Comparison of online house trading websites

GoSwap.org
http://www.goswap.org
Pros
- allows free searches by various criteria, such as location, property type, value, equity position, and others
- many unique features, such as view what sellers are swapping for, make public or private swap proposals, view most wanted properties, etc.
- variety of listing upgrades including 20 images and a print ad in the Homes and Land magazine
- has a section devoted to educating the public about house trading. They even released a video on the subject. I watched it for free. Too bad they now charge for it.
- This is the only website from which I am receiving proposals to trade.

Cons
- Possibly because of the number of features offered, this website is more difficult to navigate. At times I feel it gives me too many options.
- Posting a free listing is also somewhat awkward because they want you to invite 5 friends to visit Goswap.org. I opted for a paid listing and posting was a little more straight forward.

Traffic: 25000
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10

Domuswap.com
http://www.domuswap.com
This site was featured a lot in the media in the last year
and a half and has recently switched to a very advanced social network platform.
Domuswap claims to have had over 6000 listings at one point. After switching to the new platform all listings were lost. Currently, it appears to have several hundred of listings. However, the number can not be distinguished between blog posts and actual listings.

Pros
- one of the easiest sites to register and insert a multi media listing
- all listings are entered in a blog-like format
I used to receive periodic inquiries before they switched to the new platform.

Cons
- lacks the number one prerequisite for a property trading website, which is the ability to produce matches based on entered search criteria
Unfortunately this social network is not working out for a house trading website.

Target Audience: mostly US with a few international listings
Traffic: currently 5000; received major media attention, which led to up to 30000 visitors/month traffic. It has recently declined to 5000 after they switched to the new platform
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10


OnlineHouseTrading.com
http://www.OnlineHouseTrading.com
has a mirror site House4Trade.com
- featured in media the most
- most misleading
- impossible to see what each property owner is swapping for
- little details on how to trade, even though it is portrayed in the media as the leading website for house trading
When placing my listing I realized that no one else is able to see my listing unless they pay. I upgraded my listing and paid $29.95 but that still did not open my listing to viewing to normal visitors. I conclude that everyone has to have an account to just view my listing. What shocked me the most is the number of listings that this site owners claim in the media. I have seen their claims as many as 50 000 listings. Yet, there was just one direct match on their website for my listing.
Searching for trades even with full membership is very cumbersome. Each search can be done within a narrow range e.g. 100-200, 300-400 listings. I have never received a single inquiry for my 3 listings even though I have received many from other websites.
Even searching by a known property ID from the home page is impossible as it requires registration and log in.

It is also impossible to determine the number of actual listings. The number they claim is exaggerated because each visitor is required to immediately enter account details in order to even try a simple search. So I could see that the same visitor could create multiple accounts to search for listings.
It appears that developers used an existing dating platform and tried adapting it for real estate. However, it lacks many of the features of a typical property listing site, such as, mapping and image gallery displays. As an example, to look at my own pictures I had to click each thumbnail to view the picture in a separate window and then close each window to look at the next image. I though this functionality was present back in the 90's. As you can see, looking at a listing can take a long time and quite an effort. This was the only website where I wanted my money back! (especially because most other swapping sites are free)

Pros
- 35000 visitors at one point according to Compete.com
- a lot of traffic in the last year mainly because of media coverage. It is however uncertain how users were able to navigate or use this website because they were required to register first.
- professional appearance
- fast loading website (at least after they removed that always talking lady from their homepage)
- easy to register
- Registration is free but after you register you are presented with the payment requirement before your listing can be activated.
- It appears to produce matches based on entered swap criteria however the matches are very limited

Traffic: 30000
Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

REE.com
http://www.ree.com/
is not a good fit for a first time house swapper
Pros
- one of the oldest house swap sites
- several thousands of listings but mostly old timers who have been using the site since early 2000
- it is possible to search by several criteria but overall searching is complicated
- gets 2000-3000 lately up to 8000 visitors a month
- fairly good documentation section and help files for users

Cons
- most listings include repetitive information that is part of the website but has not been updated by traders
- outdated platform
- it takes the user 3 pages to just submit a listing
Cost: basic is free, maximum is $50 for 30 days, and ultimate is $150 for 30 days
Target Audience: real estate professionals and 1031 exchangers
Traffic: 8000
Overall Rating: 5 out of 10

BestHouseSwap.com
http://www.besthouseswap.com

Pros
- one of the easiest websites to submit a listing, no account required
Cons

- searching is very primitive
- based on older outdated platform used for typical classifieds sites
- not much traffic
Listings are mostly free except featured. As mentioned above listing a property will only produce a few views per month.
Price: free (one picture, expiration in 3 months) or $29.95 for Premium incl. no expiration, many images & map
Traffic: 3000
Overall Rating: 5 out of 10

HomeTradeNationwide.com
http://hometradenationwide.com/
I have not posted my property, yet, because it appeared to be less popular than other sites.
Pros
- sleek looking website that allows searching by swap criteria
Cons
- has only a fraction in activity of other popular house trading websites

Cost: $6.95
Traffic: 300
Overall Rating: 4 out of 10

u-exchange.com
http://www.u-exchange.com/
One of the older sites on the subject.


Pros
- older site
- listings in various categories
- was fairly active a few years ago up until the fresh websites appeared
- managed to appear in major media articles
- used to get above 10000 visitors/month dmoz.org category listing
Cons
- does not specialize in real estate
- searching for trades is convoluted
- based on a very old classifieds platform that is outdated
- filled with extraneous advertising stirring the visitor away from its own content
- most listings are not real estate related but garage sale items and services
Cost: free
Traffic: 15000
Overall Rating: 3 out of 10

Pad4pad.com
http://www.pad4pad.com/
Pros
- has some house trading listings, but most ads are just regular for sale properties, foreclosures, garage sale items, cars, etc.

Pros
- was featured in some media articles, but appears to be not as popular as other sites
Cons
- is going into many different directions and not specifically into property trading
- you must be logged in and have a listing on Pad4pad.com to search for swaps
- a few listings in any of the categories

Price: $20
Traffic: 900
Overall Rating: 3 out of 10

TradeHomes.org
http://www.tradehomes.org/

Pros
- simple
Cons
- little content
Traffic: 400
Overall Rating: 1 out of 10

House4Trade.com
http://www.house4trade.com/
mirror site for OnlineHouseTrading.com

Cons
- no listings
- serves as a link farm
- forum filled with spam
Pros
none
Traffic: 200
Overall Rating: 0 out of 10


ThePropertySwap.com
http://www.thepropertyswap.com
British Website
Cost: 9.99 British pounds
Traffic: no data
Overall Rating: 0 out of 10


TradeYourHomeOnline.com
http://www.tradeyourhomeonline.com/
fresh start up
Pros
none

Cons
- unfinished
- not operational

Price: free
Traffic: 800
Overall Rating: 0 out of 10

In conclusion:
Some of these websites are a complete waste of time (if not money) because they have so little traffic and very few listings. Others claim that they have many listings but still produce no traffic or leads such as the case with OnlineHouseTrading.com. As I tested Goswap.org is the only website that submits listings to Trulia.com, Vast.com, Propsmart.com, byownermls.com, and Google base. I could not verify Odle.com. Some websites claim that they submit listings to other sites, but I could never verify that. Of course if it does not cost anything one can post, but I would think twice before giving anyone money no matter what they promise. If you think I missed something here please write and describe your experience so I can share it on this blog.