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Movoto Real Estate

Is This Your Business?
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3.1

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 26th, 2024

Movoto, Inc. is an online real estate company that was founded in 2005. Movoto is very picky about who it selects to include in its listing of agents; in fact, Movoto was one of the few companies in the industry that set extremely high standards for its realtors. To be a Movoto realtor, one must have the following background in real estate and qualifications:

  • A minimum of 3 years of experience in local real estate (for a market area)
  • Successful negotiation at least 10 real estate transactions per year
  • Professionalism, integrity and a passionate interest in the quality of the home-buying experience

Movoto also has an extensive knowledge base for homebuyers in the form of its website blog, "Movoto Insider." The blog is broken into sections, as follows:

  • Best Places to Live: Articles that highlight areas and cities, such as the ten best smallest cities to live.
  • Safest Places: The safest places to live in each state. These articles are upgraded annually.
  • Move To: An article about facts for a city you might want to know before you move there.
  • Understand: Facts that you might want to know about a new city once you are a resident.

Movoto's toll-free number is also designed to get real estate agents and prospective homeowners talking. There is a four-step process to using Movoto: (1) Browse the website as long as you'd like (no fees for subscriptions), (2) Contact Movoto (they set you up with a real estate agent), (3) Schedule an appointment with your assigned realtor, and finally, (4) Buy and complete the move-in process if you decide to purchase your home.

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The Good

  • Toll-free number
  • Blog
  • Pictures
The first thing that we noticed about Movoto's website was the toll-free number. When we looked at Trulia, we couldn't find a direct contact number to get in touch with an agent. With Movoto, the toll-free number plays an important role in getting the customer in touch with an experienced realtor. With other websites, such as Trulia, we noticed a high level of frustration with realtors who had a tough time getting leads. This wasn't the case with Movoto, as customers are set up with an experienced realtor who shows the property. Another thing that we liked about Movoto was the website's blog. Movoto has all the resources in place to help educate a potential homebuyer on the culture, demographics, and amenities associated with their new locale. While Trulia and other websites have scores for a home, we found that Movoto did a great job of getting their customers information. We liked that certain parts of the blog, such as the safest cities to live in each state, were updated on an annual basis. We had to browse a little bit on each home listing to find information about crime statistics and schools. On the side of the page, there is a little bar graph that has information on crime, household income, and other demographics for the new home. If you click on the "Full Demographics" link, a plethora of information is available, much more intensive than websites such as Zillow and Trulia. Another positive attribute of Movoto is the number of pictures for each property. We looked at a property in California. We found over twenty pictures of the home's exterior and interior. In fact, the only critique of the photos provided was that the home's exterior shots seemed a bit trivial. We would have liked to see more pictures of the interior of the property. Another positive attribute of the Movoto website was being able to select a home with a pool on the map search function. Other websites did not have a pool search feature. While most homeowners might not want a pool, this made the website a little bit more attractive to use over Trulia and Zillow, in our opinion.
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The Bad

  • Reviews
We found few things to complain about with Movoto. The one complaint came from a realtor who wanted to complain about a fake review. Movoto responded by saying that it does not accept responsibility for the content of reviews. Movoto did not take down the fake review and the complaining realtor did not accept Movoto's resolution of the dispute. To maintain its excellent communication between customers and realtors, Movoto might want to monitor reviews of its website more diligently. Some of the photos on Movoto's website were a little bit irrelevant to the online homebuyer. One listing in California provided several photos of the exterior of a listing, including a photo of the skyline. The photos of the interior of the home were adequate, but more would be better.
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The Bottom Line

Here is what we liked about Movoto, which would make us recommend them for the prospective homeowner:
  • The most detailed demographic listings for a property in the industry, especially in comparison to Trulia and other similar websites. While Trulia has a walking and transit score, we found that addresses for nearby grocery stores and businesses were included on Movoto's site.
  • Excellent beginning-to-end service for customers using the website. Customers for Movoto are immediately set up with a realtor on their call-in, moving them towards buying a home quicker.
  • A detailed search listing for homes, including number of beds/baths, square footage, price, and even a "pool" filtering option.
Here is what we would like to see improved on Movoto:
  • More relevant photos for homes that focus on the "saleable" areas of the home (we didn't find the skyline photo from the CA listing to be particularly helpful for customers).
Overall, we felt that Movoto was a better service for customers in comparison to other sites. Movoto has high qualifications for its real estate agents, including three years of experience and ten transactions per year.
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Star Rating

