Renet is a systems company and set of websites (they seem to have an endless supply of domain names across Australia) and have recently joined forces with Realestate.com.au and have announced some ‘special’ deals that integrate them tightly with REA including the ability for a single sign on integration with REA and RP Data’s systems.
Basically their systems allow you to do most things you can do within the REA system including marking listings as feature properties on realestate.com.au, which in itself is a pretty nifty little feature.
ReNet.com.au saves you time as we are the ONLY software provider in Australia with Single Sign On integration with realestate.com.au and RPdata
Renet also provide low cost websites and hosting for real estate agents across Australia.
It does make you wonder if REA are now doing special deals with some XML providers and not others, which will not bode well for their popularity amongst other XML providers.
29 Comments
Robert Simeon
Popularity has never before a concern of REA – so why would they change their culture?
snoop
Perhaps they were just smart enough to ask?
Peter Ricci
It may not be something special REA did for Renet, it may be Renet promoting it as such, but I have looked through all of my emails from REA and have seen nothing to indicate this being an option for our company.
It is kind of annoying that they would do that – favor pone company over another.
Peter Ricci
Snoop, you may be right. I must say I have been asking for years for REA and Domain to send us back XML of visitor stats to listings we send them, to no avail 🙂
Sal Espro
Don’t worry, Peter.
REA is on the way out as soon as:
1. Google can get its slow arse into gear and
2. when agents finally acknowledge that buyers still have to visit the individual agents’ websites and just use REA and Domain as a base-line reference – REA and Domain certainly do not have all listings (despite how ridiculous this might seem!).
Ps Hubonline, Portplus et al, are too expensive for us – We get our ‘uploader/online marketing systems’ (including website hosting) for what it costs for a month or so of Portplus, Hub et al i.e. $hundreds per year as distinct from many thousands. (As you know Peter, this technology has become just a commodity that should have decreased to much lower levels from all suppliers by now).
matta
Sal,
While I think some contributers to this forum are getting way ahead of them self with googlebase, your first point has some weight to it.
But…your second point is miles off the mark.
craig pontey
REA is not interested in providing service anymore………
Robert Simeon
Craig,
You would think that when the largest Sydney agencies start sounding alarm bells that REA have lost the plot one would think they (senior management) would pick up the phone to ascertain why one thinks that way?
Only when the big guys start leaving and all the rest follow suit as they always follow the market leaders – then we will probably hear from them. A case of too late. Makes one wonder if RP Data were aware just how unpopular REA are with agents before they jumped into bed with them. I agree that Domain.com.au play them off a break when it comes to Customer Service.
They (REA) simply do not care – it is that simple.
Westie
Robert,
Please get your hands off your ego. I agree with PaulD. Who made you the authority for all NSW agents. Why do you think REA pay you scant attention?
It’s not hard mate as you are sitting in the middle of a Domain stronghold in Sydney Morning Herald land. It will always be that way so why would they bother.
In my area REA are all over me. Domain are nowhere to be seen. It’s not hard mate. I’m sitting in the middle of a News Ltd land where the only Sydney Morning Herald’s to be seen are sitting on trains that came through Central Station from the North Shore.
I thinks its great that Domain give you all your award winning leads, I really do because its probably true but guess how many leads I get from Domain? None. What is Domain? Who is Domain? Most of my customers think Domain is where the Christmas Carols are held.
So Robert please share a bit of perspective. Outside of inner Sydney’s North and East REA rule the roost with my customers and are cashing in on the growth areas like ours where properties are flying out the door in the under $600k market. Yes I know Robert we wouldn’t buy a carpark for that amount in Mosman but hey most of Australia is in that market.
Robert keep pounding along with Domain because it works for you and I’ll keep using the site that gives me my leads and my sales but please spare us all the absolute biased toward Domain because it is actually cheapening this site and becoming a yawn. I have the number of a good councillor if you want one. Having said that they are not in Mosman so you may need a GPS as they are across the other side of the bridge with the rest of the middle and lower classes.
snoop
And as for the endless rants about the great coming of google!
Just because a couple of cashed up googans bought a pile in mosman diesnt mean the end of real estate portals.
Robert Simeon
Westie,
Thanks for the offer however I am not in need of the professional services that your councillor/therapist provides you with obviously a wonderful service.
