Trust Me, I'm a REALTOR®

So here I will list what Realtors from other firms can do with this site to help themselves and WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME.

Ways Realtors can benefit from FranklyMLS.com:

1) Join and get your free branded version of FranklyMLS (This is technically NOT an IDX. IDX is industry lingo for Internet Data Exchange, see Wikipedia). Even if you “already have one.”  With the branded version of FranklyMLS, the logos of my firm, phone numbers, links to blogposts get dropped and replaced with your image and contact info. All “request a showings” go to you. When your client signs up for email alerts you are notified and each alert has YOUR branding. Also you get a BCC of each email alert that goes to your client.

Over 250 agents have joined. Some have stopped paying for their $50/mo “true” IDX and others simply have both and let their customer choose.

Why do they ditch or augment their current “true” IDX?
a) FranklyMLS.com Virginia, DC, Maryland Home Search does so much more. I can’t list them here, but recently an “I already have one”-type agent got the “oh mine doesn’t do that” moment about 5 times and finally the lightbulb went off that this might actually help HER and her client.

b) Your clients are probably already using the site anyhow, so why not have your name on each page (and stop having them bug me instead of you, but I will get to my benefits later). One agent got offended recently by this comment.

2) Contribute to the MLS Wiki (Rules). 200,000 Photos already added by buyer’s agents!
Land free clients. No referral fees. A couple agents have closed $1M clients from this.
Buyer agents can add reviews (once your client decides not to buy it) and photo albums (this is why you should be taking buyer agent photo albums for your clients anyhow) to most MLS homes (about 95% of MRIS listings allow blogging/comments).

With these reviews a buyer agent can add photos from the buyer agent perspective. Add information about distance to a noisy highway or something the listing agent might have left out. This is REALLY killer for photoless Maryland Bank Properties. This can even save a Realtor (and their client) a 1 hour drive if another buyer agent took 30 photos of a photoless listing (this happened to me once). Hum, imagine agents helping agents. A novel concept!

Agents get points for adding reviews (10 with photos) and top contributors get featured on the front page (currently the ranking was suspended). With this service, many get more traffic than Google! And if a buyer is looking in a particular area and they keep seeing helpful comments (not annoying ads) they say “hum, maybe I should use that agent”.

Also agents can LINK to all of their reviewed homes in 1 click. So people on your blog can see the areas you have recently visited and your comments.

3) Join the referral network. FranklyMLS.com is a hugely trafficked site, but FranklyRealty.com is a smaller firm. So having a network of agents in other areas, I can send clients your way.

Ok, finally, the big question. FRANK WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?

Again, I have no interest in stealing your client. It isn’t some trick.

Benefits to ME:
1) Your clients are already using the site! So brand it & save me time.
It is kind of annoying to get a request for information on a home, for the user to say “I love my buyer agent Patrick.” Ok great, so why did you contact us? It would be easier on me if Patrick had his branded FranklyMLS so I wouldn’t waste time with a happily represented buyer. And yes this happens a lot. Recently at a [Large Real Estate Firm's] technology meeting it went like this: “Are you all noticing that half your clients are using FranklyMLS?”

2) A Branded Agent might start contributing to the WIKI.
The Free branded version of FranklyMLS,  is also the bait to come check out the site. Once agents get their own FranklyMLS URL,  and give their custom link to their clients (that are wildly happy with the link see one non-Frankly agent’s review). And even though the Wiki sends THEM tons of traffic, it helps build a better site for all to use. Having 200,000 MORE photos than ANY other MLS… that is valuable since photos are key. Why go anywhere else?

3) Expanded referral network
Those that I see contributing, are perfect candidates to send business their way. It lets me meet agents from areas I would never have reached out to.

4) Frankly brand respect amongst other agents.
Helping my full time agents have a respected brand to work under is huge.
By offering a free  branded version of FranklyMLS to 250 agents, and helping other agents get a ton of free business, it helps build the FranklyRealty.com brand. When my agent has a bidding war against 3 other no-name firms... it helps when the listing agent is like “Yeah I know about Frankly Real Estate, your company, you help other agents out.” Or “Oh you guys only have the highest quality full time agents with gorgeous 30 photo listings 100% of the time” That is a big plus.
Come on, you know when you get a contract from a firm with a bad reputation, or all weekend warrior agents. You are like “darn, this might be a nightmare deal.”

5) Recruiting.
AHA! Ok, everyone will now probably ignore all of the above and say “AHA”. Well it isn’t like that. While I have interest in growing Frankly Real Estate, I only want to do so SLOWLY and in select areas. Like maybe adding 1 great and high producing agent a year that is looking to upgrade from their “national brand” firm. (note that most firms recruit 20 agents to get 1 real producer). This site lets them get an introduction to Frankly and 1 in the 200 might join (I turn down many requests). But that is NOT my main motivation. Prove it? In 4 years of free  branding of FranklyMLS, last month was the first time I emailed them in batch about an update to the site.

6) Doing Cool Stuff
I just love doing cool stuff. Like building the Frankly I Wish concept in 24 hours from idea to creation to Agent Genius featured story. And it is more fun to do stuff in a large scale with many agents. If I can come up with a way that helps everyone, then why not! And it does create indirect and unexpected benefits like winning the 2009 Inman News Innovator of the Year award. Couldn’t have done it without everyone’s cooperation.

7) New as of 12/2011 Link back to the site.

I never asked for anything before 12/10/2011, but now I do ask that the agent link to their new branded FranklyMLS URL. I can personally help you add the link to your site and it will link to your branded version. Every visitor from your site will have your contact info on the site. Youy can even link to recommended shortcut searches like Dupont Condos from $300k to $600k.

Ok, so I hope you will join to get a free branding of FranklyMLS and see what you are missing. Did I mention it is free.

Thank you for your time, please report typos.

Oh yeah, for those still reading, I passed the Bar.

Frank LLosa J.D.
Founder FranklyMLS.com a Maryland, DC and Virginia Home Search Site.
Broker FranklyRealty.com Better Technology, Better Agents

Photo Credit Fear

P.S. If you already have an  free branded version of franklymls.com with us, please leave a comment below.