U.S. patent application number 12/553507 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-10 for mortgage and real estate data integration and presentation system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Move, Inc.. Invention is credited to Sumeet Bhatia, Todd Andrew Callow, Duke Tsao-Ming Fan, David Kramer, Bruce Mitchell, Vaughan Allan Smith, Susan Stewart, Clifton Ray Williams.
Application Number | 20100145828 12/553507 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41808976 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100145828 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Callow; Todd Andrew ; et
al. |
June 10, 2010 |
MORTGAGE AND REAL ESTATE DATA INTEGRATION AND PRESENTATION
SYSTEM
Abstract
A method of presenting real estate data is provided. A plurality
of property listings can be presented, and a selection of one of
the presented property listings may be received from a user. The
user may be associated with a financial profile, which may be
specified via user input. In response to receiving the selection by
the user, at least one loan offer corresponding to the property
listing may be automatically presented, for example, together with
the property listing. The loan offer may be at least partially
based on the financial profile, and may also be based on a property
corresponding to the selected property listing. For example, the
property listing and the financial profile may be automatically
transmitted to one or more loan providers in response to receiving
the selection by the user of the property listing, and in response
loan offers may be received from some of the loan providers.
Inventors: |
Callow; Todd Andrew; (Los
Gatos, CA) ; Bhatia; Sumeet; (Los Angeles, CA)
; Fan; Duke Tsao-Ming; (San Jose, CA) ; Kramer;
David; (Wylie, TX) ; Mitchell; Bruce; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Smith; Vaughan Allan; (Menlo Park,
CA) ; Stewart; Susan; (San Jose, CA) ;
Williams; Clifton Ray; (Sunnyvale, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALSTON & BIRD LLP
BANK OF AMERICA PLAZA, 101 SOUTH TRYON STREET, SUITE 4000
CHARLOTTE
NC
28280-4000
US
|
Assignee: |
Move, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
41808976 |
Appl. No.: |
12/553507 |
Filed: |
September 3, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61093878 |
Sep 3, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.1 ;
705/38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/025 20130101;
G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 40/06 20130101;
G06Q 30/0241 20130101; G06Q 40/00 20130101; G06Q 50/16
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/27 ;
705/38 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00; G06Q 30/00 20060101 G06Q030/00; G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00 |
Claims
1. A method of presenting real estate data comprising: presenting a
plurality of property listings; receiving a selection by a user of
a property listing of the plurality of property listings, the user
being associated with a financial profile; and in response to
receiving the selection by the user, automatically presenting a
loan scenario corresponding to the property listing, the loan
scenario having minimum requirements that exceed aspects of the
financial profile.
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the
aspects of the financial profile that did not meet the minimum
requirements of the loan scenario and the extent to which the
minimum requirements exceed the aspects of the financial
profile.
3. A computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-readable
instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer
to carry out a method including: presenting a plurality of property
listings; receiving a selection by a user of a property listing of
the plurality of property listings, the user being associated with
a financial profile; and in response to receiving the selection by
the user, automatically presenting a loan scenario corresponding to
the property listing, the loan scenario having minimum requirements
that exceed aspects of the financial profile.
4. A computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein
said computer-readable storage medium stores computer-readable
instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer
to present the aspects of the financial profile that did not meet
the minimum requirements of the loan scenario and the extent to
which the minimum requirements exceed the aspects of the financial
profile.
5. An apparatus comprising: a processing unit configured to
presenting a plurality of property listings, to receive a selection
by a user of a property listing of the plurality of property
listings, the user being associated with a financial profile, and
in response to receiving the selection by the user, to
automatically present a loan scenario corresponding to the property
listing, the loan scenario having minimum requirements that exceed
aspects of the financial profile.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processing unit
if further configured to present the aspects of the financial
profile that did not meet the minimum requirements of the loan
scenario and the extent to which the minimum requirements exceed
the aspects of the financial profile.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/093,878 filed on Sep. 3,
2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in
its entirety.
FIELD OF APPLICATION
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to
systems, methods, and computer program products for managing real
estate data, and more particularly to systems, methods, and
computer program products for managing and presenting mortgage and
real estate data.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The process of purchasing a new home often includes the
independent steps of locating a property for potential purchase and
securing financing for the purchase of the located property.
