You make some good points, many of which I was not actually saying differently.

And I was simply comparing the model of licensing a C21 (or other) brand with the BlueRoof brand and was not, and am not, saying that they are the same in consumer awareness.

Best of luck to you in 2009…

You make some good points, many of which I was not actually saying differently.

And I was simply comparing the model of licensing a C21 (or other) brand with the BlueRoof brand and was not, and am not, saying that they are the same in consumer awareness.

Best of luck to you in 2009…

BlueRoof is a terrific, wait for it…”Local” brokerage in Utah.

A “Proven Brand’ is one that has a “proven system” that can be scaled anywhere by almost anyone (i.e. Starbucks, McDonald’s or in this case C21 or Re/Max etc…)

As Rob pointed out a good website does not guarantee “Brand Extension.” Add the fact that Brokerage sites will continue to improve (slow and cheaply, but they will) what is your benefit to an agent long term?

Partnering with agents who sell a lot of homes, does not mean they provide the “Best service” or are accountable. “World Savings Bank” sold tons of mortgages which Wachovia acquired and the 4th largest bank went under with “Bad Lending.” I am going to guess there was some “Bad selling” in there as well from some “Top Agents.”

Am I getting this right? It is a BlueRoof brand under a “McGuire Team” brand (fill in any name) under Keller Williams, right? Where is the brand there again and where does the brand loyalty lie for the agent first? Talk about confusing the customer base which is the EXACT opposite of BRANDING.

Bottom Line: You have a cool website that you license out to some agents who have money, but do not have the time or intelligence that they could create the same site for less in 2009 and get a cool BlueRoof email address.

Just because you say something (“A great brand that is proven”) doesn’t make it true. It reminds me of those tacky & annoying mailers from real estate agents that I receive at home.

Nor does quoting Steve Jobs on your site make your product better or proven.

BlueRoof is a terrific, wait for it…”Local” brokerage in Utah.

A “Proven Brand’ is one that has a “proven system” that can be scaled anywhere by almost anyone (i.e. Starbucks, McDonald’s or in this case C21 or Re/Max etc…)

As Rob pointed out a good website does not guarantee “Brand Extension.” Add the fact that Brokerage sites will continue to improve (slow and cheaply, but they will) what is your benefit to an agent long term?

Partnering with agents who sell a lot of homes, does not mean they provide the “Best service” or are accountable. “World Savings Bank” sold tons of mortgages which Wachovia acquired and the 4th largest bank went under with “Bad Lending.” I am going to guess there was some “Bad selling” in there as well from some “Top Agents.”

Am I getting this right? It is a BlueRoof brand under a “McGuire Team” brand (fill in any name) under Keller Williams, right? Where is the brand there again and where does the brand loyalty lie for the agent first? Talk about confusing the customer base which is the EXACT opposite of BRANDING.

Bottom Line: You have a cool website that you license out to some agents who have money, but do not have the time or intelligence that they could create the same site for less in 2009 and get a cool BlueRoof email address.

Just because you say something (“A great brand that is proven”) doesn’t make it true. It reminds me of those tacky & annoying mailers from real estate agents that I receive at home.

Nor does quoting Steve Jobs on your site make your product better or proven.

Either way I want to help brokers and agent get away from relying on third party listing aggregation websites for their online business and help them get away from using template websites.

Either way I want to help brokers and agent get away from relying on third party listing aggregation websites for their online business and help them get away from using template websites.

I think I love this comment thread as well. Thanks.

Okay, so basically, it seems to me that BlueRoof (and by extension Redfin to some extent) is a new model of the Franchisor, rather than a new model of brokerage. Effectively, what you are providing is more or less identical to what C21 or RE/MAX provides to its brokers and agents.

The differences are fairly minor — you grant franchises to agents, while most RE franchisors only work with brokerage companies; you probably don’t have a ton of printed materials or training programs, but your website is a damn sight better. For now.

The legal liability issue is a bit of a red herring, as I mentioned in the original article. It isn’t so much that I think you or Redfin’s partner agents will be sued; it’s more of an extreme case to examine the degree of accountability that you and Redfin are willing to take on as part of these ‘marketing programs’. (Although, FWIW, I think you may want to double check the franchising laws in your state and the various states of the agents… I remember the Realogy legal folks getting pretty specific about some of the issues. One of them was third party liability. And you may be subject to franchise laws even if you don’t call yourself a franchise; depends on how the business is structured. Right now, based on your description, it sure sounds like a franchise to me.)

What I’m not clear on is why you, of all people, say that Brokers need to build their OWN brand identities. Isn’t that the precise value YOU are offering them with your admittedly excellent website?

-rsh

I think I love this comment thread as well. Thanks.

Okay, so basically, it seems to me that BlueRoof (and by extension Redfin to some extent) is a new model of the Franchisor, rather than a new model of brokerage. Effectively, what you are providing is more or less identical to what C21 or RE/MAX provides to its brokers and agents.

The differences are fairly minor — you grant franchises to agents, while most RE franchisors only work with brokerage companies; you probably don’t have a ton of printed materials or training programs, but your website is a damn sight better. For now.

The legal liability issue is a bit of a red herring, as I mentioned in the original article. It isn’t so much that I think you or Redfin’s partner agents will be sued; it’s more of an extreme case to examine the degree of accountability that you and Redfin are willing to take on as part of these ‘marketing programs’. (Although, FWIW, I think you may want to double check the franchising laws in your state and the various states of the agents… I remember the Realogy legal folks getting pretty specific about some of the issues. One of them was third party liability. And you may be subject to franchise laws even if you don’t call yourself a franchise; depends on how the business is structured. Right now, based on your description, it sure sounds like a franchise to me.)

What I’m not clear on is why you, of all people, say that Brokers need to build their OWN brand identities. Isn’t that the precise value YOU are offering them with your admittedly excellent website?

-rsh