AU2017206263A1 - Real estate system & method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a computer-implemented real estate method and associated system, said method comprising the steps of providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles. Each agent profile allows an agent to list at least one property for sale, which is then associated with that particular agent's profile. The method also includes the step of providing an online buyer portal which has been configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles. Each buyer profile is generally configured to a) search through listed properties for sale, b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile, and c) view a property history of followed properties. The method further includes the step of conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, with the bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown.

Description

REAL ESTATE SYSTEM AND METHOD TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to the field of online real estate listings in general, and more specifically to a computer-implemented real estate method and associated system.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE/PERMISSION

[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent specification contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent specification or parts thereof as it appears in the file or records of a Patent Office, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever .

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.

[0004] The Applicant has identified a need in the art for a method and system able to manage online real estate listings and particularly facilitate interactions between sellers, agents and potential buyers.

[0005] As such, the present invention seeks to propose possible improvements, at least in part, to known methods and systems in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-implemented real estate method comprising the steps of: providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; providing an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; and conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown .

[0007] Typically, the agent profile is configured to generate a unique Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) indicator for a listed property, whereby a buyer is able to scan and automatically follow said property. It is to be appreciated that AIDC refers to any method of automatically identifying an object, collecting data about such object, and entering that data directly into a computer systems (i.e. without human involvement). Examples of AIDC technologies include bar codes, Quick Response (QR) tags, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), biometrics, magnetic stripes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), smart cards, voice recognition, etc.

[0008] Typically, the buyer portal is configured so that a buyer is prompted to provide an indication of estimated value for a property in order to follow such property.

[0009] Typically, the agent portal is configured to allow an agent to generate property notifications selected from a group consisting of price change, similar property sold, offer documents received, viewing times, video of property, miscellaneous post text, miscellaneous post image, comparable property history, estimated selling prices, offer documents requested, and live auction.

[0010] Typically, the method includes a step of generating at least one advertisement for home services according to geographical location of a listed property.

[0011] Typically, the method includes a step of electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property.

[0012] Typically, the step of providing an online agent portal is done via an electronic communications network.

[0013] Typically, the of registering respective agent profiles includes registering details selected from a group consisting of agent name, agent registration number, agency details, contact details, and geographical area where agent operates .

[0014] Typically, the step of providing an online buyer portal is done via an electronic communications network.

[0015] Typically, the step of conducting an anonymised online auction includes assigning a sequential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder.

[0016] Typically, the online auction shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown.

[0017] It is to be appreciated that reference to 'substantial real-time' within this specification is to be understood as meaning an instance of time which may include a delay typically resulting from processing and/or transmission times inherent in processing systems or communication signal transmissions. These processing and transmission times, albeit of generally short duration, can introduce some delay, i.e. typically milli- or microseconds, but information is provided with an imperceptible delay, i.e. within 'substantial real-time'. In addition, any delays due to required action from an agent is also to be accounted for, as will be understood by the skilled addressee.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-implemented real estate method comprising the steps of: providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; providing an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through the listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; generating at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property; and electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property.

[0019] Typically, the agent profile is configured to generate a unique Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) indicator for a listed property, whereby a buyer is able to scan and automatically follow said property. It is to be appreciated that AIDC refers to any method of automatically identifying an object, collecting data about such object, and entering that data directly into a computer systems (i.e. without human involvement). Examples of AIDC technologies include bar codes, Quick Response (QR) tags, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), biometrics, magnetic stripes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), smart cards, voice recognition, etc.

[0020] Typically, the buyer portal is configured so that a buyer is prompted to provide an indication of estimated value for a property in order to follow such property.

[0021] Typically, the agent portal is configured to allow an agent to generate property notifications selected from a group consisting of price change, similar property sold, offer documents received, viewing times, video of property, miscellaneous post text, miscellaneous post image, comparable property history, estimated selling prices, offer documents requested, and live auction.

[0022] Typically, the step of providing an online agent portal is done via an electronic communications network.

[0023] Typically, the step of registering respective agent profiles includes registering details selected from a group consisting of agent name, agent registration number, agency details, contact details, and geographical area where agent operates.

[0024] Typically, the step of providing an online buyer portal is done via an electronic communications network.

[0025] Typically, the method includes the step of conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown .

[0026] Typically, the step of conducting an anonymised online auction includes assigning a sequential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder.

[0027] Typically, the online auction shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown.

[0028] According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a real estate system comprising: a processing system configured to: via a communications network, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; and via a communications network, conduct an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a real estate system comprising: a processing system configured to: via a communications network, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; generate at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property; and electronically deliver the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Further features of the present invention are more fully described in the following description of several nonlimiting embodiments thereof. This description is included solely for the purposes of exemplifying the present invention. It should not be understood as a restriction on the broad summary, disclosure or description of the invention as set out above.

