Point2 Property Manager

A New Horizon: The American Real Estate Association Offers Agents a Fresh Alternative
In a bold move that challenges the status quo, two prominent real estate agents, Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky, have launched the American Real Estate Association (AREA) as an alternative to the embattled National Association of Realtors (N.A.R.). This comes in the wake of N.A.R.'s recent legal challenges and leadership turmoil, prompting real estate professionals to explore alternatives for their professional affiliations. The N.A.R.'s Turmoil The National Association of Realtors, a century-old institution with a membership of 1.5 million and a significant influence on the American real estate industry, has recently faced a series of challenges. Antitrust lawsuits, sexual harassment allegations, and leadership resignations have raised concerns within the industry about the organization's stability and effectiveness. Enter AREA – A Fresh Perspective Jason Haber, a New York agent with Compass, and Mauricio Umansky, the celebrity agent from Los Angeles, aim to provide a fresh perspective with the American Real Estate Association. Positioned as an alternative to N.A.R., AREA intends to address the industry's evolving needs and concerns. Key Features of AREA 1. National Listing Service: Mauricio Umansky's extensive experience in the industry has led to the creation of the National Listing Service (NLS), offering AREA members access to a nationwide database of home listings. This centralized platform aims to streamline the property search process for real estate professionals. 2. Flexible Commission Rates: Unlike N.A.R., AREA allows agents to set their own commission rates, providing flexibility and autonomy to its members. This departure from traditional practices aligns with the changing dynamics of the real estate market. 3. No Mandatory Cooperation: AREA breaks away from the conventional model by not requiring cooperation between buyer and seller agents. This approach acknowledges the diverse business models of real estate professionals and aims to cater to their individual preferences. 4. Organizational Structure: AREA adopts a unique organizational structure by eliminating the traditional roles of president and vice president. The founders emphasize that the goal is not to replace N.A.R. but to offer a distinct and innovative alternative. The Road Ahead for AREA While Haber and Umansky acknowledge that there are details to be ironed out, they express their commitment to the success of AREA. Funding the organization initially with their own resources, they aim to raise between $50 million and $100 million from investors. AREA plans to remain membership-free for the first six months, with anticipated dues of $400 to $500, approximately half of what agents pay to N.A.R. As the American Real Estate Association steps onto the scene, real estate agents across the country have an opportunity to explore a new path. With a commitment to innovation, flexibility, and a tagline that encourages members to "Trade Up," AREA presents itself as a compelling alternative for those seeking a fresh approach to their professional association. The real estate landscape is evolving, and the emergence of AREA signals a new horizon for the

