NAR Aquires Technology to Create Nationwide Property Database

November 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News

The National Association of Realtors® has acquired technology to create a database of all properties in the U.S. so Realtors® can better assist consumers in a high-tech, fast-paced business world.

The technology acquisition includes licensed data and secured data aggregation services from LPS Real Estate Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lender Processing Services Inc. (NYSE:LPS), a leader in real estate technology. NAR will use the assets to develop the Realtors® Property ResourceTM, a parcel-centric information database covering all of the more than 147 million property parcels in the country as a resource for NAR members. NAR is planning to launch RPRTM in the second quarter 2010.

“Realtors® are the first, best source for real estate information, and the RPR™ is another emphatic feature to that resource. RPR™ will give Realtors® nationwide data on all properties at their fingertips so they can respond quickly to consumers interested in residential and commercial real estate. This is exciting news and a terrific NAR member benefit. NAR is committed to keep Realtors® central to the transaction and to the buying and selling experience with their clients and customers,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Dallas-Fort Worth.

NAR CEO Dale Stinton said, “These acquisitions will allow Realtor® interests to control the program and the content. Realtors® need to respond quickly to today’s tech-savvy consumers, and the RPR™ provides a means for multiple listing services (MLS), commercial information exchanges (CIEs) and real estate brokerage business models to support the Realtor® community, rather than requiring Realtors to purchase data aggregated by third parties.”

RPR™ is not a national MLS, and will carry no offers of cooperation and compensation, Stinton added. “It is a private, NAR members-only benefit. The assets acquired by NAR will be directed through a wholly owned subsidiary corporation, Realtors® Property Resource, LLC,” Stinton said.

The management team of RPR™ includes CEO Dale Ross, co-founder of the Metropolitan Regional Information System, the country’s largest regional MLS; President Marty Frame, former General Manager of Cyberhomes; Senior Vice President of Industry Relations Mona Steen, former SVP with Cyberhomes; and Jeff Young, NAR director of the Realtors® Property Resource™ and 2008 president of the Michigan Association of Realtors®.

RPR™ will provide nationwide access to public record information such as tax and assessment data, liens, zoning, permits, environmental information, and information on neighborhoods, school district and community demographics, along with advanced search features for property searchers, as well as market-to-market comparisons and referral opportunities not currently available.

“We’re honored to have been selected by the National Association of Realtors® to provide technology, data and other services for the RPR™,” said Jay Gaskill, president, LPS Real Estate Group. “Being involved with such a transformational industry initiative serves as an endorsement for our company and the premier products and services we provide to MLSs and associations, brokers, franchisors and sales associates.”

RPR™ will develop business strategies to make it affordable and feasible for NAR members, and will complement, not compete with, MLSs and CIEs. While many MLS and CIE systems provide a range of services, no two are alike. Brokers are looking for tools that support their agents across multiple markets with similar service levels and access to robust and valuable data. RPR™ is designed to support local MLS and CIE models to create a common experience for agents and brokerages.

RPR™ will have many partners, including the California Association of Realtors® and the Florida Association of Realtors®, offering a number of technology applications which will be incorporated within the RPR™.

“The California Association of Realtors® believes the RPR™ project provides the significant opportunities of scale and reach necessary to serve our members future needs for many years to come. We are already working closely with the RPR™ team to incorporate additional functionality directly into the RPR™ system using Realtor®-owned zipLogix electronic forms as well as Relay transaction management and risk reduction software for members nationwide,” said Joel Singer, CAR CEO.

“The Florida Association of Realtors® and its 122,000 members are excited about the launch of Realtors® Property Resource™, which we believe will be a valuable addition to the toolkit for Realtor® business success. The Florida association and its business subsidiary also look forward to discussing potential partnerships to further enhance the value of RPR™ to Realtors® nationwide,” said John Fridlington, FAR EVP.

For more information on the Realtors® Property Resource™, visit www.realtor.org/about_nar/realtors_property_resource.

