![\"Reasons](\"https:\/\/kifarunix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/home-search-platforms-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\nBetter Online Security<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to searching for houses online it\u2019s a lot better to use small platforms. As mentioned in the introduction to this post large companies and platforms are notorious for mishandling user data. If your data falls into the wrong hands it could be used for fraud, to impersonate you. Your online security should therefore be one of your main priorities. Using smaller platforms means your security is likely going to be taken a lot more seriously. The reason for this is that it\u2019s harder for small organizations to conceal evidence of data mishandling. As small platforms are usually very concerned with their growth they tend not to employ unethical practices as doing so would seriously damage their reputations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More Accurate Searches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you are looking for properties to buy then naturally you won\u2019t want to have to deal with dead listings. Dead listings will be dealt with in more detail in the next section. If you are using a large platform then there\u2019s a much stronger chance you\u2019ll encounter dead and outdated listings than you would on a small platform. Why is this you ask? The answer is that small platforms scrub outdated listings more effectively than larger ones do. It\u2019s easier to identify outdated listings when you don\u2019t have many listings at all. You can also conduct a private real estate search<\/a> specifically <\/em>in your area on smaller sites. Some large ones only allow you to search by county or township. Accuracy is one of the many things you will benefit from by using small sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dead listings can be very problematic for people who\u2019re looking for properties to buy<\/a>. Anybody that has ever bought a house with the help of the internet will know how annoying it can be to find the perfect house only to discover that it\u2019s no longer on the market and hasn\u2019t been for a long time. Dead listings are more common on large platforms because it is harder for administrators to identify them on them. Smaller sites as mentioned in the previous post have fewer posts altogether which therefore makes it easier for them to identify listings that are not accurate; if you do encounter dead listings on the site that you are using then you need to make sure that you report them right away. Reporting them will then allow the platform to remove the listing which prevents anybody else\u2019s time from getting wasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might think that larger platforms would have better customer support than smaller ones but that\u2019s not necessarily true. Because large platforms have lots of registered users and a massive volume of posts each day it\u2019s hard for them to find enough staff to answer all customer queries. It should also be noted that most property sites only make money<\/a> from realtor subscriptions, which tends not to be a lot. Therefore, it is not in most platforms\u2019 best interests for them to employ customer support agents. When you use a smaller platform you are more likely to get good customer support because you do not have to worry about there not being enough staff to answer people\u2019s queries and questions. Make sure that you research your chosen site\u2019s customer service desk before <\/em>signing up so you can be confident that it is reliable and responsive; signing up for a site with poor customer support is a very bad idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small sites tend to employ more ethical practices than larger ones do. For example, in the last few years, a number of realty platforms (most notably those run by the Zillow Group<\/a>) have been caught selling customer data to marketing companies. While this is not technically illegal because most of the people whose data was sold agreed to have it sold when registering, it is still unethical. Most sites include very slight allusions to data sales in their terms and conditions knowing that very few people actually ever read them in full. Therefore, large platforms like Zillow are misleading consumers or at least tricking them into agreeing to have their data sold. Small platforms tend not to do this because if they did it would seriously damage their reputations. Always read your chosen site\u2019s terms and conditions before registering so you can be sure they are not going to sell your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAvoiding Dead Listings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Easier Customer Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
More Ethical Practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n