I was doing some research online and found some old images of Charlottesville’s consumer website, mycaar.com. We built it for them in 2003 and it’s been up since then, delivering leads and value to the members of the MLS.
Over seventeen years, the site has, of course, been updated many times as the technology evolved. Solid Earth has provided the service the entire time, through two acquisitions and multiple platforms. While some things change, the important things never do. The point of the site, the only reason it’s there at all, is to make an authentic, direct connection between consumers and our Broker-members.
This week, we learned that CoStar has purchased HomeSnap and with it the BPP project. This transaction is no doubt good news for many because they have successfully created enormous value for their stakeholders. We bring that up because it underscores a strategic point we’ve been making for years. Creating that connection with the consumer is hard, it takes years of dedication and expense. Then, one day, a big brand can come along and buy it, insinuating themselves into a conversation that had been binary, direct, between the MLS and the public. This week, a big brand did just that for MLSs all over the country.
Spring, from Solid Earth, offers a clear alternative. Dozens of Solid Earth customers across America heard the news today and felt no anxiety. They still own their brands and are still providing a durable connection to their markets. A connection in which they may confidently invest to bring their value proposition to the homebuyers and sellers in their cities. Over time. Seventeen years, for example.
If your MLS would like a more direct connection to the consumers. A better channel through which to tell your story, the story of why they should use a professional in their next transactions, the story about why ethics matters, why standards matter, why fair housing and workforce development matters, Spring might be the right vehicle for you. Email Matt Fowler at Solid Earth to talk about how a Spring MLS Portal might benefit your organization.
