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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system and method of matching buyers and
sellers of real estate, businesses and other tangible and intangible
assets. In particular, it relates to a system and method of matching
buyers and sellers over a network based on buyer selection and screening
criteria.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Several methods are known to match buyers with sellers of various types of
property. On a basic level, an individual buyer might identify a piece of
property that is being offered for sale through advertisement or word of
mouth, and then directly contact the seller or the seller's agent. Once
contact is made, negotiations take place which may result in a consummated
sales transaction.
Particularly for large scale transactions, the process usually is more
complicated. Instead of searching item by item to find a desired piece of
property, a buyer may wish to narrow the universe of potential property
according to certain criteria such as price, size or location. This
permits the buyer to avoid spending time looking at property or listings
which are of only tangential interest or no interest at all, and instead
to focus on the universe of property which most suits the buyer's needs.
From the seller's perspective, it is desirable to narrow contacts with
potential buyers to those more likely to result in a consummated
transaction. Perhaps most importantly, it is in the seller's interest to
evaluate the financial position of prospective buyers to minimize
financial risk and to avoid added time and expense.
Frequently, the seller desires to preserve anonymity throughout part or all
of the sales process. Further, it is often desired by the seller to obtain
a list of potential buyers who can each be evaluated in terms of the
likelihood that they will purchase the seller's property before they are
contacted.
In recent times, advances in data storage and retrieval methods and
communications methods have permitted more sophisticated approaches to
performing at least the initial step of matching buyers and sellers. For
example, many real estate agents now utilize a network of terminals linked
to a host computer which provides a database of listed properties. The
agent can formulate a list of properties in which the buyer may be
interested based on criteria provided by the buyer, such as price,
location, size or type. The buyer can then view the property and, if
interested, can contact the seller, or more usually, the seller's agent in
order to initiate negotiations.
Advances in communications and multimedia applications have been applied to
improve the quality of the information conveyed to the potential buyer
about property being offered for sale. For instance, U.S. Pat. No.
5,235,680 describes a system and method in which textual and image
information are transmitted between a host and several remote display
terminals. In this way, images of the property being offered can be
conveyed in real time to the buyer.
A related prior art method of linking potential buyers with sellers
involves "home shopping," typically using television and voice
communication. For example, for several years advertisers have displayed
individual items through television broadcasts to permit buyers to
purchase such items over the telephone. More recently, interactive systems
have been proposed through which the prospective buyer can order
merchandise advertised via data transmission over telephone lines, thereby
eliminating the need to speak with a salesperson. The system described in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,410 is illustrative of such a prior art approach.
Even more recently, the global network commonly referred to as the
"Internet" has been used to advertise particular pieces of property to
potential buyers. Such uses are primarily limited to situations in which a
seller advertises a particular piece of property by posting a listing on
an "electronic bulletin board" which may be read by potential buyers. The
buyers can then contact the seller or the seller's agent by telephone or
by electronic mail.
While some databases created by agents or brokers are available, access is
usually limited. Typically, many systems require the payment of a fee in
order to gain authority to utilize the database. Many others available on
the Internet are limited in terms of the features and services provided.
While greatly improving the accessibility of buyers to information
concerning property being offered for sale, these prior art methods and
systems suffer from many disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, most of
the prior art approaches described above are limited in geographic scope.
Thus, the time and expense incurred by a potential buyer interested in
purchasing property in a distant area is dramatically increased. Further,
where networks are accessible to a larger geographic area, they typically
require a subscriber fee to gain access, thereby resulting in added
expense to the buyer, and thus providing a disincentive to at least those
buyers not located close to the seller.
Moreover, many of the systems according to the prior art fail to perform
more than an item-by-item listing of pieces of property being offered for
sale. A buyer must therefore expend a great deal of time and effort to
sort through each item to find one which is of potential interest. Even
where the prior art provides a sorting function, such as with the real
estate databases, they generally are not directly available to the buyer,
but instead must be accessed through an agent. Again, this adds to the
buyer's costs, and provides a disincentive to purchase, thus adversely
impacting the seller.
