Southwest Multiple Listing Service (SWMLS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS (GAAR), today announced a partnership with Rental Beast, according to a press release.
Rental Beast, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) proptech that also provides a rental listing database gathered from over 10 million owners, will make its rental functions open to Southwest MLS’ 4,300 brokers in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The company says the aim of the partnership is to enable SWMLS’s brokers to access information on properties through a native search and an add/edit option for rentals.
It also includes distribution channels for listings and tools for leads, software for rental transactions like applications and tenant screenings, client nurturing tools and a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).
In addition, Rental Beast will also add its own listings onto SWMLS’s residential inventory to create a rental marketplace for consumers. Southwest MLS, along with parent-company GAAR, operates in Central New Mexico and extends its services in Bernalillo, Valencia, Sandoval, Torrance and some areas of Socorro and Santa Fe counties.
“This partnership gives SWMLS brokers the tools needed to navigate changing market conditions, while giving Albuquerque’s renters, property managers, and real estate sales professionals the transparency and accuracy provided by their local MLS,” said Ishay Grinberg, founder, and CEO of Rental Beast, in the release.
From June 2021 to June 2022, the average price for a single-family detached home in Albuquerque increased by more than 12%, reaching an all-time high while the inventory fell to a great extent, according to information from GAAR.
To avoid a delay in home buying due to high interest rates and low home resale inventories, the two companies say they will connect brokers with advisors. In turn, the advisors will help their clients find rentals and “lead-to-lease” technology-based solutions.
The release also states that SWMLS brokers can get discounts on a Rental Beast Pro subscription through an upgrade which includes more access to listings and leads, premium partners and additional tools to help turn renters into home buyers.
“In today’s market, consumer demand for rentals is greater than ever,” said Jeanette Raver, president of Southwest MLS, in the release. “To help our brokers meet this demand, Southwest MLS is partnering with Rental Beast to become the center of excellence for Albuquerque’s rental listing information data, as we are today with homes for sale.”
In July, SWMLS contracted FOREWARN, a data infusion and analytics company, to make its services available to members in its operational areas.
Around the same time, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) made a deal with Rental Beast to offer its agents access to courses for its educational component, Rental Beast University, along with its tenant application and screening technology.
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