RISMEDIA, July 31, 2007—The city of Watertown, NY, will redo its Web site later this summer. Among the new features will be a page listing downtown properties for sale or rent.

“It’s a new opportunity for people to market their properties,” said Downtown Development Specialist Christine E. Hoffman.

The city receives about 100 inquiries a year about property, mostly downtown. The list, Mrs. Hoffman said, is a way to formalize something the city has been doing for years.

The page will appear like a typical real estate advertisement, posting information about properties, including their Realtors or landlords. The city will provide the service for free.
The Web page will focus on properties on Public Square and its extended area, Mrs. Hoffman said. It will provide a link to developers and, hopefully, boost downtown development, she said.

“The city’s not in the real estate business. The city’s in the economic development business,” she said, adding that it often provides tax incentives and assists with grants for downtown property owners.

The idea has the support of Lance M. Evans, executive officer of the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Boards of Realtors.

“The more exposure for the client the better,” he said.

He cautioned that such a site will need to be updated regularly. “Trying to keep it current,” he said, “that can be hard.”

The city, which initially planned to remake its Web site earlier this month, hasn’t set a makeup date. The Web address is www.watertown-ny.gov ^[1].

Copyright © 2007, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.