In February 2018, a year after Zillow Group purchased the End End listings portal Hamptons Real Estate Online, an HREO successor was launched: Out East.
But even though homebuyers and renters got a state-of-the-art website to search for real estate listings, the real estate agents have been using the same listing entry and distribution system, RealNet, to populate Out East with listings. That is, until now.
Zillow Group on Tuesday, April 2, launched its replacement for the two-decade-old software RealNet. The new platform is Out East Agent Tools, and Zillow Group has been offering previews to agents in anticipation of the debut.
Based on agent feedback, numerous search filters have been added to the new tools, such as pool type (e.g. gunite, vinyl) and view (e.g. oceanfront, oceanview, bayfront, bayview). Listings can also be designated as exclusives, coexclusives and open listings.
The tools can be used to schedule professional-only open houses, and multiple listings can be forwarded to a client in a single email. Live chat and phone support is offered for help navigating the new system and troubleshooting.
Zillow Group noted that in 2018 alone the Out East support team fielded more than 1,000 inquiries about listings delays that could be attributed to the outdated system.
According to Zillow Group, Out East has six times the visitor traffic that HREO had.