Communication system and method between a home buyer, seller, strategic business source, and lender

• US 8,719,152 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Homescout LLC
• Original Assignee: Preferred Home Buyers Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Polston, Stephen M., Vennie, Aaron Matthew, Colville, Jeffrey Matthew, Hiller, Michelle Patrice, Steele, Ronald J., Skallman, Joan Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M.
• Application Number:
  US13/685,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A computerized system and method are presented for exchanging information between a buyer, a seller, a lender, and a strategic business source. The system permits sellers, lenders and strategic business sources to input buyers that are then submitted for activation. The buyers use the system to obtain information about items, while the sellers, lenders, and strategic business sources make consistent contact with the buyer in order to work with the buyer. Information about the buyers is shared with the sellers, lenders, and strategic business sources. A business plan is input into the system for the financial institution employing the lender while another business plan is input for the seller institution employing the seller. Activity on the computerized system is calculated for compliance with the business plan. Feedback is provided to management relating to whether the business plan is being met.

Claims

1. A computerized method for allowing mortgage lenders to act as a gateway to a computerized system that provides real estate listing information, the computerized method comprising:

a) creating in an electronic database in the computerized system the following database records;

i) buyer records,

ii) agent records,

iii) strategic business source records, and

iv) lender records;

b) creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate;

i) a selected buyer record with a selected agent record,

ii) the selected agent record with a selected lender record, and

iii) a selected strategic business source record with the selected lender record;

c) storing financial information and buyer search criteria for the selected buyer record in the electronic database;

d) providing

i) a selected buyer interface to the computerized system to a buyer identified by the selected buyer record,

ii) a selected lender interface to the computerized system to a lender identified by the selected lender record, and

iii) a selected strategic business source interface to the computerized system to a strategic business source identified by the selected strategic business source record;

e) withholding access in the selected buyer interface to desired real estate listing information until the selected buyer record is activated;

f) presenting, through the selected lender interface, the financial information for the selected buyer record;

g) receiving, through the selected lender interface, a request to activate the selected buyer record, wherein the selected buyer record cannot be activated except through the selected lender interface;

h) activating the selected buyer record after receiving the request to activate; and

i) after activation of the selected buyer record, granting access to the desired real estate listing information to the selected buyer interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected strategic business source interface receives buyer information stored in the selected buyer record of the electronic database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the database, a plurality of buyer records are associated with a plurality of agent records, and a plurality of agent records are associated with a plurality of lender records, wherein each agent record is associated with only a single lender record and further wherein each buyer record is associated with only a single agent record.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, within the database, a plurality of strategic business source records are associated with a plurality of lender records, wherein each selected strategic business source record is associated only a single lender record.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a separate strategic business source interface is provided for each strategic business source identified by the plurality of strategic business source records, and further wherein each of the separate strategic business source interfaces includes an ability to create new buyer records, with each new buyer record created by a particular strategic business source interface automatically being associated in the database with the particular strategic business source record associated with the particular strategic business source interface, and further wherein each new buyer record is also associated with that lender record associated with the particular strategic business source record.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising withholding access in each buyer interface provided to one of a plurality of buyers identified by the plurality of buyer records until the buyer record for that buyer is activated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a particular buyer record can only be activated through a particular lender interface associated with a particular lender record, wherein the particular lender record for the particular buyer record is determined by:

i) determining a particular agent record associated in the database with the particular buyer record, and

ii) assigning the particular lender record to be that lender record associated in the database with the particular agent record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a first and second plurality of strategic business source records are linked with a first and second agent record respectively, and wherein the first and second agent records are linked with a single lender record, whereby the first and second plurality of strategic business source records are linked to the single lender record through links to the first and second agent records.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein any new buyer records associated with one of the strategic business source records in the first and second pluralities of strategic business source records is associated in the database with the single lender record.

10. A computer for allowing a mortgage lender to act as a gateway to a computerized system that provides real estate listing information to a buyer working with a real estate agent comprising:

a) a processor operating programming instructions, and

b) a tangible computer readable medium containing programming instructions for the processor, the programming instructions comprising;

i) programming for creating in an electronic database operated by the computer the following database records;

(1) buyer records,

(2) agent records,

(3) strategic business source records, and

(4) lender records;

ii) programming for creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate;

(1) a selected buyer record with a selected agent record,

(2) the selected agent record with a selected lender record, and

(3) a selected strategic business source record with the selected lender record;

iii) programming for storing financial information and buyer search criteria for the selected buyer record in the electronic database,

iv) programming for providing;

(1) a selected buyer interface to the computer to a buyer identified by the selected buyer record,

(2) a selected lender interface to the computer to a lender identified by the selected lender record, and

(3) a selected strategic business source interface to the computer to a strategic business source identified by the selected strategic business source record;

v) programming that;

(1) withholds access in the selected buyer interface to desired real estate listing information until the selected buyer record is activated;

(2) presents, through the selected lender interface, the financial information for the selected buyer record;

(3) receives, through the selected lender interface, a request to activate the selected buyer record, wherein the selected buyer record cannot be activated except through the selected lender interface;

(4) activates the selected buyer record after receiving the request to activate; and

(5) after activation of the selected buyer record, grants access to the desired real estate listing information to the selected buyer interface.

11. The computer of claim 10, further comprising programming for creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate a plurality of buyer records with a plurality of agent records and a plurality of agent records with a plurality of lender records, wherein each agent record is associated with only a single lender record and further wherein each buyer record is associated with only a single agent record.

12. The computer of claim 11, wherein, within the database, a plurality of strategic business source records are associated with a plurality of lender records, wherein each selected strategic business source record is associated only a single lender record.

13. The computer of claim 12, further comprising programming for providing a separate strategic business source interface for each strategic business source identified by the plurality of strategic business source records, and further wherein each of the separate strategic business source interfaces includes an ability to create new buyer records, with each new buyer record created by a particular strategic business source interface automatically being associated in the database with the particular strategic business source record associated with the particular strategic business source interface, and further wherein each new buyer record is also associated with that lender record associated with the particular strategic business source record.

14. The computer of claim 11, further comprising programming that withholds access in each buyer interface provided to one of a plurality of buyers identified by the plurality of buyer records until the buyer record for that buyer is activated.

15. The computer of claim 14, further comprising programming that allows a particular buyer record to be activated only through a particular lender interface associated with a particular lender record, wherein the particular lender record for the particular buyer record is determined by:

i) determining a particular agent record associated in the database with the particular buyer record, and

ii) assigning the particular lender record to be that lender record associated in the database with the particular agent record.