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2.4

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51 Reviews

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4 grade

4%

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10%

2 grade

6%

1 grade

55%

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DLC

When I started accepting leads from OJO (now known as Movoto) a few years ago, it was great. The leads were properly vetted and they actually led to transactions. Fast forward to 2024 and the whole thing has changed. I would estimate that a little over a year ago they started forwarding leads using a process very similar to Zillow, meaning unless you fork out $$, you get crap leads, despite the fact they keep an average of 35% of the commission once a sale closes. The leads I've been getting for the past 6-8 months have been worthless. Most of the people I called either had no idea they were being transferred to an actual real estate agent or they were falsely represented in the lead summary. I can't tell you how many leads I've received that indicated the person was interested in homes in the $350,000 and up range only to get them on the phone and realize they loved a house in that price range but could only afford under $100,000. Such a complete waste of my time because in my market, there's NOTHING under $100,000 and I don't even work with that price range. My second complaint about these leads is they switched to a "live transfer" methodology, but if I were to "win" the lead, the caller never got transferred. What a joke. I finally told them to remove me from their lead service. I have better things to do with my time than chase after dead leads.

3 months ago Edited August 26, 2024

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Tina Katz Sunnyvale, CA

I had a great experience with Movoto when I was selling my house. The agent I worked with was super knowledgeable about my neighborhood and gave me a very accurate home valuation. I was able to sell for 10% over my asking price which made me a very happy camper. Would recommend the service to a friend. The customer support was extremely nice. Not sure if something changed on their end but my experience was top notch.

7 years ago

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Life of Frog South Bend, IN

This app really helps you find current homes on the market. It is updated frequently so you have a better chance of seeing properties that just came on the market or are still on the market, unlike other apps. The auto search that emails you when a new home comes on the market that meets your search criteria is great!

2 years ago

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Mel B Aliso Viejo, CA

Movoto is a fantastic real estate site, provides an abundance of property and neighborhood information, extremely user friendly, and a fabulous layout!!! Movoto has extraordinary real estate agents to assist in all your real estate transactions. My go to site for looking for real estate,

4 years ago

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Anne Sainsbury Orem, UT

I recently started using Movoto while we were looking at buying a home. We signed up to get emails from them with homes in our price range and we were able to see a lot of different options. The listings on the main page focus on showing how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are which is nice to see right off the bat. I wish they had more info in those small listings, but once you go to the main listing, you are able to learn a lot about each property. I will definitely use them again when we are back in the market.

3 years ago

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Sherman Taylor

It's kind of hard to really give a review on here I'll try my best a lot of the agents they don't complete their profile so you're left in the air as to are they active or are they still working in the San Antonio area where I'm living cuz I might be in the pump for another place to stay here pretty soon and I've been looking for a well maybe a real estate agent or a company that can work with me since I am disabled maybe they can help me out and get some grants going to help me with the down payment on a rental home or something like that I'm really would love that on my own home finally I never had that that's one of the few things I never accomplished in my life is owning my own home have my name on that paperwork have my name on that deed and having it with pride and knowing that I worked hard for in this company at first it looked and texting I actually did a lot of searching to it till I came across like one name and this one name is in a lot of the real estate agencies I've been looking at and I think I'm I won't have a chance because she's already been in contact with me I ain't going to say with what or how or why but yeah she contacted me and I'm thinking I'm probably going to be blacklisted because I speak the truth and I only believe in the truth people only live when they're afraid of somebody and I don't lie because only God scares me my mom too but she passed away a long time ago I don't like you know negativity and all that drama I just want to finally breasts and under my own roof that's all I've been looking for I don't want no issues I hope they get back to me cuz they have a lot of nice listings on there they have a lot of wonderful people working there I hope they do because like I said that some of their agents that they got working there I don't have the updated profiles some are outdated as far as back as 2011 2012 and it makes me want to go to maybe century 21 or one of those other companies but we'll see I emailed them and I left them in my present message and describing my situation and I'll be looking for a place to move into either apartment or a house or whatever they can put me in quick and I don't care if it's a shack I don't care if it's a wrong room I don't even care if it's a toilet with a three balls and a roof over my head like an outhouse and I'm at a point in my life now that I'm cool with that lol

1 year ago

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Audrey Macfarlane Dallas, TX

Movoto real estate has been a site I find myself returning to over and over again, they have always tended to have the most up to date information and, as a real estate agent, that's something I need to have. They're a really exceptional company and I felt that they deserved five stars from me.

