Real Estate Database Aids Home Hunters

Recognizing that one of the most arduous tasks of buying a new home can be the drive from house to house, San Fernando Valley Realtors have pulled onto the information superhighway by creating a computerized listing of 32,000 properties for sale.

The database can be used by more than 8,000 Realtors across the Valley to display pictures and information about homes on a computer terminal rather than driving from one property to the next.

“It’s a lot more convenient for the buyers and sellers, especially with the people coming through their houses,” said Mary Lou Williams, assistant vice president of the San Fernando Valley Assn. of Realtors. “It cuts down on the amount of driving time for buyers and agents, and if someone comes through (to look at a house), you know they are a serious buyer.”

The Realtor association has teamed with Pacific Bell and IBM for the project.

Information in the database also can be fed into a computerized version of Thomas Bros. maps, so potential buyers can see schools, parks and other points of interest near homes they are considering, Williams said.

Williams said the database is not yet available to the public, but she added that the association would like to make it so soon.