CRS Data MLS Tax Suite

Crunching the Numbers: What Q1 2024 Can Tell Us About the Months to Come
The first three months of 2024 have come and gone, marked by increasing numbers across North American markets — and a surge in optimism to match. Let's have a look at the numbers: Numbers on the rise When comparing the beginning of 2024 with 2023, we're seeing more increases than decreases — in fact, across nearly all categories, there's been growth. We've seen a subtle increase in listings under contract — as subtle as 0.5% — alongside a 7.5% increase in inventory, and an 8.1% increase in new listings. Less subtle is the 32.2% increase in off market listings, a category in which we've seen continued growth over the course of the market's most recent years. Our only reduction when comparing this quarter to last year's is in listings sold, which saw a decrease of 4.2%. What this tells us about the rest of 2024 As mentioned, this is hardly the first time we've seen an increase in off-market listings in recent years — in fact, we often find it to have the most substantial increase across all categories. While there are many reasons that sellers and buyers are pursuing off-market options, it's as important to understand as it is to take action. To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf

How RPR Commercial Provides Value for REALTORS
There's a lot of talk right now about "value" as it pertains to the business of real estate. As in, what value do REALTORS® bring to the table? For REALTORS® navigating the complex landscape of commercial and land transactions, having a centralized database that seamlessly integrates all these aspects is invaluable. Enter RPR, your Realtors Property Resource. RPR is a game-changing platform that combines ease of use with unparalleled access to a wealth of data, and all at no extra cost to users, because it's included in your National Association of REALTOR® member dues. RPR: Your go-to, commercial real estate hub One of the standout features of RPR is its inclusivity, offering a single destination for REALTORS® to access commercial and land data all in one place across the U.S. Gone are the days of toggling between multiple platforms or databases to gather information relevant to a transaction. With RPR, REALTORS® have access to a streamlined application that pulls in a collection of heavy-hitting partners, to improve and maximize the user experience to its fullest. In this article, we'll examine three key, value-packed features of RPR Commercial that can help commercial practitioners. Because providing them with access to accurate and comprehensive data, can make all the difference between success and missed opportunities. We'll look at RPR Commercial as a whole, but put a spotlight on Site Selection, Trade Area data and the comprehensive list of RPR's commercial data partners. RPR Commercial Site Selection You can really set yourself apart from other commercial agents by utilizing the analytic tools that RPR Commercial provides. When you're able to sit down and show clients how much spending potential is in one particular area over another, or calculate ROI based on discretionary income and key demographic indicators, you're bringing much more than a "hunch" to the table. You're bringing data and analytical insight into the equation and it will impress your clients to no end. RPR's Commercial Site Selection tool is the perfect option when the question is, "Where are the right people for a business?" This RPR feature gives commercial real estate practitioners an edge when it comes to finding ideal areas for professional or retail business sites. Here's a summary of what it can do for you: Select specific attributes from broad data categories such as economic, demographic, spending, tapestry and more. With these attributes selected, a user can search a large geography such as a county, and identify where these conditions exist in smaller geographies such as ZIP codes or neighborhoods. This drilling down allows a user to search for properties only in these geographies with their desired attributes, ensuring that the core drivers of a client's business are in the area, which is a time saver from looking through properties that aren't. Seeing these steps unfolded visually is highly recommended. Just watch this step-by-step video walkthrough. It will take what might seem like a complicated process and break it down and simplify it for you. Trade Area data and reports You've surely heard the saying: "location, location, location." Well, it certainly applies to commercial real estate when finding a location that will support a client's business. Learn where customers are, and gain insight into their mindsets with RPR's Trade Area details and consumer segmentation data from RPR (via Esri). Create customized, easy-to-understand reports that offer deep insights into the people, their lifestyles and behaviors in neighborhoods across the country. A Trade Area Report from RPR goes beyond area demographics — it goes into the psychographics (how consumers think), which is even more crucial to determining a given area's spending potential. RPR's Trade Area data provides users with the community details that help set a property apart when marketing to potential buyers and tenants, or to ensure that an owner occupier or investor is choosing an area with a community that will support their business or investment. Watch this video on RPR Trade Areas for a step-by-step run through the process: Commercial listing and data partners that add tons of value RPR's strength is further amplified through partnerships with Commercial Information Exchanges (CIEs), and National Commercial Listing feeds, including: Brevitas Crexi Catylist/Moody's Land Broker Coop TotalCommercial.com OfficeSpace.com As well as a handful of critical data partners that add uber-efficient access to demographic, tenant, traffic counts, POI (Points of Interest) data and commercial comps. CompStak (for access to commercial property comparables) Esri Precisely SMR Research These partnerships expand the reach of RPR's database, ensuring that REALTORS® have access to the most up-to-date and comprehensive data available in the market. Whether searching for commercial listings, researching properties or land parcels, REALTORS® can trust that RPR provides the most accurate and reliable information available thanks to the commitment and collaboration with valued partners. RPR: a high value, no-cost way to make informed decisions Ease of use is another key benefit of RPR Commercial. The platform is designed with REALTORS® in mind, offering intuitive tools and user-friendly interfaces that make navigating complex data sets a breeze. Whether researching property values, analyzing market trends, or generating reports for clients, REALTORS® can rely on RPR's easy-to-use tech to get the job done efficiently and effectively. But perhaps the most compelling aspect of RPR is its cost — or rather, lack thereof. Unlike other data platforms that come with hefty subscription fees or usage charges, RPR is available to commercial users at no additional cost. This means that REALTORS® can access a wealth of valuable data without worrying about breaking the bank. In an industry where time is money and data is king, RPR is the ultimate tool for commercial specialists who are looking to unlock their full potential. To view the original article, visit the RPR