2 years ago

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Kyla Lisa

Movoto real estate fails to accurately represent its estimate of the value of a home by hundreds of thousands of dollars I have been drawn to the movoto real estate and I find out later that the value was unrealistically identified and not representative of market value 

5 months ago

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Mike Bowen Sacramento, CA

Lee L of Movoto called me and said he was an investor and wanted to see my house in Fresno to make an offer. I told him that it takes 2 1/2 hours for me to drive to Fresno to show him the house. I asked him if he was an agent and he said NO, and that he was a buyer. I drove 200 miles to meet with him and when I got to my home, he drove up but parked on the street, next door. I told him that he could park in my driveway, but he didn’t. I spent 1 hour showing him the house, but he didn’t seem to be too interested in the house and did not ask any questions and that seemed very odd. I had a for sale sign by owner posted and after he left, his behavior seemed really odd so I called a few people and they told me about him. He was not there as a buyer as he said he was. He was not there as an investor as he said he was. I realized that he was there to size me up and to try to get me to give him the listing for my home in Fresno and not sell it myself as the owner. This guy is very dishonest, very creepy and lied to me every time I asked him questions and he avoided answering many other questions. Others knew about him because they had heard from others that he did the same thing with them. I would not ever do any business with him or Movoto . Look elsewhere if you are looking for an agent.

1 year ago

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William Rathert Orlando, FL

My property is listed on the website as a deal. It is 50 percent lower than market value. I get calls from agents wanting to purchase the property, sometimes 5 a day. I requested they take the listing down as the property has not been listed for sale for over 9 years. Mariah N responded saying I had to contact the listing agent, which happens to be Movoto since there is no other listing agent. Broken processes and incorrect data are driving an outdated algorithm. I am contacting the Better Business Bureau at this point.

1 year ago

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Kenneth Lamb Phoenix, AZ

The worst lender I’ve ever experience they give you a top 5% realtor which figures out how much more fees etc that they can charge you with even when your approval letter…I’ve dealt with Amanda a…man what a slick realtor…beware of this lender with this particular realtor…was at the end of closing all I had to do was wait for her while she was hoping to convince me all the while tacking on fees which she was hoping I would agree since I was at the very end of the closing process and the approval letter expired today…thanks for nothing. Ken Lamb

1 year ago

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Jennifer Hulteen Hilliard, OH

I bought a home which was only listed and not sold by Movoto. Movoto removed and then put all of my home photos back online a year later, hung up on requests to remove photos, have clueless workers in customer service, confused my property with another sold property for 2 years, and asks me by text to sign up for a tour of my own property!!!! relentless texts, emails, agents calling--cannot remove myself from the suffocating grasp of this awful company. BEWARE

1 year ago

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Laura Galindo Aliso Viejo, CA

I have requested house viewing and they never have called me or responded to my emails, I call in and they tell me they will pass my message to an agent and they will get back to me (OF COURSE THEY DON'T) I ask why can you help me, since no one responds to my messages, no good reason responds. But the moment I requested for possibility of buy, emails, text, calls of agents. Now I don't trust them and would not look for a purchase with them. Frustrating , CAN'T count on them to call, text or email you to view a house....

1 year ago

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Susan Maldonado El Cajon, CA

The receptionist took all my info, for the application, and didn't even allow me to ask questions about the home, which this is not a good way to do business, and she had already made up her mind, I wouldn't qualify, which she should never make those choices , when all she is a receptionist, nothing more " ...The banks are the ones who make the final response of qualifying. Please make necessary changes in your company to make your place a better Real Estate Company " ..Thanks Susan M..."