Furthermore, the prior art systems described above often fail to adequately
screen potential buyers. As mentioned above, financial screening permits
the seller to increase the chances of a successful consummated sale. While
a buyer may seek financial evaluation before initiating a search, it often
occurs that a buyer seeks to look at property being offered without
performing such an evaluation. Further, while financial screening can be
performed by the seller or the seller's agent, it usually takes place
after contact with the buyer has been made. Thus, both parties may waste
time making contact in a situation where the chances of a consummated sale
are unlikely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to overcome the aforementioned limitations
of the prior art. It is another object of the invention to provide ready
access over a data terminal, such as a personal computer, to listings of
real estate, businesses, or other property being offered for sale.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a system and a
method for matching buyers and sellers through a remote terminal
interacting over a telephone line with a host computer, wherein the system
offers: readily available online access to a database containing several
property listings; online search capabilities permitting a prospective
buyer to select a group of properties based on a set of criteria; listings
of properties according to an identification number known only to the
system's operator, thereby preserving seller anonymity; qualification of
buyers based on information supplied by the buyer; and a means of
transmitting information about an interested buyer to a seller.
These objects and others are achieved through a method and apparatus of
automatically matching sellers of property with potential buyers through a
communications network in which a host system communicates with the
sellers and the potential buyers over telephone or dedicated data
transmission lines. The host system obtains and stores a first set of
records each corresponding to a property to be sold. The first set of
records can then be search by a remote data terminal associated with a
potential buyer. The results of this search are then provided to the
potential buyer, who indicates specific property listings that the
potential buyer may be interested in purchasing. The potential buyer
provides identifying information which is then provided to the sellers of
the indicated property.
According to one aspect of the invention, the buyer's information is
evaluated by the host system to determine whether the buyer is qualified
to purchase each selected property.
According to another aspect of the invention, the host system maintains a
set of records associated with the sellers of the properties listed on the
system. Preferably, these sellers records are unavailable to potential
buyers accessing the host system.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the host system
maintains information associated with the seller records which indicate
seller account status, thereby permitting the host system to verify
whether to provide buyer information to the sellers using the system.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the host system
automatically provides buyer information to each seller of the property
listed on the system by data transfer through the network.
According to another aspect of the invention, the host system and said
plurality of remote data terminals exchange data through the Internet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a host system according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the software environment for one embodiment of
the present invention.
FIGS. 4A to 4C are respective illustrations of a seller record, a buyer
record, and a property item record as used in an embodiment of the
invention.
FIGS. 5A and 5B comprise a top-level flow chart describing the present
invention.
FIGS. 6A and 6B comprise a flow chart describing online communication and
data transfer between a host system and a remote seller.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing a method by which seller records and
property item records are input and updated according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
FIGS. 8A and 8B comprise a flow chart illustrating on line communication
and data transfer between a host system and a remote buyer.
FIG. 9 is a flow chart describing one embodiment by which matched listings
of property items and buyers are transferred to a seller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the primary elements of a
system 1 according to the invention. In this system 1 a host system 2
exchanges data with a plurality of remote terminals 8, 10 through data
transmission across telephone and data transmission lines 6. Data
transmission on the host end utilizes a host gateway 4 which interfaces
the host system 2 to the network with a protocol understood by the remote
terminals 8, 10 (or intermediary equipment connected thereto). For
example, on the Internet, transmission control protocol/internet protocol
(TCP/IP) typically is used.
In this example, three "buyer terminals" 8 and three "seller terminals" 10
are illustrated. These numbers are only by way of example. In actual
implementation, it is intended that the system according to the invention
utilize a network, such as the Internet, having thousands of users who can
access the system.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the host system 2 is
operatively connected to the Internet. In this example, the host system 2
has at least a first "home page" remotely accessible to a prospective
buyer. This home page permits the prospective buyer to view listed
properties item-by-item or to search all listed properties in the manner
described above. According to another feature of the invention, the host
system 2 utilizes a second "home page" intended for access by sellers or
seller's agents in the manner described below. Of course, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that a single home page can be used
to provide access to the system by both buyers and sellers.