Understanding Your ListTrac Report
The image below is a clip from ListTrac Web Insights for an MLS. ListTrac is now reporting metrics from nearly every major IDX vendor, the major portals, and the MLS systems including Black Knight, Matrix, FlexMLS, and Rapattoni – in total, over 100,000 real estate property search sites. This particular report shows listing views. It should be no surprise that Zillow is the leading consumer site for viewing property. In most MLS areas, Zillow has more traffic than all other sites combined (which is true in this market). Here are some interesting observations: The MLS system matters The MLS system is a major point of engagement for consumers who are home shopping. Moreover, consumers viewing property from the MLS system are working close enough with a real estate agent that the agent goes through the trouble of setting up their saved search. Of course, the MLS views will also include the research done by agents when they do searches. It is a hard number to dissect, much in the same way that traffic to Zillow is hard to dissect the intention of consumers on Zillow or other consumer sites. Homes.com? Homes.com was contested by Realtor.com when CoStar CEO, Andy Florence, announced that Homes.com has garnered enough traffic to become the second highest ranking portal in America. Realtor.com CEO, Damian Eales, stated in a podcast that Andy's statement is easy to make "when you are grading your own homework." WAV Group has not seen a ListTrac report that validates the claims of Mr. Florence in any market, but we have no reason to doubt him. If you have evidence, please pass it along. Homesnap? Sadly, Homesnap has also disappeared from these reports. Homesnap was the partner to the Broker Public Portal and was garnering tremendous traffic in many markets. Before the sale to CoStar, I believe that 1.2 million real estate agents were benefiting from their service through their MLS. I still do not understand why CoStar killed that product. As you can see, Zillow has retained Trulia, which is outperforming Homes.com in this market. Who is IDX vendor Cyberitas? A Google search result of the company indicates that they are working with Anywhere brand Century 21. In this market, Century 21.com is slightly ahead of virtual tour vendor Property Panorama in terms of traffic, and slightly behind Homes.com in overall traffic. I found it interesting that Century 21 has more traffic than Coldwell Banker in this market. Typically, it is reversed. The Power of IDX (or powerless IDX) In terms of IDX vendors, Reliance Networks and MoxiWorks were tied, followed by IDX Broker and iHouseWeb. But overall, IDX is dwindling in terms of attracting consumers to search for properties. WAV Group believes that IDX vendors have failed to keep up with the portals in one key area: IDX sites do not display listings of all parcels. They only display the listings for sale or recently sold (in many markets). Consumers love getting the listing information at the parcel level published by Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Homes.com, Movoto, Redfin; and the newly appointed sites by RE/MAX and Compass that have also become parcel centric. If you are a broker, remember to log into ListTrac and look at how your listings are performing in the market. Share that information with your agents so they understand these numbers and remind them that ListTrac has seller reports that show where a client's listing is being viewed. If you are an MLS and would like help interpreting the ListTrac report and communicating that to your brokers, agents, or consumers, reach out to our team. WAV Group Communications can help. Other ListTrac Data Points ListTrac will also show you how many leads were generated off of listings, and which sites generated the most number of leads. They will also show visitor trends. You will be amazed at how much traffic dips in the MLS on weekends. I love the top agent report. As you might expect, the agent with the most listings has the most views of their listings. The geographic traffic report is fascinating. It allows you to look at where the consumer is searching from. This particular market has significant search traffic from the major Texas cities. The national narrative is that everyone is moving to Florida and Texas – but this area is attracting folks from Texas. Last but not least are the most popular price points. Seventy percent of all search traffic in this market was for homes under $500,000. As you can tell, I am a ListTrac fan. If you have it in your market, make a point to review it every month. Be sure to include it in your training and communications. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group