Potential purchasers may look to a variety of different resources
to gather information regarding properties, neighborhoods, and
lenders; and gathering the information necessary to make an
informed purchase and selection in a loan provider can be time
consuming. Further, in order to get a realistic understanding of
the financial products offered by various loan providers a customer
may have to repeatedly provide a significant amount of personal
financial information, which can again be quite time consuming.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one aspect, a method of presenting real estate data is
provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable storage
medium that stores computer-readable instructions that, when
executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method;
and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to execute
the method. The method includes presenting a plurality of property
listings that correspond to properties that may or may not be for
sale. A selection of one of the presented property listings
(whether or not the property represented by the listing is for
sale) may be received from a user. The user may be associated with
a financial profile, which may be specified via user input.
[0005] In response to receiving the selection by the user, at least
one loan offer corresponding to the property listing may be
automatically presented, for example, together with the property
listing. The loan offer may be at least partially based on the
financial profile, and may also be based on the property
corresponding to the selected property listing. The property
listing and the financial profile may be automatically transmitted
to one or more loan providers in response to receiving the
selection by the user of the property listing, and in response,
loan offers may be received from some of the loan providers.
[0006] In some embodiments, an indication of financial terms for
loans selected by others having similar financial profiles to the
financial profile associated with the user may be presented. In
other embodiments, an extent to which aspects of the financial
profile surpass minimum requirements associated with the loan offer
may be automatically indicated. For example, an extent to which an
aspect selected from the group consisting of loan-to-value ratio,
debt-to-income ratio, and credit rating surpasses corresponding
minimum requirements associated with the loan offer may be
automatically indicated. Similarly, a specific aspect of the
financial profile that is relatively closest to a corresponding
minimum requirement associated with the loan offer may be
indicated.
[0007] In another aspect, a method of presenting real estate data
is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes presenting a plurality of
property listings and receiving a selection by a user of a property
listing of the plurality of property listings. Mortgage terms,
including, for example, a monthly payment, may be determined for
the selected property listing, for example, after user
specification of acceptable financial terms. A user indication of
satisfaction with or disapproval of the determined mortgage terms
may be received. One or more additional property listings can then
be automatically presented based at least on the mortgage terms
determined for the selected property listing, and also possible on
the user indication of satisfaction of disapproval of the
determined mortgage terms.
[0008] In yet another aspect, a method of presenting real estate
data is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes presenting a property
listing and presenting a slider bar respectively corresponding to a
value for one or more of the items selected from the group
consisting of a credit score, a preferred down payment amount, an
income amount, and an outstanding debt amount. An adjustment by a
user of the slider bar may be received, and a mortgage scenario
regarding the presented property listing may be automatically
presented in response to the received adjustment. The mortgage
scenario may be automatically obtained from a loan provider, or may
be automatically retrieved from a lookup table.
[0009] In still another aspect, a method of presenting mortgage
scenarios is provided. Provided in other aspects are a
computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-readable
instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer
to carry out the method; and an apparatus including a processing
unit configured to execute the method. The method includes
receiving from a user financial terms corresponding to a first
mortgage scenario regarding a property listing. A second mortgage
scenario regarding the property listing may be automatically
obtained, and the first and second mortgage scenarios may be
presented together in order to allow comparisons therebetween.
[0010] In some embodiments, a plurality of property listings may be
presented, and a selection by the user of a property listing may be
received. A second mortgage scenario regarding the property listing
may be obtained, say, from a loan provider, in response to
receiving the selection by the user of the property listing.
[0011] In yet another aspect, a method of managing real estate data
is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes receiving indication from a
user of an acceptable mortgage term (e.g., an acceptable maximum
monthly payment amount or an acceptable maximum total cost of
ownership) and automatically monitoring a financial index or a
specific mortgage offer (e.g., mortgage interest rates offered by
specific lenders and/or interest rate indices). Specific properties
may then be automatically selected from a database of property
listings based at least on the indication of the acceptable
mortgage term and the monitored financial index or a specific
mortgage offer. Current representations of the monitored financial
index or specific mortgage offer (e.g., interest rate and required
down payment for a monitored specific mortgage offer) may be
automatically presented periodically to the user.
