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A Sacramento real estate brokerage has developed a way to use cell phones to get information about homes for sale off the Internet.
Available to brokers and homebuyers, it may be the first such system operating, though real estate brokerages are believed to be working on similar projects in other parts of the United States.
Local agent Steve Carpenter and his partners in Prudential California Realty believe their adapted software, based on software written by SacWeb Inc., will revolutionize the resale industry. They plan to market it to brokerages and homebuyers around the country.
Tapping in: Last week, Prudential agent Manny Buentipo was showing homes to his clients when they came across a home for sale he hadn't heard about. He pulled out his cell phone, dialed the Prudential Web site and found the right data.
"He didn't sell that house to the clients," Carpenter said. "But it certainly impressed them."
Real estate agents have used computers to access data on home listings for more than a decade. But until recently, they couldn't use cell phones to access computer databases such as the Realtors' multiple listing service, Carpenter said.
About a year ago, cellular phone companies came out with phones that can connect to the Web....