Communication system and method between a home buyer, seller, strategic business source, and lender

Abstract

A computerized system and method are presented for exchanging information between a buyer, a seller, a lender, and a strategic business source. The system permits sellers, lenders and strategic business sources to input buyers that are then submitted for activation. The buyers use the system to obtain information about items, while the sellers, lenders, and strategic business sources make consistent contact with the buyer in order to work with the buyer. Information about the buyers is shared with the sellers, lenders, and strategic business sources. A business plan is input into the system for the financial institution employing the lender while another business plan is input for the seller institution employing the seller. Activity on the computerized system is calculated for compliance with the business plan. Feedback is provided to management relating to whether the business plan is being met.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computerized method for allowing mortgage lenders to act as a gateway to a computerized system that provides real estate listing information, the computerized method comprising:
 a) creating in an electronic database in the computerized system the following database records:
 i) buyer records, 
 ii) agent records, and 
 iii) lender records; 
   b) creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate:
 i) a selected buyer record with a selected agent record, and 
 ii) the selected agent record with a selected lender record; 
   c) storing buyer data including a buyer search criteria for the selected buyer record in the electronic database;   d) providing
 i) a selected buyer interface to the computerized system to a buyer identified by the selected buyer record, and 
 ii) a selected lender interface to the computerized system to a lender identified by the selected lender record; 
   e) withholding access in the selected buyer interface to desired real estate listing information until the selected buyer record is activated;   f) presenting, through the selected lender interface, the buyer data for the selected buyer record;   g) receiving, through the selected lender interface, a request to activate the selected buyer record, wherein the selected buyer record cannot be activated except through the selected lender interface;   h) activating the selected buyer record after receiving the request to activate; and   i) after activation of the selected buyer record, granting access to the desired real estate listing information to the selected buyer interface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of creating database records further includes the step of creating strategic business source records, and wherein the step of creating associations in the electronic database further includes creating database relationships that associate a selected strategic business source record with the selected lender record. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of providing a selected strategic business source interface to a strategic business source identified by the selected strategic business source record 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising presenting, through the selected strategic business source interface, the buyer data for the selected buyer record. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, within the database, a plurality of buyer records are associated with a plurality of agent records, and a plurality of agent records are associated with a plurality of lender records, wherein each agent record is associated with only a single lender record and further wherein each buyer record is associated with only a single agent record. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising withholding access in each buyer interface provided to one of a plurality of buyers identified by the plurality of buyer records until the buyer record for that buyer is activated. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein a particular buyer record can only be activated through a particular lender interface associated with a particular lender record, wherein the particular lender record for the particular buyer record is determined by:
 i) determining a particular agent record associated in the electronic database with the particular buyer record, and   ii) assigning the particular lender record to be that lender record associated in the electronic database with the particular agent record.   
     
     
         8 . A computer for allowing a mortgage lender to act as a gateway to a computerized system that provides real estate listing information comprising:
 a) a processor; and   b) a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium containing programming instructions that program the processor, the programming instructions comprising:
 i) programming for creating in an electronic database operated by the computer the following database records:
 (1) buyer records, 
 (2) agent records, and 
 (3) lender records; 
 
 ii) programming for creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate:
 (1) a selected buyer record with a selected agent record, and 
 (2) the selected agent record with a selected lender record; 
 
 iii) programming for storing buyer data including a buyer search criteria for the selected buyer record in the electronic database; 
 iv) programming for providing:
 (1) a selected buyer interface that allows access to the computer to a buyer identified by the selected buyer record, and 
 (2) a selected lender interface that allows access to the computer to a lender identified by the selected lender record; 
 
 v) programming that:
 (1) withholds access in the selected buyer interface to desired real estate listing information until the selected buyer record is activated, 
 (2) presents, through the selected lender interface, the buyer data for the selected buyer record, 
 (3) receives, through the selected lender interface, a request to activate the selected buyer record, wherein the selected buyer record cannot be activated except through the selected lender interface, 
 (4) activates the selected buyer record after receiving the request to activate, and 
 (5) after activation of the selected buyer record, grants access to the desired real estate listing information to the selected buyer interface. 
 