[0012] In some embodiments, indication from a user of a maximum
acceptable monthly mortgage payment amount may be received at a
first time. A first set of specific properties may be automatically
selected from a database of property listings based at least on the
indication of the maximum acceptable monthly mortgage payment
amount. A change in the monitored financial index or specific
mortgage offer may be detected (possibly automatically), and in
response thereto, a second set of specific properties may be
automatically selected from the database of property listings based
at least on the indication of the maximum acceptable monthly
mortgage payment amount and the one or more monitored financial
indices. The second set of specific properties can be automatically
compared to the first set of specific properties to determine
differences therebetween, and a representation of the determined
differences between the second set of specific properties to the
first set of specific properties can be provided.
[0013] In some cases, a financial profile for the user may be
obtained, the financial profile including, for example, loan type
preferences, user income, user credit score, estimated down
payment, and/or intended points to be paid. In other cases,
indication of a geographic location may be received from a user,
and selection of specific properties from a database of property
listings may be based at least on the indication of the geographic
location.
[0014] In still another aspect, a method of managing mortgage data
is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes providing a (first)
mortgage scenario and automatically providing contact information
for a loan provider associated with the mortgage scenario. Topics
for further discussion with the loan provider may also be provided
automatically with the contact information, the topics being based
on the mortgage scenario. Information related to the topics may be
received from a user and stored together with the mortgage scenario
for subsequent retrieval. In some embodiments, a user may provide
financial terms corresponding to a second mortgage scenario
regarding a property listing, and the first and second mortgage
scenarios may be presented together in order to allow comparisons
therebetween.
[0015] In yet another aspect, a method of presenting real estate
data is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes presenting a plurality of
property listings and automatically presenting with each listing a
respective total cost of ownership for each corresponding listing.
Total cost of ownership may include factors such as, for example,
home owners association fees, estimated utility bills, Mello-Roos
costs, expected maintenance costs, private mortgage insurance
costs, and/or transaction costs associated with purchase of each
corresponding listing (e.g., escrow amounts, moving costs, and/or
move-in costs). Search criteria may be received and a search of a
database of property listings may be performed based on the search
criteria to determine the plurality of property listings.
[0016] In yet another aspect, a method of presenting mortgage
scenarios is provided. Provided in other aspects are a
computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-readable
instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer
to carry out the method; and an apparatus including a processing
unit configured to execute the method. The method includes
graphically presenting together multiple mortgage scenarios (e.g.,
plotting as a function of time the cumulative cost of each
respective mortgage of the multiple mortgage scenarios). Selection
of a position (e.g., a time) within the graphically presented
multiple mortgage scenarios may be receiving, and in response
thereto, financial terms of each of the multiple mortgage scenarios
corresponding to the position may be automatically presented. For
example, a monthly payment, an amount of interest paid, an amount
of equity built, and/or an interest rate corresponding to the
selected position can be automatically presented for each mortgage
scenario. In some embodiments, user input specifying financial
parameters may be received, and the graphical presentation of
multiple mortgage scenarios may include a mortgage scenario
generated based on the specified financial parameters.
[0017] In still another aspect, a method of presenting real estate
data is provided. Provided in other aspects are a computer-readable
storage medium that stores computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the
method; and an apparatus including a processing unit configured to
execute the method. The method includes presenting a plurality of
property listings and receiving a selection by a user of a property
listing. The user can be associated with a financial profile. In
response to receiving the selection by the user, a loan scenario
corresponding to the property listing may be automatically
presented, the loan scenario having minimum requirements that
exceed aspects of the financial profile. The aspects of the
financial profile that did not meet the minimum requirements of the
loan scenario and the extent to which the minimum requirements
exceed the aspects of the financial profile may be presented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0018] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,
which are not necessarily drawn to scale.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a mortgage and real
estate management and presentation (MRDMP) system configured in
accordance with an example embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 2A is a schematic representation of a listing window
configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 2B is a schematic representation of a detailed view
window configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a system including
the MRDMP system of FIG. 1, and configured in accordance with an
example embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a mortgage window
configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a mortgage and
listing window configured in accordance with an example
embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a financial profile
window configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a combination
mortgage window and financial profile window configured in
accordance with an example embodiment.
