Real estate technology and media giant Zillow Group today unveiled what it says is an “end-to-end listing management solution for brokerages and MLSs.”
As anticipated by industry observers when the company acquired listing management company Bridge Interactive Group in August, Zillow Group has combined Bridge’s tools with the application programming interface (API) of another Zillow Group buy, Retsly.
The API takes listing data from MLSs and puts it into a standard format to make it easier for technology vendors to create tools for real estate agents and brokers to use in their businesses.
Today’s announcement comes shortly after Zillow Group co-founder and executive chairman Rich Barton took to the stage at Inman Connect New York this week.
“I see our role at Zillow Group as building a platform of magical technology that the players in the industry all dance on,” Barton told attendees.
According to Zillow Group, the combined Bridge/Retsly tools help brokers and MLSs with the “complex and labor-intensive process of listings management” as well as improving “the speed and efficiency of their listing data entry and distribution processes.”
Bridge also provides MLSs with a platform to distribute data “precisely where, when and how their broker members request,” the company added.
Errol Samuelson
“Bridge Interactive and Retsly have pioneered some of the industry’s most innovative solutions for helping MLSs and brokers manage and leverage their data,” said Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group chief industry development officer, in a statement.
“Retsly and Bridge have both been growing rapidly since their respective acquisitions by Zillow Group, but it became clear to us that together, they would form a more comprehensive solution to tackle the complex world of listing and property data management.
“Now, under the Bridge Interactive brand, we have a solution that’s battle-tested and available today.”
At the time of the Bridge acquisition, Alex Lange — CEO of broker data management company Upstream — told Inman Zillow Group’s offerings could “muddy the waters” for Upstream by offering an MLS-centric alternative.
Bridge Interactive’s listing management tools now include:
- Bridge’s Compose, a web application for adding and editing listings in a variety of systems. The tool offers a “single point of entry” for listing data — long one of Upstream’s goals, though Upstream’s intended scope extends beyond listing data to all types of broker data. According to Zillow Group, Compose “eliminates costly redundancies by populating listing data to multiple MLS and brokerage back offices systems simultaneously, while ensuring the entries adhere to individual business rules for each MLS.”
- Bridge’s Contact server, which allows MLS administrators to review real-time queries for listing content, number of listings accessed, and amounts of data requested. The server “provides complete control over who can access listing data and where the data can be used, as well as in-depth data usage reporting,” the company said.
- Bridge’s Cheque tool, which enables MLSs to manage syndication of listings and billing for MLS data recipients. The tool is “a powerful, yet simple solution for managing IDX, VOW or any other data license agreement across multiple parties,” the company said.
- The Retsly API, which “normalizes” MLS data (puts it into standard formats devised by the Real Estate Standards Organization) and makes it easier to transport into different systems. The API enables “partnering MLSs, brokers and technology providers to efficiently access listing data to build real estate apps and services,” the company said. The Retsly API also offers access to public records in more than 3,200 counties with more than 900 million documents of transactions, parcels, assessments and related information, the company added.
Inman has reached out to Upstream and Zillow Group and will update this story as we receive additional comments.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
