I awoke this morning feeling grouchy, of all things, about the IDX system on my San Diego real estate site. I am tired of being charged exorbitant "set-up" and monthly fees for every improvement they offer.

They is not an exotic custom programmer, but a large company that provides IDX search solutions for a large number of agents here on Active Rain.

You see, I had called this IDX provider a week or so ago wanting to know how I could create a specialized property search. With my former IDX provider, I could create a search link for about anything I wanted. All homes under $200,000 in San Diego County? Easy. All $2 million and up estates in Rancho Santa Fe? Simple--and free.

"Sure, we can do it," said the rep. "It will be $200 for the set-up and $20 per month."

"What???" I screeched.

"Well, we can reduce the set-up down to $100, but it will still be $20 per month."

After grumbling that with my prior provider, this was a simple task I could do myself--and that I had already paid them an additional $XXX set up fee for the foreclosure search link (and $XX per month)--and please just have someone from management give me a call....

And no one did.

And I just remembered that before opening my eyes this morning. Which got me to thinking a perfect IDX solution would look something like this--at least for starters:

1.  Easy MLS search that can be as detailed as the client wants.  Agent can set the bar for viewer registration.

2.  A robust back end, where agents can manage their client database, registrations, emails, visits, saved searches and the like.  Maybe some SEO features as well?

3.  An easy-to-manage MLS alert system that allows us to manage client search criteria from the back-end, without having to login as the client with password.  When clients call and ask to remove a city or area from their search, please let it be a simple task.

4. If we are going to pay a subscription fee of $XX per month (and set-up fees as well), please don't try to charge us separately for every improvement you make to your proprietary system. We expect a continually improved product, because that gives us a good reason to stay with you and become raving fans (instead of those who bitch and blog;-).

5. Have someone on tech support duty during weekends. That is when many of us find time to work on our sites.  (And why is it always easier to reach someone in sales than in support?)

6.  Database compatibility. No one yet has developed the whizbang technology to make database migration from one vendor to another a seamless one. This is not about creating a csv file and transferring basic information like name, address, telephone and email. How about migrating complex entries like property preferences, correspondence and notes?  Whoever provides this technology first will win the hearts and credit cards of agents from everywhere.

What features would you add to this wishlist?