[0027] FIGS. 8A-8C are schematic representations of outputs
provided when selecting a property listing and obtaining additional
listings according to an example embodiment.
[0028] FIGS. 9 and 11 are schematic representations of a mortgage
window configured in accordance with another example embodiment,
the mortgage window including an "add an offer" button.
[0029] FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of an independent
offer window configured in accordance with an example
embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of a scenario plot
window configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of a saved listings
window configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of a notebook view
configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of a specific offer
window configured in accordance with an example embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The present invention now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed,
these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should
not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;
rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will
satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like
elements throughout.
[0035] The present disclosure is generally directed to systems,
methods, and computer program products for managing and presenting
mortgage and real estate data. Embodiments of such mortgage and
real estate data management and presentation (MRDMP) systems,
methods, and computer program products can be configured to allow a
user to browse a variety of property listings, to select properties
of interest from within the group of listed properties, and to then
obtain further information regarding the property. In addition,
information regarding potential mortgage scenarios may also be
provided. The user may enter financial information to create a user
profile, which can be used to tailor the mortgage scenarios to the
user. Mortgage and property data may be stored together with
suggested topics for further investigation, thereby creating a
virtual notebook regarding the property and a potential purchase
thereof. The systems, methods, and computer program products may
use the user profile and associated indications of interests in
certain types of mortgages or properties to continuously monitor
the market and alert the user of pertinent changes or
developments.
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2A, therein are respectively shown
a MRDMP system 100 configured in accordance with an example
embodiment, and a schematic representation of a graphical output
200 from such a MRDMP system. The MRDMP system 100 can include, for
example, a processing unit 102, such as a processor, an
application-specific integrated circuit, and/or a collection of
analog and/or digital circuitry. In one embodiment, the MRDMP
system 100 may include a general purpose computer having a
processor configured to execute computer-readable program
instructions that may be stored in an associated memory. The MRDMP
system 100 may also include a display device 104 in communication
with the processing unit 102, which display device may be used to
display the graphical output 200 as a graphical user interface. A
transceiver 106, such as an Ethernet or a wireless connection, and
a memory device 108, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile
memory, may also be included in the MRDMP system 100. The MRDMP
system 100 may be located in a single physical location or, as
shown in FIG. 3, may be distributed across a network 110 that may
include the Internet, so as to employ a server-client relationship
between various constituent parts of the system. The MRDMP system
100 may also communicate with (or incorporate) other components,
such as a database 112 and one or more loan providers, which are
discussed further below.
[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the graphical output 200
may present a listing window 202 that includes plurality of
property listings 204. For example, the property listings may
correspond to homes for sale and/or undeveloped lots for sale, as
well as properties that are not for sale, but for which financial
data may be available (e.g., homes for which refinancing may be
sought or homes for which information is simply desired). The
listings 204 may be returned, for example, in response to a search,
initiated by a user, for properties in a given geographic area,
price range, and/or property type. The plurality of property
listings 204 may be presented as a list, distributed within a map,
or in some other manner that allows a user to browse the property
listings returned by the search. Each property listing may be
associated with descriptive data, such as location, price, and/or
total cost of ownership (described below), etc. Some embodiments
may resemble listings as commonly presented via traditional real
estate web sites, such as Realtor.com.
[0038] A user may select one or more of the property listings 204.
For example, where the property listings 204 are presented via the
display device 104, the user may select a property listing from a
list of properties using a user input device 109, such as a
pointing device (e.g., a mouse), that is associated with or part of
the MRDMP system 100. In response to selecting a property listing,
the user may be presented with more details regarding the property
to which the selected listing 204a corresponds, for example, in a
detailed view window 205, as shown in FIG. 2B. For example, while a
user may be presented with only price and location data when
browsing properties, selection of a respective property may provide
access (e.g., via hyperlink) to more detailed information regarding
floor plan, interior design, neighborhood information, itemized
costs of ownership, price, lot size, and/or dwelling style, etc.,
in addition to price and location data.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, in response to receiving the
selection by the user of a specific property listing 204a, loan
offers/scenarios 206 corresponding to the selected property listing
may be automatically presented, for example, in a mortgage window
208 as shown in FIG. 4. The mortgage window 208 may present an
overview of the selected listing 204a and any associated offers
206. Alternatively, in some embodiments, loan offers may be
respectively presented together with a more detailed description of
the selected property listing 204a, for example, in a mortgage and
listing window 212, as shown in FIG. 5. The mortgage and listing
window 212 may include a listing data portion 214 and a mortgage
data portion 216. The listing data portion 214 can contain detailed
data regarding the property itself, as discussed above in
conjunction with the detailed view window 205.
