To Zap Or Not To Zap

That is the question for many brokers today who are part of the Realogy® Franchise Group. This group includes brokers who may be a member of any number of franchises spanning Century 21®, Better Homes and Gardens®, Sotheby’s®, Coldwell Banker®, ERA®, and some others. As WAV Group detailed in this case study of BH&G Metro Brokers in Atlanta – the Zaplabs platform is excellent – combining an effective mix of agent website, CRM, Lead Management and other vital agent business tools. But the question to Zap or not to Zap is really not a question about technology at all. It [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:02-07:00November 15th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Recruiting|2 Comments
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NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics

This week, Orlando is more than home to Disney World and tens of thousands of happy tourists across the globe: it also will house nearly 20,000 enthusiastic REALTORS®, other industry organizations (RESO Booth #609), MLSs executives and staff, lenders, title firms, closing agents, technology providers of every shape and size, and of course, the Scarf King. Navigating through the maze of more than 400 exhibitors is challenging, but kudos for the NAR for making it highly accessible. The Trade Expo kicks off on Friday afternoon with its Grand Opening at 3:00 pm, running to 6:00 pm. The official hours: Expo Hours [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:02-07:00November 2nd, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics
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Aculist Edge for Brokers – Big Data, MLS Powered

There are a few companies that have developed analytic and business intelligence tools for real estate. Terradatum, RBI, 10K, Altos Research, Trend Graphics, Realtors Property Resource and others. But this past year, one of America’s leading MLSs, MLSListings launched a new product called Aculist Edge™ under the banner of their subsidiary, Aculist(the name denotes accurate listings). Based in Sunnyvale, CA, the heart of Silicon Valley, MLSListings has some of the most advanced software developers in the MLS industry, and they have leveraged those resources in ways that only an MLS operator can. Aculist Edge is something that is truly special. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:03-07:00October 19th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off on Aculist Edge for Brokers – Big Data, MLS Powered
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Down on the Farm with Data

The most famous mash-up of valuation data and marketing applications was Zillow’s “Zestimate,” the centerpiece of Zillow’s national launch in 2006.  Zillow’s PR folks at the time positioned their new tool aggressively.  I was VP of Public Affairs at NAR at the time, and I will never forget the phone calls we received from national reporters suggesting that maybe now consumers would no longer need Realtors to sell their homes because they could find out their home values online. Though the early Zestimates needed further refinement, there’s no doubt that the launch was a tremendous PR success.  Automated valuation models [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:03-07:00October 19th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information|Comments Off on Down on the Farm with Data
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MLSs and Brokers Misunderstand RESO

Our industry is in the dawn of a new day. With some measure of struggle, the Nations’ MLSs and their Vendors have endeavored to adopt a set of standard fields for standardized data transportation from the MLS system to applications that support the real estate industry.  I consider this the dawn of the effort because, for the very first time, MLS adoption of the real estate standards are more strictly mandated by the National Association of REALTORS® MLS Policy. For years, the National Association of REALTORS® supported and funded the Real Estate Standards Organization, which is referred to by its [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:04-07:00October 7th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off on MLSs and Brokers Misunderstand RESO
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Do Online Marketing Analytics Blind Agents to Offline Opportunities?

We’ve all been the unhappy recipients of unwanted junk mail and Internet advertisements, yet online marketing has been hailed as the Holy Grail among Realtors for turning up sales leads. However, statistics show that scattershot online marketing does not necessarily translate into sales strength. By hyper-focusing outreach efforts on online portals, agents are missing valuable opportunities to not just create leads but actually increase sales. Agents can optimize their reach and revenue by remembering the roots of marketing principles and embracing an integrated plan that engages more offline strategies. To be sure, the prospect of influence through online channels is [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 21st, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, Marketing|Comments Off on Do Online Marketing Analytics Blind Agents to Offline Opportunities?
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What’s the Real Value of Portal Marketing?

A recent survey of over 120 broker-owners and senior leaders at some of the top real estate firms in the U.S. and Canada revealed an apparent disconnect between revenue goals and business strategies. According to the survey, 85% of brokerages focus their marketing investments on lead generation activities– despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of sales are the result of repeat clients and past client referrals. Clearly, agents and brokers are spending too much time and money marketing on portals when long-view strategies produce a better return-on-investment. While lead generation is an undeniably important tactic for targeting specific market segments, [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 19th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Marketing, Product Management|Comments Off on What’s the Real Value of Portal Marketing?
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Re-Inventing the Collection of Earnest Money – A Case Study

John Mosey, CEO of Northstar MLS is known to be one of those leaders that when he finds a business challenge his brokers face, he will do his best to find a solution.  He is not afraid to go first. As such he has helped to bring to market many exciting new products that serve the greater good.  I had the pleasure of interviewing him about the latest gem he has brought to the market for his subscribers. It’s a company called TrustFunds. TrustFunds, led by Lynn Leegard, was inspired by challenges she faced when she was General Counsel for Edina [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 15th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off on Re-Inventing the Collection of Earnest Money – A Case Study
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How Do Top Homes.com and Realtor.com Compare?

Since internet is among the top three most important methods of generating real estate leads and online listing sites rank as one of the most valuable tools, every agent is challenged to leverage these resources for creating, capturing, and closing leads. But, how can agents effectively compare the value propositions of marketing on the most popular real estate sites? An analysis of online marketing solutions from Realtor.com and Homes.com show that their marketing tools stack up pretty solidly when compared side by side, offering a range of options to suit any agent’s CRM strategy, marketing budget, and revenue goals. Both [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:06-07:00September 8th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off on How Do Top Homes.com and Realtor.com Compare?
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Growing Agents’ CRM with Solutions from Homes.com

  There’s a significant opportunity gap for agents to grow their CRM through online real estate sites. The statistics are in: While almost half of buyers find their home online, 89% still use a real estate agent or broker to seal the deal. That’s why advertising on a real estate site can do wonders for creating a robust agent CRM for agents… IF the agent understands how online marketing works to secure more traffic, leads, and clients. There are many online marketing options, but Homes.com ranks #1 in terms of lead quality and they offer a range of solutions for building [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:06-07:00September 7th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, Marketing|Comments Off on Growing Agents’ CRM with Solutions from Homes.com
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CRM Tools Solve the Problem of Agent and Client Retention

Real estate brokerages waste valuable growth opportunities by over-focusing on new client adoption and agent recruitment instead of implementing solutions for the retention of both. Industry research shows that repeat clients spend 67% more than first-time clients, so agent and client turnover reduces a brokerage’s potential return-on-investment (ROI) for marketing and training dollars. The key to capturing these high yield sales is enabling agents to efficiently communicate with clients throughout the sales process and beyond. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution significantly boosts the ability of agents to foster long-term relationships, driving repeat—and more profitable– sales. The potential benefits of [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:06-07:00August 31st, 2016|Broker-Agent Information, Clients|Comments Off on CRM Tools Solve the Problem of Agent and Client Retention
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How Does Howard Hanna Do It?

The title to this article may very well become the title of a book someday. The story of Howard Hanna’s ascension to the pinnacle of real estate brokerage in America is certainly one for the Library of Congress. By and large, their growth has come from two streams – market expansion in existing offices and acquisition. Oddly, not much has come from property value growth. I remember my early days in real estate. I was at a conference somewhere and Alain Pinel was speaking about the growth of his namesake brokerage. When asked about his success, he replied along the [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:06-07:00August 24th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information|Comments Off on How Does Howard Hanna Do It?
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