We sent an important email to all of our MLS partners today, which you can read below — and we want to explain why we sent it.
Yesterday, news broke that Zillow has entered into an agreement to acquire ShowingTime. Real estate professionals use showing management tools every single day, and they trust that software with information about their clients. At Homesnap, we believe that agents should have tools that protect that information and their client relationships. That is only possible when an independent vendor is providing that software — not a market participant like Zillow who is their competitor.
That’s why we’ve been developing Homesnap Showings, a showing management tool that offers an agent-friendly alternative so agents and brokers can seamlessly schedule showings with their clients without fear that their data will be shared with or controlled by a competitor. We’ve accelerated that development in light of yesterday’s news, so we can bring Homesnap Showings to Homesnap Pro users as soon as possible.
Your trust means the world to us, and, as always, we will continue to champion what’s in the best interest of agents, brokers, and MLSs. You can read the full email that we sent to our MLS partners below:
As you likely read yesterday, Zillow announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire ShowingTime.
EMAIL from john mazur to mls partners
At Homesnap, we believe that the essential tools real estate professionals use every day to serve clients should not be owned or controlled by market participants who compete with those real estate professionals. Showing management software is one of those essential tools. Agents must be able to collaborate with their buyers and sellers without fear that their clients’ information is being shared with a competing brokerage. Similarly, brokerages must have confidence that the tools their agents use don’t provide confidential information to a competitor who may make offers on their listings, or list the house down the street.
We are excited to let you know that Homesnap will be launching a showing management tool — Homesnap Showings — within Homesnap Pro later this year. Homesnap Showings has been in the works for a while, but given yesterday’s news, we decided to accelerate this announcement so that you know that an agent-friendly alternative is on its way. Our development team is putting the pedal to the metal so this feature will be available to every Homesnap Pro user as soon as possible.
Homesnap Showings will be available to all Homesnap Pro users as part of your current contract at no additional charge to you or your members.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have. We at Homesnap look forward to continuing to serve our MLS partners with industry-friendly products that agents and brokers can trust.
Sincerely,
John Mazur
PS If you’d like to see a sneak peek at what Homesnap Showings will look like, here are a few screenshots:
