realtors Archives

Forget About a Statewide MLS! How About a Statewide Consumer Site Instead?
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Forget About a Statewide MLS! How About a Statewide Consumer Site Instead?

Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights

Forget About a Statewide MLS! How About a Statewide Consumer Site Instead?

As always there is chatter in our industry about more MLS consolidation. After Ann Bailey’s proclamation that there should only be 12 MLSs in the United States at CMLS last year, I often get asked how many MLSs should we have? Should we go for s statewide MLS? While it is logical in many markets to think about a statewide MLS or even multi-state MLS the politics and emotion surrounding a program like that is daunting. The chances of getting 50 statewide MLSs is slim to none in the foreseeable future in my opinion. There IS a great way for [...]

By Marilyn Wilson|2018-05-03T21:22:56-07:00February 1st, 2017|Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|0 Comments

NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics
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NAR Annual: Looking for 2017 trends, tech and tactics

Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing

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 Kevin Hawkins|2018-05-03T21:23:02-07:00November 2nd, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing|0 Comments

What’s the Real Value of Portal Marketing?
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What’s the Real Value of Portal Marketing?

Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Marketing, Product Management

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 Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:23:05-07:00September 19th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Marketing, Product Management|0 Comments

Are You Selling To Your Competitors
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Are You Selling To Your Competitors

Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights

Are You Selling To Your Competitors

Companies across the real estate spectrum who are selling to their competitors are having fantastic results. The process of expanding your communication strategy to include competitors is found to drive more new business than ever imagined. In the old days, companies locked down their communications plans to hide from sharing information with their competitors. Today, the overwhelming trend is to occupy more share of voice to position your company as a market leader. WAV Group consulting works with Associations of REALTORS®, Multiple Listing Service Providers (MLS), and technology firms to implement these programs through WAV Group Communications. Below are some [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:23:12-07:00June 14th, 2016|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments

Are Real Estate Agents Dishonest?
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Are Real Estate Agents Dishonest?

Broker-Agent Information

Are Real Estate Agents Dishonest?

A few months ago I spoke to the owner of a start-up company who was completely convinced that consumers do NOT trust their real estate agents to help them find service providers. He believed that agents were not the best group to help a home buyer secure all of the services they need to complete a transaction. He passionately believed that consumers believe that real estate agents are dishonest and do not have the best interest of their clients in mind. For those of you that read the WAV Group blog, you know we are not shy about talking about [...]

By Marilyn Wilson|2018-05-03T21:23:13-07:00June 14th, 2016|Broker-Agent Information|0 Comments

Is Old School Print Set to Rebound?
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Is Old School Print Set to Rebound?

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Is Old School Print Set to Rebound?

Print advertising and marketing has seen a striking decline. I love using the phrase that newspapers are like nursing homes. But that might be changing. Here are some thoughts. Years ago, I spent a few years working with a real estate magazine. We helped them expand into digital marketing – online portal, online advertising, agent and broker websites, etc. It was a good thing. We married their loyal customers to new services that escalated in revenue as print dropped off. The relationship remained the same, the revenue by product choice changed. One of the great boosts to the online marketing [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:23:24-07:00February 4th, 2016|Main category|1 Comment

Does Your Brand Have a Strategic Plan?
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Does Your Brand Have a Strategic Plan?

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Does Your Brand Have a Strategic Plan?

If you are reading this, you are somewhere in the real estate ecosystem – either part of an MLS, a REALTORS® Association, a large brokerage, or a technology firm that serves one of those personas. We work with some of these personas on strategy, we work with some on story, we all of them on state. Strategy, Story, and State are business terms that are bantered around a lot. Saying the words has no meaning unless you are able to contextualize them within your own business. That process of contextualization is work that needs to be done by businesses [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:23:24-07:00January 31st, 2016|Main category|0 Comments

Tech Helpline Now Available to Orange County Association of REALTORS®
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Tech Helpline Now Available to Orange County Association of REALTORS®

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Tech Helpline Now Available to Orange County Association of REALTORS®

Some 13,600+ Agents Get Unlimited Tech Support from “Friendly” U.S.-Based Staff Orlando, FL., (October 28, 2015) – California’s Orange County real estate agents are more dependent on technology to help them buy and sell homes than ever before, and now when a computer crashes or a smartphone glitches out, they can get immediate assistance. Tech Helpline, the real estate industry’s #1 tech support service, is a new, included member benefit available to more than 13,600 members of the Orange County Association of REALTORS®. These Southern California agents and brokers join nearly 400,000 REALTORS® throughout the U.S. and Canada that have [...]

By Kevin Hawkins|2018-05-03T21:23:31-07:00October 28th, 2015|Main category|0 Comments

Form Simplicity adds new paperless management tools for real estate brokers
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Form Simplicity adds new paperless management tools for real estate brokers

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Form Simplicity adds new paperless management tools for real estate brokers

Features allow broker compliance workflow to be digitally managed Orlando, FL – September 30, 2015 – One of the real estate industry’s most popular and advanced paperless transaction solutions, Form Simplicity, has added Broker Transaction Management into its cloud-based platform. Broker Transaction Management creates a single place inside Form Simplicity for real estate brokers to manage, review, approve, track and store every agent’s transaction activity from beginning to end. Form Simplicity’s new Broker Transaction Management tools allow real estate brokers to reduce their risk through a customizable, automated, paperless review process that helps safeguard brokerage transactions to remain compliant. Brokers [...]

By Kevin Hawkins|2018-05-03T21:23:35-07:00September 30th, 2015|Main category|0 Comments

Beverly Faul
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Beverly Faul

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Beverly Faul

November 20,2014 Dear Friends and Partners, Our team is heartbroken to share the news that our colleague and dear friend, Beverly Faull passed away earlier this week after a brave battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. An accomplished real estate industry veteran, Beverly became a member of the Down Payment Resource team in 2009 and recently celebrated her fifth anniversary with the company. We have all admired her professional spirit and tenacity over the years. Beverly believed wholeheartedly in the company’s mission of helping homebuyers access down payment programs. She worked tirelessly to grow DPR to 21 MLSs and Realtor Associations. Prior [...]

By THE WAV GROUP|2018-05-03T21:23:54-07:00November 20th, 2014|Main category|0 Comments

Howard Hanna and William E Wood Join Together

In a press release today, Howard Hanna and William E Wood have reached an agreement whereby Howard Hanna has purchased William E Wood. The Hanna family of companies now reaches from Michigan through Ohio, down through Pennsylvania extending into Virginia and the Carolinas. Following their successful acquisitions of the past with Smythe Cramer, Realty One, Edward Surovell Realtors and others. They do not have any plans to make changes at William E. Wood. The executive team will remain in place along with the brand. William E Wood is a great company and the Hanna's intended to work hard to keep [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:19-07:00January 9th, 2014|Broker Technology Research, Main category, Press Releases, Strategic Planning|0 Comments

FBI Overstates Mortgage Fraud

President Obama's administration released a report from a year long mortgage fraud initiative conducted by the FBI. This probably hits home with many MLS who have been cooperating with FBI investigators who are using MLS data to detect potential fraud. Sadly, the report was found to be way, way out of line, overstating the scope of the problem by significant margin. According to the initial report, the FBI indicated that they had criminally charged 530 people. The restated report indicated that they only charged 107 people. According to he initial report, the FBI indicated that total losses from the fraud [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:30-07:00August 12th, 2013|Main category, MLS Insights|0 Comments