[0040] Whether presented in a mortgage window 208 or the mortgage
data portion 216 of a mortgage and listing window 212, the offers
206 may specify information including, for example, the amount of
down payment required, the interest rate of the loan, the annual
percentage rate, the estimated closing costs associated with the
loan, and/or an updated accounting of the total cost of ownership
(including, for example, home owners association fees, estimated
utility bills, Mello-Roos costs, expected maintenance costs,
private mortgage insurance (PMI) costs, principal costs, interest
costs, taxes, and/or homeowners insurance), all of which may be
automatically determined for each property listing. The total cost
of ownership may also include transaction costs associated with
purchase of a listed property, such as escrow amounts, moving
costs, or move-in costs (e.g., utility deposits). The offers 206
may be presented as generic sample loan offers/scenarios, or may be
generated by communicating with loan providers (say, via the
network 110) or by accessing databases (e.g., database 112) of
existing offers on the market. The loan offers/scenarios 206 can be
tailored to the property, for example, by taking into account the
listing price and any location-specific factors, such as, for
example, local property appreciation trends.
[0041] The user of the MRDMP system 100 may be associated with a
financial profile. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the user may
be prompted to manually enter certain financial (and associated
descriptive) information, such as loan type preferences (e.g.,
fixed or variable rate, duration, etc.), preferred monthly payment
amount, user income, user credit score, user assets and debts, user
foreclosure and bankruptcy histories, user contact information,
estimated down payment, and/or intended points to be paid, mortgage
information regarding any existing properties (e.g., loan type,
principal, interest, monthly payment amount), via a financial
profile window 210. The financial profile window 210 may also
accept information regarding the user's financial goals (e.g.,
quick principal repayment, minimization of monthly payments, fixed
payments, etc.).
[0042] In some embodiments, the financial profile window 210 may
include one or more slider bars 230 or like devices corresponding
to respective values for financial parameters (e.g., credit score,
a down payment amount, etc.). The user may adjust a respective
slider bar 230 in order to specify the value for the associated
parameter. Alternatively, the MRDMP system may obtain a financial
profile for the user by requesting the profile from another source,
such as a bank and/or credit bureau, or by amassing the financial
information, for example, through an automated activity, such as
web crawling. The user financial profile may be stored, for
example, in the memory device 108 or a remote database 112 (FIG.
1), so as to be associated with the user and available for
subsequent use.
[0043] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 7, where the user has selected a
property listing 204 (or 204a), the user may be presented with a
financial profile window 210 together with a mortgage window 208.
The mortgage window 208 may include summary information regarding
the listing, possibly along with some default mortgage scenarios.
The user may employ the financial profile window 210, including the
slider bars 230, to enter financial information. In response to
respective adjustments of the slider bars 230, mortgage scenarios
206 corresponding to the values indicated by the slider bars may be
automatically presented regarding the selected property listing
(i.e., without further action being required by the user, such as
activating a "submit" or "enter" button).
[0044] Where a financial profile is available, either because it
was entered by the user or compiled or obtained by the system, one
or more of the loan offers 206 provided upon selection of a listing
204 or 204a may be at least partially based on the information
contained in the financial profile. For example, a loan offer to a
user may be based on the income level of the user and/or the credit
rating of the user; traditionally, for instance, users with higher
incomes or better credit ratings have received offers with lower
associated interest rates. Loan offers may also depend on other
factors aside from those represented in the financial profile, such
as the specific property at issue (e.g., its physical location and
the financial outlook for the region), general economic indicators
and/or outlooks, etc.
[0045] The loan offers 206 may be generated automatically, for
example, by consulting a table of offers in which the financial
profile acts as parameters, which table may be stored, for example,
in the memory device 108 (FIG. 1) or in the database 112 (FIG. 3).
