Whether you are a broker, a lender, an agent or other real estate service provider, you'll be interested in the newest Internet business management suite, 1parkplace.com, which will launch at the NAR convention and trade show in Orlando.

Created by Internet Strategy, 1parkplace, provides a suite of Web-based tools for managing daily real estate business. The fact that the tools are Web-based means that they can be accessed and utilized from any fixed or portable Internet-enabled device which supports a Web browser.

According to Steve Hundley, president of Internet Strategy, Inc., 1parkplace.com combines "current MLS information, client prospecting tools and online transaction management and document delivery via a secure Internet portal."

According to the company, 1parkplace.com will include:

• Online MLS access for agents and brokerage

• Secure Intranet application for prospecting and back-office management

• Secure client real estate portal for working with consumers

• Integration with local service providers, including lenders, title, escrow and inspectors

• Online transaction ordering and fulfillment systems, with FAX to digital document delivery through proprietary DocUCoderTM technology

• Open platform ecommerce application for end-to-end solution for real estate

The significance of a product like 1parkplace.com is that agents, lenders and others can use the Web for ecommerce as well as advertisement and point of contact with consumers. This represents a new approach in managing clients and transactions, says Jeff Johns, product development manager.

More than a parallel Internet MLS solution, 1parkplace.com allows the Realtor and their consumer to interact in a secured environment to manage the real estate transaction online. The company plans to get MLSs on board by creating a revenue stream for them rather than an expense center to provide services to agents.

"It's pretty comprehensive," says Johns. "The first module is designed for agents - a client prospecting module and what it does is allows the agent to leverage the power of the Internet, their MLS membership, and create for their clients a secure gateway for real estate information.

"Each client will have a password to highly personalized information, local schools, lending information, updated searches and other confidential data."

"Everything we know about home searches applies here," explains Johns. "Once they (consumers) have identified a property they want to buy, you move someone who is a technically-inclined client to the old fashioned way of paper and phone calls. We have the content in that Internet gateway that is focused on scheduling events necessary to close escrow so that the technical client can enjoy online transaction services.

"This is content-sensitive, personalized service beyond anything in the real estate today."

The company plans two initial target markets - the local MLS and the broker intranet.

"We are targeting the MLS as a cost-effective alternative to building online MLS elements," offers Johns. "Second, we can work the back office administration for a broker, an intranet solution for their office and agents."

"This service takes the concept of parallel MLS access but provides more advanced agent client coordination and tools, and provides a back end transaction management tool. Instead of replicating the MLS functions, like search for listings on the Internet, it creates a new standard for working with your clients across the Internet and ultimately initiates and manages transaction elements as an outcropping of the MLS system."

According to Johns, the parallel systems today are online directories which have moved business functions to the Internet. "We are saying what is the purpose of that? To serve the client. So, our system allows agents to send and fulfill orders to vendors using the same platform."

Far from an Internet startup, Internet Strategy may be one of the best kept secrets in Internet technology. Since 1994, the company has implemented complex Internet systems for clients such as First American Financial, for whom the company built entire property data services. They also do data systems for biomedical and other industries.

"We work with mission critical systems," says Johns. "We are currently working with a number of brokers' systems for data acquisition and management."

With more than 730,000 real estate professionals and over 5 million home sales a year, the time has come for solutions which address the "sheer volume of paperwork involved in a transaction."

Johns concludes, "We believe 1parkplace.com will become the industry standard, establishing a new approach to managing clients and transactions. It is a completely different Internet model - one based on enabling agents and brokers to develop lifecycle relationships with their clients and trusted vendors."

Published: October 7, 1999

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