITORS
- WWW.AUCTION.COM – 790,000 VISITORS
- WWW.HUBZU.COM – 298,000 VISITORS
- WWW.BID4ASSETS.COM – 64,000 VISITORS
- WWW.LISTEDBY.COM – 52,000 VISITORS
- WWW.REALTOWN.COM – 27,000 VISITORS
These figures are off of projections and estimates based off of compete.com stats.
ListedBy Launches Real Estate Service Provider and Agent Ratings
ListedBy Service Provider Ratings
We’re quite excited to release the ListedBy Service Provider star and feedback ratings system. To those who excel in their profession, such systems put in the hands of the consumer is a welcome event and a new path to more business.
For those who do not desire such systems, it’s a path to challenging and boosting current practices.
As an industry as a whole, such systems will bring new levels of transparency that can only help further enhance public perception and professionalism.
Here is the full announcement issued to the press earlier today, for our readers’ convenience:
ListedBy Launches Real Estate Service Provider and Agent Ratings
ListedBy (www.ListedBy.com), the first free online real estate marketplace and social network with live bidding public real estate auctions and ‘Buy Now/Best Offer’ functionality now enables members to publish and share feedback, recommendations and rate service providers listed on ListedBy.com, in real time.
The system reflects ListedBy’s goal to provide its members with everything they need to be successful in real estate both before, and after the transaction. Registered users on ListedBy.com can use the site’s Service Providers area to research services and related companies by state, and now rate providers including real estate brokers and agents using a five star rating system.
Users can also offer detailed feedback and recommendations on the same page, and share their feedback through email and social media with a single click, including on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and many others.
“From free access to rental and for sale property data, REO auctions and traditional listings, to clearly identifying the true listing agent and their contact information, to publicly displaying bids, bid history and bidders, to now agent and real estate related service provider ratings and feedback, ListedBy continues to move towards accelerating the real estate process through transparency and better access to information,” said Stephan Piscano, CEO and Founder, ListedBy.
“The time currently wasted at any stage of real estate buying and selling is unacceptable, as is the level of transparency on many real estate auction and traditional property portals, especially in this day and age. Everything that we do at ListedBy is designed to move the industry towards a higher level of efficiency,” added Piscano.
Concluded Piscano: “People who get exceptional service are always happy to spread the word. We’re introducing tools that make it easy for ListedBy members to share their experience and opinion, which benefits their service provider and works to drive higher levels of service in the industry.”
Service Provider pages on ListedBy have also been upgraded as virtual miniature Web sites, to further enhance service provider exposure and branding to ListedBy’s growing audience.
ListedBy launched its Service Providers module in January. The self-managed, self-populated free directory is designed to give ListedBy.com users convenient access to information on local real estate related services across the United States.
Traffic on ListedBy.com is expected to surpass 60,000 unique visitors for March 2013, with visitors spending an average of over five minutes on the site.
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The Freeway To Listing Data – Foreclosures, Auctions And Otherwise
Open Access To Data and Buyer/Seller Information
What is mind boggling is that we as an industry have struggled for years trying to figure how to move distressed inventory. Mind boggling because we have consistently hid the data behind cumbersome registration pages and access fees, and charged huge buyer premiums at auctions. To think that these are all strategies designed to move inventory is somewhat hard to believe. Open access rather, should be the path.
To top it all, many consumer portals and sites have made it tough for buyers to connect with listing agents or sellers, by giving preferred placement to their own internal agents next to the listing, if that’s their business model. Others featured and continue to feature alternative agents based on a paid advertising model, in the process keeping the true representing agent who knows the seller and the property best, and can answer questions more swiftly and accurately, at bay and harder to reach.
Such and other practices have either delayed or outright derailed potential transactions, and to this day continue to hinder wider, more efficient buyer participation so the assimilation of inventory may proceed at a more healthy pace.
