One of the most common complaints we hear from consumers about searching for homes online is that many online property listings have the wrong price or status. On March 3rd we announced Trulia Direct Reference (TDR), a quality assurance system which allows local Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) and agents to find out and correct inaccurate data within their markets to ultimately enable the best possible consumer experience for everyone’s benefit.
In this whitepaper we cover recent findings gathered through the first few months of data testing for Trulia Direct Reference. Trulia analyzed over 430,000 listings we received from syndicators, franchisors, brokerages, agents and MLSs between February 15 and April 15, 2011. Download the whitepaper now.
This analysis surfaced three key points:
- Error Rates by Source – Data providers who syndicate data that didn’t originate at the MLS have some of the highest error rates of all sources, with over 21% of the data containing an error in either price or status.
- Value of Syndication by the MLS – An MLS that proactively syndicates for their membership will ensure a higher level of data accuracy in their area. An MLS that does not syndicate for their membership inadvertently creates an environment that results in a significant increase of disparate data sources resulting in less accurate date online.
- Opt-in vs. Opt out syndication – Opt-out syndication by the MLS dramatically reduces the proliferation of errant data across the Internet by over 60%
From the Trulia Blog
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