Listen to the experiences of two of our clients, and you'll see what I mean. When my friend Jennifer heard that we had expanded to San Diego, she decided to buy a house for her parents down there through us. She knows San Diego well but lives in San Francisco, so our service was the only practical way she could do this for them and keep the shuttling to a minimum. She didn't mind the fact that we would save her several thousand dollars on fees, either.

Jennifer registered one night. The next day our San Diego agent, Marti, contacted her to discuss the process. Jennifer's parents wanted a new house, so we pointed her to a few developments. Jennifer checked out their Web sites and headed down the next Saturday to see them. Our San Diego field agent, Scott, took her around, and she liked one model. Scott registered her with the builder, Jennifer left a deposit, and come March, her parents will have a new house. The process took a week.

UNORTHODOX MOVES. Compare that to an experience we had recently in the Bay Area. A couple wanted to buy in San Francisco. After registering and sending in the paperwork, they scanned our direct feed of properties on the Multiple Listing Service with the help of their online agent, Larry. Within a few weeks, they lined up a pre-approval letter for a mortgage (via the site) and found a house they wanted. Unfortunately, 10 other buyers wanted it, too. Our clients bid 5% over the asking price but were still $50,000 short of the winning bid.

Undaunted, they bid on another house. Same problem: too many buyers and not enough inventory here. Finally, they found a fixer-upper that had been on the market for a while. That should have been a warning sign. With Larry coordinating the effort, the couple put in the only offer the seller had received in two months. Did he accept? Not in this market. Instead, the seller's agent and the seller spent a week haggling with us over picky details. We went through six counteroffers before we signed a contract and put the deposit into escrow.

Meanwhile, the seller's agent started making some unorthodox moves — reducing our commissions for allegedly not cooperating on inspections, for example. The agent also spent an inordinate amount of time disputing things that had to be done to close the deal. Larry must have spent 10 hours phoning, faxing, and e-mailing this agent. Meanwhile, a new home came up that the couple really liked. Larry cautioned them they were taking a big risk making an offer on a second property, but he supported their decision. This time, the couple beat out five other bidders.