We’re excited to announce that we have unlocked access to all listings on ListedBy, specifically because giving real estate buyers and sellers immediate and open access to listings and to each others’ contact information is core to ListedBy’s vision for the site and the industry as a whole. We see this as becoming the norm for all real estate property portals and real estate auction companies.
As always, we appreciate our users’ feedback and suggestions. Giving everyone instant access to all listings on ListedBy.com once again is the results of your valued input. Now anyone can research MLS listings across the country, residential and commercial. The same goes for all distressed properties including REO auctions, government real estate auctions, residential real estate auctions, commercial real estate auctions and all other public real estate auctions and Buy Now/Best Offer listings that are active on ListedBy.com.
Rock Star Closer Radio Interview With Listedby.com’s Stephan Piscano
Ryan Stewman
HardcoreClorser.com’s Ryan Stewman goes into details about ListedBy and public real estate auctions and residential real estate auction, in a radio interview with Stephan Piscano first broadcast February 20, 2013.
Listen to the interview >>>>
ListedBy Executives To Discuss Industry Paradigm Shift At SJREI Mid-Peninsula Meeting
A Paradigm Shift Is Underway
A number of intriguing and puzzling operatus morandi continue to hold back our industry. Some are key to the less than stellar perception the real estate profession has suffered for decades. Others directly anchor the entire industry so hard and prevent it from healing as fast as it should or can. The status quo in many areas of the real estate business is also directly affecting property values and, in our opinion, the level of trust that the industry deserves. This includes the general consumer real estate market, the public real estate auctions market, REO auctions and government auctions segments.
On the opposite side of the spectrum lies a major undercurrent. One that is underway. A shift that is building moment so strong that it stands to change everything. It will shake companies from the very small to the very large, and create new opportunities that those same companies can adopt and grow, or ignore and sink.
ListedBy executives Stephan Piscano and Roger Noujeim will be at the San Jose Real Estate Investor (SJREI) Mid-Peninsula Meeting on Tuesday February 19, 20113 to keynote an address around these issues and highlight the opportunity that is before us today.
If you are in the San Francisco, San Jose or Foster City areas, or nearby, we hope that you can join us for a discussion that promises to raise awareness around key concerns every real estate professional must pay attention to, and ignite thought that will drive change for years to come.
When: February 19, 2013. 6:30 PM
Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel. 1221 Chess drive, Foster City, CA
Who: Stephan Piscano and Roger Noujeim at SJREI Mid-Peninsula Meeting
Keynote and Start: ListedBy. 7:00 PM
Registration: >>>>>
ListedBy On A Mission To Shake Things Up
AGBeat’s Tara Steele covered it and we couldn’t have explained it better ourselves. The momentum and involvement on ListedBy is moving to new heights each week. Traffic is on track to hit 40,000 unique visitors this month or more, and Realtors, consumers and real estate investors are engaging more and more with the system’s Best Offer and auction tools.
From AG Beat:
ListedBy auction tool focuses on transparency, disruption
Public Real Estate Auctions Site ListedBy Launches Service Providers Directory
ListedBy’s Service Providers Module Enables National Search For Real Estate Related Services
An exciting development for all ListedBy users and site visitors today, as well as for service providers who offer services to the real estate industry in the U.S.
We just launched the Service Providers section of the site, which allows ListedBy users to research and find services related to real estate from across the country. If anything, the Service Providers module roll out is another example of our commitment to making ListedBy.com the place for everything real estate.
Whether it’s painters, movers, insurance providers or any other service, and whether you know the area or if you are from out of town or out of state, this is a key peg in helping you to find and get information about the services that you need, at a local level, as you make either an investment decision or need a service for your own property.
As a service provider, the exposure is entirely free. Just drop by the Service Providers page and add your company to gain exposure. We’ve also added enhanced placement options, which gets your company to the top of the search results in the states of your choice.
