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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
ryantate
152
WFG News
February 17, 2015

Zillow’s campaign for direct MLS feeds is about to get a boost

Zillow will soon be able to make use of what it hopes is a potent weapon in its arsenal to obtain direct feeds from multiple listing services: its chief industry development officer, Errol Samuelson. Samuelson has been on leave since July 1, when a Washington state Superior Court judge granted…
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ryantate
168
WFG News
February 16, 2015

What to expect now that Zillow and Trulia are one?

Imagine a horse race. Two horses, a perfectly toned and young thoroughbred against a 7-year-old nag. No surprises who is winning the race. Then, two things happen: 1. The winning horse surprisingly steers off the track to further bulk up for the race; 2. A new tested and savvy owner…
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ryantate
135
WFG News
February 14, 2015

Zillow’s skyrocketing growth continues

Zillow, a company that operates the nation’s most popular real estate portal, continues to grow at a staggering rate, according to its fourth-quarter and 2014 earnings report released today. The company grew its full-year revenue to $325.9 million in 2014, a 65 percent increase over 2013’s revenue total and nearly three times its 2012…
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ryantate
167
WFG News
February 13, 2015

FTC will not block Zillow-Trulia merger

The Federal Trade Commission has completed its investigation of Zillow’s acquisition of Trulia and will not block the deal, which is expected to close on Tuesday. The decision puts an end to speculation that antitrust regulators might impose conditions on a deal that puts ownership of the two most popular…
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ryantate
175
WFG News
February 11, 2015

Gary Keller on how to think about the portals, the Internet and online leads

Gary Keller, in a 157-minute presentation on the economy, the housing market and the state of the real estate industry, drilled down on portals, the Internet and how to think about these leads. The video below captures that part of his presentation. The post Gary Keller on how to think…
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ryantate
169
WFG News
February 11, 2015

Zillow lands more direct listing feeds

Two Florida multiple listing services have agreed to send top real estate portal Zillow a direct feed of their combined 67,000-plus listings. The deals come as Zillow is scrambling to obtain listings directly from brokers and MLSs before the expiration of its agreement with Move-owned listing syndicator ListHub on April…
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ryantate
150
WFG News
February 10, 2015

Mortgage giant Citi steps up marketing on Zillow, StreetEasy

Citi, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, has signed a marketing deal with Zillow in an effort to reach prospective borrowers on the highly trafficked real estate portal. The deal will boost Citi’s presence on Zillow; Zillow Mortgages, the site’s mortgage marketplace; and StreetEasy, a listing portal owned by Zillow…
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ryantate
167
WFG News
February 10, 2015

Real estate agent reviews catching fire on Zillow

Consumers have posted more than 1 million reviews of real estate professionals on Zillow.com in the last four years — nearly half of those in the last year alone, an acceleration in growth that points to the growing importance of agents’ profiles on listing portals. More than 780,000 agents have…
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ryantate
220
WFG News
February 10, 2015

Some groups don’t get a say in the great portal debate

How should the industry address listing feeds to ListHub, Zillow, and other multiple listing services and portals? It’s up to brokers — and there are some industry groups who simply don’t get to vote. Jon Coile is the president of Champion Realty, a regional brokerage in Maryland, and the chairman of…
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ryantate
203
WFG News
February 10, 2015

NAR continues to hype realtor.com in new national TV spot

Despite global media giant News Corp.’s acquisition of realtor.com operator Move Inc. in November, which lost NAR a seat on Move’s board and an ownership stake in the company, the trade association remains committed to promoting the realtor.com brand in a big way. NAR aired a 33-second TV ad during the Grammy Awards…
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