Big-Picture Sites Most Helpful for Online Browsing

Sure enough, Realtor.com contained the most listings in my Zip code, but the information was confusing. The site said there were 181 properties that matched my Zip code, but that there were 223 properties for sale in that Zip code. I later discovered that some of the properties included rentals and vacant lots for sale.

The least expensive home listed at Realtor.com was the two-bedroom, one-bath condo for $179,000. The site also listed the $10.9 million mansion as the most expensive property for sale in the neighborhood. I had seen both of these, with the identical listing information (as far as I could tell), at Trulia.

I suppose that in a perfect world, if each of these sites had identical information and identical listings, it would be easy for a home buyer to simply pick one or two favorite national sites, plus a local real estate brokerage company's site, to find everything that's available.

But the Web isn't perfect (yet!), and neither is the world of real estate. There are thousands of real estate sites to explore to discover different listings, new information and additional photos.

For real estate agents who list properties on the Web but don't include photos, videos, floor plans, maps and other Web applications that let home buyers explore what's available, you're missing out. The sites I spent the most time on were the ones that gave me a great idea of what the property and immediate area looked like, and how they fit together in the big picture of my community.

Q: I just finished reading your answer to the question about 90-day listing agreements. I don't agree or disagree on writing a 90-day listing agreement. I have written them many times for 90 days, and most people relist anyway.

It's not always the most convenient thing to do, but if my customers don't want to relist with me, then I probably don't want to relist with them.

I do agree with the person who wrote this question, that homes are on the market well over 150 days. In fact, in many of our neighborhoods here, it's actually 190-plus.

What gets to me is that people seem to think we shouldn't make a living. That 5 or 6 percent or whatever the agent is charging is very often split with a buyer's agent. So on a $100,000 home at 6 percent, the listing agent is making $3,000.

Advertising for an average agent costs almost up to $1,000 a month and can be much more. Just two real estate magazines' page ads run over $400, and sellers always want their houses in print. And then there are the costs of signs, lockboxes, Web site fees, any kind of print media and mailers, etc. I work in a rural area, and many of our homes here sell for under $150,000, so these numbers are not a far stretch.

Let's not forget we then split the commission with the broker, let's say 30 percent, and then pay desk fees. And gas, and time. So that leaves us probably with less than $1,500 on a $100,000 sale.

And let's not leave out our knowledge, our expertise. Preparing contracts, keeping our customers organized and within the time limits in their contracts.