[0031] The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 to 6 show various diagrammatic overview representations of different examples of screenshots of the computer-implemented real estate methods in accordance with the aspects of the invention;

Figure 7 illustrates a functional block diagram of an example processing system that can be utilised to embody or give effect to a particular embodiment of the processing system of the real estate system in accordance with the aspects of the invention; and

Figure 8 illustrates an example network infrastructure that can be utilised to embody or give effect to a particular embodiment of a communications network whereby components of the real estate system of Figure 7 communicate or exchange information.

[0032] In the figures, incorporated to illustrate features of an example embodiment or embodiments, like reference numerals are used to identify like parts throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0033] The following modes, given by way of example only, are described in order to provide a more precise understanding of the subject matter of a preferred embodiment or embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] In general, the present invention provides for computer-implemented real estate methods and associated systems .

[0035] The respective methods will generally be a computer-implemented method, due to the involvement of information exchange as a physical phenomenon, amongst other things. It is to be appreciated that, with this computer implemented method, any reference herein to "means" specifically includes any one or more of a computer program product for use in a local or dispersed computing system, a computer readable modulated carrier signal for interpretation by a local or dispersed computing system, or a computer readable medium of instructions for enabling a local or dispersed computing system to provide such "means" within the context of the description. In addition, such "means" may further expressly comprise any of the hardware and/or software components, independently or in combination, provided for in the description below, as will be understood by the skilled addressee.

[0036] The real estate methods are typically implemented by means of suitable processing systems generally communicating via communications networks, examples of which will be described with reference to Figure 7 and 8 below.

[0037] In general, however, in a networked information or data communications system, a user has access to one or more terminals which are capable of reguesting and/or receiving information or data from local or remote information sources. In such a communications system, a terminal may be a type of processing system, computer or computerised device, personal computer (PC), mobile, cellular or satellite telephone, mobile data terminal, portable computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), pager, thin client, or any other similar type of digital electronic device .

[0038] The capability of such a terminal to request and/or receive information or data can be provided by software, hardware and/or firmware. A terminal may include or be associated with other devices, for example a local data storage device such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive .

[0039] An information source can include a server, or any type of terminal, that may be associated with one or more storage devices that are able to store information or data, for example in one or more databases residing on a storage device. The exchange of information (i.e., the request and/or receipt of information or data) between a terminal and an information source, or other terminal(s), is facilitated by a communication means. The communication means can be realised by physical cables, for example a metallic cable such as a telephone line, semi-conducting cables, electromagnetic signals, for example radio-frequency signals or infra-red signals, optical fibre cables, satellite links or any other such medium or combination thereof connected to a network infrastructure.

[0040] The network infrastructure can include devices such as a telephone switch, base station, bridge, router, or any other such specialised network component, which facilitates the connection between a terminal and an information source. Collectively, an interconnected group of terminals, communication means, infrastructure and information sources is referred to as a network.

[0041] The network itself may take a variety of forms. For example, it may be a computer network, telecommunications network, data communications network, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), wireless network, Internetwork, Intranetwork, the Internet and developments thereof, transient or temporary networks, combinations of the above or any other type of network providing for communication between computerised, electronic or digital devices.

[0042] More than one distinct network can be provided, for example a private and a public network. A network as referenced in this specification should be taken to include any type of terminal or other similar type of electronic device, or part thereof, which is rendered such that it is capable of communicating with at least one other terminal.

[0043] One example of facilitating communication across such networks, is the Hyper-Text Mark-Up Language (HTML) and Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and developments thereof, which have made the Internet or World Wide Web (WWW) very accessible. The exchange of information on the Internet is further facilitated through hyper-text documents. Hyper-Text documents are unique in that they use tags to define links which, when selected, retrieve the related information from within the same document or from a new document altogether.

[0044] The links are defined using HTML which provides a document formatting method which adapts in a consistent manner to any computer on which it is displayed. HTML tags are used to define various components of text, visual or audio which make up a hyper-text document, including such things as formatting and linking to other documents. HTML tags which link documents on one Internet information source to those on another do so by associating a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with the referenced information.

[0045] One appeal of the Internet is the large-scale interconnection of public and private networks. A proxy is a host computer or mechanism (usually an application program) on a network node or terminal which performs specialised functions on a network. One such function is to provide network security. Security is provided between a private and public network by requiring communications (i.e. information or data exchanges) to pass through the proxy. Another function of a proxy is to store or cache recently accessed information, for example copies of documents and images. If a web browser desires information which is located outside the local network, that is to say on an information source attached to an external network, communications pass from the web browser through the proxy before entering the external network. Thus, a proxy may operate to deny access to a private network from a public network by not replying to HTTP commands received from the public network.

[0046] Before a more detailed description of the real estate systems in accordance with the present invention is given, the real estate methods will be described. Examples of particular screenshots are given in Figures 1 to 6, showing examples of how the relevant method steps are implemented as a software application or 'app' running on suitable terminals.

[0047] As such, in general, one example of the real estate method typically comprises the step of providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles. Each agent profile allows an agent to list at least one property for sale, which is then associated with that particular agent's profile.

