Rapid Realty agent Patrick David demonstrates the use of a LOH Vision interactive screen, which is used to display properties in the windows of brokerage offices. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—Despite having intimate knowledge of real estate and business in their neighborhoods, realtors can sometimes disappear when they return to the opaque walls of their offices.

To bridge the divide, Live Open House, a real estate marketing company, developed videos and software in a touch screen that is designed to be placed in the windows of realty offices, and dubbed it “LOH Vision.” Passersby can interact with the screen to view photos and videos of properties in the neighborhood, share them via social media sites, and get info about local shops and attractions.

“It’s a different way for people to connect with brokerages,” said Vernon Jones, CEO of LOH. “It allows brokerages to catch people organically on the street while they are walking.”

More than 90 percent of realtors use social media to some extent, according to REALTOR.org. But Jones’s business partner Reale Rose says they haven’t quite gotten it right, because their Facebooks and Twitters have limited ability to attract non-preexisting fans.

With a physical interactive screen placed in neighborhoods, Jones and Rose believe realtors will be better able to capture a market that already demonstrates a love for the neighborhood by frequenting it. It would eliminate the need to chase after demographics online while giving the brand a way to interact with its neighbors—even those who are not in the market for a new property.

Right now, a prototype of the screen is being beta-tested by Rapid Realty in the West Village. Rapid Realty West Village Owner Shane Paul Neil has featured a screen in the window of his office on 6th Avenue and Washington Place for a month, and so far it has had 5–6 uses a day.

“It’s a great starting point for conversation,” Neil said. The screen has been effective in drawing in passersby and acting as a buffer between a public space and a selling space. “After the initial wow factor, they are able to comparison shop before they actually start shopping; they can see what we have, and it eliminates any distrust they may have for salespeople.”

While many of the property listings available on the screen are also available on the realtor’s website, shopping online inhibits human interaction while the screen promotes it. “In the information age, nothing can replace the handshake,” Neil said, and the screen has encouraged quite a few new and potential clients to stop and have a conversation.

“A couple clients came to us via the screen; we were able to show them a property within the hour,” said Neil. “Many people remember us because of the touch screen, and refer their friends to us.”

The LOH Vision touch screen brings in sellers too. One gentleman who was frequently seen in the neighborhood stopped to introduce himself after seeing the touch screen. It turned out that he was a building manager and wanted to have his property featured. He listed several vacant units with Rapid Realty.

“Real estate is not the most glamorous product, not dresses or shoes, so getting people to stop and chat is very valuable,” said Neil.

On top of helping to localize real estate again, LOH Vision has the potential to become a driving force in neighborhood spending. The software can support local business ads and coupons that pedestrians can share via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

The touch screens can also serve as a neighborhood bulletin board; because the software is still in development, many business-generating offerings can be integrated with the new release of LOH Vision, which is slated for March.