Friday Flash: RE/MAX syndicates, agents get over-rated, a new player in e-sigs

In case you missed the Redfin news, you can read about it here. If not, it’s on we go…

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The California Association of Realtors announced that it is supporting an agent ratings pilot program administered by MLSlistings.com, the large Norcal MLS, and Quality Service Certification, Inc. Agents can opt-out, which severely limits this initiative’s utility to consumers, but brokers will likely find the information useful.

More broadly, agents seem on the brink of becoming “over-rated” as the number of sites offering agent reviews grows. All of these sites offer but a sub-set of the total agent population. And while I applaud any effort such as this that gets agents and brokers thinking about quality, it’s becoming a bit of a mess. Soon, agents will dress themselves in reviews much the same way as they dress themselves in clothing today – it’s a basic requirement, but one that’s not likely to make or break you or provide a ton of value to the marketplace.

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Trulia and Zillow both announced deals with RE/MAX for listings syndication. RE/MAX had long been a hold-out on mass distribution of listings to media sites, so this marks a significant change. I think it’s interesting that this takes place when the general industry mood toward syndication seems to be more cautious.

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A still-under-wraps startup called SignNow announced that is has raised $500,000 to make e-signatures simpler. DocuSign, the leading player in this space, seems to be gaining traction in real estate since it took on an investment from the NAR’s Second Century Ventures a year and half ago, but I’m happy to see any new entrant here. The “paperless real estate transaction” is still largely myth. That needs to change.

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We noted the new instagram API in our Spotlight e-newsletter a few weeks back, suggesting that the current mobile photosharing craze may lead to some interesting real estate applications. This week, O’Reilly uncovered a cool mashup using this api called Cartagr.am that allows you to explore the world photographically.

It’s a little disorienting, yes. And I’m not suggesting this would be a whiz-bang real estate website feature in this form. But I did find it oddly ineresting as a way to get a sense for the pulse of a place. I continue to think there’s something here that will, in time, be useful for people looking for a place to live.

Enjoy the weekend!