[0048] The method also includes the step of providing an online buyer portal which has been configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles. Each buyer profile is generally configured to a) search through listed properties for sale, b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile, and c) view a property history of followed properties.

[0049] The method further includes the step of conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, with the bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown.

[0050] As the bids are indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history, any buyer following that particular property is able to view a progress of the online auction via the status notification of that property.

[0051] The agent profile is generally configured to generate a unique Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) indicator for a listed property, whereby a buyer is able to scan and automatically follow said property. It is to be appreciated that AIDC refers to any method of automatically identifying an object, collecting data about such object, and entering that data directly into a computer systems (i.e. without human involvement). Examples of AIDC technologies include bar codes, Quick Response (QR) tags, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), biometrics, magnetic stripes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), smart cards, voice recognition, etc.

[0052] The buyer portal is configured so that a buyer is prompted to provide an indication of estimated value for a property in order to follow such property. In this manner, the property history for that property is able to show what potential buyers think a property is worth. Such property history can be used to condition either prospective sellers and/or buyers of a property regarding price expectations.

[0053] The agent portal is configured to allow an agent to generate property status notifications selected from a group consisting of price change, similar property sold, offer documents received, viewing times, video of property, miscellaneous post text, miscellaneous post image, comparable property history, estimated selling prices, offer documents requested, and live auction. These status notifications are described in more detail below.

[0054] One example of the method also includes a step of generating at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property. Typically, the method includes a step of electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following that listed property.

[0055] The step of providing an online agent portal is generally done via an electronic communications network, as described below. Accordingly, as is known in the art, the step of registering respective agent profiles includes registering details selected from a group consisting of agent name, agent registration number, agency details, contact details, and geographical area where agent operates.

[0056] Similarly, the step of providing an online buyer portal is done via an electronic communications network, as described below.

[0057] The step of conducting an anonymised online auction generally includes assigning a seguential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder. Similarly, the online auction shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown.

[0058] It is to be appreciated that reference to 'substantial real-time' within this specification is to be understood as meaning an instance of time which may include a delay typically resulting from processing and/or transmission times inherent in processing systems or communication signal transmissions. These processing and transmission times, albeit of generally short duration, can introduce some delay, i.e. typically milli- or microseconds, but information is provided with an imperceptible delay, i.e. within 'substantial real-time'.

[0059] The present invention further provides for a further example of a computer-implemented real estate method that generally comprises the step of providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile.

[0060] In addition, the method also includes the step of providing an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through the listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties .

[0061] In addition, as above, the method also generally includes the further steps of generating at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property, and electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property.

[0062] As with the first example, the method may include the step of conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown .

[0063] The step of conducting an anonymised online auction generally includes assigning a sequential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder. The online auction typically shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown, e.g. a value ranking of 'higher' or 'lower' can be used instead of displaying an actual numerical value.

[0064] With reference now to Figure 1 to 6, there is shown examples of screenshots or screen captures of a software application or 'app' used to implement the above method steps. The various screenshots are indicated by reference numerals, as shown, and reference to a particular reference numeral is understood to indicate that specific screenshot and/or the software implemented functionality shown thereby.

[0065] Accordingly, 12 shows the initial screen on the first load of the app or when a user logs out of the app. The user can select whether they are a buyer or a real estate agent. If a user already has an account they can tap on 'Already have an account?' and are taken to the 'Log In Screen' 14. If the user taps the 'Real Estate' switch an extra field will be displayed which is 'Agency' . The user enters their details then taps 'sign up' and is taken to the 'Properties Screen' 18.

[0066] The login screen 14 allows a user to enter an email and a password, as shown. Tapping 'Log in' will validate the user details and if successful the user will be taken to the 'Properties Screen' 16.

[0067] The following screens are experienced when the user signs up or logs in as a buyer. On the 'Properties Screen' 16, if the user is not following any properties, the screen will have a tappable area that explains that they aren't following anything yet, as shown. Tapping 'Follow' or the empty table will take the user to the 'Add Property

Screen' 20.

[0068] If the user is following any properties, they will be listed on the properties screen 18, as shown. Tapping on a property will take the user to the 'Property Detail' screen, described below. Tapping on 'Services' on the tab bar will take the user to the 'Services Screen', described below.

[0069] The 'Add property' screen 20, if the user is following any properties, then they will be listed here. Tapping on a property will take the user to the 'Property

Detail' screen. Tapping on 'Services' on the tab bar will take the user to the 'Services Screen' [0070] As described above, the method also allows for AIDC indicators to be generated. The 'Scan code' screen 22 is a popover that will use the device's camera to scan for a QR Code. Tapping 'Cancel' takes the user back to the 'Add Property' screen 20. If a QR code for a listed property is scanned, the user is taken to the 'Follow Property Screen' 26 for that property.

[0071] The 'Search Results' screen 24 lists the results that match the query created on the 'Add Property Screen' 20. Tapping on a property will take the user to the 'Follow Property Screen' 26. Tapping on 'Services' on the tab bar will take the user to the 'Services Screen'.

