Changes to Illinois State MLS (MRED) Integration
MRED has long asked third party vendors like us to move to MLSGrid.com to access MLS data. However, because of their much higher pricing structure, and manual authentication and management of each user, we have tried to hold this off for as long as possible. Unfortunately MRED has now set a cut off deadline of the data if we do not move.
At this point we are asking all users who would like to continue utilizing their MLS data integration to read the below. If authentication through this new process is not completed by June 30th, 2021 MLS integration will be removed for your user.
PRICING:
Integration is no longer a flat fee for third party vendors like us. We are now being charged on a per user basis. Our current automated user authentication through MLS ID is also no longer applicable. We will now need to add/update/remove each of our users manually through MLSGrid.com's interface.
Because of these changes and additional expenses that are incurred, we will be passing this along at cost for users looking for MLS integration. This will be an one time $10 setup fee and $10 per month after.
AUTHENTICATION:
1. Fill out our request form.
2. An email will be sent to the admin of the account for authorization of the $10 setup fee and additional $10 / mo. charge.
3. Upon approval, we will submit the request to MLSGrid.com.
4. You will receive an email from notify@mlsgrid.com to sign the Data License Agreement. If you are an agent, after signing the agreement an email will also be sent to your Broker for their signature.
5. Once all documents are signed, you will be notified when MLS is activated for your account.
Please Note: When signing the Data License Agreement, you must input the requested information exactly as you have entered into the initial request form with us. Fields are case-sensitive.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at support@yougotlistings.com.
Tracking Your Zillow Syndicated Listings
There has been a number of inquiries regarding how you can track your paid listings that are syndicated to Zillow. Questions such as what listings are displayed? How many days the property was displayed for? What is the performance of each property?
Good new is that Zillow provides their Rental Manager account that can be linked with your syndicated listings from YouGotListings. There is an Analytics tab that will answer all of the questions above.
If you do not have access to this functionality, please contact your Zillow rep to have them help you set it up.
Post to Craigslist for Free "real estate - by owner" Section Added
When posting your ad to Craigslist using PennyPosting, you can now post to the "real estate - by owner" section. Craigslist does not charge for that section along with "real estate - by broker".
User Friendly Personal Site URL
Based your feedback, we have added the ability to customize your Personal Site URL to make it more readable and user friendly.
You can customize your Personal Site URL under User Profile:
Please note that once the URL is changed, your old Personal Site URL will no longer work, so if you have sent people listings recently, those links will no longer work.
Posting to Craigslist "Real Estate - By Broker" Section Available
By request, Penny Posting has added the ability to post to the "real estate - by broker" section on Craigslist.
Lead Survey #1 - Results & What a Lead is Worth
Thank you for your great responses on our first quick survey regarding Pay Per Lead. We really appreciate your responses.
Survey Results
Out of hundreds of responses, ~30% are willing to pay per lead.
Among the ~30% who are willing to pay:
- ~5% are willing to pay $11 and above per lead.
- ~10% are willing to pay $7 - 10 per lead.
- ~17% are willing to pay $4 - $6 per lead.
- ~68% are willing to pay $1 - $3 per lead.
Lead Qualification
The most common concern expressed is regarding the lead qualification. We understand that no one wants to pay for unqualified leads. Since there is no common standard on what is a "qualified lead", we specifically left it for your own interpretation. The idea is to get a sense of what a lead is worth to you and if there is enough interest worth further exploration.
Should You Pay Per Lead?
The short answer is yes. You should pay for leads as long as it meets two conditions:
1. The lead cost is lower than its worth.
2. You have time to handle more leads.
Per Lead Cost
Regardless if you are paying for leads per posting, by listing syndication, or any other way, you can calculate your Per Lead Cost. For example, if you are paying for syndication of $100 / month to a website, and it generate 50 leads / month, your per lead cost is $2 / lead.
Per Lead Worth
You can figure out your Per Lead Worth by estimating how many leads it would take you to close a deal. Say it take 50 leads to close a $2,000 deal. Then each lead is worth $40 to you.
If you are making $40 per lead, by spending only $2 per lead, you got a great deal.