Realtor.com® Calls on Industry to Join Campaign to Stand up for Buyer Representation

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Apr 18, 2024, 12:00 ET

Consumer campaign showcases the value and expertise of buyer's agents during the home sale process with 111 tasks an agent does in a typical transaction

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Realtor.com^® is standing up for buyer's agents and is calling on the industry to join them in a new campaign that highlights to consumers everything that agents do for them before, during and after the homebuying process.

So, you're ready to buy a home. Here's your next 111 to-dos. Or, do 1 thing: Find a buyer's agent.

The national multi-tiered integrated marketing campaign launches this week across print, digital and social channels and showcases an astounding 111 item to-do list that an independent buyer's agent facilitates during the homebuying transaction. The tagline, "Here's 111 things to-do, or, do 1 thing. Find a buyer's agent," is a call to action for consumers to find a trusted agent to represent their interests during the often costly and complicated home purchase process. The campaign debuted yesterday with full-page ads of the 111 item to-do list in the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.

"Buyers need professional support and expertise while navigating the largest financial decision of a lifetime, especially amid challenging market headwinds," said Realtor.com^® CEO Damian Eales. "The goal of this campaign is to make sure every American understands the value of having a buyer's agent represent them by showcasing all the services they provide clients in a typical transaction. We're asking everyone in the industry – agents, brokers, MLSs, and even portals – to join the cause to help make sure consumers get the representation they need and deserve to avoid making costly mistakes."

In an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal this week, Eales wrote about the benefits of the U.S. model providing lower overall costs and better representation for buyers and sellers alike, "Americans chose this model for good reasons. Before the 1990s, few people in the U.S. used a buyers' agent. Yet home buyers began to demand representation, especially low-income and first-time buyers who needed help navigating the process. Consumer-rights advocates championed this development. As buyers' agents became more popular, eight states even banned the old model of a single agent representing both parties. Americans effectively gained two agents for the price of one, and that price has fallen from over 6% to closer to 5% today. Discouraging the use of buyer's agents would reverse this progress."

As part of the campaign, Realtor.com^® is calling on the industry to support the effort and help spread the word via a campaign toolkit that will launch in the coming weeks. It will include customized assets, including a print ad, billboard ad, poster, newsletter, videos and social assets to share via social media, direct mail and other channels.

For those who want to join the cause today:

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Share your logo by filling out this form to receive customized assets as soon as they are available. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

About Realtor.com^®Realtor.com^® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com^® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com^® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com^® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com^®.