Be very leary of who you give your personal information.  It might not be going to the party you think it is going to. 

As a home buyer you are looking through Realtor.com or another home search site, and you come across a listing you would like more information on. There is a button in the ad that says "Contact Agent". When you click on it, you are required to leave your name and contact info. Are you expecting the listing agent to respond? Most consumers would say "yes". However, that is not the case. Realtor.com gives your information to multiple agents who have paid for your lead, and now you are talking to someone who has never even stepped foot into the property.

This week, I had a buyer tell me about their experience, and said "I thought I was contacting you. I don't understand why I have to work this other agent".

I called Realtor.com to see what I could do about this deceptive practice, and I was told I could either "buy a zip code or become a Pro member", and buy all my listings back for $1200 a month. 

In doing more research, I spoke with someone who paid the money to buy their own listings back, and learned that when the system was tested, the "consumer" still received multiple calls from other agents. As a Broker and business owner, ensuring that my clients and customers have a great experience when they contact us is my highest priority. In the case of Realtor.com. the consumer thinks they are getting one thing and they end up with a completely different and disappointing experience.