Anonymous Websites for Trashing Properties on the Market

This article appeared in the New York Times today about real estate websites that allow home shoppers to anonymously comment on properties that they may or may not have even seen. Websites that link to the Multiple Listing Service often sync data from many different systems and I have seen serious errors on these websites. I tell clients to take what they read on the internet with a grain of salt. In the past month, the Department of Justice settled a long-standing case with the National Association of Realtors concerning websites that provide data to consumers. As a result, the listing agreement now has a portion where sellers can "opt out" of having their homes displayed on other websites, or websites that provide a formula worth of the property alongside it's listing price. I have advised sellers to allow their properties to be on the websites but not allow the "blogging feature" in order to avoid their property being commented on. There is no such thing as a perfect property, and the negativity and anger coming out on these message boards (as in many anonymous forums) are just an outlet for all the anxiety surrounding the economy and making such a large purchase. I blog about properties that I've seen and yes, I see lots of houses and condos that are overpriced, dumpy, or ill-constructed. I won't be showing these to my clients but I don't feel the need to try to convince anyone else not to see them! One person's "dated" is another's "charming."