Long & Foster Real Estate is allowing its agents to create free personal Web sites with the help of a new custom-built application it calls "The System." Long & Foster agents have total control over site content and design, enabling them to customize their sites to provide virtual tours, mapping tools, and links to affiliated mortgage and insurance firms. Agents additionally can offer e-mail alerts to clients who want to learn about new listings as soon as they hit the market. Long & Foster built the application at the urging of agents and sales managers, as an online presence is crucial at a time when nearly three-quarters of consumers use Web searches to find properties.
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Real estate agents typically hold open houses to generate curiosity, not caring whether visitors are qualified buyers or just curious passersby who only want to look inside. Some agents actually use open houses to get owners of neighboring properties in the door, mainly because they will spread the word to friends and relatives who may be looking to buy. Agents also note that neighbors can use open houses to get decorating and remodeling tips and ideas about how to price their own property for sale. Moreover, the marketing events help agents meet possible new clients. While open houses for prospective buyers rarely lead to sales, opening the doors to other agents can be successful, as they will quickly contact clients to tell them about new listings.
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Realty agents increasingly are using custom-made video stories to sell million-dollar homes in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Lake Tahoe, Vail, and Sarasota, among other markets. Inman News' Inman Stories creates three-minute digital movies, which can be posted on the agent's Web site, made into DVDs, or e-mailed to prospective buyers. John McWeeny of Inman Stories says agents would rather spend $2,500 for the video stories than spend a huge amount of time and money on print ads and mail campaigns. Unlike video tours, McWeeny notes that "video stories bring to life the character of a property like no other tool on the market, from unique architectural elements to the neighborhood feel and history of a home."
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Quality Service Certification Inc. President and CEO Larry Romito says the real estate industry typically focuses on quantity, awarding top-producing agents who record the most sales or earn the most commission. However, he believes that service and marketing will gain in importance as the housing market slows. QSC offers training programs for property agents, mortgage brokers, and loan officers and mails out 300,000 or so satisfaction surveys to buyers and sellers every year to see if the coaching has paid off. Sellers, for instance, rate agents on market plans, negotiations, communications, and overall satisfaction, to name a few categories. QSC-trained agents boast an average satisfaction rating of 4.7--with five being the highest--versus an average score of 4.4 for non-trained agents. Additionally, trained agents have 45 percent more "very satisfied" clients than their non-trained counterparts.
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PrintDepartment.com, a leading web-based, on demand print and mail marketing company, announced today that it has been selected by VIP Realty Group, one of the largest privately owned, full-service real estate agencies in southwest Florida, to provide online design, print, and direct mail marketing services to more than 300 VIP Realty Group's sales associates located in the company's offices in Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita, and the islands of Sanibel and Captiva. According to VIP Realty Group Marketing Director Trese Hadge, "With PrintDepartment.com, our agents can quickly respond to market conditions and opportunities by simply logging on to our company's secure Intranet and then accessing our corporately branded templates to easily design their own personal flyers, postcards or business cards. Or they can upload their own personal marketing materials and then click the 'Send' button and the job is electronically delivered to PrintDepartment.com, which handles all the printing, bundling and customized mailing for each order on the back end, all within two business days." PrintDepartment.com president and CEO Shepard Casey said, "We've partnered with real estate firms across the country to provide their agents with tools that allow them to quickly and effectively communicate with current and prospective customers, while still maintaining their company's branding. PrintDepartment.com also provides Web-accessible reports that instantly show how often sales associates are using the materials, which allows our customers to measure the usefulness of their marketing materials. We are proud to add VIP Realty Group as a partner and we share their commitment to providing the resources that give their agents a competitive edge."
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Janice Smart, a real estate agent for Keller Williams Success Realty in Logan, Utah, says one key to her success is consistent, relevant communication. "There are so many ways to communicate with customers who are in the process of buying or selling a home -- but I think the best way for agents is with two ears and one mouth," notes Smart. "Listening to and actually hearing your customers are essential to understanding their specific needs and necessary in order to deliver the best customer service."
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Explicit Media Inc. of Reno, Nev., is offering real estate agents a system for playing videos of their home listings on iPods. Agents can go to the company's Web site and download video clips that can be transferred to an Apple music and video player. Agents pay $59.95 to set up a video listing. "We've been flooded by calls from real estate agents," said Miles Johnson of Explicit Media. "It's the biggest thing that has happened to us."
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The First American Corporation, the nation's largest data provider, has launched First American MLS Solutions, a new division of First American Residential Group. The division will combine the organizations and services of First American subsidiaries MarketLinx Solutions and Interealty to provide customizable Web-based solutions for multiple listing services (MLSs) and real estate associations through a single entity. "Our strategy is to provide real estate professionals, buyers, sellers and borrowers with a fully integrated experience that includes all of the services necessary to close a real estate transaction." said Parker S. Kennedy, chairman and chief executive officer of The First American Corporation. "Combining these two organizations into one division will help further extend the First American brand in the homebuying process and produce significant efficiencies that will benefit existing MarketLinx and Interealty customers." First American is already the leading Web-based MLS technology provider and has established a strong market position through the success of both MarketLinx and Interealty. Currently, the two companies together provide a full line of products and support services to nearly half a million real estate professionals in North America. First American MLS Solutions will continue to offer the technology of both companies.
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Successful storage security depends on keeping information confidential, accessible and reliable, and a firm's storage security policy should emphasize not only those aspects, but also data retention and data elimination. The first step is to focus on the right technology for storing data, such a storage area network (SAN), which allows the warehousing of terabytes of data in an accessible way. Encryption technologies help ensure that that data is secure during storage and transport between users, while document management systems make it easy to archive and retrieve information. The length of time for retaining data is also a central consideration, and needs to be governed by the laws that apply to a company, and can help the firm arrange documents, like email, according to their retention date. If a storage policy requires modifications in how people handle data, it is crucial to provide the necessary training regarding how the changes benefit users and the company. Finally, a policy should consider its effects on users, and the policy should not make it overly complex to perform daily tasks, otherwise, staff members might try to bypass such procedures.
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Advancements in wireless technology in the coming years could make it possible for workers to use PDAs and handheld devices to link to sales automation, customer relationship management (CRM), and other back-office applications. "In 2007, you'll see business processes become definitively mobile across the board--back-office systems, PDAs, and laptops--and [see them] combined with multiple devices and technologies," says Tom Racca, marketing vice president at Siemens Wireless. Wi-Fi, 3G technology, VoIP, and dual-mode handsets have enabled mobile devices to be used for more than just checking email. Combined cellular/Wi-Fi handsets will enable workers to take phone calls and download customer data, among other things. 3G technology will make faster data downloads possible, and VoIP will allow mobile workers to route calls from the office to their Wi-Fi handsets.
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Many small company owners do not have time to both run their businesses and establish plans for new technologies, hindering productivity by getting services they do not need and passing up those that would improve performance. Small businesses looking to streamline operations, lower costs, and boost efficiency should focus on mobile technologies, email, and VoIP. By embracing mobile technologies, small businesses give workers access to important applications when outside the office. Enhanced mobility can give a company an edge on their competitors and create more satisfied customers. They should also make their offices more mobile to minimize costs tied to frequent moves and additions, ensuring that all devices inside and outside the office are synchronized and secure. VoIP can also help firms minimize costs and increase efficiency, especially if they have branch offices. To ensure reliability, companies should choose a VoIP provider with a proven track record that can help them maximize the benefits of integrating the technology with call databases, contact management systems, and other business programs.
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