Cape & Islands News

Cape Realtors launch consumer-friendly Web site

Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors launches consumer-friendly Web site

Offers easy access to extensive data on properties for sale, rent

By James Kinsella

In an effort to reach out to younger generations who are more likely to seek information on the Web rather than in newspapers, the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors has introduced a consumer-friendly Web site for its Multiple Listing Service.

Henry DiGiacomo, chief excutive officer of both the board and listing service, said the new site, www.CapeAndIslandsMLS.com, offers robust, one-stop shopping for people looking to buy or rent properties on the Cape and Islands.

Board members said the site is the first listing service site in eastern Massachusetts with a database that can be searched by consumers. They said the site could offer a shot in the arm to the regional real estate market, where prices have fallen as demand has slumped.

The database offers access to residential and business listings, as well as current and historical market activity.

Jamie Regan, president of the board and the listing service, said the database is the most current and accurate array of Cape and Islands properties anywhere.

The site allows users to search the listing service database for properties using criteria including price range and town. The site also provides details on rentals, and information about open houses.

Regan said consumers over the past decade have become very comfortable using the Web to gather information about possible purchases.

Over the past year, Regan said, the board has been tapping the latest Web technology to launch a site that will appeal to these consumers.

Regan said the site offers a plethora of detailed information for people interested in buying or renting properties on the Cape and Islands. They also can customize their search to pinpoint the properties in which they're most interested.

Further, while a slew of information is available on a multitude of Web sites about houses for sale or rent, Regan said the new MLS Web site would offer consumers the kind of organized information they would value in their property searches.

The new site does represent a culture shift from an earlier business model commonly followed by Realtor boards. Brokers and agents often acted as gatekeepers on information about properties for sale or rent, compelling customers to come to them to learn about the best deals.

But Regan said the so-called Generation X and Generation Y - those people born after the Baby Boomers - are skilled in using the Web to put together information. These consumers won't put up with the gatekeeper approach, Regan said.

"They will find the [MLS] member, and find more information. It's like a shopping mall."
           - Henry DiGiacomo

Real estate firms on the Cape and Islands haven't been sitting back as the Web has surged in popularity. Many of them have developed their own Web sites.

Asked what the new MLS site would mean to these sites, DiGiacomo said it would help them rather than hurt them. Consumers who find a property they like can visit the listing broker's site for more information and to arrange an appointment for viewing.

"They will find the [MLS] member, and find more information," DiGiacomo said. "It's like a shopping mall."

DiGiacomo said the new site also may draw international or second-home buyers who weren't necessarily thinking of buying on the Cape and Islands.

Mike Kennedy, director of information technology for the association, directed the Web site development project.

"We started the project with a ground-up approach and designed the site to be efficient and simple to use," Kennedy said in a statement released by the association yesterday. "The information is easy to find, easy to read and comprehensive."

The site also contains a section set up to serve members accessible only to them.

The Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors and its MLS are headquartered on Mid-Tech Drive in West Yarmouth. The association, which has 2,300 members, has one of the only two independent MLS services owned and operated by Realtor associations in Massachusetts.