‘Freshness’ counts at new listings site

With so many property listings available online, it might seem easy to find what you’re seeking. But much of it is either out of date or incomplete.

Entering the fray is CyberHomes.com, a project of Fidelity National that provides much of the data the real estate industry and listing services use on their sites. Taking a cue from the adage that “too much is just enough” information for buyers, Cyberhomes.com head Marty Frame said that the site has about 1.5 million listings at any given time, or about half of the national inventory.

With heat maps of property prices, aerial imagery of most neighborhoods and homes and a “freshness date” for when a property came on the market, Cyberhomes.com gives searchers comprehensive and timely information about the Southern California market, as well as most others in the nation.

“The goal of this project is to provide the data and let you play around with it,” Frame said. “Even if you’re doing it casually with no intention to buy, it’s a useful resource for people to see how the L.A. market is doing.”

The site doesn’t yet include vital areas such as L.A.’s Westside or all of the Inland Empire, but Orange County and San Diego are fully covered, Frame said.

Visitors are cautioned about the risk of information overload -- but then, too much may be just enough when it comes to a long-term investment.

-- Josef Molnar