For example, the user may specify an income and credit score, and
these factors may be used to locate within the table the
appropriate offer. Alternatively, the selected property listing and
the user's financial profile may be transmitted to a loan provider,
such as a bank or commercial lender, in response to which the loan
provider can provide an offer that is specific to the user and the
property. In some embodiments, this transmission may be
automatically conducted in response to receiving a selection by the
user of a specific property listing. The property listing and user
financial profile may be provided to multiple loan providers in
order to obtain a plurality of loan offers corresponding to the
property listing. In some embodiments, each offer 206 may also be
associated with a "contact" button 261 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that can
be activated to obtain the contact information for the loan
provider with which the offer originated, thereby facilitating the
gathering of further information regarding interesting offers.
[0046] In conjunction with the offers 206, the user may be
presented with an indication of the types of loans that similarly
situated buyers selected. "Similarly situated" buyers would be
those with financial profiles that are similar to the financial
profile of the user (e.g., similar annual income, similar
debt-to-income ratio, etc.). For example, the user could be
presented with financial terms most frequently selected by
similarly situated buyers, such as a common down payment amount or
a frequently selected interest rate for a given type of loan (say,
30 years in duration and fixed interest rate). The user can then
leverage this information in making a selection of a loan offer.
The information regarding the selections of others could be amassed
by the MRDMP system 100 by tracking queries and closed transactions
for other users associated with respective financial profiles.
[0047] A user of the MRDMP system 100 may also be presented with
information indicating the extent to which aspects of the user's
financial profile surpass minimum requirements associated with a
loan offer (e.g., minimum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, maximum
debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, minimum credit rating, etc.). This can
be done in a more general manner, say, by indicating that a user's
financial profile makes the user "highly qualified," "moderately
qualified," or "barely qualified" for a given loan. Alternatively,
a specific aspect of the user's financial profile may be indicated
as being closest to a corresponding minimum requirement associated
with the loan offer. For example, a loan offer may require a
minimum debt-to-income (DTI) ratio of 0.25 and a minimum credit
score of 690. A user's financial profile may indicate a DTI ratio
of 0.23 (8% above the minimum requirement) and a credit score of
695 (0.7% above the minimum requirement). The user may be informed
that the credit score is closest to a minimum requirement of the
loan, this information allowing the user to monitor those aspects
of the financial profile that are most likely to affect the ability
of the user to obtain a loan. As another alternative, the user may
be presented with all of the aspects of the financial profile that
fall within a certain range of the minimum requirements for a loan
(say, within 10%).
[0048] Upon selecting a property listing from a plurality of
presented property listings, in addition to being presented with
one or more loan offers, the user may be presented with one or more
loan scenarios for which the user, based on the user's financial
profile, would not qualify. That is, the user may be presented with
one or more loan scenarios having one or more respective minimum
requirements that exceed aspects of the user's financial profile.
The user may be informed regarding the extent to which the
requirements for a loan scenario exceed a corresponding aspect of
the user's financial profile. For example, the user may be informed
that their credit score is 10% lower than the minimum required
credit score for a certain loan. Further, the user may be told,
say, that an increase in down payment amount of $10,000 will result
in the availability of a new loan with a lower interest rate.
[0049] Referring to FIGS. 1, 6, and 8A-8C, once a user has
specified a preference for a property/property type or a financial
term or product and has been presented with property listings
consistent with those preferences, the MRDMP system 100 may be
configured to present to the user additional listings of potential
interest. For example, after presenting a plurality of property
listings 304 in a listing window 302 and receiving a selection by a
user of a specific property listing 304a (see FIG. 8A), mortgage
terms 306 for the selected property listing can be determined and
presented in a mortgage window 308 (see FIG. 8B). The determination
of the mortgage terms 306 may be based on (amongst other things) a
prior specification of acceptable financial terms by a user (say,
via the financial profile window 210).
[0050] Thereafter, one or more additional property listings 320
(see FIG. 8C) can be automatically presented (or at least made
available for presentation) based on (amongst other things) the
mortgage terms determined for the selected property listing. The
additional listings 320 may be presented, for example, in an
additional listings window 318, which may be prompted by a user by
selecting an "additional listings" button 316 provided with the
mortgage window 308. Alternatively, the additional listings may be
provided as updates or alerts, such as where the MRDMP system 100
transmits periodic electronic messages alerting the user to
newly-available listings that may be purchased on terms consistent
with those established for the selected listing 304a. The
additional property listings 320 could be chosen due to a perceived
similarity between the financial characteristics associated with
the additional listings and those for the selected listing 304a
(e.g., the selected and additional listings are respectively
associated with similar monthly payments or with similar calculated
total costs of ownership).
