The finding is the result of a study, sponsored by DellComputers, in which 1,200 businesses in the US and Europe have beenpolled. This year in particular has marked the startup of scores ofcommercial real estate sites, an industry that traditionally hasrelied upon one-on-one contact for transactions. But, saysWhinston, the industry has a long way to go in making Internet realestate work with the brick-and-mortar world.

Whinston told GlobeSt.com that commercial real estate is fallingshort by not thinking along more progressive lines, such asInternet auctions for leases, sales and buys. "It's basiceconomics," he says. "It should be that way, but whether it will beI can't say."

Many brick-and-mortar companies use only a small percentage ofInternet options. "It's an organizational problem not a technologyproblem," Whinston told GlobeSt.com. "The technology is there, butpeople aren't grasping it."