[0072] The 'Follow property' screen 26 typically requires the user to enter an estimate of what they think the property will sell for, as shown. Once this is done, the 'Follow' button becomes tappable. Tapping the 'Follow' button adds that property to the list of followed properties for the user and takes the user to the 'Set Notifications Screen' 28.

[0073] The 'Follow Property' screen 26 requires the user to enter an estimate of what they think the property will sell for. Once this is done the 'Follow' button becomes tappable. Tapping the 'Follow' button adds that property to the list of followed properties for the user and takes the user to the 'Set Notifications Screen'.

[0074] The 'Property detail' screen 30 contains the property images at the top and tapping this image will popup the image to full screen and allow the user to swipe through all available images. The text and icons overlaying the image show the user the number of people that have visited the home opens, the number of received emails about the property and the number of online views the property has received. The table view has a chronological listing of the notifications posted by the real estate agent about the property. Tapping 'Request Offer Doc' sends a notification to the agent that the user has requested an offer document.

[0075] These property status notifications may include the following: Price Change - Tapping this type of notification will take the user to the 'Price Adjustments Screen' 38. A Similar Property Sold - Tapping this type of notification will take the user to the 'Comparable

Properties Screen' 42. Offer Documents - This notification shows the user how many offer documents have been received.

[0076] Further property status notifications may include:

Viewing Times - Tapping on this notification takes the user to the 'Viewing Times Screen' 40. Video screen 32 - This is a miscellaneous post of type video. Tapping the video will take the user to a full screen video player to watch the video. Text screen 34 - This is a miscellaneous post of type text, this is free text entered by the real estate agent. Image screen 34 - This is a miscellaneous post of type image. This is an image and text uploaded by the agent.

[0077] Further property status notifications include Comparable Property history added - Tapping this type of notification will take the user to the 'Comparable Properties Screen' 42. Estimated Selling prices - This notification shows a graph of the estimated selling prices entered by other users. Tapping on the graph takes the user to the 'Estimated Prices Screen' 46.

[0078] Yet further property status notifications include Offer Documents - This notification shows the user how many offer documents have been requested. The Live Auction Button will be visible for the period that the agent sets the auction for. The Buyers will receive a notification when it is switched on. The Asking prices screen 38 shows a list of all adjustments to the asking price on the property in this campaign in reverse chronological order.

[0079] The 'Viewing times' screen 40 shows a list of all adjustments to the asking price on the property in this campaign in reverse chronological order. The 'Comparable homes' screen 42 shows a list of all adjustments to the asking price on the property in this campaign in reverse chronological order. Tapping on a comparable property will take the user to the Comparable Property Detail Screen' 44, similar to the property detail screen.

[0080] The 'Comparable Property Detail' screen 44 shows a comparable property. The user can tap the image to bring up a full screen gallery that they can swipe through the different images uploaded for the property. The screen also lists the sale history for the property. This included the amount that the property sold for as well as how long it was on the market for.

[0081] The Estimated prices screen 46 shows a blown up version of the other buyers estimated sellers graph. This graph will show users versus estimated prices. The screen will also show the range and average of the estimations.

[0082] The 'Live auction' screen 48 is available when the agent turns on a live auction. The user can make a bid which sends a notification to the agent to send an offer document to the Buyer for the bid amount. Once the document has been received, the agent can mark it in the app and it will appear as an offer in the offer list. The buyers that have made offers will be assigned a letter in chronological order of offers. If the user is the preferred offer of the buyer, they will be notified on this screen. Vendor offers will be made clear as an entry in the list of offers.

[0083] The following screens are experienced when the user signs up or logs in as an Agent. The 'Agent Properties Screen' 50 lists the properties that are listed in the app by the agent. If the user hasn't listed any yet there is a message relaying this to the user and a button to add a property. The List button at the top right can always be tapped to add a new property. Adding a property takes the user to the 'Agent Add Property Screen' 54.

[0084] This screen 54 allows the agent to add properties that they are currently representing as listed for sale. Tapping on the photo area will allow the user to upload an image against the property. This can be done as many times as is necessary for the property. The user also needs to add the address and asking price here. Tapping 'Seller Details' takes the user to the 'Seller Details' screen 56. Here, the seller details must be set before the List button is enabled. Checking 'Private' will mean the property can't be searched for. This can be used for new unlisted properties. Private properties will also not be shown in the 'Follower Detail' screen. Tapping the 'List Button' creates a listing in the database and takes the user to the 'Agent Property Detail Screen' 58.

[0085] The 'Seller details' screen 56 requires the user to add one or two seller's details. These email addresses will be used for the emails sent from the system. Tapping Save will add these sellers to the listing and return the user to the 'Agent Add Property Screen' 54.

[0086] The 'Agent property detail' screen 58 is the main area in which the agent will send status notifications out to the buyers and sellers. In one example, the buyers will receive these via the app and the sellers well receive them via email. Both screens 58 and 60 here are the same screen, the second image is scrolled down and has no Auction active and has had offer docs requested. Tapping the 'Code' Button will take the user to the 'QR Code Screen' 82, below.

