So you’re an agent working with a prospective home buyer, and your client wants to see a particular home.
You call the listing agent; the listing agent calls the seller. The listing agent calls back the buyer’s agent, and that agent gets in touch with the buyer.
Maybe there is a bit of phone tag in the process. And if all goes well, the agent and buyer will show up at the scheduled time to see the home.
That’s the way that showings have historically been arranged — but it’s not the most efficient way, said Jason Moser, creator and president of Bookashowing.com.
Moser built an automated system, now in use by two Realtor association-operated multiple listing services in Wisconsin, that allow listing agents, showing agents, buyers and sellers to communicate through the Internet and to schedule and view appointments.
Showing agents can also offer feedback to sellers and listing agents about buyers’ interest and comments for visited properties.
Moser has made his mom, Val Moser, proud — she is a longtime real estate agent in Eau Claire, Wis., where Bookashowing.com is based.
“She thinks its fantastic,” he said. “There are so many people who don’t keep track of appointments that well.” Moser demonstrated the system Friday at a trade expo held during a National Association of Realtors annual legislative conference.
Agents who want to show a property to their clients can enter an MLS number for the property, and request a day and time for the showing. The system notifies the listing agent by e-mail about the request.
If there is already an appointment booked at that time, the system automatically notifies the buyer’s agent that the requested time is not available.
Agents can view a complete list of scheduled and requested showings. The requests are color-coded to denote whether they are approved, pending or denied.
Agents’ buyer clients can view all of their scheduled showing appointments, and sellers and listing agents can view a list of the scheduled showing times and review property comments and ratings entered by buyers’ agents.
The site can display individual feedback received, as well as average ratings of the property, and a comparison of this average for other area properties in a similar price range.
System users can click on individual appointment listings to view property photos and maps.
Moser conceptualized the Web tool and wrote the software. The system launched in August 2005, and Moser said he hopes to expand the service into other areas.
