Reprint from The Reporter
published on 6/6/98

Virtual House Hunting
New service narrows computer search to find the right home.
By Mike Fitch, Staff Writer

Choosy home buyers will find plenty to like about Solano County's new multiple-listing service. Say a family is looking for a house in a particular neighborhood of Vacaville. The parents know how much they want to spend, how much room they need and what schools they want their children to attend.

And they have their heart set on special features that many homes don't have. Jacuzzi-style bathtubs, for example. Or a gas fireplace. Or maybe a kitchen with an island in the middle to supply extra counter space.

The old multiple-listing service used by the Northern Solano County Association of Realtors could have found houses with the right price, square footage and many other features. But it could't search for special features, such as Jacuzzi-style bathtubs, gas fireplaces and island kitchens.

That's one of the features Kathleen Ramos of Kappel & Kappel Realtors in Vacaville has learned to appreciate since the Bay Area Real Estate Information Service was unveiled in Solano County on May 13. Ramos also likes the new system's ability to provide detailed information and color photographs of houses that have all of the features requested by a client.

"I can tell you the speed has increased dramatically," added Hal Alpert of Coldwell Banker North Bay Realty. "It's at least 10 times better than the old system for close to the same cost."

Known as BAREIS, the service is a corporation set up by the northern Solano association along with real estate groups in southern Solano, Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. Its corporate headquarters is in Santa Rosa where the Sonoma Multiple Listing Service used to be based. Marin County got the new listing service in mid-March and the other areas gained access to it May 13.

Shirley Siewerd, BAREIS marketing operations coordinator, said the system has about 6,200 members in the four counties. Being a member costs agents $34 a month. She said a computer-savvy agent can learn how to operate the new system after taking a two-hour training class, but agents who lack basic computer skills will need more help.

The new system does have some drawbacks, Ramos said. "There is a number of issues with it right now," she explained, noting that an assortment of glitches still need to be worked out.

Siewerd agreed, explaining that integrating information from each group's old system has proven to be a challenging task. Planning for a new, areawide MLS started about five years ago, was discarded for a while and was revived about a year ago.

BAREIS is a listing service where member agents can find out which houses are on the market and plenty of other information. It's not, however, a system that the public can use on its own to check out the housing market.

Ramos noted many local agents have web sites on the Internet where the public can peruse pictures and information about houses that are on the sale block. The Internet is particularly useful for families from other parts of the country who are relocating to Solano County because it allows them to check out the local housing market from the comfort of their homes far away.

Ramos and other agents expect to someday offer clients three-dimensional house-hunting tours in cyberspace via the Internet. When that day comes, home shoppers will be able to zoom in to inspect individual rooms and features more closely, almost as if they're walking through houses. "I know they're coming here soon," Ramos said. "I would say within the next five years for sure," added Siewerd.