[0087] On the 'Agent property detail' screen 58, if the agent wants to set an auction, the 'Live Auction Countdown' button will appear. Tapping the Live auction button will take the user to the 'Active Auction Screen' 80. Tapping 'Update Visitors' will take the user to the 'Update Visitors Screen' 62. Changing the Asking Price will send a change of asking price notification to the buyers that are following this property. Tapping 'Update offer document numbers button' takes the user to the Offer Documents Screen' 64. Tapping 'Add a viewing time' will take the user to the 'Viewing Times Screen' 66.

[0088] Similarly, in the current example, tapping 'Miscellaneous post' on the 'Agent property detail' screen 58 will take the user to the 'Miscellaneous posts screen' 68. If any offer docs have been requested via the app for this property, the Offer requests button' is visible. Tapping this button takes the user to the 'Requested Documents Screen' 76. Tapping 'Comparable Properties' takes the user to the 'Agent Comparable Properties Screen' 84. Tapping 'Create Live Auction' takes the user to the 'Create Live Auction Screen' 78. Tapping 'View Followers' takes the user to the 'Followers Screen' 70. Tapping 'Suggest Similar Properties' takes the user to the 'Similar Properties Screen' 90.

[0089] The 'Update visitors' screen 62 allows the agent to update the amount of home open visitors, online views and emails received for a listed property. Tapping 'Update' will save these values and take the user back to the 'Agent Property Detail Screen' 58.

[0090] The 'Add viewing times' screen 66 allows the user to add upcoming viewing times. Tapping the Date text field brings up a 'Date Picker' . Tapping the Start Time or End Time text fields brings up a time picker. Tapping the 'Add' button adds the new viewing time to the list of upcoming times at the bottom of the screen. Swiping on the upcoming time entries brings up a delete button to cancel an upcoming viewing time.

[0091] The 'Miscellaneous Post' screen 68 allows the agent to post miscellaneous notifications to the buyers. Text that is included in the text field will be included in the notification. Tapping on the camera button brings up the devices camera or photo picker. Once an image is selected the grey area will be replaced with the image. Tapping the video camera brings up the devices camera in video mode or the devices video picker. Once a video is selected the grey area will be replaced with a video still. Tapping Post will send the notification (the text and or the video or image) to the buyers that are following this property and take the user back to the 'Agent Property Detail Screen' 58.

[0092] The 'Followers' screen 70 shows the agent a list of users of the app that are following their listed property. Tapping on a follower takes the agent to the 'Follower Detail Screen' 72. The information that is shown for each follower's summary here, is name, email and whether the agent has marked them as a buyer, a seller or both.

[0093] The 'Follower detail' screen 72 shows information regarding a user that is following the agent's property. This information includes their name, email and phone number as well as all of the public properties that they are following. These properties can be sorted by tapping the icon at the top right of the screen, they can be sorted by price, bedrooms, land size and suburb. Tapping on a property takes the user to the 'Followed Property Screen' 74.

[0094] The 'Followed Property' screen 74 gives the agent detail on a publically listed property that the follower of their property is also following. This screen is for information purposes only and is not typically editable. The 'Requested Offer Documents' screen 76 shows the agent which users have requested an offer document and allows the agent to check off when the document has been sent.

[0095] The 'Create Live Auction' screen 78 allows the agent to set a time period that an auction will run for and optionally add a vendor bid. By starting the auction, all followers of this property will receive a notification that an auction is running on the property for x hours. During this period whenever a user (buyer or agent) views this property within the app, the 'Live Auction Button' will be present.

[0096] The 'Agent Active Auction' screen 80 allows the agent to manage an active auction. It shows a counter with the auction's remaining time counting down. It shows the current highest offer and also a listing of all offers made, as described above. Against each offer there is a checkbox to the agent marks when they send an offer document to the buyer. There is a further check box that is marked once the signed offer document is received from the buyer. Once an offer document is marked as received, if it is the highest amount, it becomes the current active bid.

[0097] The 'QR Code' screen 82 will be used at a home open. The agent can make this screen available to the visitors. Scanning the code from within their app will take the buyers to the 'Follow Property Screen' for the property of the home open.

[0098] The 'Comparable Properties' screen 84 lists the comparable properties that have been added against the current property. Tapping the + button with take the user to a blank 'Comparable Property Detail' screen. Tapping on a property will take the user to that property's 'Comparable Property Detail' screen 86.

[0099] The 'Comparable Properties Detail' screen 88 allows the agent to add/edit a comparable property to the property that they are running a campaign for. The agent can add the address details, images, house details and a sales history. A sales history entry consists of a date, price and weeks on market. The agent can add as many of these as is needed. The agent can decide if they want this information available to the buyer, seller or both. The second screen in this section is the screen scrolled to the bottom. Tapping

Save on this screen sends out the notifications to the buyers and or seller.

