Beginning Tuesday, the more than 5,000 agents and brokers that belong to Rhode Island’s statewide multiple listing service will have access to an alternative listing input tool from real estate giant Zillow Group at no additional cost.
The tool, Bridge Listing Input, is a web application from Zillow Group subsidiary Bridge Interactive that gives brokers and agents a single point of entry to add and edit listings in a variety of systems at the same time, including multiple MLSs and brokerage back-office systems.
It, along with broker data platform Upstream, is one of the few products available that allow agents and brokers to add listings to the MLS by a means other than the MLS system’s own listing add/edit functionality, which is how the vast majority of listings appear on the MLS today.
More than 3,200 “industry partners” have created more than 13,100 listings using Bridge Listing input since October 2017, Zillow group spokesperson Kelsey Wickman told Inman via email. “Industry partners” refers to “those who can create listings through Bridge Listing Input,” she said.
“Bridge Listing Input offers State-Wide MLS’s members a more streamlined and modern listing add and edit system. The new system will give members a more modern interface that allows the creation of the highest quality listings that attract consumers, while adhering to MLS and association guidelines,” Wickman said.
“With Bridge Listing Input brokers can enter an unlimited number of photos at resolutions much higher than normally supported by existing MLS systems. Brokers can then use these high-res photos to better showcase these listings in their marketing materials.”
The Rhode Island Association of Realtors, which operates the Rhode Island State-Wide MLS, will hold a demo of Bridge Listing Input at its MLS facility in Warwick today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The association is not a new Bridge customer, but this does appear to be a new product offering for the trade group.
In its demo announcement, the association notes that the tool allows agents and brokerage staff to:
- Create listings on the fly from any device – phone, laptop, tablet, desktop.
- Upload unlimited high resolution photos on each listing.
- Easily distribute the listing everywhere it needs to go.
“With Bridge Listing Input, State-Wide MLS members no longer have to scale original image sizes to fit into the MLS system — Bridge automatically handles the process, saving members time on each and every listing. Further, when a broker is opted-in for display on our sites, we feature all the full resolution images so members can advertise their properties in ways that they and sellers want and that potential buyers expect,” Wickman said.
“State-Wide MLS also uses Bridge API and can therefore enable members to share all this content with other advertising sites. We streamlined the photo entry process by enabling members to have other parties — staff, team members, photographers — upload images directly into the interface, again saving time on the input process. We also capture data fields the MLS does not capture but that brokers need for their systems.
“In cases where we have integration in place — Realogy’s DASH system for example — we send these fields directly to the back-office system. Where no direct integration exists, we make these fields available via the Bridge API.”
Zillow Group declined to comment on how many MLSs are currently using Bridge Listing Input or how many subscribers they represent. Other MLSs that the company has previously announced as customers of the tool include:
- Northern Alabama Multiple Listing Service; Huntsville, Ala.
- Combined LA Westside MLS; Los Angeles, Calif.
- East Bay Regional, Data, Inc.; Oakland, Calif.
- Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors; Ford Lauderdale, Fla.
- My Florida Regional MLS; Maitland, Fla.
- First Multiple Listing Service, Inc.; Atlanta, Ga.
- Georgia Multiple Listing Service; Atlanta, Ga.
- MLSPIN; Boston, Mass.
- NorthstarMLS; Minneapolis, Minn.
- MLSOK, Inc.; Oklahoma City, Okla.
According to Zillow Group, Bridge technology — which includes not just the listing input tool but also its Contact server and API — is available to more than 535,000 agents. The company declined to comment on the number of MLSs or brokers that that figure corresponds to.
And although Zillow Group said the Bridge team had grown sevenfold since Zillow Group acquired Bridge in August 2016 due to demand, the company declined to say how many employees that figure refers to. The company also declined to say how many MLSs Bridge has gained as customers since then.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional comments from Zillow Group.
