Consumers don't want to be 'captured'

There are plenty of Web sites out there that have free home searches on them. Some of the sites mention "free" more than once. I have been doing some research, and I am not finding any sites where I am expected to pay money to search for homes. I wonder why so many sites use the words "free home search." Is it someone's idea of transparency?

All rights reserved. This article may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.