Naples Looks Expensive. The Housing Price Is Only the Beginning.If you're researching the cost of living in Naples, Florida, housing is the expense that gets most of the attention—but it isn't
The insider’s guide to online home search
Dated: June 26 2024
Views: 20
There are tens of thousands of home search websites and apps. You probably know Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin. But there are so many more, including our own Sharp Homes Realty home search.
Which is the best? Do some sites or apps have more listings than others? How does a company like Zillow make money, anyway?
We’re going to tell you everything, straight up. Including this: Our Sharp Homes Realty search is good, but we’re more than happy if you use one of the well-known apps. Just be aware of the important details below—important details many companies are happy to have you not know!
Helping you find homes is among the least important things an agent will do for you
Very occasionally, an agent will hear about a “coming soon” listing that has yet to hit the market, and sometimes sellers do not wish to have their home displayed online for privacy reasons.
But these things are rare. It is almost always the case that the homes you see for sale online are the same homes your agent sees. At Sharp Homes Realty, our true value lies in helping our clients evaluate homes (reading disclosures, interpreting inspection reports, walking through homes together, estimating repair costs), and negotiating the best terms possible with sellers. Buying a home is a big deal. Our #1 job is making sure you get it right.
Pretty much every search site has pretty much all the listings
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, us... We all get our listings from the same place: the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS. The MLS is the local database of homes for sale that real estate agents use. There are over 400 MLSs in the United States, and they account for almost all homes for sale at any given time.
This means that the search results you see on our site will be the same as what you will see on most any other home search app or site.
But not all home search experiences are the same
Which user experience you prefer is up to you. Some prioritize searching on a map; others default to showing results as a list. Some are simple; some offer every feature imaginable.
The most meaningful differences lie in the business model of the company behind the search. For example, Zillow and Realtor.com do not actually help people buy and sell homes, so when you click a button on a listing that says “contact agent” or “schedule showing,” you are referred out to a real estate agent who has a relationship with Zillow or Realtor.com. In some cases, these sites charge agents a fee equal to as much as 35% of the commission the agent earns on the transaction. That’s money that comes out of the buyer’s pocket, but the search sites don’t tell you that unless you click deeply into their terms of use.
When you search on the Sharp Homes Realty website, your contact or showing requests go to a member of the Sharp Homes Realty team.
Redfin’s search app is great — it’s easy to use, fast, and loaded with content. So use it, but be aware that when you click to schedule a showing, you are often being connected with a “door opener," a person with a real estate license who actually doesn’t help people transact and may have little or no experience. Again, this is not something that is clearly disclosed.
When you search on the Sharp Homes Realty site, your showing requests go to a member of the Sharp Homes Realty team—an experienced, highly trained agent prepared to help you navigate every aspect of a real estate transaction.
The bottom line
We tell our clients to use the search site or app they like best, but to coordinate showings and other offline functions with their Sharp Homes Realty agent. This ensures that they are getting the best possible guidance throughout the home buying process.
Danielle Sharp
Full time REALTOR since 2002, I moved from the Detroit area to SWFL in 2007. Since 2011 I have been the broker/owner of Sharp Homes Realty, a small boutique brokerage based out of Cape Coral. We are f....
Latest Blog Posts
Southwest Florida Feels Different in January. Living Here in August Tells the Rest of the Story.The difference between seasonal living and full-time living in Southwest Florida isn't simply how many
Englewood or Venice? The Beaches Are Close. The Home Search Isn’t.If you're comparing Englewood vs. Venice, Florida, the distance between them can make the choice look simpler than it really.
Englewood Looks Like One Beach Town. Then You Realize It Sits in Two Counties.If you're researching living in Englewood, Florida, there's one detail worth learning before you start comparing houses
Copyright © MFRMLS.com All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information on this site was last updated Last updated on September 24, 2026 6:00 PM UTC The listing information on this page last changed on Last updated on September 24, 2026 6:00 PM UTCd. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of MFR MLS.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Updated on September 24, 2026 6:00 PM UTC
All information regarding a property for sale, rental or financing, school information and public tax records is from sources deemed reliable; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that representations and warranties are not made about the accuracy thereof, and such information is subject to errors, omissions, updates, modifications, changes of price, rent rates, commissions, prior sales, leases or financing, changes in school boundaries, or withdrawal without notice. All information displayed on this Website should
© 2026 Florida Gulf Coast MLS (FGCMLS) Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. The IDX data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Florida Gulf Coast Multiple Listing Service. The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
This data is up-to-date as of September 24, 2026 5:59 PM UTC Some properties that appear for sale on this website may subsequently have sold and may no longer be available. For the most current information, contact Sharp Homes Realty.
The information provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any other purpose. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program (BR Program) of M.L.S. of Naples, Inc.,
