New View of Broker Social Media Strategy

One of the key shifts in online marketing that has occurred over the past 5 years is the evolution of social media marketing. What is astounding is how far removed most broker websites are from executing baseline social media strategies effectively. Brokers have largely ignored developing a social media strategy. Only a few have a social media director. Agents are aimlessly running wild on social media in ways that diffuse the impact of a common voice. Social Media calls to action are poorly represented on listing detail pages of broker websites Social Media is poorly leveraged on agent profile pages [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:32-07:00June 26th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on New View of Broker Social Media Strategy

Imprev Roars with Mobile Marketing for Agents

Imprev has long been a behind the scenes type of company. Historically they partner with Giant franchises, Giant Brokers ,or Giant technology companies to deliver fully integrated and smart marketing solutions that agents access through their back office intranet. Imprev's solution includes a full suite of print marketing like flyers and postcards; and a full digital marketing suite which includes digital flyers, online campaigns, listing presentations, virtual property tours, and lots of other features. Recently, they have been in the industry eye for the release of their new system (developed with help from 1000WattConsulting) and plunging headlong into mobile. Today, Imprev gives agents [...]

A new tenor to integrated solutions for brokerage

I was in Seattle a few weeks ago visiting a broker when I encountered the Trulia team in the airport heading over to Market Leader. During the entire flight home my head spun with ideas about how these two companies would blend their talents to serve consumers and the real estate community better. We have clients who leverage these companies to their fullest, and others who don't. It has never been the providence of a consultant to champion one strategy over another. Helping others execute the strategy that is right for their business to maximize their opportunity is our charge. [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:32-07:00June 25th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on A new tenor to integrated solutions for brokerage

The Future of Anything

I would attribute the series of postures on The Future of the MLS to Saul Klein. He may not have been the first to coin the phrase, but he has embraced it and made it his own. It is with due respect that we leave that posturing behind and set forth on a new journey. Our industry is at an inflection point, and my fear is that we are too blinded by current affairs to look beyond the steps in front of us. This morning, I encountered a quote from Antoine de Saint Exupery, a French writer, poet, and aviator [...]

The MLS Battleground

The National Association of REALTORS® Midyear Legislative meetings may have reached a tipping point on the role of the MLS in real estate. To be sure, it is the battleground of our industry where brokers and associations struggle for power within the oversight of the Department of Justice. Competing MLS entities develop their operating philosophy that draws the boundaries of how everyone coexists without behaving like a monopoly. To be sure, the MLS is a common use term that takes on a lot of different definitions. Here are the top 5 governance models that define the operating philosophy. Association Owned, [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:35-07:00May 28th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, How to Make Strategic Planning Really Work in your MLS, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off on The MLS Battleground

Contact Sync

Over the past few years, we have seen a shift in professional technology solutions for real estate that has been mostly characterized by “the move to mobile.” Generally speaking, applications that do not work on mobile devices, either using a mobile browser or using a mobile app, are being cast aside. But there are secondary realities about the shift that many software companies seem to have neglected, namely, contact record sync. Everyone who has a mobile device understands that contact records that are created on any device need to be synchronized across all devices. Having some contacts in one location [...]

Real Estate Mobile – Who Will Change the Paradigm?

I love mobile technology and I have really been enjoying watching the advent of some very cool products finally become real in our industry. We have been talking about it for years and today, finally, there are some excellent mobile tools on the market. Make no mistake, though, mobile is still in the baby step phase in my opinion and we are going to see some big advances in the coming years. Mobile, after all, is destined to become the norm rather than the add on, so rather than just catching up to our MLS desktop tools it will pass [...]

In Search Of A Perfect Broker VOW

WAV Group is conducting research to discover if there is any broker in the United States who has pulled out of IDX and only offers a Virtual Office Website to consumers. Presumably, it would be a large enough broker who would display their listings publicly without the need to register to the site. If consumers wanted to see other broker listings, they would need to register. No other broker would be able to display that brokers listings to the public. If you know of such a site here in America, please direct me to it and you will be handsomely rewarded. My loving relationship [...]

It is all about schools

The most active group of home buyers in sellers in America have one thing in common - school age children.  Traditionally, real estate has ducked the consumer by avoiding the laborious and somewhat liability producing task of informing consumers about schools. Our industry has largely taken the stance that if a consumer wants to know about schools, they will provide the phone number to the school district. Good luck with that. This is not true of all brokers or MLSs. Some have invested heavily in procuring the most accurate school data available. You will often find the information somewhere down below the [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:38-07:00April 23rd, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off on It is all about schools

How Leading MLSs Are Winning with Public Service Apps

First-time home buyers are necessary for a healthy housing market, but their needs and behaviors have changed. This group is doing more research in advance of working with an agent, and it's no surprise that their research is happening online. In fact, real estate related searches on Google.com have grown more than 200 percent over the past four years, with frequently searched terms like FHA loan, home grants and homebuyer assistance. Are your MLS core services prepared to serve these buyers? Join MLS leaders John Mosey of NorthstarMLS and Merri Jo Cowen of My Florida Regional MLS for a discussion about [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:24:38-07:00April 15th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off on How Leading MLSs Are Winning with Public Service Apps

Warren Buffett Speaks About Home Services

Berkshire Hathaway is a company with $200 Billion dollars in net worth with 300,000 employees. It is one of the three largest companies in America, and according to Buffett, it is a company that is built to last forever. That is the way Berkshire Hathaway thinks. Build businesses that last forever. There is a great quote in this video, one I believe I have heard him say in the past, "You see who is swimming naked when the tide goes out." During the last four or five years of housing market adjustments, most companies played defense, but Home Services of America [...]

NAR REach Program announces 6 companies joining accelerator

For those of you who do not know, there is a derivative initiative of NAR's Second Century Ventrures venture capital fund called REach. The REach program has a grand board of advisors, and a board of mentors. The program requests submissions from companies who are looking to enter the real estate industry. If selected, the REach programs provides support and advisory services to these businesses so that they hit the ground running with some industry awareness. Here are the top 6 BombBomb - Provides a complete e-mail and video marketing platform for developing, sending and tracking results of traditional and video e-mail [...]