Nestfully is a property search portal built by two MLSs

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Nestfully, a property search portal built by two multiple listing services, will be broadening its reach with the addition of listing data from the Sunshine State’s two largest, Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors with BeachesMLS and Miami Realtors SEFMLS, according to a Sept. 13 press release shared with Inman.

The addition of the Florida MLSs means that Nestfully represents 343,000+ agent and brokerage subscribers, according to the release.

The consumer-facing search experience was devised and is run by California Regional MLS (CRMLS) and Bright MLS, with REcolorado signing on as its first participant. It was released in the first quarter of 2023 and designed as an ad-free bridge between consumers and listing data. The website is intended to reduce friction for users, allowing them to browse without being inundated by too-irksome calls-to-action or intrusive data capture tactics.

Brokerages receive leads, usually from simple, text-based interest forms connected to listing pages, at no cost to them, for which larger third-party portals charge referral fees. Listing agent information is displayed clearly at all times.

“The partnership is another milestone in providing our members with the most up-to-date resources and tools they need to best serve the South Florida market, said BeachesMLS and Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors CEO Dionna Hall, in the press release. “Our members have been eagerly anticipating a platform like this for years and we are excited to join forces with the nation’s largest MLSs to make this vision a reality for the future.”

BeachesMLS was the nation’s first real estate organization to create a public event around remote property tours at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, reacting quickly to a confused market with a fully online property tour showcase, called Virtual Tour Week.

The organization created a website that walked members through the details, event standards, marketing tips and offered a 22-minute YouTube video on how to create a virtual open house using Facebook Live or another recommended platform, such as YouTube Live or Zoom.

Nestfully was reviewed by Inman shortly after its launch and was not considered a homerun, at least out of the gate. The website was dinged for its lack of innovation in the face of much more sophisticated consumer search experiences that leverage artificial intelligence, collaborative search, lifestyle-based search and enhanced marketing assets. Above all else, it lacks consumer recognition, relying on industry word-of-mouth to find homebuyers — quite the challenge when competing with the massive brands and outreach budgets of Zillow and Realtor.com, among others.

Nevertheless, expansion into new markets and the onboarding of new, prominent MLS partners is a good step for the fledging web presence.

In the press release, Miami Realtors CEO Teresa King Kinney said her members are thrilled to be a part of an industry-built answer to consumer home search.

“South Florida homebuyers and sellers will now have the freshest and most accurate listing information. Listings will be seen by more people and agents will receive quality leads at no cost, saving them thousands in referral fees.”

Email Craig Rowe