I get a lot of people using my search tool...but I just dont see the value in it. I am not interested in buyers and pass them off anyway. Can you think of any unexpected disadvantage of dropping search from my website?

this ought to be a good thread...

What are you expecting to happen? Are you not getting a referral from the agents you pass buyers to? At least that is worth what you are paying for your IDX. If you get a good bunch of leads maybe you should pull a homegain and charge agents $25 a lead or something.

well the buyer leads I get are from my listings, not my idx. I think in 2 years I have had maybe 3 leads from my idx and they were all garbage.

RealBird might be an option for you. [url=http://realbird.com/Default.aspx]RealBird[/url]

They pull in listings from a variety of sources. No it is not IDX, but the basic search version is free and not bad as far as showing current listings in the area,and for $100/yr you can get a variety of features.

My thought is to use RB as my search tool on my site, when a lead comes in, qualify them and if I want to work with them set up with direct updates from my MLS.

recoastalca: But I dont even want buyers...sorry I'm sure I bore the whole board with my buyer-hate...but why have an idx if I dont want buyers. they'll still call me anyways on my listings I have about 20 at any given time and that number grows consistently and even then I refer out. I want no part of that.
I guess I should just drop the idx. I cant see it being of any use to me. I might watch the web hits decline just a bit, but it'll be the traffic I dont want anyway. And I guess all I want my site to do is attract sellers. I cant imagine a seller would not call me because theres no idx on my site.
I'd save a couple hundred bux a year. By the way - anyone reading - NEVER SIGN UP FOR TOPPRODUCER MARKET SNAPSHOT. what a gross waste of $1200/year.

How do you know potential sellers are not using your IDX as a pricing tool before calling you to list?

Thats the only thing I worry about...is if my sellers check on me with that. Only reason I have not dropped it yet.

Minna I would like to never work with buyers again, but as of right now I can't. So I understand. I wonder myself how useful the IDX is as I rarely get real leads either from it. Though I see people using mine every day.

Do you think sellers really check up on you with your IDX on your website? I would think they would want to see their home on your website, but you don't need IDX for that. They probably check realtor.com and such though.

I get leads all the time from people calling about "my listing" and it's actually an MLS listing.

My sellers like that my website generates lots of traffic.

I'd love to be able to work only with sellers, and only with sensible sellers at that....but unfortunately, most sellers around here need to have their listings expire 3 or 4 times before they get a reality check.

That is simply a case of bad agents taking overpriced listings. Unfortunately we have too many such agents in out profession. Desperate little souls who take a listing just to HAVE a listing, at whatever price is required to GET the listing. Causing expirations and misery and perception of our industry as a bunch of crude hustlers.

I wouldn't drop it. A real esate website without an MLS search feature is incomplete. The feature itself is advertising that you are a true professional.

And let's not forget that many sellers also become buyers and need to be able to search your website for a home. My sellers are always on my website searching the MLS to satisfy their curiosity about this or that.

If you're running 20-50 listings you can afford it no problem so I would just keep it so that your website remains a complete and professional presence on the Internet. When I see an agent website without IDX, I always consider them an amateur until further evidence proves otherwise. When I am looking for out of area agents to refer to, I always check their website and if it is not a good website with IDX and all the other things that look good and cost money, I move on. So it can also be a listing referral tool.

I'd keep it. Furthermore I'd make sure it was the best IDX available, something like Wolfnet with its map-based search that looks really cool and professional.