Realtor.com is an advertising site. The properties are used to draw you in so that they can build ads around the listings... this makes the site painfully slow. Realtor.com is an opt-in site missing a lot of data... it is notoriously out of date and doesn't let you know if a property is under contract... creating an unfriendly and tiresome home search. Eventually as you get more serious in your home search, you will want to "go local".

Most people don't understand why agents ask them to register on their sites to get more information about properties for sale. The truth is that we don't need it for our own listings or even those of our company (unless they have a rule) the problem lies with showing you another companies listings.

In order to address this... two options were developed; IDX and VOW.

IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. This is an opt in (or opt out... depending where you are) system. No registration is necessary.. the listings that you are looking at should say something about "compliments of" the listing company (probably in really tiny letters) This is kind of like walking into my office, plopping down in a chair and going through the various homes magazines... it's fun, there is great information but it's lacking in depth and missing a bunch.... and you are so close to all of the real information.

VOW stands for Virtual Office Website. This means that I can treat you like the person who walked into my office asking about homes... meaning we plug in your criteria and go through the whole Multiple Listing Service so that you don't miss anything,  except that you get to do it in your own sweet time. The great thing about a VOW site is that you get access to all of the properties... there is no "opt out" for the Real Estate companies and you don't have to wait for days to get the updated info.  Some of us can also allow access to recent sold properties...  The VOW solution is the ultimate in home information, but it comes with a price... just like if you came into my office, I would have some information about you (you could lie... but that's beside the point) The National Association Of Realtors has set a national policy that all VOW sites require registration. So, there you go.  

I currently feature two different VOW systems... one of them West Suburban Real Estate was the first of its type in Illinois and has been helping people find their homes since the spring of 2000. The other site that I use: Naperville Luxury Homes offers a different format for home searches. They both offer multiple pictures, virtual tours and e-mailed updates... it's really more a matter of preference.

It's not a matter of you giving up your anonymity... it's about empowering you with information for you to enjoy some autonomy.