Local Realtors polarized about Internet-based MLS

They either love it, or they hate it. Indeed, there doesn't seem to be much middle ground among area Realtors when it comes to Rapattoni MLS, the new Internet-based system being used by the Multilist Service of Springfield Realtors.

The Multilist Service of Springfield purchased the system in the spring of 2001 from Rapattoni Corp., with is located in Simi Valley, Calif. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will host the system and customize it to meet the needs of the approximately 1,500 Realtors and affiliate members who belong to the Multilist Service of Springfield. Rapattoni replaced the Voyager MLS system.

There are several differences between the Voyager and Rapattoni MLS systems. The Voyager MLS system is Windows-based, loads from a CD and resides on the user's hard-drive. The system updates itself by dialing into the server and downloading any current information. Realtors also can upload data, such as new listings, to the server.

Rapattoni MLS is an Internet-based sys-tem, and that has some agents seeing red.

"I hate it," said Sonya Wells of Murney Associates Realtors in Nixa. "I thought the old system was better and more efficient."

Wells, who works in Nixa and lives in Ozark, is one of many suburban Realtors who don't have, or can't get, high-speed Internet access.

Wells said she sometimes has trouble accessing the Internet. When she does log on, sometimes her computer will lock up while downloading or uploading information. When this happens, she must reboot her computer and try again.

Wells said the new system also has adversely affected her business. House hunters can log on to the Internet and access Rapattoni MLS through the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors' Web site at www.gsbor.com. Prospective buyers can see a photo of a house and get information, including the price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, size of the lot and school district. However, if they want to get the address of the property, they must contact the broker or Realtor listed. Wells, who's been in real estate for 13 years, said because some house hunters use Rapattoni to find homes they like, she feels she's missing opportunities to provide one-on-one service.

"Since the new system came on, I've seen my calls cut in half. The Internet is a great tool, but it can't replace personal service. I've talked to a lot of top-producing agents, and it's an issue for them as well."

Rick McGee, a Realtor who owns Assist 2 Sell in Springfield, helped select Rapattoni MLS. McGee said he's a big fan of the new system.

"Even if they did publish the addresses of the properties that are for sale, I still think buyers would call me," said McGee. "I can provide them with additional services as a Realtor that they need."

McGee paid to have a T-1 line installed at his brokerage, which provides his agents with a super-fast connection to the Internet and Rapattoni. McGee said he pays $250 a month for it.

The dues McGee and other Realtors pay to the Multilist Service of Springfield have increased from $25 to $35 per month. McGee said he believes dues were increased, in part, to help finance the purchase of Rapattoni.

"It's costing all of us a little bit more, but it's worth it," he said.

Jan Sarff, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, agrees. Sarff, a member of the board of directors for the Multilist Service of Springfield, helped select Rapattoni MLS.

"I think it's a great system," he said. "Because it's Internet-based, it's given us much more visibility both within the United States and worldwide."

Unlike the Voyager MLS system, Rapattoni MLS provides real-time updates so Realtors have up-to-the-minute information according to Sarff.

Sarff said he often takes his laptop computer to an open house. If he encounters a house hunter who is interested in properties in that neighborhood or price range, he'll plug his computer into one of the home's phone jacks, dial up and access the Internet and print out potential leads.

Sarff said this service has helped him gain clients and increase sales.

"We're not trying to take away from agents, far from it," said Sarff. "I really think this a pro-agent system, once you learn how to use it."

To help agents learn the new system, the Multilist Service of Springfield is holding free classes. The Multilist Service of Springfield also is responding to feedback from area Realtors, and many refinements and adjustments continue to be made to the new system, said Tammie Tucker, a real estate agent with A.R. Wilson Realtors in Springfield.

Tucker, who served as president of the Multilist Service of Springfield in 2000, said the decision to switch to Rapattoni MLS was an economic one.

"It was going to cost a lot of money to update Voyager, and we were concerned that we wouldn't get the technical support we needed to maintain that system in the future," she said. "The real determining factor, though, was Rapattoni's integrity. We felt confident certain information would be kept secure."