[00100] The 'Similar Listings' screen 90 allows the agent to link a property to similar current listings that they have created within the app. Tapping the + button takes the user to a screen listing all of that agent's current listings that have been created with the app. Selecting one of these listings will send out notifications to opted in buyers of the similar property. Allowing that user to start following the similar property. This screen shows a list of all of the similar listings that the agent has added against this property.

[00101] The 'Services' screen 92 is displayed when the user taps on the services tab, which takes the user to the services listings part of the app. This area will provide a list of services for all things home and moving related. The 'Services Categories' screen 92 groups all services by indoor and outdoor. Within these groups are categories such as Carpet Cleaning and Lawns. Tapping on a category will take the user to the 'Category Detail Screen' 94. Tapping on the 'Properties Tab' at the bottom will take the user back to the properties part of the app. Typically, the 'Category Detail' screen 94 shows the closest advertisements that have been paid for that month. Tapping on a phone number will call that business and this lead will be recorded in the database .

[00102] Notwithstanding the above-described features, it will further be appreciated that the invention may include further features, such as geographic location tracking of mobile devices of prospective buyers with registered buyer profiles. For example, a prospective buyer may allow location tracking whereby a system, an example of which is described below, is able to track a geographical location of a mobile phone handset associated with a buyer profile. In this manner, an agent can be notified when a prospective buyer approaches a property for sale, or the system can keep track of a number of times a prospective buyer views a property, or drives past a property, or visits an area in which a property is located, and/or the like.

[00103] It is also to be appreciated that the present invention also provides for a real estate system. The system typically comprises a processing system 100 configured to: via a communications network 200, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network 200, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; and via a communications network 200, conduct an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.

[00104] Similarly, the present invention also provides for a real estate system comprising a processing system 100 configured to: via a communications network 200, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network 200, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; generate at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property; and electronically deliver the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.

[00105] A particular embodiment of the processing system 100 of the present invention can be realised using example processing system 100, an example of which is shown in Figure 7. In particular, the processing system 100 generally includes at least one processor 102, or processing unit or plurality of processors, memory 104, at least one input device 106 and at least one output device 108, coupled together via a bus or group of buses 110.

[00106] In certain embodiments, input device 106 and output device 108 could be the same device, e.g. a touchscreen. An interface 112 can also be provided for coupling the processing system 100 to one or more peripheral devices, for example interface 112 could be a PCI card or PC card. At least one storage device 114 which houses at least one database 116 can also be provided. The memory 104 can be any form of memory device, for example, volatile or nonvolatile memory, solid state storage devices, magnetic devices, etc. The processor 102 could include more than one distinct processing device, for example to handle different functions within the processing system 100.

[00107] Input device 106 receives input data 118 and can include, for example, a keyboard, a pointer device such as a pen-like device or a mouse, audio receiving device for voice controlled activation such as a microphone, data receiver or antenna such as a modem or wireless data adaptor, data acquisition card, a touchscreen for receiving tactile input, etc. Input data 118 could come from different sources, for example keyboard instructions in conjunction with data received via a network. Output device 108 produces or generates output data 120 and can include, for example, a display device or monitor in which case output data 120 is visual, a printer in which case output data 120 is printed, a port for example a USB port, a peripheral component adaptor, a data transmitter or antenna such as a modem or wireless network adaptor, etc. Output data 120 could be distinct and derived from different output devices, for example a visual display on a monitor in conjunction with data transmitted to a network.

[00108] A user could view data output, or an interpretation of the data output, on, for example, a monitor or using a printer. The storage device 114 can be any form of data or information storage means, for example, volatile or non-volatile memory, solid state storage devices, magnetic devices, etc.

[00109] In use, the processing system 100 is adapted to allow data or information to be stored in and/or retrieved from, via wired or wireless communication means, the at least one database 116. The interface 112 may allow wired and/or wireless communication between the processing unit 102 and peripheral components that may serve a specialised purpose. The processor 102 receives instructions as input data 118 via input device 106 and can display processed results or other output to a user by utilising output device 108. More than one input device 106 and/or output device 108 can be provided. It should be appreciated that the processing system 100 may be any form of terminal, server, specialised hardware, or the like.

[00110] In addition, the processing system 100 is generally part of a networked communications system 200, as shown in Figure 8. Processing system 100 could connect to network 2 02, for example the Internet or a WAN. Input data 118 and output data 120 could be communicated to other devices via network 202. Other terminals, for example, thin client 204, further processing systems 206 and 208, notebook computer 210, mainframe computer 212, PDA 214, pen-based computer 216, server 218, etc., can be connected to network 202. A large variety of other types of terminals or configurations could be utilised.

[00111] The transfer of information and/or data over network 202 can be achieved using wired communications means 220 or wireless communications means 222. Server 218 can facilitate the transfer of data between network 202 and one or more databases 224. Server 218 and one or more databases 224 can provide an example of the memory arrangement 24 and a weather bureau 26, for instance.

