What’s Your Big Idea?

Our lives become intense at this time of year. As the door closes on 2014, we are consumed with things undone, like holiday shopping. We also consider the goals that we expected to reach, and the number of days to reach them. If you are thinking about your next big idea for 2015, it is a good time to build some lists and to get rid of clutter. It took me a few years, but I finally learned to leverage the Notes feature on my Apple devices. Unlike paper, I have them with me most of the time and can [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:52-07:00December 18th, 2014|Main category, Strategic Planning|Comments Off on What’s Your Big Idea?

Keep your organization ahead of the WAVes of Change happening in 2015!

As we end 2014 now is a great time to sit back and reflect on the best ways to help prepare your organization for the inevitable evolutions and revolutions we may experience next year. Do you sometimes feel like your Board of Directors and key staff are out of touch with what’s really happening in the real estate industry today? Do you sometimes feel a bit isolated and would like to know if other organizations are facing the same challenges you are? Is your organization suffering from stifled and cumbersome decision-making? Here’s what can happen when an organization is out [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:52-07:00December 18th, 2014|Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Marketing, MLS Insights, Our Services, Strategic Planning, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off on Keep your organization ahead of the WAVes of Change happening in 2015!

Automate Your Business with zipForm® Plus and Zapier

Most people have heard the devil is in the details, and to achieve success, the goal is to eliminate that devil. For real estate professionals these smaller details, like keeping address books synchronized, can become a large nuisance. To help with this zipForm® Plus has integrated with Zapier. Zapier specializes in connecting web applications utilizing ‘If This - Then That’ automation. This enables anyone with basic knowledge of multiple applications to easily connect them by defining a trigger, the ‘If This’, that causes an action, the ‘Then That’. Currently 360+ of the most common applications are available to connect immediately, [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:54-07:00November 26th, 2014|Main category, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off on Automate Your Business with zipForm® Plus and Zapier

Building an Online Brand – The “Sparkles” Example

For any of you that follow either Victor Lund or I on social media you know that we are very proud parents. We share the latest news from our 11 year old daughter Alexandra, who has been named “Sparkles” by her fellow dancers because of her sparkling personality and propensity to wear glittery clothes regularly! As a proud parent, I have to share the great news that “Sparkles” will be appearing on the finale of Dancing with the Stars on Monday, November 24th in an opening number promoting the upcoming re-release of the classic story Annie coming to theaters around the [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:54-07:00November 19th, 2014|Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on Building an Online Brand – The “Sparkles” Example

REALTOR(R) Productivity is stronger than expected

The world is looking up in real estate.  Cautious optimism abounds.  So now the real question is…how many REALTORS® are back in the game for real?  How many have captured the hearts of sellers?  How many have sold properties in the past 6 months?   We believe the information that we have just gathered is encouraging. It looks like the wealth is being spread around to more REALTORS® than expected. We thought the numbers would reflect the 80/20 rule – In reality, it looks like the 60/40 rule is running the day. Just under 60% of REALTORS have had a transaction [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:55-07:00November 19th, 2014|Main category|1 Comment

WAV Group Windermere and Long and Foster Sales Excellence Case Study

[ File # csp3602041, License # 1272585 ]Licensed through http://www.canstockphoto.com in accordance with the End User License Agreement (http://www.canstockphoto.com/legal.php)(c) Can Stock Photo Inc. / italianestro The two valves that constitute the heart of consulting are benchmarking and case studies. Benchmarking is measuring an industry norm. Case studies focus on telling the story of new strategies deployed by pioneers for products or tactics. Both provide organizations with insights that sharpen their aim or expand their aspiration. A great example of a benchmark is WAV Group’s report that 4 in 10 real estate professionals have not done a transaction in more [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:55-07:00November 19th, 2014|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off on WAV Group Windermere and Long and Foster Sales Excellence Case Study

RealScout Secures $6M to Empower Brokers and Agents with Collaborative Search

When the Department of Justice and the National Association of REALTORS® agreed to a settlement that made virtual office website platforms available to every broker in the Nation, WAV Group expected widespread adoption and innovation of client servicing tools leveraging full/VOW data. It did not happen. Perhaps it was because of the economy was slumping or perhaps it was because of category killers like Listingbook, rDesk, and AgentAchieve. Regardless, we have kept our eyes open for innovation. A Silicon Valley based company called RealScout jumped up on the radar in a significant way this week with the announcement of over [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:55-07:00November 18th, 2014|MLS Insights, Press Releases, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off on RealScout Secures $6M to Empower Brokers and Agents with Collaborative Search

30 Days and Counting

“How do you like your new gig,?” asked Lew Sichelman, perhaps America’s most ardent and prolific consumer real estate columnist and my dear friend of nearly 30 years, by phone the other day. “Unbelievable!,” I answered, wanting to forget that I learned that automatic response from a Tommy Hopkins sales training class I took a dozen years ago. But it’s an accurate description of how it’s been to join a team that is clearly among the most revered and respected professionals in real estate. On September 23, Victor Lund and Marilyn Wilson told the world that I was joining their [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:56-07:00October 29th, 2014|Main category, Our Services|1 Comment

Broker Non-Compete with Portals

The great real estate portals of America are trusted partners to brokers. As trusted partners, they are able to collect a lot of information that brokers have held close. For example, portals have access to a broker’s agent roster. They know which agents respond to consumer inquiries the fastest and the best. They even know which agents sell the most number of homes and which ones have the best consumer reviews. Beyond the information portals have about listings and agents, they have collected a massive amount of consumer information including the identity of the consumer. Moreover, with direct consumer email [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:56-07:00October 29th, 2014|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off on Broker Non-Compete with Portals

Brokers Out-Marketing Competitors

I attended Luxury Connect last week in Beverly Hills. If you are not familiar with the event, it was expertly delivered by the team from Inman News that is host to the Real Estate Connect conferences held annually in New York City and San Francisco. I don’t think that anyone really appreciates how difficult it is to put on a great event. This group does it with ease and grace even when pitted against seemingly insurmountable challenges. There was so much fanfare about this event, it is speculated that the original property selected for the event was sold! A week [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:56-07:00October 29th, 2014|Broker Technology Research, Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on Brokers Out-Marketing Competitors

MLSListings in the Lead Pack of MLS Adopting Homesnap

Homesnap is approaching the Nation’s leading MLSs with one heck of a value proposition. The company optimizes all of the MLS data for mobile devices and delivers it through an app to agents…..for free. Well, its free for the first year. Homesnap is among a small handful of mobile solution providers that offer agent-only data.  The agents can access the full listing data along with showing instructions, commission splits, agent roster, and other confidential fields. The MLS data is organized and combined with census data, tax data, and geographic boundaries that are important to agents in the field. The solution [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:57-07:00October 16th, 2014|Main category, MLS Insights|2 Comments

Tedesco Moves From Tucson to RI State Association

Phil Tedesco is one of those senior level MLS and Association Executives that everyone wants to lead their organization. He has a depth of experience across many large Associations and Mid-sized MLSs that have led him to his new role as the CEO of the Rhode Island State Association of REALTORS® and Statewide MLS. He will be departing his current position at the Tucson Association of REALTORS® at the end of this year. Interestingly enough, the Tucson Association and the Rhode Island State Association (4000 members) have nearly identical membership numbers with Tucson having a slight lead (4700 members) as [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:23:57-07:00October 14th, 2014|Broker-Agent Information, Main category|4 Comments