With the system according to the invention, prospective buyers and/or
sellers can gain access over telephone and data transmission lines to the
host system by contacting the host gateway. As is known in the art, this
contact can be established on a network such as the Internet by sending
data packets to an electronic address associated with the host system.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating in more detail the host system 2 of
FIG. 1. As shown, a controller 24 comprising a central processing unit
(CPU) and associated read only memory is connected along data and address
bus lines 18 to a random access memory (RAM) 22. Also connected to the RAM
22 and the controller 24 is at least one mass storage device 20. These
components are operatively connected to input/output interface devices 12
which control various corresponding input/output devices 16. These I/O
devices 16 include such conventional elements as a video display, a
keyboard, a printer, and other input devices such as a mouse and a
digitizer or scanner.
According to a preferred embodiment, the system includes a modem 14 which
is utilized to exchange information with remote terminals over standard
voice lines. Of course, it will be understood that other devices can be
utilized transfer data between the host system and the various remote
users of the system.
As is conventionally known in the art, the ROM provides software
instructions to perform basic operations upon power up of the system. Once
the system receives these instructions, the CPU reads operating system
instructions stored on disk to configure the system and to permit
execution of various applications programs. These applications programs
permit the functions described below.
FIG. 3 generally illustrates the software configuration of the host system
2. As shown, the system operates under control of a conventional operating
system 32. The operating system 32 permits various application processes
to be executed. These include a communications application 34 which
permits data transfer with various remote terminals, such as those
referred to above. The communications application 34 permits prospective
buyers at the remote terminals to log onto the host system, implement
searches and provide identifying information about themselves in the
manner discussed below. According to one embodiment of the invention, the
communications application 34 also permits seller interaction with the
system, for example, to obtain information regarding prospective buyers
and to post information regarding various pieces of property to be sold.
The software environment further includes a data management, storage, and
retrieval application 36, that is, a database application. The data
management, storage, and retrieval application 36 organizes the
information exchanged with prospective buyers and that provided from
sellers. This information is organized and stored within the environment
of the operating system 32 on one or more mass storage devices, such as
the one referred to in FIG. 2. An example of the manner by which the data
corresponding to this information is organized and stored is described
below in reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C.
Also included in the software environment is a buyer evaluation application
38 which screens potential buyer's on behalf of the seller. Specifically,
this application evaluates the likelihood that a particular buyer can or
will purchase a particular property item on the basis of information
regarding the item and information obtained from the prospective buyer.
Other applications 30 conventionally known may be included in the software
environment.
FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrates an example of three types of records created by
the data management, storage and retrieval process according to the
invention. In FIG. 4A, a seller record is illustrated. Each seller record
comprises several fields. By way of example, six fields are illustrated
comprising a seller identification number, the seller's name, the seller's
address, the seller's telephone number, listed property items, and access
status. It should be understood that in implementation, several more
fields are utilized, for example, in order to break down address
information into street, city, state, and so forth.
FIG. 4B illustrates a buyer record. Again, merely by way of example, only
six fields are shown comprising buyer identification number, buyer name,
buyer address, buyer telephone number, qualification information, and
requested property items. It should be understood that several of these
items, particularly qualification information are preferably broken down
into several individual fields.
FIG. 4C illustrates a property record. In this example, the property record
includes at least the following fields: property identification number,
type of property, cost, associated seller number, and any requesting
buyers. Several other fields are also included to describe the property,
for example, location, size, sales volume, and so forth.
The general operation of the system is described with reference to the flow
chart shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. As shown, information pertaining to a
particular piece of property to be sold, such as a business, is submitted
by a broker or a seller at S101. This information can be submitted by
telephone, facsimile or mail to the host system operator. Alternatively,
this information can be provided by electronic mail in the Internet
environment and automatically posted to the system if certain conditions
are met.