[0051] In some embodiments, the user may provide an indication of
satisfaction with or disapproval of the determined mortgage terms,
for example, by clicking (or refraining from clicking) an approval
box 322 associated with respective mortgage terms 306. Additional
property listings 320 may then be presented that are associated
with mortgage terms corresponding only to terms approved in
conjunction with the selected property listing 304a.
[0052] Referring to FIGS. 9-11, a mortgage window 408 may present
one or more mortgage scenarios 406 regarding a selected property
listing 404a, which mortgage scenarios may be automatically
obtained, such as by automatically retrieving the scenarios from a
loan provider and/or by drawing the scenarios from a lookup table.
The user may also be provided with the option of entering financial
terms corresponding to a separately-obtained mortgage scenario
regarding the selected property listing 404a, as might be obtained
where the user contacts lenders off-line to inquire about special
rates or deals. The mortgage window 408 may include an "add an
offer" button 440 that prompts an independent offer window 450.
Once the user has entered the terms of the separately-obtained
mortgage scenario, the MRDMP system-obtained mortgage scenarios 406
and the separately-obtained mortgage scenarios 406a may be
presented together, for example, in a table listing the primary
financial terms of the various scenarios, in order to allow
comparisons therebetween.
[0053] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the mortgage window 408 may
include "compare" buttons 460 corresponding to each of the
presented mortgage scenarios 406, 406a. Activating a respective
compare button 460 allows for the associated scenario to be
graphically presented via a graph 570 provided in a scenario plot
window 500. The scenarios may be presented to display any of a
variety of financial characteristics as a function of time,
including, for example, the total cumulative loan cost as a
function of time, the instantaneous interest rate of the loan,
and/or the total cumulative cost of ownership.
[0054] The scenario plot window 500 may allow various mortgage
scenarios to be visually compared by a user, thereby facilitating a
choice between several options. In some embodiments, a user may
select a position within the graph 570 in order to prompt a report
572 of one or more financial terms of each of the multiple
graphically-presented mortgage scenarios corresponding to the
selected position. For example, the MRDMP system may plot the
cumulative cost of each respective mortgage as a function of time.
A selection of a time within the graph 570, say, a choice of the
23-year mark, as shown in FIG. 12, would then result in a report
572 of the loan costs accrued up until that time. Regardless of the
type of plot presented, a variety of financial information can be
presented in the report 572 as a function of a selected time,
including a monthly payment, an amount of interest paid, an amount
of equity built, and/or an interest rate corresponding to the
position.
[0055] Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 6, the MRDMP system 100 may
be configured to monitor, perhaps automatically, prevailing or
specific market conditions in order to inform users of changes that
affect the compatibility of properties with user specified
criteria. For example, a user may indicate an acceptable mortgage
term (e.g., a maximum acceptable monthly mortgage payment, a
maximum acceptable total cost of ownership, etc.) via the financial
profile window 210. Thereafter, a financial index or indices (e.g.,
mortgage interest rates offered by specific lenders and/or national
interest rate indices), or one or more specific mortgage offers,
may be automatically monitored. The processing unit 102 may be
configured to access, say, via the Internet, the web sites
associated with one or more lenders in order to obtain interest
rate data and catalogue existing loan offers. A set of specific
properties can be automatically selected from a database of
property listings (e.g., stored in the database 112 or in the
memory device 108), the selections being based on the user's
indication of the acceptable mortgage term and the monitored
financial index or offer (and also possibly on the user's financial
profile and any indications of user geographic preference).
