MRIS, the Mid-Atlantic region’s multiple listing service (MLS) marketplace that facilitates $36 billion in yearly sales, has launched a new “Lifestyle Search” feature as a major upgrade and enhancement to its consumer website HomesDatabase.com, the organization has announced.
“Typically, consumers are confined to searching by home features such as room count and type, square footage and other property-specific features, then sorting by affordability and location. With this new service, we’ve improved the search process by allowing consumers to search first by the neighborhood and community features and then by the available real time local listings,” says John L. Heithaus, MRIS Chief Marketing Officer.
Lifestyle Search criteria includes:
• Fun and Entertainment
• Shops and Stores
• Family and Child Friendly
• Highly Rated Schools
• Pet Friendly
• Median Home Price
• Rural, Urban and Downtown
• Public Transportation
Results are generated based on millions of data points including population demographics, housing trends, local points of interest, and school ratings.
“Many industry studies show that home buyers start their search on the Internet before they contact a real estate professional,” adds Heithaus, a third generation real estate professional. “By offering consumers access to enhanced search tools early in the process, not only do they gain a clearer sense of priorities in the home search, but they’re able to enjoy a more robust and targeted search experience with their real estate professional. This tool will truly make the home search process more efficient for both the consumer and their real estate professional.”
The new service comes from an alliance between MRIS and OnBoard Informatics, a provider of community, demographic and geographic content and analysis.
For more information, visit www.HomesDatabase.com.