There’s more to it than just providing answers and posting your listings. Yes, they will eventually want a cut of the profits, but more so, they want to rank for the terms we want to rank for and there are only so many spots. A few recent listings proved I don’t need any of them to have the whole first page of Google for my listings.

More important, is my client doesn’t need the exposure of “similar properties” right beside theirs, which may or may not be similar at all. Most of the time it’s not even in the same neighborhood. I opt out of online valuations – it’s difficult enough for sellers to sell without an online service, with no local knowledge, stating their home’s value is less than what we have it listed for.

In my honest opinion – if we don’t stop providing everyone with our data, we will be the losers, as will our clients. While we are paying for leads, we have less available funds to serve our clients and while we are working harder to make the same amount of money, we have less time to service our clients.

I found a link the other day for a new listing for Homes.com with a list of addresses, including the address of the home I just listed. All it was, is a list of addresses advertised as “Property Records”. They are all trying to rank for terms down to the street level.

I’ve always been an advocate of exposing my listings everywhere. Leads come from a variety of places, searches, portals.

Just closed on a Trulia one today. I never answered a question by her, she just called me up. I no longer answer ANY question not in my area.

I suppose my flavor will change and age over time, like any good wine. As I build the base off of which I will move my career up and over the top, my reliance of these practices will most likely shift. From “be everywhere” to be “where I need to be in order to continue growing.”