2 years ago

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Bernard Terway Cedar Park, TX

I am in the market for a new home because my son is moving to central Texas. I saw a listing by this company, asked for more information and have now been inundated with notifications about houses for sale. I have done everything in my power to stop them, but they continue to send notifications, it seems, in tranches! Do not give them your email address. If you do, yo will regret it!

2 years ago

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joseph calogero Bethlehem, PA

Unfortunately I am wasting my time with this company. They hired arrogant ignorant realtors, here 2 examples: 1) Mr. G always tangled in family issues and trip to New York instead to focus. 2)Jesse R calling with A to Z in Spanish names. flooding my e mail site with unwanted junks , unwanted listings and be super sensitive like a sissy........ and by the way,,,, I pay CASH. 3) A moron from management calling from Lancaster apologizing and then getting tangled in accent and language issues. Please, stay away from this company since are good for nothing.

3 years ago

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Susan Warrington Manlius, NY

We thought they were credible and used them extensively in our search for a retirement home in a complicated market in a small resort town. After months of using them I have concluded that they are either influenced by realtors and manipulate their numbers or they don’t know what they are doing. Being a mathematician I understand how math works and how these things are calculated but Movoto is way off! The math doesn’t add up. Swings in value of $79,000 in a 12 hour period? Their comps are not applied properly either. I highly suspect their numbers are influenced by realtors.

3 years ago

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Chiraz Salhi Falls Church, VA

I just called Movoto to get a answer about a property in listed on Movoto that's on Gaithersburg . I got the most RUDE , unprofessional person on the phone that didn't have an answer whether or not the property was available or not , told Ariel you're wasting my time if you didn't know you should've put an agent on the phone from the get go. I asked him for a supervisor he kept on laughing , put me on hold twice he won't put a supervisor on the phone .DON'T call them for any of their listings, try Redfin or Zillow they have the same listings are professional and very helpful .

7 years ago

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Leshia Johnson Jupiter, FL

I have been a Movoto subscriber and devotee/fan for many years. Last week I got a negative campaign ad mixed in the real estate feed. I took time to express my concerns to Customer Service. "Oh, that must have been a mistake. Our policy is to stay out of the political arena" This afternoon is another negative campaign ad in my real estate feed. This is unacceptable. I will be cancelling my relationship with Movoto.

8 years ago

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Nini

I was able to find affordable house base on my budget. Gave me a better understanding of what to expect as a final price for the property in the area I selected.

1 year ago Edited July 14, 2023

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Kami T Pickens, SC

Movato real estate company utilizes various ways to capture the vibe of each home that is listed! Great way to find a home!! Makes the home buying process much easier!!

1 year ago Edited April 5, 2023

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Rafael Matthew Jamaica Plain, MA

Movoto Real Estate is a good platform for anyone looking to buy or sell a home. Their website is user-friendly and provides up-to-date listings. Furthermore, their agents are knowledgeable and always available to answer questions or provide advice. I recommend Movoto Real Estate for anyone looking to make a real estate purchase or sale.

1 year ago

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Vanessa Rohrs Springfield, MO

It’s really just okay. There isn’t anything horribly bad or good about it. I don’t use it because I typically use Zillow or Trulia because I find they have easier access to the information I’m seeking and it’s already at my fingertips in the form of an aesthetically pleasing app.

2 years ago

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Nate Lakewood, OH

You can never get your photos removed from their website cause you need to sign up, email them, call them multiple times, and be transferred to three departments who don't know what they are doing!

10 months ago

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Katia M Brooklyn, NY

The worse , worse worse ever !!! Biggest liars when they tel’ you z property is for sale and they don’t have it and try to get u to buy something else!!! Very rude , nasty service !! Don’t do business with them total scam!!!! Disgusting !!!

2 years ago

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Rakim Carpenter Tulsa, OK

Looking for an apartment in Tulsa is an ordeal, but Scarlett did everything she could to make it as simple and Chill as possible. She knows the market and its tricks perfectly, always arrives super prepared, has an answer to everything, and never puts pressure on the buyer.

2 years ago Edited July 11, 2022

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Sue Monroe Belle Glade, FL

Very aggravating, and annoying. And unhelpful. Asked about property asking me if I'm buying am I paying in cash? Etc. Stated the property is not available then I stated I was interested in something else stated to contact them back if I need help. Haha I wouldn't contact you idiots if I wanted to buy a cow.

