WAV Group, Author at WAV Group Consulting

Smartphones in Real Estate Off The Charts

Smartphones in Real Estate Off The Charts Smartphones are becoming extremely popular, especially now that AT&T, the largest mobile phone service provider in the United States is heavily promoting $99 smartphones. Growth of the smartphone market is being driven by adoption of BlackBerry and other brands, but NOT by phones with the Palm operating system. The market is projected to have 30% compounded annual growth for the next five years. According to In-Stat, a leading technology company identified the following: All Smartphone OSs (other than the Palm OS) will grow at double digits over the next five years. A smartphone [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00January 23rd, 2008|Main category|Comments Off

What Happens When You Turn Off Your Blog

One of my favorite jokes goes something like this. What happens when you play a country music song backwards? Your wife moves back in, your dog is revived, you get a new truck.. I had a very interesting conversation last night with Bill French, one of the brightest minds in the world of Blogging. We discussed what happens when someone turns off a blog that they have had for a year or two with weekly posting. His answer was shocking One customer who recently truned off thier blog and replaced it with nothing removed 93% of the content from thier [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00January 23rd, 2008|Main category|Comments Off

Plain Language Real Estate Search

It's time for Plain Language in Real Estate Property Search I was reminiscing this weekend about the fun of my childhood which largely centered on Western New York lakes and lake cottages. It inspired to do some research around Buffalo and neighboring waterfront areas on the Canadian shores as well. I know the area pretty well, but I was not sure of waterfront home values so I began to do a web search. After completing the process, it reminded me again that property search still has a long way to go. When I typed in "waterfront homes for sale in [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00January 21st, 2008|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off

Lather, Rinse, Repeat – One simple secret to real estate success

Lather, Rinse, Repeat - the secret to clean hair and real estate success I attended the Inman Connect conference in New York last week. I attended several of the sessions and spoke on a panel about productivity tools. Throughout the couple of days, I got the distinct impression that many of the agents were there to get "the secret" about how to survive and thrive in a down market. In my session on productivity tools, for example, I was asked the question, "What are the three tools that you would recommend to help me grow my business?" While there were [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00January 19th, 2008|Main category|Comments Off

Listingbook is a must have for every MLS

There is little doubt that Listingbook is a must-have for MLSs today. To begin with - it provides a member benefit for free! Imagine if an MLS gave Top Producer to every agent for free, or a flyer software program for free, or an e-mail marketing product for free, or showingtime for free. Listingbook is a little bit of all of these products. It alows agents to communicate with buyers and sellers in the best possible way within a secure Virtual Office Website environment. Property searches are easy to set up for clients by agents and they give clients the [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00December 21st, 2007|Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights, Virtual Office Website Series|Comments Off

foreclosure rates in California

Inman ran a story today about foreclosures across the United States. California led the nation with 39,992 filings acording to data collected by Realtytrac. California is home to 12% of the U.S. Population with 37,700,000 people. Only 1 in 325 homes went into foreclosure. Considering the median priced home at $497,110, 1 in 325 homes is very reasonable. Home ownership is well beond the reach of most people living in the state, so foreclosures can, and will happen - and should happen in a healthy, well balanced economy. I think the media has blown things a bit out of control [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00December 19th, 2007|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off

HGTV launches frontdoor.com

Ok, you gotta check this out. I am not sure real estate agents really understand where thier listings may go when they are advertised in magazines or newspapers. Frontdoor.com has launched a property search website and they source their listings from media companies like homesandland.com and realestatebook.com. In advertising, all press is good press, right? Well - maybe, maybe not. Monthly magazines update their listings every month and some leave the listings up for multiple months without updating the listing. If you want to see something really interesting - read the property descriptions. These are the descriptions that the agents [...]

By WAV Group|2007-12-19T13:02:01-08:00December 19th, 2007|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off

Contract Negotiations

Our executive team has personally negotiated hundreds of MLS and broker software contracts over a span of 24 years. We understand MLS and broker contracts from both the vendor and customer side and can help you successfully navigate through this process. We will make sure you have the right support and product guarantees at the best possible price. A good contract will make sure that any new installation, conversion or extension provides the necessary safeguards your members deserves. It also will take into account changes in technology, pricing and services that have occurred and that you should benefit from such [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00December 17th, 2007|Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

MLS System Conversion and Implementation

Selecting the MLS vendor is only one part of a successful technology solution. Managing the actual system conversion and installation has more impact on member satisfaction than the actual technology in many cases.Understanding exactly what the roles of the vendor, the MLS staff and the membership are and coordinating resources appropriately is not something many MLS staff have time or training to do effectively. The process of launching a new product or service is very different from the ongoing management of products and services. We have experience successfully installing hundreds of MLS systems. Our team understands the critical points at the MLS [...]

By WAV Group|2007-12-17T16:06:30-08:00December 17th, 2007|Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

MLS System Review and Selection

MLS System Review and Selection There isn't one solution to fit all MLS needs. Established MLS vendors bring quality products with different strengths to market while MLSs with in-house systems have proven they can develop real solutions for their members. What's the right way to go, build or buy? Are you missing key technology that could really make a difference for your members? What about transaction management? Should that be a service provided by your MLS? Is it really working anywhere? The choices and product capabilities available today are impressive but the challenges of selection and implementation can be [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:48-07:00December 17th, 2007|Main category|Comments Off

Internet Strategies for Real Estate

Turn Your Web Efforts Into Money Makers! The Need For an Internet Strategy Whatever your role in the real estate industry the Internet is a critical part of your professional life today. It isn't just about email anymore. The number of people who begin looking for property on the Internet is increasing dramatically each year and the dynamic of the Internet savvy shopper is different, but attractive. They come to REALTORS® better informed. They buy in shorter time and they typically buy more expensive homes. Understanding how to find, serve and satisfy consumers that rely on the Internet in [...]

By WAV Group|2018-05-03T21:26:49-07:00December 16th, 2007|Reports|Comments Off

RFP Process

Request for Proposal Process Our RFP process is a comprehensive program that begins with understanding your needs and objectives and ends with system conversion and implementation. The key is to start with a clear understanding of your specific needs and objectives. Then, with a good foundation we move through the vendor selection process in a way that allows your leadership to clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the various vendors and systems available. The result is an optimum vendor selection and a negotiated agreement that will meet your objectives at the best price. The following chart shows the [...]

By WAV Group|2007-12-16T21:55:34-08:00December 16th, 2007|Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

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