Once information is received by the host system, it is checked at S102 for
completeness and compliance with the listing format. Once checked, each
listing is formatted for listing on, for example, the World Wide Web.
Additionally, an identification number is assigned to each listing at
S103. These numbers are cross-referenced to a particular seller's
information (such as that shown in FIG. 4A) which is also stored in the
system, but which is not accessible to remote users.
Prior to posting the listing on the host system for access to prospective
buyers, the seller's account is checked at S104 to ensure that the seller
is in good standing with the host system. This permits, for example, the
host system operator to ensure that an appropriate fee agreement with the
seller has been properly signed and that the seller is in compliance with
any such agreement. Such an agreement might provide that the seller pay a
nominal fee for each listing sufficient to cover system operating expenses
and to pay a second fee if and when a sale is ultimately consummated.
Once the seller's account information is verified and each listing is
properly formatted and identified, it is listed on the system at S105 via
the network to which the host system is connected. As mentioned above, it
is preferable that the property listings be accessed through the World
Wide Web. Of course, through conventional techniques, the data associated
with each property listing that is available to remote terminals may
include graphical information, such as an image of the item being offered
for sale.
The several listings provided by the host system may be accessed by remote
users (potential buyers) at S106 through the network to which the host
system is connected. For example, prospective buyers could find out about
the system through newspaper or magazine advertisements. The prospective
buyers can then access the system through a direct Internet provider or
through various commercial online services.
Once a prospective buyer enters the system, he or she accesses information
regarding each item by searching page by page through the item listing. In
accordance with the invention, the buyer can instead input a sorting
criteria to select only preferred ones of the property listings (S107).
For example, if searching for particular businesses being offered for
sale, the prospective buyer specifies particular locations, ranges of
sales volumes or SIC codes.
Once prospective buyer's criteria is received, the host system executes a
search of all listings in accordance with the input criteria. The
prospective buyer then reviews each property listing meeting his or her
criteria to determine whether to request more information from the seller.
If such a request is made (S108), the system then requests information
about the prospective buyer, such as name, address, telephone number,
available cash, or business experience, as well as the identification
numbers of each property listing for which additional information is
requested.
Once this information is obtained from the prospective buyer, the system
executes an evaluation program at S109 which determines whether the
prospective buyer matches minimum criteria for purchasing each property
item selected by the prospective buyer. This evaluation is preferably a
rather simple process involving, for example, determining if the potential
buyer has a sufficient net worth or available cash to meet minimum
purchasing requirements provided by the seller.
The results of this evaluation is then recorded along with the other
information provided by the prospective buyer and passed along directly to
the seller (S110). For example, host system matches the identification
number of each property with the address of the seller and provides the
buyer information to the seller. Preferably, the buyer information is
transferred to the seller of the matching property then automatically by
the system. Alternatively, a print-out can be provided periodically to
enable the host-system operation to contact the sellers by telephone,
facsimile, mail or other means.
Upon receiving the prospective buyer's requests, the brokers or sellers
determine which buyer to respond to based on the information provided by
the prospective buyer. If a transaction is ultimately consummated, the
seller then pays the system operator an appropriate fee in accordance with
the aforementioned agreement (in addition to the aforementioned listing
fee), thereby maintaining the seller's account in good standing (S111).
FIGS. 6A and 6B together comprise a flow chart illustrating a method by
which information can be automatically received by the host system from a
seller wishing to list a particular property to potential buyers. First,
at S201 a connection is established on the network with a seller through
the communications application referred to above. The seller logs in S202
by providing identifying information such as a password, name, or other
information. At S203 the system then consults a look up table stored in
memory or on disk to determine whether the seller is a previous user and
to obtain the seller's identification number. Specifically, the host
system maintains a record of each seller that logs into the system. These
seller records contain identification information, including, for example,
a password, the seller's name, address, telephone number, and a unique
seller identification number assigned by the system. Each record further
includes a field indicative of whether the seller is approved for access
to the system.