[0056] As an example, a user may specify an acceptable monthly
payment amount (again, say, via the financial profile window 210),
and may be presented with a list of properties consistent with that
criterion. Later, properties previously inconsistent with the
user's criterion, that is, associated with a monthly payment above
the "acceptable" payment, may become compatible with the criterion
(i.e., may later be associated with a lower monthly payment that is
less than the "acceptable" amount), for example, due to a drop in
interest rates. The MRDMP system can then accumulate a second set
of properties consistent with the "acceptable" payment, the second
set now capturing the newly-compatible properties. The second set
can be automatically compared the prior set of specific properties
to determine differences therebetween, and the user can be
presented with any added or modified properties. Users may be
presented with automated alerts informing of newly-available
properties consistent with user criteria, of properties for which
financial characteristics have changed so as to now be consistent
with user criteria, and or properties for which financial
characteristics have changed so as to now be inconsistent with user
criteria.
[0057] In monitoring, the MRDMP system 100 may be configured to
periodically present to the user updated representations of the
monitored financial index or specific mortgage offer. For example,
the system may provide periodic email alerts to the user regarding
the interest rate and required down payment for a specific mortgage
offer. Alternatively, the system 100 may provide a continuous
display of such monitored values, similar to a stock ticker.
[0058] In addition to aiding a user in locating properties of
potential interest and aggregating financial data related to
financing the purchase or lease of the properties, the MRDMP system
may also be configured to guide users through the process of
obtaining financing. For example, referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, 13, and
14, property listings 204 may be presented in a listing window 202,
with each listing being accompanied by a "save this listing" button
203. By activating the save this listing button 203, the associated
property listing 204 can be stored, for example, in the memory
device 108. Any mortgage scenarios that may have been accumulated
regarding the saved property listing can also be saved with the
listing. Thereafter, users can access the saved listings and
associated mortgage scenarios, for example, from a saved listings
window 600. The saved listings window 600 can display summary
information for all of the saved property listings 604 associated
with a user.
[0059] Clicking on one of the saved listings 604 may prompt a
notebook view 700. The notebook view 700 can display listing data
704, mortgage offers 706 (both MRDMP-obtained and
separately-obtained) and associated comparison data 707, and/or
financial information 710. Within the notebook view 700, various
mortgage offers 706 obtained for a property listing can be
compared. The notebook view 700 may also provide educational
materials regarding the mortgage process, ratings and reviews of
various loan providers, and links to further information.
[0060] Selecting a specific offer 706a, for example, by clicking on
the offer with a mouse, may initiate a specific offer window 800.
The specific offer window 800 can provide further details regarding
a specific offer 706a, and may provide a note area 762 within which
a user may record notes. Contact information 764 for the loan
provider associated with the specific offer 706a may also be
provided, thereby facilitating contact between the loan provider
and the user. Topics for further discussion and suggested questions
766 related to the offer at issue 706a may be listed along with
areas 768 to record answers from the loan provider and user notes
thereon. In some embodiments, the topics/questions 766 would be
tailored to the type of loan being considered. For example, a user
may be presented with a variable rate mortgage, and the suggested
questions could relate to aspects of the variable rate mortgage,
such as "how will the rate be adjusted over time?"
[0061] The MRDMP system may store all of the information contained
in the notebook view 700 (including the information contained in
the specific offer window 800) together in order to create a
central repository for information related to the potential
purchase of a property. This repository can be revisited and
supplemented over time in order to create a complete record of the
potential transaction. The aggregation of mortgage and property
data in one location may facilitate the purchase process.
[0062] As described above and as will be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be configured
as a system, an apparatus, or a method. Accordingly, embodiments of
the present invention may be comprised of various means including
entirely of hardware, entirely of software, or any combination of
hardware and software. Furthermore, embodiments of the present
invention may take the form of a computer program product including
a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program
instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied in the storage
medium, e.g., memory device 108. Any suitable computer-readable
storage medium may be utilized including non-volatile memory such
as hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic
storage devices.
[0063] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations
of methods, apparatuses (i.e., systems) and computer program
products. It will be understood that each block of the block
diagrams and flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in
the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, can
be implemented by various means including computer program
instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded
onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other
programmable data processing apparatus, such as processing device
102, to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute
on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus
create a means for implementing the functions specified in the
flowchart block or blocks.
[0064] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including
computer-readable instructions for implementing the function
specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program
instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of
operational steps to be performed on the computer or other
programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process
such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other
programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions
specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
[0065] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions
set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to
which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings
presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated
drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are
not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that
modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included
within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms
are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive
sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
* * * * *