About Lender Processing Services
LPS is a leading provider of integrated technology and services to the mortgage and real estate industries. LPS offers solutions that span the mortgage continuum, including lead generation, origination, servicing, workflow automation (Desktop), portfolio retention and default, augmented by the company’s award-winning customer support and professional services. Approximately 50 percent of all U.S. mortgages by volume are serviced using LPS’ Mortgage Servicing Package. In fact, many of the nation’s top servicers rely on MSP, including eight of the top 10 and 14 of the top 20. LPS also offers proprietary mortgage and real estate data and analytics for the mortgage and capital markets industries. For more information about LPS, please visit www.lpsvcs.com.

LPS Real Estate Group provides market-leading MLS Systems, broker and agent technology and software service solutions, public record data, data aggregation services, and content relevant to real estate professional services. Through relationships with hundreds of MLSs, associations and broker organizations, LPS Real Estate Group’s tools are used by over 350,000 real estate agents in the United States. For more information about LPS Real Estate Group, please visit www.lpsreg.com.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

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Google Maps Real Estate Data Adds Pressure to Zillow

October 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News, Useful Websites

2 Comments

Google maps added new features with things like brand new high-resolution Street View imagery or detailed map data. Google made it easier to find real estate listings. Now, you can simply select “Real Estate” from the ‘More’ button on the top right of any Google Map to discover listings. From there, it’s a simple matter to refine your search using the left hand panel – price, bedrooms, bathrooms, and so on.

Find more information about new real estate features on Google’s Blog.

Tags: google maps, google maps API, google maps rental listings, real estate data, zillow

Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® Taps Listing Syndication Trend with Point2 Technologies Solution

September 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News, Useful Websites, Web Design

1 Comment

Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® (MCAR), provider of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service (MOMLS) announced its partnership with Point2 Technologies which will provide property listing distribution to the industry’s largest syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 third party, high traffic websites and search engines, as well as over 260 newspaper websites, on a listing by listing basis.

The new, free program successfully rolled out today to over 930 offices and 9,500 members of MOMLS. The service includes access to online traffic reports, to enable better marketing and online advertising expenditure decisions.

Advanced traffic reporting and lead conversion software tools are also seamlessly available as part of an optional, subscription based service to all MOMLS members, offered within the Point2 Agent software suite.

“We are tapping a critical service in partnership with a leader in the industry, to better serve and deliver on our commitment of world class service to our members,” said Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® President, Glenn Mills. “Listing syndication has become extremely important and it is key that buyers everywhere gain access to all available inventory.”

According to Kenneth “Kip” Walker, Chairman of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service Committee, “We are extremely pleased to be first in New Jersey to bring the benefits of the Point2 syndication network to our members as well as to consumers across the U.S., buyers and sellers alike.” “Our partnership with Point2 is a great milestone as it allows us to deliver very valuable services at no cost to our members, while saving them significant time in their online marketing efforts.”

“Adoption of listing syndication as a means to automate the distribution of property listings online has accelerated significantly over recent months, thanks to leadership and collaborative efforts between technology providers, listing aggregators and search engines, as well as forward looking industry Associations such as MCAR,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “The ultimate beneficiaries of all these efforts will be the consumer, and the economy, as inventory gains better, more accurate and more timely exposure on the Net. Point2 is proud to partner with MCAR on this initiative and to play a leading role in the evolution of real estate marketing on the Web.”

Key service benefits to MOMLS members also include single point of data entry, which eliminates the need to re-enter data on the various sites including their own website or their Point2 Agent site, to help maintain data accuracy and consistency for the user’s listing online.

Point2 boasts the industry’s largest listing syndication network. Since launching its real estate MLS and Association solution just over a year ago, over 90 organizations have joined the Point2 program.

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Online Real Estate leader Point2 Technologies Releases the “Real Estate Confidence Index” to Track Street-Level Real Estate Market Sentiment

August 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News

Animoto for Real Estate Launches to Give Brokers and Agents Powerful Video Creation and Marketing Tools

August 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Marketing, Software

Foreclosure.com Traffic Grows Along with Homebuyer Interest in Once in a Lifetime Real Estate Deals

April 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Useful Websites

1 Comment

Foreclosure.com announced that its Web site traffic has increased more than 30 percent since this same time period last year because of the increased interest among prospective buyers in distressed real estate, including pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, short sale and other amazing deals.

