Creating "a better experience" for REALTORS®, buyers & sellers
Catering to the needs of both REALTOR® members and their potential clients has helped make the Houston Association of REALTORS®' website one of the most successful association sites around. HAR members can access the MLS, check for leads, and pay dues online, among other activities. Consumers can search for listings and agents in the Houston area, of course, but some of the more unique features they'll find include a multilingual search tool, school comparisons, a "Highrise Finder" for apartment searching, and tools for finding only recently-added listings and open houses. Members and consumers can even search listings via their cellphones, and consumers have a chance to rate the service quality of individual REALTORS®.
One of the tools HAR uses to guide its development of features for the website is a University of Houston study on home buyer and seller preferences. "The survey showed one clear thing," HAR president Bob Hale told the Houston Chronicle, "and that is the more the consumer uses the Internet, the happier a consumer they end up being. It has actually made for a better experience between the Realtor and the buyer and the seller."
