Zillow's ShowingTime+ - allows agents to "Bring their own photographer"19796
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 WGAN FanCLUB Member Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
lilnitsch private msg quote post Address this user | |
So one of my agents signed up for ShowingTime+ which opens some more listing features for the agent. ShowingTime+ has a photographer network but, also allows agents to "Bring their own photographer" in which they send an invite to upload media to a special Zillow dashboard (Currently, just Photo's & Zillow 3D Tour) process is really simple and straight forward |
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WGAN Fan CLUB Member Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
lilnitsch private msg quote post Address this user | |
There is a short questionnaire and a couple of discount codes for Ricoh or Insta360 cameras for shooting Zillow 3D home Tours |
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vrephoto private msg quote post Address this user | |
| have you read the use agreement required when uploading photos? and have you noticed how they present the final product in a way that the public would think their showingtime+ photographer did the photography? |
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WGAN Fan CLUB Member Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
lilnitsch private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @vrephoto You retain full rights to the photography their terms even state this. At the end of the day as long as I have been paid I don't care what the agent does with the photos | ||
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WGAN Fan CLUB Member Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
lilnitsch private msg quote post Address this user | |
| On that note if Zillow was to refer an agent to you for photography services in that circumstance you'd likely be working as a ShowingTime+ service provider. But, you can choose to turn down these jobs if you do not wish to be a service provider. | ||
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vrephoto private msg quote post Address this user | |
| "You grant ShowingTime+ a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, irrevocable license to reproduce, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, create derivative works of, distribute and otherwise use the Media and Tour for any purpose and in any medium whatsoever, including without limitation, to improve ShowingTime+ services." Why is that important to me? Zillow Group acquired VRX Media, a real estate photo company and direct competitor to independent photographers like myself. They also acquired Aryeo, a real estate media software and content management platform. Zillow (showingtime, VRX, whatever you want to call them) would like to dominate the real estate photography market hiring photographers on the cheap which in turn makes it harder for independent photographers like myself to compete for business. That's fair. It's competition. The problem I see is that Zillow is using it's position as a real estate platform to create an unfair advantage in the real estate photography market. Here's an actual example: an agent who wants to purchase the showcase listing in order to receive leads on their listing hires the showingtime+ photographer instead of me because they thought this was required for the showcase listing leads. The agent is not happy with the photos and other media so they hire me because I've done work for them in the past and they know they'll get great photos. So although I initially lost the job to Zillow's photographer, I did get the job but I now have to agree to the terms or my customer will be very upset that he cannot use my photos for this showcase lead generating listing. I don't want to deny this to my customer and likely loose future business, so I agree. Now zillow can use my content forever in any way it wants, "including without limitation, to improve ShowingTime+ services." What does that mean exactly? Only time will tell what the full extent of that use and benefit will be to Zillow, but already they are placing an icon on the listing display that says "presented by ShowingTime+" which links to the Showingtime+ website where other agents can click through to hire Showingtime+ photographers for their listings. They are presenting my photography as their own and gaining business on the false pretense that the media was captured by their own Showingtime+ photographers which is not something I would have agreed to if Zillow wasn't using their leverage as a lead generation business for real estate agents as leverage to force my agreement allowing a competing real estate photography business to use my work for their benefit. |
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 WGAN FanClub Member Buffalo, New York |
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| There are no ShowingTime+ photographers near me, but I have been hired by Zillow reps recently to handle ShowingTime+ shoots for a few communities & call backs. They typically pay $180 for 25 photos & 3 Zillow 3d tours, no floor plans. They get the photos edited by my team. I'm not going to miss that content. I'd be happy to shoot more for them locally. I think the visual upgrades, makes for a better consumer experience. That's one of the main reasons, I got into 3D. They currently do not support Matterport for their clients. | ||
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