Comments ( 6 )

• Joe, Yes, my name is Bob Rosenthal and I’m am not a Realtor or real estate agent. We had experimented using a Web Name just as many writers use a pen name when they write.

  When we spoke earlier this morning I fully agreed with you that in the interest of total transparency, the use of my own name, and not a pen name is probably the best course, and that our Site Sponsors be clearly identified.

  Frankly Joe, I’m embarrassed that I was the cause of any confusion whatsoever.

  And I thank you for calling and sharing your point of view and concerns.

  Dream Town Realty and Zip Realty sponsor our site thru their property searches.

  We strive to offer the best online Chicago real estate market, property & condo information and are always open for suggestions on how to improve our efforts.

• Bob,

  Thanks for the prompt follow-up and for being candid with me when I called.

  I don’t find the comparison to writers to be apt. You’re engaged in the business of gathering leads for real estate brokers, not in the business of writing information for public consumption.

  You’ll have more credibility with me when you and your sponsors are fully compliant with the requirements of the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics, Multiple Listing Service data-sharing agreements and Illinois law and regulations.

  A source who’s knowledgeable about all of those requirements tells me, after a review of your site, that you and your sponsors current mode of business raises serious questions about compliance.

  I also have to say that, in my humble opinion, you appear to have engaged in a deliberate and systematic effort to be non-transparent and to deceive consumers about what was happening with the information they supplied on your sites. Until I raised the issue there was no indication on your sites that they were sponsored, or by whom.

• Hooray for Joe…
  Keep ’em honest and ethical

• another windmill slain

• Thanks, Tim, but I’m afraid that it will take a lot more than my efforts to clean up Dream Town’s act.

  Dream Town has quite a few Web sites that it uses to harvest leads, and most of them give no clue that they’re fronting for DT or do so only in a very oblique manner.

  The following is a transcript of a chat session yesterday evening on lofts-chicago.net. At the time of the chat, Dream Town had no agent with the first or last name of Sara listed at its Web site. Either its Web site wasn’t up to date or Bob Rosenthal’s not the only DT front using an assumed name.

  Welcome to Customer Service Live Chat! You’ll be joined with a chat representative as quickly as possible. (1 to 3 minutes)

  Your question was: “Who are you, Sara? Are you a real estate agent?”
  You’re now chatting with ‘Sara’
  Sara: good evening
  Sara: yes, i am
  Sara: and who am i chatting with please?
  you: Someone who wants to know more about who he’s chating with. Who do you work for and are you local to Chicago?
  Sara: you’re on Dream Town Realty’s website, and yes I’m local to Chicago
  Sara: your name please?
  you: Not interested in Dream Town. Thanks anyway.
  Sara: bye

  Chat session has been terminated by the site operator

  .

• Dreamtown is now a joke because their search engine doesn’t work. As in: you run a search and get results. You then click to sort price ascending (or descending), the search results are re-sorted by not in ascending or descending but in a seemingly random fashion. Not very professional.

  Disclaimer: not the bald Bob, I’ve still got my hair (thankfully!).