Here is the full announcement released earlier today on the wire:
Public Real Estate Auctions Site ListedBy Launches Service Providers Directory
Self-Managed Search Database Gives ListedBy Users Access to Information on Local Real Estate Related Services, and for Service Providers, Free Exposure and Leads
NAPA, Calif. – January 28, 2012 – ListedBy (www.ListedBy.com), the first free online real estate marketplace and social network with live bidding public real estate auctions and ‘Best Offer’ functionality today announced the launch of its Service Providers module, a self-managed, self-populated directory designed to give ListedBy users convenient access to information on local real estate related services across the United States.
“As a platform that truly stands out among other real estate sites and real estate auction companies, part of our mission at ListedBy is to constantly elevate user experience and value,” said Stephan Piscano, CEO and Founder, ListedBy. “Whether it’s homeowners, buyers and sellers, or investors involved in REO auctions, government auctions and regular assets, identifying and connecting with local service providers is an on-going requirement. ListedBy is now positioned to deliver on this need like no other site online.”
Free to join, the ListedBy Service Providers tool is organically populated and currently covers all U.S. states and territories. International search is planned for release later this year.
Service providers can join the new directory at https://www.listedby.com/ServiceProviders/ServiceProviderMaster. Additional categories can be requested through the company’s online Forum.
Enhanced placement in the directory is available as an option in one of two packages offered at $50.00 per month per state, or for $248.00 dollars per state for a full year subscription.
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INMAN Connect and Agent Reboot NYC – Jan 2013
The Grand Hyatt New York
A new year is just around the corner, and we’re already setting up to attend and exhibit at two of the real estate industry’s most powerful and energizing conferences, back to back.
ListedBy is sponsoring both Connect and Reboot in NYC, which will be held January 16-18, 2013 at the The Grand Hyatt New York. We will be showcasing the latest release of our free online real estate auction and ‘Best Offer’ platform, ListedBy.com.
As always, get ready for some amazing prizes from ListedBy, including the now famous Vegas luxury condo stay giveaway for four people! And after really great feedback at NAR in Orlando in November, we just might do the remote controlled helicopter giveaways again as well! Just drop by our exhibit to get in on the action.
We look forward to seeing many of our members and business partners in NYC, and to meeting many more real estate pros keen on adopting the latest technologies in their business. If you want to get exposure and learn about technologies that are truly making a difference in the real estate business, INMAN conferences are the events to be at.
If you haven’t yet registered to attend INMAN Connect or Reboot NYC, here is are the links:
Real Estate Connect: http://www.realestateconnect.com/nyc13/rates
Agent Reboot: https://register.inman.com/shop/Agent-Reboot-2013—New-York/
To view venue and travel information, here is another link: http://www.realestateconnect.com/nyc13/venue
ListedBy Releases Real Estate Auction Guide for Consumers
“As the auction market gains traction, important terminologies and factors are a must for both buyers and sellers.”
We’re pleased to announce the release of a new consumer handbook on real estate auctions, ListedBy – Real Estate Auction Primer for Consumers.
One of the terminologies explained in the booklet, which will be available for download right here within this blog post next week, is Transparency.
Transparency is one of the key advantages of real estate auctions, specifically online real estate auctions. That’s when bidders can see each others’ bids at any time, and can look up each others’ information, such as account profiles. Much like on LinkedIn and other social networks.
This kind of transparency gives everyone a greater sense of trust and confidence in the process, equal chance, and optimizes a property’s market value. New platforms such as ListedBy.com allow everyone to view other’s bids and member profiles including any ratings, recommendations or comments.
The guide also emphasizes the importance for consumers to engage an experienced REALTOR® when considering selling or buying a home through auction.
Click to DOWNLOAD ListedBy – Real Estate Auction Primer for Consumers.