ShowingTime+ Launches Immersive Listing Experience on Zillow
ShowingTime+ on Tuesday introduced Listing Showcase, an immersive, AI-powered experience only available on Zillow. This "super listing" features an entirely new look designed to help listing agents showcase their brand and listings, and deliver an elevated experience that could help homeowners sell their home faster. Now exclusively available in its first iteration to partners in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle, this premium product gives agents a way to stand out and offer a listing experience to their sellers that rises above the rest. Listing Showcase gives agents the tools to highlight a home's best features and give buyers a deep understanding of the home before they ever step inside. The entirely new artificial intelligence-powered Showcase listings feature high-resolution scrolling hero images, room-by-room photo organization, interactive floors plans and more. These listings combine the power of AI with the nuance of an agent's deep local expertise to create a premium experience for shoppers not found anywhere else – an experience that will only improve as new functionality and AI-enabled features become available in the coming months. Showcase listings are designed to attract serious buyers and leverage AI to help sell homes faster. As the next generation of immersive home shopping experiences, every Showcase listing includes an interactive floor plan. Zillow research finds listings on Zillow that include an interactive floor plan receive 79% more saves than homes without, and are 10% more likely to go pending within 30 days. To build Showcase listings, AI selects hero images based on buyer preferences, associates listing photos with corresponding rooms in the interactive floor plan and room-by-room displays, and more. Agents can rely on AI for this step or use these selections as a starting point, allowing them full control over customizing the listing. Soon, listing agents will be able to select from AI-generated insights on which home facts and features matter most to home shoppers to help highlight the home's best features. "Combining ShowingTime+'s best-in-class technology with Zillow's industry-leading audience allows us to create an unmatched listing experience for agents and sellers," said Mike Lane, vice president of ShowingTime+. "As soon as shoppers land on a Showcase listing, they'll be virtually transported into the home, giving them a deep understanding of the home's flow, architecture and design – all before visiting in person. Listing Showcase is the first of its kind – a listing experience that captivates shoppers, wows sellers, and gives agents a powerful tool to help them win more listings and grow their business." Listing Showcase is an exclusive offering that is sold by subscription and only available to a select number of listing agents in each market. By working with a Listing Showcase agent, sellers' homes will appear higher in home shoppers' personalized search results as relevant, which is where the majority of shoppers begin their search. Listing Showcase will launch in most major markets throughout this year, along with new features and capabilities to continue elevating the Listing Showcase experience. Agents who are interested in hearing when Listing Showcase is launching in their market can join the waitlist on the ShowingTime+ website. "Being a part of Listing Showcase is like having an online billboard for our brand and business," said Hedda Parashos, CEO of Palisade Realty in San Diego. "From 3D tours to drone photography, the Listing Showcase experience is truly unique and will make our clients' homes stand out from anything else on the market. The fact that we can do it all on one platform as a one-stop-shop makes it a no-brainer for our business. There's no doubt that being able to offer Listing Showcase to potential clients will help us win more listings and attract even more sellers who want an exclusive experience when selling their home." Listing Showcase empowers agents to market themselves and their listings in the best way possible and contribute to a more dynamic real estate marketplace. The entire ShowingTime+ software suite helps agents and brokers operate their businesses more efficiently, win more customers and elevate the experience of buying and selling for their

Realtor.com Launches Enhanced Listing Intelligence for Agents
In a cooling housing market, real estate professionals may find they have to work harder to win a listing and make a sale. New enhanced listing intelligence features from Realtor.com put predictive insights from listings at agents' fingertips, making it easier for agents to demonstrate their value and knowledge of local market conditions, amplify their marketing tactics for their clients, and close deals. Millions of homeshoppers visit Realtor.com each month. Understanding how these buyers are searching in a local market can be a valuable resource and powerful selling tool for agents in today's shifting market. With the new suite of features, real estate professionals now have access to valuable listing intelligence, including: Buyer info: See the total number of potential buyers in their local market on Realtor.com and those who've submitted inquiries on the site with a budget range that matches the listing. Buyer demand: View the top three ZIP codes from which a listing's buyer interest is coming on Realtor.com. Moreover, the new features share the percentage of Realtor.com listing traffic coming from within the listing's city, the listing's state, other states, and internationally. Listing completeness: Gain insights about how complete their property listing is and suggestions for improving it with additional photos or listing description information. Performance score: Understand a property listing's performance and how it's attracting and engaging potential buyers compared to similar listings in that price range and ZIP code on Realtor.com. Market trends: See local market trends seen across Realtor.com, including median days on market, median list price, total number of homes with price reductions, and more. According to a recent consumer survey from Realtor.com, nearly 9 out of 10 home sellers worked with an agent to list their home for sale. Agents and brokers can use Realtor.com's advanced listing intelligence features to help convert leads into clients with market intelligence and trends insights, as well as to help inform and manage seller expectations. Agents can also use the intelligence solutions to keep their homeowner clients informed and engaged throughout the selling process with automated, personalized and customizable reports about their home's performance. The report also provides sellers with insights about recent trends in their local market that have been seen across Realtor.com, such as median days on market, median list price of homes, the percentage of homes with price reductions, and more. Real estate professionals can access the new listing intelligence features at no cost from the Listing Manager section of their Realtor.com Pro Dashboard. Learn more