   
     
     
         9 . The computer of  claim 8 , further comprising programming for creating associations in the electronic database by creating database relationships that associate a plurality of buyer records with a plurality of agent records and a plurality of agent records with a plurality of lender records, wherein each agent record is associated with only a single lender record and further wherein each buyer record is associated with only a single agent record. 
     
     
         10 . The computer of  claim 9 , further comprising programming that withholds access in each buyer interface provided to one of a plurality of buyers identified by the plurality of buyer records until the buyer record for that buyer is activated. 
     
     
         11 . The computer of  claim 10 , further comprising programming that allows a particular buyer record to be activated only through a particular lender interface associated with a particular lender record, wherein the particular lender record for the particular buyer record is determined by:
 i) determining a particular agent record associated in the electronic database with the particular buyer record, and   ii) assigning the particular lender record to be that lender record associated in the electronic database with the particular agent record.   
     
     
         12 . A computerized method for allowing a mortgage lender to act as a gateway to a computerized system that provides real estate listing information, the computerized method comprising:
 a) distinguishing between access to the computerized system by a first buyer, the mortgage lender, and a first real estate agent;   b) presenting through the computerized system a buyer interface to the first buyer, a lender interface to the mortgage lender, and an agent interface to the first real estate agent;   c) receiving buyer data concerning a first buyer, the buyer data including first buyer search criteria;   d) withholding access to desired real estate listing information responsive to the first buyer search criteria from the buyer interface until the first buyer is activated;   e) presenting the buyer data including the first buyer search criteria, through the lender interface to the computerized system;   f) after presenting the first buyer search criteria through the lender interface, receiving a request to activate the first buyer through the lender interface, wherein neither the buyer interface nor the agent interface can activate the first buyer;   g) after receiving the request to activate, activating the first buyer;   h) after activation of the first buyer, presenting to the buyer interface access to the desired real estate listing information responsive to the first buyer search criteria.   
     
     
         13 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the buyer data is entered through the agent interface 
     
     
         14 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 i) presenting through the computerized system a strategic business source interface to a first strategic business source; wherein at least a portion of the buyer data is received through the strategic business source interface.   
     
     
         15 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein the buyer data further comprises a maximum property price and other property parameters for the search criteria. 
     
     
         16 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 i) receiving through the lender interface a maximum price for the first buyer search criteria that determines the desired real estate listing information;   wherein the buyer interface cannot alter the maximum price in the first buyer search criteria.   
     
     
         17 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein
 i) the lender interface certifies a price range in the computerized system for the first buyer, the price range being based in part on financial information within the buyer data, and   ii) the desired real estate listing information is based in part upon the certified price range for the first buyer.   
     
     
         18 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 i) storing information in the computerized system about a plurality of buyers, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders;   j) associating in the computerized system each of the plurality of real estate agents with only a single mortgage lender, wherein the computerized system associates the first real estate agent with the mortgage lender;   k) associating in the computerized system each of the plurality of buyers with only a single real estate agent, wherein the computerized system associates the first buyer with the first real estate agent;   l) associating in the computerized system each of the plurality of buyers with only a single mortgage lender, wherein the particular mortgage lender to be associated with a particular buyer is determined by:
 i) determining a particular real estate agent associated in the computerized system with the particular buyer, and 
 ii) determining the particular mortgage lender to be the mortgage lender associated in the computerized system with the particular real estate agent. 
   l) wherein these associations within the computerized system between the plurality of buyers, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders cause the computerized system to allow access to desired real estate listing information through the buyer interface for each of the plurality of buyers only after the associated mortgage lender activates that buyer though the lender interface and not allowing such activation by others.   
     
     
         19 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein the activation of the first buyer has a limited duration, and further wherein the buyer interface sends a request for re-enrollment to the lender interface, and the lender interface of the computerized system re-enrolls the buyer.