METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REAL ESTATE AGENT TRACKING AND EXPERTISE DATA GENERATION

• US 20110145159A1
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZipRealty Incorporated (Realogy Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ZipRealty Incorporated (Realogy Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wilson, James, Davis, Michael, McNeill, Jeffrey, Silva, Mark, Combes, Genevieve C.
• Application Number:
  US13/027,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145159A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a real estate management application with a “property check-in” feature that enables the agent to automatically check-in at each property location. Subsequent to entering a given property, the agent selects the check-in feature in a mobile real estate service application, allowing the real estate service to determine a present geographic location of the agent. Using this, the service identifies an MLS location of the client and uses corresponding MLS information to update a tracking entry associated with the agent. In embodiments, the tracking entry enables the real estate service to maintain accurate expertise history for each agent.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a real estate agent'"'"'s property visits, the method comprising:

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s current location based on a geographic position of the real estate agent'"'"'s wireless device;

matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specific MLS-listed property located at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location; and

automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property in an expertise entry associated with the real estate agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expertise entry includes one or more categories, each category corresponding to a specific MLS attribute.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein automatically designating the real estate agent as having toured the specific MLS-listed property in an expertise entry further comprises:

retrieving MLS entries associated with the specific MLS-listed property;

for each of the one or more categories included in the expertise entry, identifying a corresponding MLS entry associated with the specific MLS-listed property;

incrementing an expertise value associated with each of the one or more categories, wherein the expertise value for a given category is indicative of a total number of visits by the real estate agent to properties that include the given category as a native MLS attribute.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

subsequent to identifying the real estate agent'"'"'s current location and the specific MLS-listed property, and prior to automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property, verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry into the specific MLS-listed property.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry further comprises:

identifying a most recent lockbox key entry associated with the specific MLS-property;

verifying the most recent lockbox key entry against a lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent; and

proceeding with the automatic designation that the real estate agent visited the specific MLS-listed property only when the most recent lockbox entry verifies against the lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specified MLS-listed property further comprises:

if only one MLS-listing is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location, identifying the one MLS-listing as the specific MLS-listed property; and

if a plurality of MLS-listings is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location;

displaying indicators of the plurality of MLS-listings to the real estate agent;

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s selection of one of the indicators;

identifying a given MLS-listing corresponding to the user'"'"'s selection as the specific MLS-listed property.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the expertise entry is utilized to generate and display an expertise history of the real estate agent.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the expertise entry is utilized to track and verify a real estate agent'"'"'s visit to one or more given MLS properties.

9. A method for tracking a real estate agent'"'"'s property visits, the method comprising:

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s current location based on a geographic position of the real estate agent'"'"'s wireless device;

matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specific MLS-listed property located at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location;

identifying a most recent lockbox key entry associated with the specific MLS-property;

verifying the most recent lockbox key entry against a lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent;

subsequent to a successful verification, automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property in a tracking entry associated with the real estate agent.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specified MLS-listed property further comprises:

if only one MLS-listing is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location, identifying the one MLS-listing as the specific MLS-listed property; and

if a plurality of MLS-listings is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location;

displaying indicators of the plurality of MLS-listings to the real estate agent;

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s selection of one of the indicators;

identifying a given MLS-listing corresponding to the user'"'"'s selection as the specific MLS-listed property.

11. A method for tracking a real estate agent'"'"'s property visits to develop the real estate agent'"'"'s expertise information, the method comprising:

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s current location based on a geographic position of the real estate agent'"'"'s wireless device;

matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specific MLS-listed property located at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location;

automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property in an expertise entry associated with the real estate agent, wherein the expertise entry includes one or more categories, each category corresponding to a specific MLS attribute;

retrieving MLS entries associated with the specific MLS-listed property;

for each of the one or more categories included in the expertise entry, identifying a corresponding MLS entry associated with the specific MLS-listed property; and

incrementing an expertise value associated with each of the one or more categories, wherein the expertise value for a given category is indicative of a total number of visits by the real estate agent to properties that include the given category as a native MLS attribute.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

subsequent to identifying the real estate agent'"'"'s current location and the specific MLS-listed property, and prior to automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property, verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry into the specific MLS-listed property.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry further comprises:

identifying a most recent lockbox key entry associated with the specific MLS-property;

verifying the most recent lockbox key entry against a lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent; and

proceeding with the automatic designation that the real estate agent visited the specific MLS-listed property only when the most recent lockbox entry verifies against the lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent.

14. A system for tracking a real estate agent'"'"'s property visits, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory configured to store a set of instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the system to perform a method, the method including;

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s current location based on a geographic position of the real estate agent'"'"'s wireless device;

matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specific MLS-listed property located at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location; and

automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property in an expertise entry associated with the real estate agent.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the expertise entry includes one or more categories, each category corresponding to a specific MLS attribute.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein automatically designating the real estate agent as having toured the specific MLS-listed property in an expertise entry further comprises:

retrieving MLS entries associated with the specific MLS-listed property;

for each of the one or more categories included in the expertise entry, identifying a corresponding MLS entry associated with the specific MLS-listed property;

incrementing an expertise value associated with each of the one or more categories, wherein the expertise value for a given category is indicative of a total number of visits by the real estate agent to properties that include the given category as a native MLS attribute.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

subsequent to identifying the real estate agent'"'"'s current location and the specific MLS-listed property, and prior to automatically designating the real estate agent as having visited the specific MLS-listed property, verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry into the specific MLS-listed property.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein verifying the real estate agent'"'"'s physical entry further comprises:

identifying a most recent lockbox key entry associated with the specific MLS-property;

verifying the most recent lockbox key entry against a lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent; and

proceeding with the automatic designation that the real estate agent visited the specific MLS-listed property only when the most recent lockbox entry verifies against the lockbox designator associated with the real estate agent.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein matching the real estate agent'"'"'s current location with a specified MLS-listed property further comprises:

if only one MLS-listing is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location, identifying the one MLS-listing as the specific MLS-listed property; and

if a plurality of MLS-listings is identified at or near the real estate agent'"'"'s current location;

displaying indicators of the plurality of MLS-listings to the real estate agent;

receiving the real estate agent'"'"'s selection of one of the indicators;

identifying a given MLS-listing corresponding to the user'"'"'s selection as the specific MLS-listed property.