Excelsior Innovator Launches Online Housing Market

“Real estate your way,” is how Excelsior resident Jim Lesinski describes his new online creation, BuyerCurious.com.

Through the website, home buyers and sellers can complete the offer and negotiation process online without the typical long waits and piles of paperwork.

Through BuyerCurious.com, buyers and sellers can choose which kind of help they want during the negotiation process—none, or from friends, family, personal advisors or a real estate agent.

“This is all about getting buyers and sellers off the sidelines,” Lesinski said.

He explained that when buyers want to make an offer on a house, BuyerCurious.com can translate their terms into a letter of intent. Sellers then receive notification of the offer in the form of their choosing, such as e-mail or text message. While the cost of making an offer is $59.99, sellers do not pay anything to view the offer. Buyers remain completely anonymous until they reach a mutual purchase agreement.

Houses do not have to be registered on BuyerCurious.com to receive an offer. The unregistered homeowner receives notification of an offer through priority mail. According to Lesinski, unsolicited offers give homeowners an idea of the market interest for their home.

“There’s a lot of shadow inventory right now,” Lesinski said, referring to the amount of unlisted bank-owned homes not yet on the market.

Due to the depressed housing market, Lesinski said, many people who might otherwise sell their homes are afraid to do so. Creating an electronic marketplace for homes, he explained, provides a safe way for homeowners to find out the potential value of their home without actually having to go on the market.

Homeowners can also purchase a sign from BuyerCurious.com that they can place in their yards. The sign lets others know that the home is available for offers through BuyerCurious.com.

Lesinski is quick to note that the website is not a listing service that lists the homes that are for sale. Potential buyers still need to view homes in person. Instead he sees his website as filling a void that the internet has not yet addressed.

BuyerCurious.com is “designed to make real estate transactions move forward,” Lesinski said.

He pointed out that for many people, their home is their largest financial asset. He sees his online service as making it easier to make use of that asset.

The future of BuyerCurious.com includes expanding into more states next spring. Currently, the service is available in five states.

Lesinski described his service as ground-breaking: “For the first time through an internet application, someone can make an offer on any home.”