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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
ryantate
160
WFG News
February 24, 2015

Why the best advice on how to choose a real estate agent is all wrong

As an industry, most of the advice we give consumers about how to choose a real estate agent doesn’t make sense. No wonder some clients are unhappy with our services. For example, I recently read that home sellers should choose an agent who has an assistant or maybe several of…
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ryantate
118
WFG News
February 24, 2015

New tool measures traffic, leads generated by agent and MLS websites

The big third-party listing portals seem to get the bulk of the attention in the industry, but listing websites are everywhere. Most of them are agent and broker Internet data exchange (IDX) websites, powered by local multiple listing services. Minneapolis-based WolfNet has become the first national IDX website provider to…
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ryantate
135
WFG News
February 24, 2015

Opportunity and legal risks come with buying and selling leads

Three years ago, Ben Kinney made a proposal to a local real estate agent: He would pay the agent $18,000 if the agent gave Kinney the contact information of the 18,000 leads the agent had stored in his database. The agent agreed. Kinney and his team at Keller Williams Realty…
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ryantate
170
WFG News
February 23, 2015

Trulia’s economist latest to leave company

Trulia’s chief economist is the latest to depart the company in the wake of the portal’s acquisition by Zillow, but says his research team will continue to produce housing reports “that will be different from Zillow’s and sometimes will kick their butts.” Jed Kolko. “From day one, Trulia’s leaders have…
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ryantate
221
WFG News
February 23, 2015

Analyst: Trulia could lose 40 percent of listings

Trulia, the nation’s second most popular real estate search portal, could lose 40 percent of its listings if Zillow Group is not able to get a court to step in, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley. Zillow announced Friday that it had filed for a temporary restraining order in…
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ryantate
153
WFG News
February 23, 2015

StreetEasy takes page out of Zillow’s marketing playbook

Zillow-owned StreetEasy, a listing portal covering the New York City area, has launched a blog to showcase original research and company news, market data and “stories on the complexities and quirks of living in New York City.” The StreetEasy Blog will “serve as a helpful intersection for all the data…
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ryantate
169
WFG News
February 23, 2015

Real estate brand wars and the future of homeownership

No more Z talk Marjan Apostolovic/Shutterstock Did you ever have a friend warn you, “Tonight, no talk about religion or politics”? I added another topic to the no-talk list: the Zillow acquisition of Trulia. Say the word Zillow and you must put a dollar in this jar. The other big…
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ryantate
135
WFG News
February 23, 2015

Have a problem with Zestimate? More AVMs are coming your way

If you have concerns about how Zillow’s automated valuation model (AVM), Zestimate, could affect sellers’ perceptions of home value, then brace yourself because automated valuations will be a major battleground for portals starting this year. To stay competitive on the Internet, all of the major portals (and perhaps even a…
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ryantate
116
WFG News
February 23, 2015

Century 21 unveils 2015 national marketing campaign

Century 21 Real Estate has unveiled two new TV spots, which will air throughout the year on network and cable channels as part of the Realogy brand’s 2015 national marketing campaign. Continuing the brand’s “Smarter. Bolder. Faster.” marketing campaign, the two 30-second spots — “Mom’s Basement” and “The Chase” —…
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ryantate
118
WFG News
February 23, 2015

6 biggest challenges of real estate crowdfunding

When it comes to real estate investing, the web has had a profound effect on the industry. However, although some see surfing the Internet as a means of locating and researching potential investment properties, the web has also unleashed the power of crowdfunding, allowing ordinary people to invest in large properties that…
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