Meanwhile here is the full News Release capturing the content of the booklet:
ListedBy Releases Real Estate Auction Guide for Consumers
Downloadable handbook outlines and explains basic auction terminology, strategies and ‘must-know’ guidelines for home buyers and sellers
NAPA, Calif. – November 30, 2012 – ListedBy (www.ListedBy.com), the first free online real estate marketplace and social network with live bidding auction and ‘Best Offer’ functionality has released ListedBy – Real Estate Auction Primer for Consumers, a ‘must-know’ guide for anyone looking to buy or sell real estate through auction.
“As the auction market gains traction, important terminologies and factors are a must for both buyers and sellers,” said Stephan Piscano, CEO and Co-Founder, ListedBy. “ListedBy’s model changes the auction practice almost entirely and adds new dimensions even experienced real estate professionals can greatly benefit from.”
ListedBy – Real Estate Auction Primer for Consumers will be available for download, free of charge, in the Knowledge Centre on ListedBy Blog, starting December 4, 2012. Consumers considering auctioning their home or purchasing a property at auction can also tap expert advice on the ListedBy Member Forum.
ListedBy – Real Estate Auction Primer for Consumers
Basic Terminology and Strategies
1. Auction – The term auction is derived from the Latin ‘augeō’, which means ‘I increase’ or ‘I augment’. It is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder at a pre-set set auction expiry date and time.
2. English Auction – Is an auction where the price is driven up by buyers and where the highest bidder wins, at auction expiry.
3. Dutch Auction – A process where the starting price of an asset begins higher and scales down until the offer meets a bid.
4. Reserve Auction – A ‘Reserve Auction’ sets a minimum price below which the seller is not obliged to sell the property at the expiry of the auction. As a home seller, use this strategy to secure an absolute price below which you are not ready to sell, and to advise bidders that bids must go higher for an acceptable agreement to be reached.
5. No Reserve Auction – A ‘No Reserve’ auction, also known as an Absolute Auction, legally binds the seller to release the property to the highest bidder above the set starting bid price. This strategy is usually used to create early excitement around an attractive, lower but acceptable price. The approach can drive a bidding competition that can result in a final sale price higher than originally expected by the seller.
6. Buy It Now – By placing a bid under a Buy It Now price option set by the seller, the bidder instantly wins the auction and both seller and buyer are obligated to transact at the set price. Leverage Buy It Now to avoid entering into a competitive bidding scenario and to secure and close on the property quickly.
7. Buyer’s Premium – A traditional practice that new business models such as ListedBy.com are eliminating. Also referred to as a Buyer’s Penalty, or the fee that a winning bidder must pay over and above the price of the subject property. The premium is typically between two and ten percent of the asset value.
8. Open Outcry – Unlike sealed bid auctions, ‘open outcry’ auctions are ‘open’ or ‘fully transparent.’ The identity of all bidders is disclosed to each other during an open outcry.
9. Auction Expiry – An auction has a start date and time, and a close ‘expiry’ date and time after which new bids are no longer accepted. In cases where a last minute bid comes in just prior to the expiry, certain auctioneer rules may include a short extension, to give former bidders a chance to counter the late coming bid.
Key Considerations
1. Fees and charges – New, advertising and service driven business models are doing away with all fees associated with buying or selling property at auction. As a seller, look for auctioning your property through a provider or platform that does not charge any fees or commissions. As a buyer, look for auction venues that do not charge any Buyer Premium or penalty.
2. Transparency – Sealed bids may have some advantages in certain cases. However, in buying or selling your home, it is important to first consider a fully transparent environment where everyone gets to see who is bidding and how much. Transparency gives everyone a greater sense of trust and confidence in the process, equal chance, and optimizes a property’s market value. New platforms such as ListedBy.com allow everyone to view each other’s bids and member profiles including any ratings, recommendations or comments.
3. Online Auctions – New, entirely Web-based auction platforms and service providers offer a simpler, quicker and more efficient avenue for buyers and sellers to engage in auction. An online avenue also does away with the added effort, inconvenience, resources and expenses needed to organize and run a physical, on-location auction.
