Frequently Asked Questions: Local Showings

1. What is Local Showings® by Delta Media?

Local Showings is a full-featured, modern showing technology allowing agents to schedule showings of their property listings from start to finish from their phone, within their own website, or local MLS. Available both as a standalone mobile app for iPhones and Android phones, Local Showings also is fully integrated into the newest DeltaNET platform, which connects to an MLS footprint covering 97% of all property listings in the U.S.

2. Why did Delta Media create Local Showings?

Within weeks of Zillow announcing its acquisition of ShowingTime, Delta Media polled the real estate industry about offering a viable alternative. The response from real estate agents, brokers, and Multiple Listing Services decision-makers was overwhelming and unprecedented as the support was unanimous. Company leaders began fielding calls from MLSs, brokerages, and real estate boards across the country, all encouraging Delta to develop an independent, full-featured property showing solution.

Delta offered a limited showing platform to customers for over 20 years as part of its all-in-one platform. One week after launching the industry poll, Delta announced it would rapidly finalize and deploy a full-featured, wholly independent real estate showing service nationwide called Local Showings (a registered trademark of Delta Media Group).

At the same time, Delta Media made an unprecedented announcement with its “No Sale Guarantee,” agreeing to include in Local Showings contracts a promise to continue to remain independent as it has been for nearly 30 years.

3. What are the advantages that Local Showings provide compared to other showing services?

Delta Media developed Local Showings as a better showing solution than what agents and brokers most frequently use today. The key Local Showing advantages include:

• Gives agents an independent alternative to the leading software showing platform, recently purchased by Zillow, which is now a real estate brokerage.
• Provides more overall features and modern functionality than the best and most popular showing solutions in the market.
• Mobile app, website, and MLS integration give active agents greater control and flexibility to manage their property showings at home, the office, or on the go.
• Better market coverage with Delta's MLS footprint covering 97% of all property listings in the U.S.
• No training is needed with instant onboarding because of its intuitive design that provides a user-friendly experience.
• Delta’s industry-leading Tech Support is available for agents when questions arise, with tech team members available by live chat, phone call, or email.
• Its modern design and built-in capabilities create a better customer experience for buyers and sellers.

4. What core features do Local Showings offer? 

Local Showings 21 main features include:

1. Standalone app option for non-DeltaNET clients.
2. Calendar displays available times when requesting a showing (agent controlled).
3. See how many showings have been requested, pending, or denied.
4. Ability to request rescheduling if a showing time is rejected.
5. Allows Admins to schedule showings on behalf of agents.
6. Ability to select multiple listings and schedule multiple showings with one click.
7. Schedule showings for listings within the MLS.
8. Ability to schedule showings on 'coming soon’ listings.
9. View all active listings (and instantly modify notes about the listings).
10. Quickly review feedback on your listings or listings you have shown.
11. The ability to sort contacts by buyers or sellers.
12. Chat with other MLS members through the app or website interface (within one’s local board).
13. Send push notifications or text messages if a requested showing remains in a pending status after a set time or when a showing is requested or confirmed.
14. Receive notifications that prompt the showing agent to answer customizable questions upon showing completion. 
15. Automatically pull in showing notes from the MLS.
16. Conveniently review property notes when submitting a showing request.
17. An agent can send a group message/email/notice to all agents who had showings scheduled on a property.
18. Easy to share feedback with homeowners (Seller Reports).
19. Admin Reporting shows all showings scheduled for brokerages listings (entire company, by office, by agent).
20. Ability to search for all agents in an MLS board via the DeltaNET search bar.
21. Easy access for existing Delta clients as it's fully integrated into DeltaNET, featuring a new “showings” tab.

5. Why is being “independent” a vital benefit that protects MLSs, brokerages, and agents?

Publicly owned and traded companies answer to the needs of Wall Street. They must meet the demands of shareholders and hit quarterly financial benchmarks. Likewise, when you depend on venture capital dollars, you answer to the goals of a V.C. firm, not the customer. Being independent is entirely different. Delta Media Group is 100% family-owned and operated. Not a single dime has come from outside investors. Delta Media must answer to its customers to remain successful and stay in business, as it has proven for 30 years.

With the launch of Local Showings, Delta Media emphasized remaining independent in writing with its "No Sale Guarantee" in contracts with large MLSs and brokerages.

6. How important is the fact that Local Showings connects to a nationwide MLS footprint?

It takes years to build relationships with MLSs and top brokerages. Delta Media knows that from its own experience.

Several startups that have recently jumped into the showing space approached Delta Media about their solutions. However, they were lacking – and are still lacking – established relationships and signed contracts with hundreds of MLSs nationwide, something Delta already has in place.

It takes a massive capability to scale and support a nationwide service. Delta Media not only has the in-house technology with Local Showings and DeltaNET, but Delta also founded a redundant data center, one of the largest in Ohio, from its headquarters in Canton. With a track record of "five nines” (99.999% uptime, a downtime of fewer than 6 minutes per year), Delta Media’s national services also deliver unsurpassed in reliability. 

7. Is there a standalone option for Local Showings, or does a customer have to buy Delta’s all-in-one platform?

Delta Media listened to industry feedback: The industry desperately wants a standalone solution. That’s why Delta also launched a Local Showings app, with a team already in place to support it.

Local Showings also is fully integrated into its DeltaNET all-in-one platform for current clients, requiring a “flip of a switch” to give clients access. But Delta also invented a brand-new, robust app for clients who needed a standalone solution. It’s available in the App Store and Google Play.

Delta Media listened to the industry, and in less than 80 days, finalized and deployed Local Showings to give customers not only what they want but what they deserve. 

8. What extra advantage does Local Showings offer because data comes directly from the MLS?

The MLS has the best data because it is the most current and most accurate. Delta Media put up the very first website in the U.S. powered by MLS data in 1994 and has been integrating with MLSs ever since. For those who select Local Showings, Delta offers a turnkey experience because the company already has MLS board agreements in place.

The most significant advantage Local Showings offers is the quality of the data: Delta updates data in 5 minutes or less for the majority of the MLSs it works with, covering 97% of the U.S. A clean data experience is vital for agents and their clients. Most of the other showing service alternatives are just getting started, while Delta has established relationships built over decades.

9. What does Local Showings cost?

Key to the successful development and launch of Local Showings by Delta Media was making sure not to "disrupt any established budgets.” Current pricing is either at the price point firms were paying for their current showing solution, or even less.

10. What type of training is needed and/or provided for Local Showings?

When developing Local Showings, Delta Media avoided “reinventing the wheel.” Instead, Local Showings is naturally intuitive, so the average agent does not need to go through hours and hours of training to understand it.

Moreover, Delta Media offers industry-leading customers support and training, unmatched by its competitors. Local Showings offers exceptional online training tools and access to Delta Media's highly personalized, friendly support team for agents and brokers who need it.

11. Is there more information about Local Showings?

Additional insight about Local Showings is on Delta Media's website – including a video demonstration of how it works – at deltamediagroup.com/local-showings.

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Media contacts:

Victor Lund (805) 709-6696

victor@wavgroup.com

Kevin Hawkins (206) 866-1220

kevin@wavgroup.com