When you think about it, there have only been a few industries which have made dramatic changes using the Internet, and their value lay in cutting costs to consumers - cheaper books, cheaper trades, cheaper airline tickets.

The introduction of MLS listings online in the mid-90s was the first revolutionary step for the real estate industry. Other services such as loans migrated to the Net, but not much has changed for the consumer other than that. The real estate transaction still remains a hands-on event, guided for the most part by Realtors.

But true cost savings associated with the online transaction have yet to be realized by most consumers. What's been missing, according to Ian Morris, product manager for Microsoft's Homeadvisor, is that no one has been able to add real value to the transaction as it stands online. Plenty of companies are trying to replace the broker, and reduce the fees of both the broker and their agents, but they haven't cracked the code of how to deliver value to the transaction in which both agents and their consumers will benefit.

In real estate, independent Realtors still have a lot of control; their listings are the inventory that the online world uses as the engine to drive eyeballs to loans and other services. That's why the listings sites attempt to treat them with the utmost respect, all while angling for a piece of the transaction, or a piece of the Realtor's profits.

Well, that's about to change. HomeAdvisor believes that it is the first company to put it all together, a business model that serves the key principals in the real estate transaction - the consumers, the lender and the Realtor.

The company vows that its new initiatives will shave weeks off of the mortgage closing process, and save consumers more than two thousand dollars over the life of a loan through lower rates and reduced closing costs. Where does the Realtor fit in? The loan services will be customized and made available through the company's new Realty Desktop office and transaction management platform. Realtors can initiate the loans for their customers and help them manage the loan process via virtual transaction management. The primary selling features? The customer wins with instant approvals and lock-in rates, as well as reduced fees. The Realtor wins by retaining control over the transaction.

Here is how it will work. The software giant is splitting MSN HomeAdvisor off into a new company, HomeAdvisor Technologies, Inc. Although it will continue to be the majority shareholder, Microsoft is welcoming new equity partners to help drive the venture's success - Chase Manhattan Corp., GMAC-Residential Funding Corp., Bank of America, and Norwest Mortgage, among others to be announced.

The new company will have three divisions:

Published: March 16, 2000

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.