Why it's OK to Share Your Listings on the Internet

CAN AGENTS HAVE THE DDF NATIONAL POOL ON THEIR WEBSITES?

Technically, no they cannot.  If you are an agent, you must cooperate with your broker to display the DDF National Pool database. It is only with the Broker’s authorization that an agent can display the DDF - National Pool program on his or her site. If your broker of record choose to opt out of the National Pool Feed, it will be unavailable to you. The Broker is the Participant in DDF - National Pool Feed and all services flow through the Broker to each of their licensees.

WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE ABUSES DDF NATIONAL POOL FEED?

CREA will monitor brokers who develop web sites using the DDF National Pool Feed. It will also monitor other real estate web sites. If CREA finds any data being  misused, that broker will be notified of the wrongdoing and required to correct the problem. If the broker fails, they will be fined and possibly even suspended from participation in the DDF National Feed Program or even CREA.

WHY WOULD I WANT TO ALLOW OTHER BROKERS TO DISPLAY MY LISTINGS ON THEIR WEB SITES?

The answer lies in a desire to strengthen the brokerage industry. Long-term, if real estate brokerages want to compete with other industry segments for the business of Internet consumers, they will need to have web sites that are attractive to consumers. That means having the most data. If you don’t want your listings on the Internet at all, then you don’t want to participate in the National Pool Feed. If you currently provide your listing data to one or more local or national web sites on the theory that more exposure is better, why wouldn’t you want your listings exposed on other brokers’ web sites?

WHY WOULD I WANT TO LET OTHER BROKERS DISPLAY MY LISTINGS IF I DON’T HAVE MY OWN WEB SITE?

See the answer to the previous question. The rationale is equally strong in this case.

WHY WOULD I WANT TO DISPLAY OTHER BROKERS’ LISTINGS ON MY WEB SITE?

Because by displaying the complete CREA inventory of active listings, you are providing a service to consumers that can help keep them coming to your web site. If you want to be able to sell services on-line, you need a way to keep consumers at your site once they get there.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Opting in to CREA's National Pool Feed costs you nothing.

WILL THIS ALLOW BIG BROKERS TO HAVE MORE SUCCESSFUL WEB SITES? WILL THIS MAKE LITTLE BROKERS LOOK LIKE BIG BROKERS?

Brokers will get out of CREA's National Pool Feed whatever they put into it. Very large brokerages may have more money to put into their web sites. They may spend more marketing dollars to get consumers to visit their sites. But small firms that focus on Internet strategies and marketing may be able to look as “big” on the Internet as their much larger competitors.  CREA can only provide the tools. What you make with them is up to you.

WILL CONSUMERS CALL THE LISTING BROKER ON LISTINGS BELONGING TO OTHER BROKERAGES?

They might. The listing firm’s name has to appear on any detailed display of data for listings that don’t belong to you. An interested consumer could call the other brokerage and ask which agent has the property listed in order to reach him or her. However, this is a great deal more difficult than just e-mailing you, or contacting you from the information available from your search page.

WHAT DATA WILL CONSUMERS SEE? WHAT PROPERTY TYPES, STATUSES, DATA ELEMENTS, ETC.?

The National Pool Feed may only display active listings. They may display any or all of CREA’s property types. They may display only the data fields that are outlined in the Listing Field Display Table.