Let's say that you want to sell, but you haven't tried because you're feeling shy. You're worried that you'll get lost in the crowd of eager sellers in search of the same thing: a comely buyer. Why bother trying when you know you're just another house in the crowd, right?

Marshall Saunders, the Remax Results co-owner, thinks he has just the ticket. The Twin Cities-based franchise just launched a new feature on its website that gives buyers a chance to throw their hat in the ring.

Here's how it works: Buyers will enter information about what they want. No personal information, just basic details such as neighborhood, school district, price range and bedroom/bathroom preferences. Homeowners can search that buyer pool for someone who might be in the market for precisely what they can offer. The way it works now, the process is focused on providing a place for sellers to post their "profiles."
Saunders said that buyers and sellers are not unlike people looking for romance. "What is a real estate web site, really, but a dating site?"

In particular, Saunders is trying to appeal to the growing number of people who would like to sell, but are afraid that there just aren't enough buyers to go around. "There are thousands of people who would become a seller if they knew they might have a buyer," he said. Todd Shipman, an agent with Lakes Sotheby's International Realty and a director with the National Association of Realtors, said that he's not aware of anything like it, and thinks that it's exactly the kind of approach that real estate companies need to take in a challenging market.
For his part, Saunders is simply hoping to expand what he believes is his role as match-maker by giving buyers a place at the table. "The home that might be right for you might not be on the internet," he said. "And there's a huge untapped market of people who would like to be sellers."