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Now you can make an offer for a house with a click of a mouse

A new internet-based realtor has set up in Bermuda with the aim of taking much of the leg-work and some of the commission costs out of buying and selling property.

My-Bermuda-House has been up and running since last November and its web-site enables interested parties to have a good look around properties from the comfort of their own home or office.

Detailed lists, floor plans, maps and pictures, sometimes including virtual tours, panoramic videos and aerial shots, help to give browsers a clear idea of the attributes of any property they are interested in.

Clients can book an appointment to view a property — or even make an offer (though it is not legally binding) — with the click of a mouse.<\h>

Vendors can list their properties with My-Bermuda-House.com and a completed sale to a buyer attracted through the site could cost the vendor as little as three percent commission. That rate is available for sole listings, that is when the vendor is not advertising the property with any other realtor. And if sellers wish to cut out the middle man almost completely, they can advertise on the site on an FSBO (for sale by owner) basis.

The enterprise was set up by Split Rock Ltd. and the three staff behind the operation are excited about the concept.

Duncan Dawson is a qualified real estate agent and an information technology specialist who helped to set up the site. Working alongside him at the web-site’s office in the International Centre on Bermudiana Road is operations manager Maria Luisa Aguiar.

Both Mr. Dawson and Ms Aguiar worked at the Bank of Bermuda for 18 years, Mr. Dawson as an IT programmer and business analyst, Ms Aguiar as head of the department responsible for corporate banking payments and cash management.

Sau Fong Sharpe has more than a decade’s experience as a real estate broker, a role she will fill for My-Bermuda-House.

Mr. Dawson spelled out the idea behind the business.

“We want to match buyers with sellers and we are suggesting that people can do this through the internet — that is central to our business,” Mr. Dawson said.

“Because we don’t have an army of sales people and administrational departments and because we can effectively use the computer to run the business, we can pass those efficiency savings on to our clients.

“It’s convenient for people. It doesn’t matter whether it’s midday or midnight, they can book an appointment or make an offer at any time, when they feel ready. The traditional way of doing it was to call a realtor and then they would describe the property and then fix up an appointment. Our way, you can see the property for yourself online and get a good idea of whether or not you’re interested enough to go and see it.”

Other realtors have their own web-sites for advertising properties. But My-Bermuda-Home claims to be different as it has no physical sales office. So the web-site is the central plank of the business, rather than a way to attract clients to the office.

Anyone can see pictures, prices and a brief description of properties available on the site, but registration is necessary to open up the full details. Site users can set up e-mail alerts to be activated when properties that meet their criteria come on the market.

Vendors can purchase different levels of advertising, the most basic costing $250 a month. At the top end, for a one-off payment of $1,500, the property remains on the web-site until it’s sold.

While setting up the site over the past year or so, Mr. Dawson said he had been surprised to learn how many Bermuda companies were doing business through their web-sites.

Some of those companies, particularly those in real estate-related services are advertising such as home insurers, landscapers and lawyers, are advertising on My-Bermuda-House.