For the record News Ltd have a huge market share North of the bridge with publications consisting of The Mosman Daily, Northside Courier, North Shore Times and The Manly Daily all bearing the REA masthead. They are very competitive in our areas just that hardly anyone uses this portal over here anymore. I might add that in recent years they have lost enormous market share to Domain – based on lead generation.
Westie, one final question. Do you subscribe to Domain.com.au? The point I was making to Craig (that you actually missed) was that our markets are not that far from ditching REA completely. When the agencies with considerable market share start leaving then it obviously weakens the attraction of the portal. Obviously this wont happen out West – however there is plenty of discussion happening about this with agents North and East.
Paddy
As Peter raises, the RENET example points to REA doing special deals with selected players.
Whilst in theory, a free market theory, this is fine. In application things are a little different.
The recently announced Strategic partnership with RPData has many data players asking if the deal is exclusive. Rumors are going around of existing REA data licenses with competitors to RPData being canceled.
Then there are the discounts REA has in place with some of the franchise groups, with some group/s getting a larger discount than others. Simply ask any L.J Hooker agent how much they get as a corporate discount, and then ask a Ray White agent how much they get.
This all points to favoritism on behalf of REA. Which again is fine, unless you suddenly found out that you will no longer be getting the raw material to produce your product (data), or you leave Ray White to become an Independent agency, and lose your discount. In both cases, your competitors have an advantage over you through decisions made by a third party to whom you are a customer.
Peter you should ask again to get the same deal as RENET and see how open REA is to you.
max
Paddy, I think you’ll find LJH don’t get a discount because their HQ never entered into an agreement with REA – Ray White do because their HQ jumped on to REA in a big way very early on… I am led to believe LJH HQ did a fair bit to keep their offices from joining REA.
If you sent all your staff to one provider for health care or car leases wouldn’t you expect some level of discount? So why shouldn’t REA hand out discounts to franchise groups willing to work with them.
Robert, big guys leaving REA? Why would any agent leave REA? No matter where you are they provide anywhere from lets say 20-70% of agent leads. Playing politics with your customers house – interesting concept.
Anyone who does cut REA do me a favor and let your vendors know that:
This is hypothetical so please use your own numbers.
REA Cost you about $800
New monthly listings to your office 20
Their actual share of cost (800/20) = $40
So just let them no you are going to cut their property from Australia’s largest and most visited property site that could deliver them 20% (lots more in most areas) because YOU think $40 is too much….
max
should read
So just let them no you are going to cut their property from Australia
Robert Simeon
Max,
REA would be lucky if they provided more than 2 per cent of our leads. Your quote of 20 -70% is nothing short of delusional. I can only assume that you and Westie are REA emplyees.
Paddy
Max,
You hit the nail on the head.
L.J. Hooker offices do not receive a discount. If what you assert is true, and that L.J. Hooker corporate encouraged their agents not to join REA, then it failed, as I am sure you will find most of the Hooker network on REA.
This is a timely reminder that the Franchisors do not have ultimate control over their respective franchisee networks.
Acknowledging the above, your comment about Ray White HQ jumping on to REA being the deciding factor as to who gets a discount is interesting. As we know, it is the agents/Franchisees who pay the subscription, not corporate. So despite awarding a discount at the group level, it is up to the supplier (i.e. REA) to get the sale across the line by meeting with the agent.
Why should an L.J. Hooker office who has been advertising with REA since its inception, not receive a discount, whilst a new Ray White office immediately gets a discount? Is REA penalizing a loyal customer, due to the actions of a third party?
Staying with the discount model employed by REA. What would be the discounts awarded to the smaller Victorian Franchises? They are smaller in number and overall spend, yet L.j. Hooker franchisees, who are greater in number and overall spend, receive no discount.
There are most likely small groups/industry bodies out there who also do not receive a discount.
So what is the point? Well I find it difficult to understand why REA would penalize its direct customers for the actions/inaction of a third party. It seems that the REA way of rewarding its customers is not on loyalty, nor size of your network, but by some deal done with head offices of a chosen few.
When REA comes out with a ‘price freeze’ (which still equates to a price increase in the 09/10 financial year), and pledges to bring everyone up on to the same rate, there is, in my opinion, an element of hypocrisy.
This comment interests me: “If you sent all your staff to one provider for health care or car leases wouldn
max
Sorry Paddy, just cant agree.