4. Engage a REALTOR® – While buying and selling at auction online is relatively easy, look to engage an experienced representative who understands real estate marketing, knows the area, the auction process and various strategies that can be used to maximize your property value or clinch you a better deal, if you are a buyer. A local REALTOR® who also has experience in online auctions can bring significant advantage to the process. The Member Directory on ListedBy lists agents from across the U.S. and can be a great place to begin your research.
Benefits of Online Auction for Buyers
· Knowledge that the property will sell at auction expiry.
· Knowledge of who you are bidding against and where the bids are at any point in time. A fair play environment.
· Ability to participate free of charge and from anywhere, anytime.
· Ability to conveniently view and bid on multiple properties.
· No Buyer Premiums means additional funds to put towards a desired property.
· Significantly cuts down price negotiations time typically consumed in traditional buying and selling.
Benefits of Online Auction for Sellers
· Expose your property to cash-ready, pre-qualified buyers.
· Let the market reflect the right value of your property.
· Create excitement around the sale of your property.
· Certainty that the property will sell and by when.
· A way to potentially sell your property more quickly.
· Create competition among buyers.
· Less back and forth negotiations lends for an overall faster, easier process.
Additional Resources:
- ListedBy on LinkedIn and Twitter @ListedByYou
ListedBy Launches Blog
It was only a matter of time before we launched the ListedBy Blog.
The auction segment is growing rapidly and, more and more REALTORS® are moving to learn about auctions to add to their marketing toolkit and differentiating expertise. One of the biggest shifts that ListedBy is driving in the real estate auctions market segment is the move to an entirely Web-based process. The benefits are huge and in many cases obvious, including efficiency, speed and lower costs for everyone involved.
Another major change is the revenue model. While traditional auctions usually involve registration/participation fees and, the biggie, up to 10 percent of the asset value in what is referred to as a Buyer’s Premium, ListedBy is doing away with ALL these costs. The result is more money in buyer pockets to go towards making a deal happen. For the seller, it means wider participation and optimal market value, for reasons too many to cover in this post.
If not the auction part of ListedBy, industry professionals are highly interested in the platform’s online offer submission technology, another major advance ListedBy is bringing to the real estate transaction that we will also discuss here in the future.
We look forward to engaging with you here on the blog as well as in the ListedBy (LB Social™) Forum. If there are any specific issues or subjects you’d like us to tackle, please post your ideas and thoughts in the Comments area below, or send me an email to roger@listedby.com.
Please drop by often for corporate updates and news, special feature property listings and education on the world of auctions, or to view and participate in on-going discussions.
Meanwhile here is the full announcement about the launch of ListedBy Blog that was issued on the Wire earlier today:
Online Real Estate Auctions Platform ListedBy Launches Blog
Dynamic stage to deliver timely corporate news, ListedBy user communication and online real estate auction education
ListedBy Offers Live Offer Listings and Traditional MLS Listing Search
ListedBy (www.ListedBy.com), the first free online real estate marketplace and social network with integrated live bidding auction and ‘Best Offer’ functionality today announced ListedBy Blog, a dynamic environment the company will use to deliver corporate and product news, featured listings, ListedBy member and user information, education materials, articles, event schedules and market reports.
“I am excited about how the blog feature on our site will allow us to not only broaden our ever growing base, but also gives us yet another way to keep direct contact with our very loyal and active user base on the site,” said Stephan Piscano, CEO and Co-Founder, ListedBy.
ListedBy Blog is now live and features a number of real estate marketing and auction related educational articles, success tips, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Membership in ListedBy continues to increase at a rapid pace with thousands of new accounts added over the past month and approximately 4000 industry professionals now participating on the site’s LinkedIn Group.
Additional Resources:
- Media and industry analyst briefings: roger@listedby.com
- Follow ListedBy on LinkedIn and Twitter
o Leaders and Laggers – How Industry Pioneers are Using Online Real Estate Auctions to Distance Themselves
o Online Real Estate Auctions – When to Dive and When to Skip