Now that our MLS's have adopted their VOW rules as per the NAR/DOJ court settlement, I am getting lots of questions from brokers and agents about VOWS.  Questions like:

1. How do I make my website comply with the new VOW rules? 
2. How can I tell if my website is a VOW? 
3. Since I invite people to sign up for news and listing updates, is my website a VOW?
4. Should I have an IDX website or should I have a VOW?

All great questions.  First, I always advise folks to ask their MLS for the IDX and VOW rules adopted by the MLS.  Next, I advise folks to actually read them.  A broker/Participant is ultimately responsible for the acts of their agents, so if you are an agent then you need to make sure your broker is involved in your decision making process. 

Once you have read the rules and understand them, then you can start  thinking about what kind of website you want to have and what you want it to accomplish. 

Now that we are beginning to see more vendors coming out with VOW solutions that you can purchase, you can start seeing what is available.

I do not recommend any one company, but this company has a good Q/A section about VOWS vs. IDX and other topics.  I think this page is at least a good place to start to help you sort things out:

http://tinyurl.com/cutak2

Stay tuned as I will continue to post resources on this forum as I come across them. I have also attached some powerpoint slides that talk about the legal differences between VOW and IDX.

Please feel free to post your questions and ideas about VOWS on this forum so everyone can benefit!

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