As our readership grows exponentially (thanks for being a part of that, by the way), there are quite a few topics we've covered in years past that need to be dusted-off and revisited. These are important issues, folks! We don't want you to miss out if you were late to the party. For instance, take the issue of IDX vs. VOW. I'm going to take a few moments to preach on this since our last article on the subject was ages ago.

Definitions

• IDX (Internet Data Exchange): Also referred to as "broker reciprocity," IDX is a system whereby brokers and agents can display other participating brokers' listings on their websites – only if they reciprocate and let those other brokers display their listings, too. Participating brokers pull a data feed from the MLS that contains all the active listings for all participating brokers. There are very specific, strict rules about the fields included in the IDX data feed.
• VOW (Virtual Office Website): A VOW is a broker website that allows the public to create an account and view every bit of data (except confidential data like showing instructions) in the MLS.

What's the Same?

Both IDX and VOW are tools used by brokers to share property information with the public.

What's Different?

The central difference between IDX and VOW is the registration requirement. With VOW, consumers must create an account and sign in to view data. With IDX, there's anonymity (or as much anonymity as possible on the Internet, but that's a topic for another day).

A second difference is in the data displayed. VOW, because of the registration requirement, allows consumers to see a great deal more data than they would see in IDX. For instance, VOW would include (while IDX would NOT): days on market, original list price and changes over time, and sold data.

Who Does It?

The answer to this question would take a long time. Better to direct you to a complete list of IDX and VOW vendors in our product directory. You can also read our article "Choosing an IDX/VOW."

Maybe an example would help, too. I'm going to use WolfNet because, well, I enjoy their team and I like their products. Plus they've got broad reach across many markets in the USA (about 430 MLSs, I think) so you'll probably have heard of them.

Here are some features of IDX/VOW from WolfNet that you'll want to ask your vendor if they provide:

• Up-to-date and accurate data
• Rich search criteria that is easily refined
• Results that can be viewed on a map or in a list
• Lifestyle, neighborhood, and school data

These are features your IDX/VOW solution should not be without - whether you choose WolfNet or another one of the vendors in our directory.