2 years ago

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Adam Harris Orem, UT

If you like having an agent forced down your throat in order to get any information on a property, you'll absolutely love this company! No matter how many times you ask, even politely, they first must know all the details about an agent or push one of theirs on you.

2 years ago

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Jessica Swanson San Jacinto, CA

My experience with Mark C in Fresno, CA has ensured that I will NEVER do business with Movoto Real Estate. Movoto purports to vet its brokers for those of the highest quality and ethics. Not so with Mark C. What a disappointment.

2 years ago

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Anthony Essex

They sent us an Absolutely, Fantastic Realtor Tim H with Crown Real Estate Group out of Swartz Creek

2 years ago

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Richard Head Portland, OR

Movoto is pricing listings 25,000$ up 80,000$ off the MLS listing price. Which is miss leading information. Better know as false advertisement so others will look at their houses. Strongly recommend for everyone to not trust these people. Very shady how they do business!

2 years ago Edited December 15, 2021

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Angel Gomez Fresno, CA

incompetence beyond believe. agents don't answer phone, don't update customer, poorly trained and don't know their job. I don't understand how they're in business. My worst nightmare selling my house through Molotovo. Stay away, use century 21 or london properties; avoid stress and headaches.

5 years ago

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RBK Garden City, ID

Great up to date company. My home in Murphys California has been on the market for weeks and Movoto still shows it as not on the market. Laughing at their professionalism. Who do they hire to do their work? How is on to get potential clients when they have inaccurate information. I would not believe anything they display.

6 years ago

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Sam Hardine Canyon Country, CA

This company has my personal information listed on the property. They have me listen as an agent and i don't understand why they have my personal info listed. The person I spoke to was very rude and did not help me.

1 year ago

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Heather H Sanford, FL

Movoto Real Estate has accurate information in their descriptions and makes searching a breeze.

1 year ago

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Natalie

They put an inaccurate estimate of my home online without any supporting documentation. When I tried to call to discuss it was extremely difficult to reach anyone.

1 year ago

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cyn dezu Broken Arrow, OK

Home owners are unable to rectify inaccurate "facts" Movoto masquerades as legitimate appraisers. Home owners deserve to have their information delivered correctly or removed.

6 years ago

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Mary Thomas

The ability to speak with a Real Estate agent is fantastic. Movoto service is much better than other other company online.

7 years ago

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Arooj Naeem

Movoto Real Estate's informative listings and market insights played a crucial role in my decision-making process.

1 year ago

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C. Ward Lutherville-Timonium, MD

Love the accuracy and website is easy to use love how they breakdown and give ratings on schools crime etc

1 year ago

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Chef Cat A 2 Z Living Well Solutions White Plains, NY

This site had a little more intentionality in showing unique aspects to the perspective properties we viewed while online.

1 year ago

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Faith Marie Friedrich Chicago, IL

Never found a property close to grocery stores, a pharmacy, gasoline or ethanol refueling station. Houses most that I could afford were in higher crime areas.

1 year ago

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K . Castillo South Gate, CA

Website not up to date. They claim to have more listings than the competitors but several of their listings are old and already off market. Bad advertising.

5 years ago

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Maya My McDonough, GA

Good listings but the pricing for their listings seems vastly higher than other sites, so I didn't ponder for long. I was barely able to find homes within my price range.

1 year ago

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Katherine Alvarado Oroville, CA

Movoto is hurting our sales and listings. They need to take down their estimated home value. They need to keep their opinions to themselves.

6 years ago

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Jane Pittner Tacoma, WA

They have very rude customer service. Unhelpful. Stay away. Nothing but stress and headaches. Do not follow the rules. Unprofessional.

9 years ago

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Omion Mandosa Fayetteville, NC

MOVOTO ADVERTISE THEIR HOMES WITH DETAIL INFORMATION ON ALL OF THEIR HOMES.

1 year ago

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Carlos Gomez

The legal description of my house is a single family ,movoto show it as a condo,always wrong in every thing.

2 years ago

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Maria Perez

Email faster when you subscribe to find a home.

1 year ago

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Ilspbeth Bruce

this is a little obscure but a good site with some good information.

1 year ago Edited April 11, 2023