IDX Broker Overview

DISCLAIMER: The information below is just my opinion to be deemed accurate but not guaranteed. I am a former consultant of one of these companies and know more about that solution than the others. My apologies upfront if any information is out dated. Also, this is not meant to be an exhaustive “end all be all” comparison here. I’m simply focusing on some key areas that I think are important to discuss with prospective buyers.

Strengths

Fairly simplistic search with satellite map search capability
Ability to produce RSS feeds of listing data (your listings only - on the back end)
Captures referring url for lead sourcing at the lead/contact level
Analytics for key measurement criteria
Fairly inexpensive and feature rich
Customizable look and feel if your into editing css/html files
Basic customization of lead capture/ user registration settings (yes/no or # pre-defined # of search or detail views)

Weaknesses

Limited contact management ability, no emailing/drip email campaigns or email blasting
Can't easily view listings viewed or saved by registrants (have to log in as them to see this data)
No RSS feeds of listing data (other than your own listings) to create indexable content

Summary & Conclusion

At first, I was extremely excited about this vendors IDX System because of the powerful customization options built into the back-end. You can really make this system blend into your existing website from a look and feel standpoint and even use your own search forms as long as you use the right css commands to interact with their system. The downside though is that the contact management portion of this IDX system is a little sub-par and in my view this creates an unavoidable problem. With the addition of some solid contact management abilities and a customizable user registration setting this IDX system could be a real force to be reckoned with. My experience in dealing with them so far has been fantastic, they are really a responsive and nice group people and that in itself should be valued highly. And, though their IDX system isn't technically an iFrame based solution you or your web designer will simply be creating wrapper pages to integrate into your existing site/blog so unless you get into some creative workarounds, none of the MLS listing data will be getting indexed on your site.

At Verity Consulting, we focus on understanding your specific situation, goals and the impact of executing a successful internet marketing strategy. We help Realtors research, design, implement and manage comprehensive internet marketing solutions that deliver measureable results.