Now, you are correct that a company can not force its staff or offices to take up any service as its 3rd line forcing. But what they can do is name preferred suppliers, give the suppliers access to decision makers at office level and company events/training days and in return everyone will save a few bucks. Thats how corporate discounts generally work. You cant just site there and demand a discount for no other reason than you are a member…on one had you use the whole groups spend v Ray White to justify a better rate but on the other hand say its all about individual offices and nothing to do with the group and HQ. So which one is it?
I remember seeing an internal flyer from one of the groups years ago saying the portals will be the death of the real estate industry. There was even a screen grab of one of the sites with photoshoped bullet wholes with blood dripping from it.
Now lets say you were running a business supplying to the industry, some groups opened all the right doors while others shut them in your face. A few years down the track the guys that made it hard for you and all of a sudden realized most of their members had joined anyway and now (by the sound of it) expect a discount the same as the guys who helped you grow… what would you do.
Robert, 2%. That is low. I am sure you mentioned it before but what is you breakdown of leads?
Work for REA ? um no mate guess again.
max
ha. I am using an OS version of MS Word on and English PC so please ignore the errors. Side note, Google Chrome spell check seems to mess up and work against changes made in Word etc.
CoastalAgent
REA provides a discount to Ray White offices because the Ray White group are substantial share holders, From memory the discount is around 20% … Members of REI (at least in NSW) also receive a discount (think this is 10%). The background to LJH not wanting offices on REA was that when REA first began LJH was concerned about monopolies being created where costs and conditions could all be altered at any time in favour of a company such as REA. Gee, maybe the whole industry should have listened! Because of that Ray White, LJH, C21, R&H etc created homehound to be an industry owned site. LJH tried hardest to support homehound while others, mainly Ray White pushed hard for REA and then took out major shareholdings.
Personally, I think it’s highly anti-competitive for REA to offer arrangements to renet or any other one supplier (smells to me like REA is buying renet) and keeping others (for example agentpoint) on seperate arrangements. Perhaps it’s a round-a-bout way of REA creating a manopoly for renet.
Paddy
Max,
We seem to agree on some points, and others might need a little more clarity from me to help you understand things.
When I discuss the differing levels of discounts awarded to Franchisors (under the current REA way), I am highlighting that the discount awarded appears to be plucked from thin air. As coastal agent raises, Ray White receives 20% discount, yet all members of the REINSW only receive 10%? Ray White would have around 890 agents in Australia, and REINSW would have around 1600. Both jumped on board the REA bandwagon at roughly the same time.
Which ever way Ray White managed to get a 20% discount on your products is beside the point (although an interesting one). What I am asking is, why isn’t the same amount of discount awarded to all REINSW members?
When I bring out individual agencies, I am actually highlighting a more fair way of awarding a discount. That is, why don’t you base discounts on loyalty/length of time an agent is a subscriber.
The agencies are the ones with whom you have a contract, not the Franchisor.
By continuing down the current REA way, all the agencies in Franchises such as C21, L.J Hooker (god help the smaller groups) along with independent agents, who have been advertising with REA for many years and gone against what various Head Offices and Institutes have told them to do – end up paying more than others.
Not really a way of saying thank you to the customers who have been with you for a long time, and evidently gone against pressure from another entity, to not use your service!
It is not the groups with whom you have a contract with, it is the agents. Again I raise the question, why penalize agents ( your customers) for something which a third party (the Franchisor) does?
Let me put it in a story which you may understand.
Once upon a time, an average looking bloke called, Greg (seems appropriate) found the woman of his dreams. He kept seeing her at bars and social gatherings, and finally one day managed to get her number.
They dated for a while and things were getting serious. Being the good girl she is, she wanted her parents to meet Greg.
It did not go well. Her mother thought Greg was not right for her daughter, and she used every bit of emotional blackmail to stop Greg seeing her daughter. She would say Greg would cheat on her daughter, that he was ‘up to no good’, that she wanted her daughter to stick to the values with which she was raised.
But Greg persisted, as he knew they would have a great future together. He eventually proposed marriage.
Today the couple have a few children, and they have traveled the world together.
The mother in-law has now decided that she was wrong, and has grown fond of Greg in a certain way. Greg being the family man he is, knows that a close relationship with his wifes family, is good for his wife and children. Whilst he may not like what happened in the past, life today is pretty good.
Max, and all, I suggest you do not tell that story to all your kids. But here is the moral.
Despite the mother in-law (Franchisor/Institute), Greg (REA) married (Signed a contract) the woman (agent) of his dreams. He did not treat his wife any differently because of the mother in-law, and eventually her family came to support him.
