shelleydraper.com

We’re testing a new layout for our log cabin sorts. The new design displays larger thumbnails and less text than our standard log home sort. However, you can see the agent’s remarks on the property when you roll your mouse over a thumbnail; for the listing detail page, click it.

Instead of a line of 25 thumbnails down the page, the pictures are arranged 5 columns by 5 rows sort of like Hollywood Squares. If the feedback is positive, we will employ the new on sorts other than just log homes.

Do you prefer the new design to our standard log cabin layout? Why?

Our number one request is by far, “more photos”. It’s crazy, close to 10 emails a day with just basically, “more photos please”. Apparently, for now, our MLS only exports 4 photos per property. What does this mean? Basically, we display every picture we can; there are no more.

Kip has set up a cheap, simple virtual tours site, in an effort to get local agents to post more unbranded photos so we, they, and other agents may better know, promote, and sell their listings. Additionally, agents that utilize these tours will have them linked from their listings that appear on our website.

With that in mind, we thought we would provide a friendly online “petition” to perhaps get a more public view of the kind of feedback we receive on a daily basis:

Dear Northeast Georgia Realtors,
I would like to see more than 4 photos per listing…

Have a comment, suggestion, or complaint about our Company Website?

Did you find a listing on our Website that had bad or misleading information (says “lakefront” but it’s not, misrepresentation of photos, etc.)?

Please post your feedback below…

Seems our Realtor-only tool for accessing the NEG MLS database has been hit by the early Spring forward bug. The full reports show the proper time, but when you update, the “Last updated” time is an hour behind.

I don’t think half the agents up here have a clue about IDX and broker reciprocity. If agents just have to help themselves to using our Company website(we know, it rocks) as their free MLS searching resource, they should at least educate themselves on the published rules and regulations before they pick up the phone or flame us from the website.

I got a call (preceded by several nasty emails) last Friday night from an irate local agent (that I’d never heard of) wondering why her listings were on my website and demanding that I remove them immediately. I tried to nicely explain “broker reciprocity” (circa 2000) to her, to which she proceeded to cuss me out, told me I would be hearing from other Realtors, and hung up on me. She then had several of her agent friends email from our website, asking why their listings were on our site. Read the rules & regs or ask your broker ladies. Frankly, it’s not my responsibility to educate you, especially when you conduct yourselves in such an unprofessional manner.

Then Tuesday morning, I was on the receiving end of another good ol’ Southern cussout and hang up call from a competing agent (that I know) for not having his listings on OUR Company website. He claimed one of his listers could not find their listing on a Google search >> our website. Um, first it sounds like you need to focus on your own website if your clients are using ours, and secondly, we filter all kinds of spammy listings (mobile homes, less than 3 photos, misleading/false data, missing/lazy/illegal descriptions, etc.) to make it a better browsing experience for our target audience. We also listen to user feedback on their buying and selling experiences and apply that data to our filters on an ongoing basis. What makes it on to our website is our business.

To summarize: In a period of less than a week, I was cussed out and hung up on by one agent FOR having her listings on our website, then by another for NOT having his listings on our Company website.

• Do we need a broker reciprocity class? Yes.
• Are there too many agents with too much time on their hands? Obviously, 400+ did not renew w/ our board for ‘07—we were due for a purge though.
• Why are other agents so concerned or threatened by our lil’ ol’ mom-&-pop, non-corporate website? Well, I just don’t know.