Leading Firm with an IDX-VOW Combo Website

RE Technology's annual technology guide features companies that display a particular expertise in an area of real estate technology that really makes a difference. One of those firms is Minneapolis based WolfNet Technologies. The firm has been providing property search solutions to real estate agents and brokers since the inception of IDX. Fun fact: Did you know that the first IDX standard was launched in Minnesota?

From the early days of IDX, WolfNet has not only been a pioneer, but also an innovator. They were among the first companies to develop the ability for a consumer to save a search, among the first to allow a consumer to save a listing to favorites, and among the first to notify a consumer when a new listing matches their search criteria, or a favorite listing has a change in status or price. These features are basic features of the Wolfnet product today, and just about any IDX vendor. They enable the agent or broker website to operate as a buyer's tool in a much better way than the MLS client portal that you are probably using.

With IDX on your website, you are able to see reports about client activity that most MLS systems fall short on – like the ability to see if the client opened the email, forwarded it to a friend, changed their search criteria, etc. Not only do you get more visibility into your clients behavior, but you are reinforcing the behavior of visiting your website!

As IDX emerged, so did a new standard of data called the Virtual Office Website. Two things need to be understood to appreciate the difference between IDX and VOW. First, on a Virtual Office Website, the client must be logged in. This effort to log in establishes an agency relationship. Secondly, the Virtual Office Website will display every bit of property information in the MLS that is not confidential. For example, data like price changes over time and many other fields in your MLS may be displayed. A Virtual Office Website is like allowing your customer to browse the MLS like an agent.

WolfNet has innovated around IDX and VOW by creating something called an IDX-VOW combo site. Unregistered users get to see the IDX fields of data. The listing detail page will entice the consumer to register by showing the field name "Days on Market," but the field data is replaced with "Register to view." They do the same thing with fields like "Original List Price" and "Price Change History." The result is a 20% increase in site registration (also called lead capture).

There is a lot more to the WolfNet IDX system that you should check out. They embed into Wordpress, allow for custom search pages to highlight community listings, luxury listings, etc. Their search works incredibly well on mobile, adhering to responsive design that adjusts the page layout to any mobile screen – or any television screen.

WolfNet recently launched a new website of their own at wolfnet.com. You can visit it to find pricing, product videos; or, call WolfNet at 866-WolfNet (965-3638) for a private consultation.

WolfNet manages IDX data in more than 600 MLS markets. They support 70,000 websites. Chances are that they have exactly what you need.