If Greg had let his wifes family effect him, then who knows what the consequences would have been? Broken home (agent paying full price subscription)? Children with divorced parents (agent leaving franchisor, but still with no discount)?
Max, don’t you think that it is time you loved your customer. The one you have a contract with. Ignore their family/franchise baggage, and acknowledge those who have endured pressure within their own franchise family, all because they supported REA.
If you want to penalize the Franchise Head Offices (mother in-law), then charge them more for the third party display they have on your site. Then you are punishing the right corporate entity.
But don’t punish your customers. Reward long term customers, and adjust your discounting policies to reflect that you value the loyalty agents have shown you over the years.
This applies equally to the suppliers who send you listings data, and other bodies.
max
ha – got ya and fair enough.
Paddy
J K Rowlings eat your heart out 😀
Sal Espro
I am currently searching for a property for myself within a region containing about 4 suburbs. (What a great time to buy property!:)
PLEASE NOTE ALL AGENTS: Unfortunately, despite some agents in this forum previously pooh-poohing my hypothesis that a buyer cannot rely upon the major portals for all listings in an area, I have found myself in the situation where I need to visit the website of at least every agent in the area. And this is an absolute pain in the neck!!
So, good agents, get off YOUR lazy arses and understand that the King has no clothes! Not all listings are on the major portals – and we all know why! So let’s not get into a discussion of why and just realize
your/our websites are not good enough and all your/our talk about comparing leads from this portal and hits from that portal don’t matter if you don’t get THE buyer! (And we tell our vendors that we are getting the BEST buyer!Ha!
Sal
Grrrrr 🙁
max
Sal Sal Sal…
snoop
This makes no sense.
So sure agents may put properties on their own sites and eventualy google indexing may find them.
Eventualy you will be able to bulk upload to google as well,but it wont be a great consumer experience,with multiple listings of the same property and a pretty shabby UI.
But if you were paying subs to rea and domain etc why wouldnt you put the listing up there?
You have already charged the customer for internet advertising and the customer wont feel comfortable paying 300-500 bucks just to be on your site…I wouldnt for sure.
So unless the agency had a tacit strategy of trying to hide the jewels on their own sites ,to build cred and traffic I dont see the point.
Seems to me the consumer would always want his property on the biggest and best.
The franchises made a big mistake 10 years ago not building their own online brands and fighting with each other with property.com.au,homehound etc and the money wasted by their insititutes is plain silly.
I dont get it?
I think a clear next step for the franchises is get serious about there own online identities as they have given away hundreds of millions of brand equity to the portals.
Sal Espro
I agree that it doesn’t make sense, Snoop and I agree with what you say about the portals.
However, all I know is that for whatever reason, there are properties on agents sites that are NOT on the portals!!!
Ps Are you some sort of purile portal stooge, Max Max Max?
max
Salespro,
no no no…in answer to your question – I dont even live in Australia mate.
It just makes me laugh sometimes how far off the mark you are.
max
sorry, let me put that a different way.
Sometimes it seems your dislike for the portals makes you try your hardest to prove or expose them as not worthy of their positions.
I dont mean this in a nasty way, and you’re not alone on this site, but you remind me of some of the republicans in the States right now…. the weakening economy actually effects them personally but deep down they love it and want it to keep sliding to prove some pseudo point.
Sal Espro
Max, Max, Max,
I am just making observations and telling it the way it is. I am not attempting to expose the portals as unworthy of their positions – the market gets to keep what the market supports. (If only you knew my history! *L*)
Again, I say, “There are listings that are on agency websites that are not on the portals”. Why would you take offence at such a simple and true statement?
It is what this fact suggests to that is much more interesting.
And anyway, along with Robert and Glenn, I can’t wait for Google ‘Realestate’ to be launched in Oz. Having used the US version on Oz listings when Google was testing it, I know it has the potential to revolutionize the OZ portal marketplace. (And remember, Oz is a lot different from the US and UK in terms of agency online knowledge, usage and aggregation). (The big challenge will be to get ordinary mum and dad buyers to the Google Realestate search page by comparison to the ease of typing-in REA, cos it’s certainly no walk-in-the-park at the moment! Try finding Google Analytics!)
Peter Ricci and his ‘uploader’ mates will be interested too as the $25 p mth p agency REA fee/rip-off might come into question with some serious competition. (Oops! Sorry Max, is that bias against your beloved portals?)
All the breast, Maxy.
Sal 🙂