looking for a particular item in a house, they're going to know if they want to call," said Betty Ann Crepeau, a real estate agent with Century 21 Property Mart in St. Johns who is listing the Beards' house in Charlotte.

Crepeau and her husband, Bob, began selling real estate three years ago. The couple bought five Talking Houses for $300 each last month - a worthwhile investment, they said.

The couple sold two houses in the past two weeks that were advertising with the Talking House.

"It really does make the houses move," Crepeau said. "It's going to catch on."

The Crepeaus are the only agents in their office, and one of only a handful in Greater Lansing, using the product.

The technology allows agents to elaborate on homes' amenities beyond a typical listing flier, Crepeau said.

The couple even has a unit in their house, advertising their services and the Talking House features, which has helped them garner business from homeowners who want to use the product to sell their home.

"It sets us apart in the market," Crepeau said.

But some Real Estate Agents aren't sure the Talking House is as effective as other marketing tools.

"You have to be in a car with a radio to listen to it," said Debbie D'Valentine, vice president of Tomie Raines Inc. Realtors. "With the Internet or phone, you don't have to be by the house. You can access it from anywhere."

Tomie Raines is implementing a telephone hotline next month, where customers can use a four- digit code to access specific information about a property when- ever they like.

The hotline also allows agents to track who's calling, while no one knows who's listening to the Talking House, D'Valentine said.

The top advertising avenues for area real estate agents are the Internet, newspapers and magazines, said Elaine West, CEO of the Greater Lansing Association of Realtors.

But Talking Houses are talking more and more.

Since 1985, Radio Technologies, based in Fond du Lac, Wis., has sold more than 100,000 transmitters across the country and is the only company offering such a product for the real estate industry, Goulais said.

The Talking House was developed by longtime Real Estate Agent Rick Matthew and his son, Scott Matthew. They sold the technology to Radio Technologies in 2000.

The company has sold a handful of the units in the Lansing area during the past few years, he said.

Under the company's ActRadio brand, it also markets the technology to schools, home builders, restaurants, historic sites and churches that want to broadcast their services or information to passers-by.

Jeff Silm, the Crepeaus' broker for Century 21 Property Mart, said about six of his agents have used the Talking House during the past five years with success.

But Silm recognizes its limits.

"They may not like what they hear and not call. If they don't call, you can't sell them some-thing," he said.

Yet Silm still sees the Talking House as a great listing tool because more than 60 percent of his agency's incoming calls are generated from yard signs.

"That sign in the yard has the most power, and this gives it a bonus," he said.

Real estate agent Kim Albers has seen the difference.

Albers, who works for Briar-wood Realty, started selling real estate in August. She bought five Talking House transmitters last fall after seeing the product advertised in a trade magazine.

She's now using the Talking House for a home on Cardinal Lane in Delta Township, where two other houses on the street are for sale.

"It does give me an edge on the competition," said Albers, who is the only agent in her office using the device. "So many people when they drive by, they don't even pay attention to the signs.

"A little five-minute tape isn't going to sell a house, but it compels them to at least give you a call."

Contact Lori Hayes at 267-B48 or lhayes@lsj.com.

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