The broker’s message in the above ad -- about providing the “best tools, training, support and lead generation” to agents -- has been borrowed by third party companies like Market Leader. Its brochure ware says it offers agents “integrated websites, contact management, a marketing center, and lead generation services that generate a steady stream of prospects plus provides the systems and training for converting those prospects into clients.”
The only difference in the services is that these third party players aren’t restricted by all the rules and regulations that a brokerage must adhere to.
With Agent Hub, Zillow is helping to undermine brokers’ value to agents and eclipsing their role by providing services directly to agents – services that traditionally have been provided by brokers. Like Market Leader, they’re taking money out of brokers’ pockets, undermining agents’ loyalty to brokers, and basically competing for the low hanging fruit – agent marketing dollars. 
What would the brokerage do if Google didn’t link back to its website in real estate search results, keeping visitors on its own site rather than sending them to the broker’s site? And what if Google let the brokers’ competitors buy advertising next to its brand name in order to divert potential customers away?
In any of these scenarios, a broker would cry “unfair!” and waste no time taking legal action to stop such practices.
No wonder there’s an escalating firestorm over third-party real estate aggregators. Because this is exactly what third parties are doing to brokers right now – using their most valuable assets to make money, build their businesses and divert customers away.
Follow the link to read more about VHT CEO Alex Zoghlin's take on the continuing battle with third party aggregators.
http://www.vht.com/news/PDFS/FriendorFoe_Battlewith3rdPartyAggs.pdf 
Fishkin
The debate over real estate aggregators continues to heat up with new complaints from brokers that third party sites display inaccurate information and do little to help agents sell homes.
The Real Deal, a New York-based industry publication, reports that “brokerages have grown tired of the inaccurate information” purveyed by big aggregator sites such as Zillow and Trulia.
The article cites coverage of the issue by Steve Yoder of the Fiscal Times. Yoder reported that real estate consulting firm Clareity issued a study last year finding that third party sites can actually frustrate consumers’ efforts to get reliable answers. Aggregator sites allow any agents, for a fee, to have this or her name and photo appear prominently beside the homes listed for sale in a given region, even if the person in the photo isn’t the listing agent. In reality, the agent in the photo may know little about the property or the neighborhood where the house is located.
Yoder says this problem was echoed by Massachusetts agent Jack Attridge, who told Inman News that he’s often contacted by agents and customers from outside his market who have seen his listings on national sites, but they typically have incorrect information. None of the calls, he said, has led to a sale.
At VHT, we hear the same criticisms about third party sites. We understand that brokers are concerned about how big aggregators have elbowed them out of the way to get to the top of the customer marketing funnel.
As VHT Chairman Brian Balduf noted in a recent white paper, How the New Home Buyer Lifecycle is Impacting the Broker-Agent Relationship, third-party aggregators have successfully leveraged the Internet to control the flow of buyers and determine whose property listings and which agent contacts get the most web visibility. They use a broker’s listings to attract buyers, but they decide who gets the customer leads that are generated by those listings. Moreover, as they continue to grow their dominant market share and seek new revenue sources, they’re demanding a rising share of agent/broker marketing dollars in exchange.
It’s difficult to think of another industry that has been so willing to let third-party companies monetize its business assets – while also footing the bill. Or one that has become so dependent on third parties for online customer acquisition that it keeps paying more and more money to buy leads generated from its own offerings. But what can brokers do about it?
Is it too late to put Pandora back into the bottle? The answer is NO.
Brokers are beginning to realize that their greatest competitive threat isn’t the brokerage down the street but the burgeoning online third parties. Several top brokerages recently have taken steps to regain control of their valuable listings information and visual assets.
Brokers are the true experts in real estate. With the right strategy and technology on their side, they can master the web in order to market their listings better and more cost-efficiently than any third-party aggregator.
The stakes are huge – and so is the opportunity for growth.
Patti and Rod Blagojevich are selling their 'Ravenswood Manor' home for $1.07 Million. If you want an inside glimpse into this beautiful home, check out the photographs that VHT Studios shot.
Click here for the Virtual Tour
Click here to see the home featured on Chicago's ABC7 News
The home is being listed by Patti Blagojevich. The property description is listed online as:* * Ravenswood Manor * * One of the largest homes in the neighborhood. Built like a fortress, this 5 br 3 ba, home has over 3,800 sq ft. of living area plus a 2,200 sq ft basement with gym. 3 fireplaces, incredible crown molding, steam and radiant heat in the rehabbed baths, music room and library, huge master suite. Truly unique for the area. This home has an enormous amount of storage space. El 1 1/2 blocks away.
Let us know what you think!
--VHT
