Information Revolution Hits Realtors
From talking real estate signs to video discs with pictures and information on houses on the market, the continuing electronic information revolution is changing the way Southland real estate brokers are doing business.
The talking sign, pioneered in this area by R. R. Gable Inc., Northridge, doesn’t really talk, explained Roger Hance, president of the firm. It’s wired with a continuous radio message that gives basic information about the house--enough to either make the prospect stop for a personal look or move on to something that meets his needs.
All the prospective client has to do it approach the sign and LORA (localized radio advertising) takes over, provided the client tunes his AM radio dial to the frequency indicated on the sign.
These miniature radio stations are the creation of a Tempe, Ariz., firm that has sold exclusive distributorship rights to Gable Technologies Inc., 9324 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, headed by Steve Pfrenzinger.
Begin Operation
Starting Tuesday, the LORA signs will be in operation at more than 150 San Fernando Valley listings of R.R. Gable Inc., according to Hance, who added that on that day he will be the operator of the most radio stations in California.
Gable Technologies Inc. plans to lease the LORA system to other brokers throughout the nation, Pfrenzinger added. He admitted that this is not the first time radio has been used to market real estate at the site.
“What makes LORA different from previous attempts is that the radio transmission actually occurs from the real estate sign post, rather than from within the house, and is driven by a modified cassette player in the home,” Pfrenzinger said.
Comsell Realty Showcase and Video Listing Systems are two electronic video systems in operation in California. Both systems capture pictures and information about houses on laser video discs, but there are substantial differences between the two.
Comsell, a national system, was first implemented in California by another San Fernando Valley realty firm, Jerry Berns & Associates, Sherman Oaks.
Among the other firms using Comsell are Century 21 Bud Margolin Realty, Studio City; Century 21 Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks; James R. Gary, Woodland Hills; R. R. Gable, Northridge, and two Orange County-based firms, Seven Gables Real Estate and McGarvey Clark Realty.
Comsell is in operation in its headquarters city of Atlanta, as well as New York City, Seattle, Houston, Austin, Tex., and Boston. The Los Angeles office is at 1900 Sepulveda Blvd.
Prints Out Information
The Illinois Assn. of Realtors is also using the system and the San Fernando Valley Board of Realtors--one of the largest in the nation with more than 7,000 members--is weighing the merits of various systems.
Real estate broker Jerry Berns explained that the Comsell system uses a laser video disc player, a television monitor and a thermal printer that prints out any information displayed on the screen as a permanent record for the prospective buyer.
“The system also offers the capability of being hooked up to an IBM PC or compatible computer,” he said. “This would increase the capability of the system to print out more pictures and information and have a greater search ability.”
The listings are categorized on the discs by city, neighborhood and price. Each listing has an exterior photo and a data panel with information much like the Multiple Listing Service sheet: Number of bedrooms, size of house and lot, year built and type of architecture.
Updated Biweekly
The video disc, which holds up to 108,000 pictures or data frames--25,000 to 30,000 listings--is updated every two weeks.
Fred Sands Realtors on the Westside and the San Fernando Valley, Mike Glickman Realty, Tarzana, and more than two dozen other firms in the San Gabriel Valley are using the VLS system, according to Lori Fena, vice president operations of Video Listing Systems, 55 N. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Each disc has about 54,000 pictures or 5,000 properties, she added.
A basic package which incorporates an IBM PC computer, displays various rooms of the house and offers an extensive search feature that provides details on specific areas can be purchased for just under $10,000, she said. The cost can be as low as $260 a month on a lease basis, and a system that is almost directly competitive with the Comsell system can be purchased for about $1,500, minus the computer.
“We think that several pictures of a house are more useful to the consumer than a single picture,” said VLS President Glenn Hightower. “We think we will have better staying power with our customers because we think they are more likely to the system on a steady basis.”
