Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) November 6, 2007
ChoiceA thinks that the Internet has yet to change real estate to the extent that it should. Today, the company completed its regional beta and has launched their service nationally after establishing a user base in the Pacific Northwest.
Many would agree that the traditional practice of marketing real estate is an archaic system that has been slow to change with the times. ChoiceA will use current technologies to offer a free alternative and, over time, establish themselves as a first-in-thought alternative to using the MLS.
Historically using an agent has cost 6 or 7 percent of the purchase price -- a big dollar figure that ChoiceA founders feel is dated and unnecessary. ChoiceA has built a state-of-the-art site that is clean and easy-to-use. Clutter has been minimized and focus has been placed on usable ajax technologies that make the interface friendly without creating confusion.
The site offers drag and drop features, as well as sortable columns and free downloadable real estate forms. What looks simple on the surface is powered by fairly complex backend technologies.
The current system is not only esoteric in structure but also seemingly out-of-touch in the amount that is charged for connecting buyer and seller. ChoiceA believes that a national alternative to the MLS is overdue, and that the convergence of consumer empowerment-by-internet and broadband adoption create a perfect environment to shake up the real estate ecosystem. It is hard to imagine the MLS being forever unencumbered by competition and ChoiceA intends to be a viable alternative in the space.
The company does not aggregate or participate in the traditional model as they are not agents; contrarily they believe that there is a growing trend in Do It Yourself real estate and that the site will someday be a national alternative to using the MLS or an agent. ChoiceA does not intend to be just a free for sale by owner or FSBO site, but rather to create a 2nd national database for real estate listings. Additionally, the company says they are considering an API that would further allow for more of an 'open' alternative database.
Despite being a 2.0 offering that provides something for free, ChoiceA does plan to build a business atop the free alternative. Someday there will be embedded advertising on the site that fits with the clean design, as well as industry referral services and for-fee marketing materials.
The company leaves open the possibility of someday charging for a listing, but promises that it would be a long way off and even then a tiny fraction of the cost of the current model. There are currently $60 billion spent annually on real estate commissions and another $12-$15 billion on real estate related advertising. With the low costs currently associated with computing power and bandwidth ChoiceA won't have to carve out too much of a niche to allow their concept to take hold.
Site:
http://choiceA.com
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