Century 21 Real Estate will continue providing listings to Zillow.com in return for perks intended to help the franchisor’s agents generate more business, the companies said in announcing the renewal of a 2010 marketing agreement.
Century 21, a Realogy Holdings Corp. subsidiary, was the first franchisor to enter into such an agreement with Zillow. Listings represented by independently owned brokerages around the country that are affiliated with Century 21 automatically appear on the Yahoo-Zillow Real Estate Network, which includes Zillow.com, Yahoo Homes and Zillow Mobile.
The listings get "enhanced branding" and can be accompanied by high-quality photos and detailed descriptions. Century 21 agents can also take advantage of Zillow advertising programs such as ZIP code-targeted searches and Showcase Ads.
In April 2011 Zillow announced that it would provide exclusive discounts to Century 21 Real Estate brokers and agents on featured listings on Zillow.
"Our relationship with Zillow has empowered our agents with a valuable marketing program, providing extraordinary reach and visibility for their listed properties," said Bev Thorne, chief marketing officer of Century 21 Real Estate, in a statement.
After Realogy’s successful initial public offering earlier this year, CEO Richard Smith said Realogy has "invested heavily" in online channels like Trulia and Zillow.
Realogy’s IPO prospectus noted that the company has "attractive financial arrangements with third-party websites such as Google, Yahoo, Trulia, Zillow, and others that significantly advantage our agents and franchisees."
In June 2011, Realogy subsidiary NRT LLC announced it had signed agreements to add advertising enhancements to 100,000 property listings on Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com and Yahoo Real Estate.
Under an agreement announced in April 2011, Trulia offered brokers affiliated with Century 21 discounts on premium listings for a limited time.
