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New England's largest multiple listing service uploads listings to Google BaseTM
Information on homes for sale in Massachusetts and other parts of New England are now accessible on Google Base as MLS Property Information Network announces it will upload its customer's listings to the national portal on an opt-in basis. More than 30,000 real estate professionals throughout New England participate in the multiple listing service, and it currently hosts approximately 64,000 active listings. MLS PIN has its own in-house developed system, H3MLS which offers many top-notch services such as an opt-in of listing transfers to local and national sites and publications at no additional cost to its participants.
The actual decision to transfer listings to the mega search engine or any other marketing partner is solely up to the individual broker that participates in the service. Listings posted on Google Base are linked back to the listing agent's H3 virtual office web site. While posting real estate for sale on Google Base has been controversial for some, the board of directors of the organization made the decision to provide brokers with additional marketing exposure and services with easy and free options for doing so. Google Base has made it known that their goal is to be merely a source for all information and not a multiple listing service.
Real estate buyers use Google. According to comScore, internal research, more than 56% of all Internet searches on "real estate" and related terms are conducted on Google and their search partner sites, and the majority of those searchers are actively looking for listings or referrals to brokers and agents. For brokers that subscribe to MLS PIN the process will be easy. They will opt-in for a transfer of their listings through the MLS, and from that point forward, their listings will be viewed by Google users everywhere. As opposed to the traditional Google search which links out to various websites, Google Base will perform search functions for real estate and other topics, but hosted by them.
"As far as we know, we may be one of very few multiple listing services in the nation to offer brokers an opt-in transfer of listings to Google Base," says Kathy Condon, MLS PIN's president and CEO. "We believe in staying ahead of the curve and offering the best services to buyers and sellers, as well as to our customers throughout New England, and would prefer to work directly with marketing partners as opposed to having them be a third party that charges the MLS or the individual broker a fee."
MLS PIN is a privately REALTOR® owned MLS. It is the largest in New England, and one of the top ten in the nation providing services to more than 90% of Massachusetts, as well as areas of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
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Contact:
Melissa Lindberg, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
508-845-1011 ext. 7121.
If you have questions with regard to the process for opting in for Google Base
or any other marketing partner using the H3MLS system, please contact our
technical support department @ 800-695-3000 option 2.
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