Executives representing thousands of real estate offices have urged agents to unite and end their reliance on non-industry portals.
Nine senior real estate figures have appeared in a new video to promote industry-owned portal Squiiz.
The campaign features Belle Property, Century 21, Harcourts, LJ Hooker, PRDnationwide, Raine & Horne, Ray White, RE/MAX and independent network IRENE.
RE/MAX managing director Michael Davoren said in the video that Squiiz is essential to the industry’s long-term viability.
“If we don’t have Squiiz then we’ll become very reliant on non-industry players,” Mr Davoren said.
“There are many industries that have sat back and watched technology take over their future – and we cannot afford that and we won’t do it.”
Century 21 chairman Charles Tarbey said Squiiz would allow the industry to take greater control over its destiny.
“It’s important again that we make sure that our data – the data that we generate as real estate practitioners – is used in the manner that we as the industry see and deem fit to use,” he said.
Harcourts managing director Mike Green said the industry needed to present a united front so it could take ownership of its online marketing.
“We’ve tried it in the past, a number of times, [and] haven’t quite gotten there,” he said.
“There’s only one way that this is going to work – and that’s if we can work together as an industry.”
Belle Property chief executive Peter Hanscomb said the rise of Squiiz would ensure a more competitive marketplace.
“Squiiz is a low-cost model, but more importantly it’s an opportunity to make sure that we keep a balance of cost for both us and the consumer going forward,” he said.
The video also included LJ Hooker chief innovations officer Ryan Campbell, PRDnationwide managing director Tony Brasier, Raine & Horne chief executive Angus Raine, Ray White Group joint chairman Brian White, and IRENE director George Collins.
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