[00112] Other networks may communicate with network 202. For example, telecommunications network 230 could facilitate the transfer of data between network 202 and mobile or cellular telephone 232 or a PDA-type device 234, by utilising wireless communication means 236 and receiving/transmitting station 238. Satellite communications network 240 could communicate with satellite signal receiver 242 which receives data signals from satellite 244 which in turn is in remote communication with satellite signal transmitter 246.

[00113] Terminals, for example further processing system 248, notebook computer 250 or satellite telephone 252, can thereby communicate with network 202. A local network 260, which for example may be a private network, LAN, etc., may also be connected to network 202. For example, network 202 could be connected with Ethernet 262 which connects terminals 264, server 266 which controls the transfer of data to and/or from database 268, and printer 270. Various other types of networks could be utilised.

[00114] The processing system 100 is adapted to communicate with other terminals, for example further processing systems 206, 208, by sending and receiving data, 118, 120, to and from the network 202, thereby facilitating possible communication with other components of the networked communications system 200.

[00115] Thus, for example, the networks 202, 230, 240 may form part of, or be connected to, the Internet, in which case, the terminals 206, 212, 218, for example, may be web servers, Internet terminals or the like. The networks 202, 230, 240, 260 may be or form part of other communication networks, such as LAN, WAN, Ethernet, token ring, FDDI ring, star, etc., networks, or mobile telephone networks, such as GSM, CDMA or 3G, etc., networks, and may be wholly or partially wired, including for example optical fibre, or wireless networks, depending on a particular implementation.

[00116] Accordingly, in light of the above description, the real estate system can be implemented in various ways. For example, an embodiment of the processing system 100 can form part of the real estate system, which communicates via an example of the communications network 200 with the memory arrangement 2 4 in the form of a networked, cloud-based database .

[00117] As will be further appreciated by the skilled addressee, in addition to some of the functionality described above, some possible features of the systems and methods of the present invention include, in a real estate context, an ability to receive an estimate of a property follower's price upon registration, use the collated prices to condition a seller, use the collated prices to reassure a buyer to make an offer, receive notifications of property follower's address through a reverse directory, notify an agent when a property follower has arrived at a property, send a notification of a change in price, send a notification updating visitor numbers at home opens to a buyer, send a notification updating visitor numbers at home opens to a seller to condition seller expectations, send a notification updating online views to buyers, send a notification updating emails enquires received to buyers, send a notification of number of offer documents requested by other buyers, send a notification of number of offer documents received by other buyers, or send a notification of an added home open or viewing time.

[00118] Similarly, other features may include to send home open video, home open attendance photos, miscellaneous documents such as property titles, floor plans, easements, etc., create an auction at any time during the campaign with a countdown timeout, send market evidence of settled comparable properties, send market evidence of un-settled comparable properties, send market evidence of comparable properties on the market, send a graph snapshot of buyer price expectation, view property followers of current listings, view the list properties that are being tracked by a particular buyer, view the properties being tracked listed with other agencies, database property followers by various criteria that can be exported to other management software, send property followers sales evidence of a whole suburb, send property followers sales evidence of a nominated street, send agent profile to property follower, allow for a property follower to send a question to agents, update properties as sold and sends notifications to property followers and potential sellers, and/or shows property followers a list of all properties currently listed on the system.

[00119] One embodiment may also include a home services directory, and can allow agents to share in a quarterly passive income stream from the home services revenue. Other examples of features include an ability to send out notifications of listings yet to be advertised, and/or notifications sent to agents every time and anytime a property follower of a property goes back (e.g. drives past) to have another look at the property.

[00120] The Applicant believes it advantageous that the present invention provides for a real estate method and associated system that are able to facilitate the process of real estate listings and sales. In addition, the Applicant believes it particularly advantageous that the present invention enables anonymised online auctions of real estate, as well as directed targeting of advertisements for services related to real estate sales.

[00121] Optional embodiments of the present invention may also be said to broadly consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated herein, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of the parts, elements or features, and wherein specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

[00122] It is to be appreciated that reference to "one example" or "an example" of the invention is not made in an exclusive sense. Accordingly, one example may exemplify certain aspects of the invention, whilst other aspects are exemplified in a different example. These examples are intended to assist the skilled person in performing the invention and are not intended to limit the overall scope of the invention in any way unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[00123] It is to be understood that the terminology employed above is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The described embodiment is intended to be illustrative of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof. The invention is capable of being practised with various modifications and additions as will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

[00124] Various substantially and specifically practical and useful exemplary embodiments of the claimed subject matter are described herein, textually and/or graphically, including the best mode, if any, known to the inventors for carrying out the claimed subject matter. Variations (e.g. modifications and/or enhancements) of one or more embodiments described herein might become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this application.

[00125] The inventor (s) expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor(s) intends for the claimed subject matter to be practiced other than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, as permitted by law, the claimed subject matter includes and covers all equivalents of the claimed subject matter and all improvements to the claimed subject matter. Moreover, every combination of the above described elements, activities, and all possible variations thereof are encompassed by the claimed subject matter unless otherwise clearly indicated herein, clearly and specifically disclaimed, or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[00126] The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate one or more embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of any claimed subject matter unless otherwise stated. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed subject matter as essential to the practice of the claimed subject matter.

