Everyone's a Critic

ZipRealty's Lashinsky said the company is taking steps to eliminate malicious postings, and has hired a separate firm to review all the proposed critiques. It eliminates entries deemed inappropriate, either because they use offensive language, engage in personal attacks or are discriminatory.

Internet firms with real estate content know they need to be careful: Craigslist, a popular Web site where consumers can post free ads, including homes for sale or rent, was sued this year by civil rights groups who allege it has permitted discriminatory ads to be posted. Federal housing law prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sex, familial status or national origin, but the civil rights groups cited numerous ads where specific groups were excluded by people who wrote their own ads and posted them online. The suits are still pending.

Lashinsky said most people understand that online critiques are, by their nature, subjective.

"People understand these are people's perceptions," Lashinsky said.

Gottlieb said he learned about the review of a house he is marketing in Woodbine after being contacted by a reporter about it. The critique gushed about the house, calling it "just beautiful," with a "great floorplan," and "great paint." The headline for the item read: "What a great house." It graded the house a 5 of 5 for curb appeal, a 5 of 5 for interior appeal and a 5 of 5 for neighborhood.

Gottlieb said he was inclined to suspect that many such reviews are written by the property owners themselves. He questioned whether such reviews were likely to be "very objective."

And in fact, Zamani said, he believes that many of the reviews on Reply.com are written by the owners.

Some do seem to lack the ring of authenticity. Describing a $499,000 home in Joppa, a writer who called himself JSynder gave his review this title: "The best home in the neighborhood." In the text box, he wrote: "My wife and I were so excited to see this home because the pictures were so lovely. The house was everything I expected and more, and I hope that this house will be the house my family and I grow old in!"

On the other hand, giving consumers a place to talk back to real estate agents could provide an antidote to the flowery hype and exaggeration frequently found in real estate advertisements.

An online listing for a house in Manassas, for example, said the $559,000 home had four bedrooms. A poster named JLee said the house had "only 3 BR." Contacted for comment, the real estate agent who has listed the home, Jim Downs, of Coldwell Banker in Manassas, agreed. "Well, it's not four legal bedrooms," he said.