If after consulting the look-up table maintained by the system it is
determined at S204 that the seller does not have a recognized
identification number, the seller is prompted at S206 to state whether the
seller wishes to list properties for sale on the system. If so, at S207
the system obtains the information necessary to create a seller's record
(that is, the seller's name, address, telephone number) assigns the seller
a unique identification number, and then creates a new seller record at
S208 based on the information obtained.
At the time a new seller's record is created, it is noted that the seller's
account is not yet approved for access. The system operator subsequently
mails the appropriate agreement forms and listing fee invoices to the
sellers who have newly contacted the system. Once payments for the listing
fees and the appropriate signed agreement forms are returned, the system
operator updates each seller's record to approve their access to the
system. In the meantime, after the appropriate information is obtained
from a new seller, or in the event a new seller is not inclined to provide
such information, the seller is logged out.
If the seller is recognized by the host system, the seller's record is
consulted at S205 to determine the status of the seller's account. If the
account status is disapproved, for example, because no signed agreement
has yet been received or because the agreement has been breached by the
seller, the seller is logged out. On the other hand, if the seller's
account is in good standing, the seller is asked if the seller wishes to
post a new listing on the system at S209.
If the seller so desires, the system receives the information pertaining to
each property listing at S210, and then assigns a unique identification
number for each listing at S211. Although not shown, this information is
confirmed by the seller and the identification number provided thereto. A
new property listing is then created at S212 which can either be
immediately added to the entire property listings, or preferably is first
reviewed by the system operators prior to being made available to
prospective buyers.
Once a new property listing has been recorded, the seller is then asked at
S213 if the seller wishes to post another listing. If so, the process for
the host system to obtain a property listing is repeated.
According to this embodiment of the invention, once all requested property
listings have been received (or if none are requested), the seller is
asked at S214 whether the seller wishes to receive a list of buyers who
have requested further information regarding a property currently being
listed on behalf of the seller. If so, the property record(s) associated
with the seller is (are) checked to determine whether any buyers have
requested additional information (S215). If any such property records
indicate that requests have been made, the information received from the
requesting buyer is downloaded to the seller at S216.
Once all appropriate buyer records are provided to the seller, the seller
is asked at S217 whether the seller wishes to log out. If not, the new
listing prompt is re-initiated. Otherwise, the session is terminated.
As mentioned above, the preferred system according to the invention is not
limited to providing access to sellers only through the network to which
the host is coupled. Instead, sellers can provide new listings by
facsimile, telephone, or other means. FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing
the process by which such information is provided to the system.
As shown, the system operator initiates a new listing subroutine with the
host system. At S301 the system operator inputs information identifying a
particular seller, such as name, address, or previously assigned seller
identification number. Based on this information, the system consults a
look-up table to verify the seller's identity at S302. If at S303 a
previous identification number is found, the process continues at S304. If
no identification number is found, the system obtains the seller's
information from the system operator at S305, assigns a unique seller
identification number at S306 and records the information in a new seller
record at S307. Since the seller record is new, the account status is
automatically set to "not approved."
The system then checks the seller's record to determine the seller's
account standing (S304). If approved, at S308 the system operator inputs a
new property listing, a unique property identification number is created,
and a new property listing is recorded which is approved for posting on
the system so that it can be viewed by potential buyers. The seller's
record is then updated to reflect the new property listing at S309.
If the seller's account is not in good standing, for example, because it
has just been created, the system operator is asked at S310 whether to
change the status of the seller's record to approve the seller's account.
This provides the operator with a chance to ensure that any agreement with
the seller is in order. If approved, the seller's record is updated at
S111 to indicate that it is in good standing and the subroutine resumes at
step S308. Otherwise the subroutine is terminated.
FIGS. 8A and 8B together comprise a flow chart describing the pertinent
aspects of the host system's interaction with prospective buyers. Although
not shown, it is contemplated that the system permits an item-by-item
search of listed properties. However, in accordance with the invention,
the drawings illustrate the manner by which a buyer can select particular
properties in accordance with particular criteria which are then evaluated
to determine the buyer's qualifications and/or likelihood to purchase
selected ones of the property listings meeting such criteria.
