Real estate social network
Are you a Realtor? Have you spent years fine tuning your skills in the real estate profession? Are you an expert in your neighborhood or a specific type of real estate? Do you have access to more housing data than any consumer possibly could? Then you are not welcome at HomingCloud, the social network for real estate.
HomingCloud claims to be like a dating site for home sellers and buyers (or renters) where no smarmy broker is necessary (smarmy is our word, not theirs, although the video above clearly implies agents are smarmy). Buyers post what they’re looking for and magic website robots match them up with sellers selling similar products. It’s what we imagine a website would look like if Craigslist.com and Match.com made a little baby website.
Realtors have been property matchmakers since the beginning of time, and we have wondered why more don’t market themselves as such. To be honest, HomingCloud is using some pretty cool technology that we think would be a fun attraction for a site like Realtor.com or Trulia rather than a separate product.
The company was founded in 2009 according to CrunchBase and it is unclear if they have funding (although we believe they do not given the low levels of web traffic).
The takeaway:
As a real estate professional, you should know about companies that aim to disrupt the space and imply you’re smarmy, but you should also be aware of the technologies they use in the event you come across a consumer using the technology, you choose to implement similar technologies in your own practice, or a mega real estate search company acquires the technology.
The anti-agent propaganda goes over well in odd areas like NYC (odd because it’s not MLS based) or in super techie areas that are filled with consumers that are programmers that believe they can do everything without professional help because they have the interwebs. But the small percentage of consumers with this mentality is shrinking, just ask Redfin who originally sought to cater to this sentiment.
We think HomingCloud could increase their traffic and do better if they cut out the anti-agent sales pitch as the majority of transactions are done with a Realtor, but as it stands, it seems like a lot of work as a buyer/seller/renter to go through what equates to a dating process- how long does it take to find “the one?” Just ask anyone who is currently dating, seeking “the one”… it’s not a fun scene. Take out the broker-hater theory and you’ve got a pretty dang cool site.
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Gina Kay Landis
April 19, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I have often wondered why people intend to search through literally thousands of homes that don't match their needs, when an agent could (and often does) help them fine-tune what they're looking for so they can get their new home as quickly as possible, without losing the personal touch and with a definite eye toward the CLIENT's not the Agent's needs!! That was a run-on sentence, but you get my drift!!
Brad | Home Loan Artist
April 19, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Interesting how their tag line is happier – not broker. Who are the buyers/sellers going to sue when something goes wrong? Who's going to give them legal council? Do people have time to do all the searching/previewing of homes in a society that is pressed for time?
Can they trust the seller will disclose everything? Who's writing the contract?
Doug Lindstrom
April 20, 2011 at 9:28 am
Did you see that Match.com in the news? They are being sued for aligning a meetup. The woman was allegedly sexually assaulted. I see this real estate meetup site being party to numerous lawsuits. If they want to avoid the broker who has been fingerprinted and identified by the state, they better have plenty of money to defend themselves in court.
Marvin
April 19, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Well nice but the same was said about for sale by owner people and we still here.
jay Great Falls
April 19, 2011 at 8:33 pm
The people I see making the dumbest $$$ real estate decisions are often the most technological and intelligent people who think they know more than they know. They fall for the rebate scam not knowing that a top 1% agent could have saved them usually 1-2% more than the cheesy rebate they were promised by a desperate rebate agent/brokerage.
There is a market for this pompous consumer who thinks they know more than they know. Often they are engineers or lawyers or financial planners.
Cheryl Johnson
April 19, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Phase 1. They cut out the "anti-agent sales pitch"…
Phase 2. They realize there is money to be made if they charge agents to join/advertise/post "featured properties" or whatever…
Benn Rosales
April 20, 2011 at 1:32 am
Cheryl, it does seem like a really bad rerun doesn't it. 😉 I do like the video though and the tenacity to try (again) on their part.
Tina Fine
April 20, 2011 at 1:56 pm
First and foremost, I don't think all agents/brokers are bad/ smarmy– but I do think things need changing in this market. homingCloud is not going to replace full service brokerage, but in the "matching" of owners and seekers I believe it can be an asset. And I do think that agents and brokers can use homingCloud to their advantage. They are welcome on the site, they just need check the "agent" box. If the brokerage industry is not careful, they will lose the entire market to very large search/internet sites. Right now, listings are fueling and pumping up the Trulia/Zillow brand. Brokerages are shooting themselves in the foot. I suggest that brokers and agents utilize homingCloud– let your clients post, find buyers on their own if they can, and if they do, give them a cut of the commission you would to a co-brokered deal.
Tina Fine
April 20, 2011 at 7:34 pm
most recent write up by @AgentGenius https://agentgenius.com/video/homingcloud-real-estate-social-network-doesnt-want-your-kind/
MH for Movoto
April 21, 2011 at 3:09 pm
I took a little tour around their website, and it looks like things are still pretty small, pretty low-key. It feels like it would be a lot better for rentals than homebuying, but who knows.
Tina Fine
April 22, 2011 at 6:19 am
Yes, still pretty small but hoping to grow. Ya gotta start somewhere! I don't take MLS listings since homingCloud is a Social Network — home owners and seekers upload all content themselves!
Mark Nejmeh
April 22, 2011 at 11:44 am
Dear Real estate agents,
You created a new business. Congrats to homingcloud.com , and I don't even see homimgcloud.com trying to convince the seller to list cheaper for a faster sale. WOW.
Thomas Morgan, CCIM
May 15, 2011 at 4:26 pm
like the slogan "happier, not broker" but with they have ousted one of the largest trade associations in the world…. maybe that's why they only have 71 visits a month to their site per compete.com