This morning’s New York Times headlines a story: Owners’ Web Gives Realtors Run for Money. By operating a local website in Madison, Wisconsin two women are slicing off some of the $60 billion real estate commission earn annually by the big listing sites, taking a bit for themselves and letting local buyers and sellers keep the rest.
Ms. Miller, 38, a former social worker who favors fuzzy slippers, and her cousin, Mary Clare Murphy, 51, operate what real estate professionals believe to be the largest for-sale-by-owner Web site in the country.They have turned Madison, a city of 208,000 known for its liberal politics, into one of the most active for-sale-by-owner markets in the country. And their success suggests that, in challenging the Realtor association’s dominance of home sales, they may have hit on a winning formula that has eluded many other upstarts. Their site, FsboMadison.com (pronounced FIZZ-boh) holds a nearly 20 percent share of the Dane County market for residential real estate listings.
The site, which charges just $150 to list a home and throws in a teal blue yard sign, draws more Internet traffic than the traditional multiple listing service controlled by real estate agents.
Comments
@ 11:28
http://www.HomePriceMaps.com integrates how much homes SOLD for nationwide using the google mapping technology. Simply select city and state from the city menu and click search. If you don’t see data for your area simply email HomePriceMaps@gmail.com with your zipcode and or address and they’ll update the site with your info and email you within a few days.
@ 19:50
While FSBO Madison has captured a fair share of home listings in the Madison Metro area, it still lacks the capability of offering a more true full service package for home sales with the “FSBO” model. FSBOWisconsin.com has been doing this for years and in my opinion offers more affordability, greater reach, more user friendly features and can actaully get your home into the MLS for only $350 in the Madison area. We tried it and had great success as did our 3 other friends in the area. Check them out at http://www.fsbowisconsin.com