Staff Reporter
In a matter of months REA Group, owners of realestate.com.au, said it plans to directly approach the owners of houses listed by agents about upgrading their listings on its property listing website, according to a report today. But it would only do so with an agent's permission.
REA chief executive Greg Ellis said the policy had been raised with agents 15 months ago, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported today, and would begin later this year.
Mr Ellis said realestate.com.au would respect an agent's request to not contact their clients, and he added the online property listing site would continue to exclude private listings.
"The agents should welcome what we're planning to do," Mr Ellis told the AFR. "Bigger ads are likely to generate more sales, which means more commission for the agents."
Agents were still front and centre in realestate.com.au's business plan, Mr Ellis said. "We have no plans at all to disintermediate the agents. We understand that we are an advertising company. We will never be involved in property transactions."
You are not authorised to post comments.
Comments will undergo moderation before they get published.