Sunday, September 28, 2003

For real estate agents, it's a whole new world
By SYDNEYLEAVENS / Monitor staff

Three years ago, a new technology hit the market that enabled Realtors to post complete lists of all the properties for sale in their area on their Web sites. Now, a new Web design firm in Wolfeboro hopes to spread the technology throughout New Hampshire.

Agentmaster LLC is one of few companies in the Northeast that offer Internet Data Exchange, better known as IDX, according to Chief Operating Officer Paul Morgan.

Approved by the National Association of Realtors, IDX gives agencies access not only to their own listings but also to those of their competitors. If a customer chooses a competitor's listing, the two agencies share the commission.

" Realtors love it; it means that every agent in the world can display their listings," Morgan said.

The idea of sharing real estate listings isn't new. For years, realtors have used similar lists at their offices. But until IDX came along, they could only post their own listings on their Web sites. If they wanted to give customers more choices, they had to refer them to competitors' Web sites.

Agentmaster designs Web sites exclusively for realtors. Started six months ago, it now has three employees and is opening a second office in New Jersey.

Web sites cost $1,499, followed by monthly fees of $99 to keep listings through IDX up to date. For more information, call the company at 1-800-569-6017 or check out its Web site, www.agentmaster.com.

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