Virtual Office Website
A Virtual Office Website (VOW) is a Website, or portion of a Website, that is capable of providing brokerage services similar to those provided by a brick and mortar or traditional brokerage operation. In the case of a VOW, the consumer comes to the Website for those services, as opposed to a brick and mortar location where the consumer can physically go to receive the same services.
While VOWs have been operating since the early ‘90s, NAR’s treatment of VOWs came under the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice and became the subject of two and half years of litigation between the National Association of REALTORS® and the U.S. Justice Department which reached a favorable settlement on May 27, 2008.
In a VOW, the VOW Operator can offer more comprehensive information than a non-REALTOR® Website or a REALTOR® Website utilizing an IDX (Internet Data Exchange) feed. The VOW Operator can run his brokerage solely as a VOW with no physical presence, or operate a VOW either as his Internet Website or as a feature on his Website in addition to a physical presence.
As a result of guidelines published by NAR on the operation of VOW, ARMLS® amended its Rules and Regulations to reflect changes mandated by the settlement agreement. In addition ARMLS has created a set of VOW Rules to guide Subscribers who operate VOWs. A complete VOW package is also available.
VOW Package
The ARMLS VOW Package contains all of the information necessary to understand, sign-up for and implement a VOW. You can also download individual sections of the VOW by clicking on the following links:
Section I: Introduction
Section II: VOW Rules
Section III: VOW Forms
Section IV: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Section V: VOW Data Sets - Displaying Data on your VOW Quick Guide
Section VI: VOW Fees
VOW Decision
To better understand if a VOW or Internet Data Exchange (IDX) is the better choice for your business model, view a quick guide to MLS Searches on Broker Websites.
Vendor Information
Vendors who desire access to MLS data should conform to the policies set forth in the ARMLS Content Access Policy.
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