[00127] The use of words that indicate orientation or direction of travel is not to be considered limiting. Thus, words such as "front", "back", "rear", "side", "up", down", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "forwards", "backwards", "towards", "distal", "proximal", "in", "out" and synonyms, antonyms and derivatives thereof have been selected for convenience only, unless the context indicates otherwise. The inventor(s) envisage that various exemplary embodiments of the claimed subject matter can be supplied in any particular orientation and the claimed subject matter is intended to include such orientations.

[00128] The use of the terms "a", "an", "said", "the", and/or similar referents in the context of describing various embodiments (especially in the context of the claimed subject matter) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted.

[00129] Moreover, when any number or range is described herein, unless clearly stated otherwise, that number or range is approximate. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value and each separate sub-range defined by such separate values is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if a range of 1 to 10 is described, that range includes all values there between, such as for example, 1.1, 2.5, 3.335, 5, 6.179, 8.9999, etc., and includes all sub-ranges there between, such as for example, 1 to 3.65, 2.8 to 8.14, 1.93 to 9, etc.

[00130] Accordingly, every portion (e.g., title, field, background, summary, description, abstract, drawing figure, etc.) of this application, other than the claims themselves, is to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive; and the scope of subject matter protected by any patent that issues based on this application is defined only by the claims of that patent.

[00131] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure .

[00132] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[00133] In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well known technologies are not described in detail. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

[00134] As used herein, the singular forms "a, " "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "including," and "having," are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[00135] The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "formed on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, formed on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present.

[00136] In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly formed on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section.

[00137] Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[00138] Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures.

Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Claims (23)

1. A computer-implemented real estate method comprising the steps of: providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; providing an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; and conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent profile is configured to generate a unique Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) indicator for a listed property, whereby a buyer is able to scan and automatically follow said property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the buyer portal is configured so that a buyer is prompted to provide an indication of estimated value for a property in order to follow such property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent portal is configured to allow an agent to generate property notifications selected from a group consisting of price change, similar property sold, offer documents received, viewing times, video of property, miscellaneous post text, miscellaneous post image, comparable property history, estimated selling prices, offer documents requested, and live auction.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes a step of generating at least one advertisement for home services according to geographical location of a listed property.

6. The method of claim 5, which includes a step of electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an online agent portal is done via an electronic communications network .

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of registering respective agent profiles includes registering details selected from a group consisting of agent name, agent registration number, agency details, contact details, and geographical area where agent operates.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an online buyer portal is done via an electronic communications network .

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of conducting an anonymised online auction includes assigning a sequential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the online auction shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown.

12. A computer-implemented real estate method comprising the steps of : providing an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; providing an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through the listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; generating at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property; and electronically delivering the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the agent profile is configured to generate a unique Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) indicator for a listed property, whereby a buyer is able to scan and automatically follow said property.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the buyer portal is configured so that a buyer is prompted to provide an indication of estimated value for a property in order to follow such property.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the agent portal is configured to allow an agent to generate property notifications selected from a group consisting of price change, similar property sold, offer documents received, viewing times, video of property, miscellaneous post text, miscellaneous post image, comparable property history, estimated selling prices, offer documents requested, and live auction.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing an online agent portal is done via an electronic communications network .

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of registering respective agent profiles includes registering details selected from a group consisting of agent name, agent registration number, agency details, contact details, and geographical area where agent operates.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing an online buyer portal is done via an electronic communications network.

19. The method of claim 12, which includes the step of conducting an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown .

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of conducting an anonymised online auction includes assigning a sequential letter or number to bidders in order of bids placed so that bids are displayed without a name of a bidder.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the online auction shows bids in order of preference by ranking anonymised bidders by value of offers made so that bids are displayed without a value of bids shown.

22. A real estate system comprising: a processing system configured to: via a communications network, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; and via a communications network, conduct an anonymised online auction for a listed property, wherein an agent profile is able to receive bids from various buyer profiles, said bids indicated in substantial real-time on the property's history in order of preference without a name of a bidder or a value of bids shown; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.

23. A real estate system comprising: a processing system configured to: via a communications network, provide an online agent portal configured to allow a plurality of real estate agents to register respective agent profiles, each agent profile allowing an agent to list at least one property for sale associated with said profile; via a communications network, provide an online buyer portal configured to allow a plurality of property buyers to register respective buyer profiles each configured to: a) search through listed properties for sale; b) follow a property of interest in order to receive status notifications from an associated agent profile; and c) view a property history of followed properties; generate at least one advertisement for home services according to a geographical location of a listed property; and electronically deliver the advertisement to buyer profiles following said listed property; and a non-transitory memory arrangement configured to operatively store a database of the agent profiles, buyer profiles, the listed properties for sale, and the respective status notifications and property histories.