An excellent post, gentlemen–in fact one of the best I’ve read in recent memory. I’ve been waiting for some time for a voice such as yours to articulate the heretofore un-articulated.

This post struck a vein and reminded me of an issue that has been troubling me for quite some time. That is I could never understand why the efficiencies in business processes brought on by advances in technology and the maturation of the Interne–and the savings they represent for the “controllers”–have never been passed on to the “clients/broker-owners.” To the contrary, instead of passing on cost savings (too many to enumerate here), the controllers of the traditional business model have only increased their royalty and advertising and referral fees–thereby taking a “double-dip” at the expense of their clients. Unlike most other business models who have passed on savings to the consumer, and there are numerous examples of this, the traditional real estate franchise models have only taken advantage of their clients ignorance in recent years. The clients, well, it’s kind of like “they don’t know that they don’t know” type of situation that has gone on for far too long.

No more!

Perhaps NOW is when the switch occurs,when the controllers are shut down, when the clients are finally free to capitalize on the new openess, and when the young lion strikes down the old snaggle-tooth for pride and dominion.

And like they way Trulia and Zillow handled the whole thing – they should give Prudential some tips on PR.