As shown, at S401 a connection is established with the prospective buyer.
Next, at S402 the buyer inputs the buyer's selection criteria. This
criteria may include, the property type (that is, real estate, business,
personal property) location, expense, and so forth. Once the criteria has
been entered, at S403 the system executes a search of all property
records, and then displays the search results at S404. The prospective
buyer is then asked at S405 to indicate whether additional information
concerning the property items found by the search is desired. If not, the
buyer is given the option at S406 of performing additional searches or can
then log out.
If the prospective buyer requests additional information, the buyer is
asked at S407 to input identifying information, the identification numbers
of the properties which the buyer is interested in, and specific
information pertaining to the buyer's qualifications. Once this
information is received and confirmed by the buyer, a provisional buyer
record is created and stored in memory at S408.
After a provisional buyer record has been created, the aforementioned
evaluation process is executed at S409 to determine whether the buyer
meets the seller's minimum qualification standards for each selected
property. The results of this evaluation are then displayed to the
prospective buyer at S410, who is then asked at S411 if it is desired to
forward the buyer's information to the seller of the matching items. If
not, the prospective buyer is asked whether a new search is desired at
S406. On the other hand, if the prospective buyer wishes to contact the
seller, the buyer's provisional record is stored on disk at S412 and the
appropriate matching seller and property listing records are updated at
S413 to reference the buyer's record. The host system then provides a
confirmation to the buyer that the buyer's information will be forwarded
to the appropriate seller (S414), and the buyer is given the option to
perform a new search.
FIG. 9 describes a process by which the host system can periodically
provide information obtained from qualified buyers to approved sellers. As
shown, a particular seller's record is accessed at S501. Next, the
seller's account status is verified at S502. If approved, the process
continues. If not, the system operator is given the option at S507 of
changing the status of the seller's record at S504, or of terminating the
subroutine.
Once an approved seller's record is accessed, the system consults the
seller's record and/or all associated property listings to create a list
in memory of all qualified buyers which have previously requested further
information pertaining to a matching property listing (S505). This list
includes the information provided by the buyer which is recorded by the
system in the buyer's record.
The system operator is then given the option at S506 and S507 of either
downloading the list to the seller via a network connection (S508) or
printing a list of matching property items and sellers (S509). In the
latter case, the list can be conveyed to the seller by telephone,
facsimile or other appropriate means. The records are then updated at S510
to reflect that information is being provided to the seller(s).
It should be apparent that the preferred system and method according to
advantages provides several advantages. For example, it permits buyers
with ready access to many types of property listings. In particular, it is
contemplated that the prospective buyer be given free access, and to only
be asked for identifying information should he or she desire more
information about particular listings. It also permits the buyer to
rapidly weed out any property listings not matching a preferred set of
criteria.
Further, the system provides an extremely rapid and easy method to evaluate
a prospective buyer's qualifications. This serves both the buyer and the
seller by reducing the chances that time will be wasted making contact
where the buyer is unable or unwilling to purchase a particular property.
The system according to the invention also provides a means to match buyers
and sellers while preserving the anonymity of the seller to as great a
degree as possible. In this way, the system provides the role of a
seller's broker. However, by serving the buyer's interests with the
virtually cost-free searching functions, the system operates in a much
less intrusive, and much more efficient manner. This increases the
likelihood that buyer interest will be maintained, and that a transaction
will ultimately go through.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many alternate
embodiments of the invention are possible. For example, each seller could
be given the option of indicating that no screening evaluation be
performed. Optionally, each seller may additionally indicate the type of
criteria by which the evaluation should be performed. For example, a
seller may indicate for each listed a minimum net worth or available cash
of a prospective buyer. The system would then consult each property record
in order to perform a custom evaluation in accordance with criteria
indicated by the seller. Many other variations will be apparent to the
skilled artisan without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention only be limited
by the claims appended hereto.
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