Historically low home prices, as well as interest rates, and the recently-signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the new administration on Capitol Hill that offers first-time homeowners a no-strings-attached $8,000 tax credit to put toward their principal residences, are all key factors in the recent surge in interest on the Web, according to Foreclosure.com Vice President, James Houston.

“Our servers are getting crushed around the clock,” said Houston. “We have noticed a significant increase in traffic over the last few months, which we attribute to several factors that have created a ‘perfect storm’-like situation.”

Foreclosure.com — already America’s largest and most trusted source for distressed real estate information — is among the top 20 online real estate destinations on the Web, placing twelfth for visits on a recent report from HitWise.com — the leading online competitive intelligence service – for the week ending on Feb. 28.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the National Association of Realtors® issued a report just last month, revealing that foreclosure-related purchases comprised more than 40 percent of real estate sales nationwide.

Foreclosure.com features nearly two million foreclosure, preforeclosure, bankruptcy, FSBO, tax lien and sheriff sale listings from throughout the United States on its Web site. Visitors are allowed to search the complete database totally free for seven days without obligation. If a potential homebuyer or investor needs more time, the company charges a competitive low monthly subscription fee to continue using the service.

But, according to Houston, curious buyers can typically find great deals in their areas in literally just a few hours.

“There is just so much inventory to choose from right now,” he said. “The odds are favorable that anyone who visits our Web site today will likely find several great deals quickly for pennies on the dollar.”

Foreclosure.com visitors benefit from detailed listing information, which includes photos, maps, community statistics, complete address, contact information and so much more. In addition, Foreclosure.com features a Community Expert Program and Broker Network that matches up interested buyers with the best local real estate agents and brokers to assist them through the purchase process.

It’s among the several benefits that Houston says is what differentiates Foreclosure.com from the other distressed real estate sites on the Internet.

“Our traffic and retention figures speak for themselves,” he said. “Buyers want to maximize their time and find the homes that are right for them as fast as possible at reduced prices. That’s what we offer – it’s our bread and butter. Not only is our database the most accurate and comprehensive in the business, but we also provide all the help and assistance anyone could ask for throughout the process that ensures smiling faces at the closing table. That’s the Foreclosure.com difference.”

Feel free to visit Foreclosure.com at www.foreclosure.com today and search for homes in your area at no cost.

Tags: american recovery and reinvestment act, bankruptcy, distressed real estate, foreclosure, foreclosure.com, FSBO, james houston, preforeclosure, sheriff sale, tax lien

Coldwell Banker Launches Real Estate Application for Microsoft Surface

March 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News, Useful Websites

1 Comment

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC today announced the launch of their customized real estate application developed for Microsoft Surface™, unveiled at the Coldwell Banker® International Business Conference being held this week in San Antonio, Texas. It’s new Microsoft Surface home search application allows users to interact with home listings, mapping and other www.coldwellbanker.com features in a way that is familiar, by using simple hand gestures. Similar to the intuitive technology featured in the futuristic film, “Minority Report,” this exploration on the use of Microsoft Surface represents yet another way in which Coldwell Banker is working to harness innovative technologies to benefit home buyers and sellers.

The first commercially available surface computing platform from Microsoft, Microsoft Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. Its 30-inch diagonal, table-like display provides effortless access to digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects placed on the display.

Coldwell Banker leveraged the unique interface and capabilities of Microsoft Surface to develop a home search application that will provide a new interactive and intuitive way to explore real estate listings and neighborhoods. Over the course of the roll-out, the following features are scheduled to be released:

Explore. Home listings can be viewed via area maps, specific search criteria such as city, state and price, and by standard number of bedrooms and bathrooms. With a simple touch of the screen, users expand or contract the search area and locate listings, Coldwell Banker offices and area amenities including restaurants, hospitals, schools – gauging the distance between them.

Learn. Details of a particular property listing are displayed and arranged by screen touches. Images of the home are easily accessed, enlarged and moved by hand movements.

Interact. File listings by “grabbing” content with their hands from the display and “dropping” it into the appropriate folder, thus creating an itinerary that they can email to a sales associate.

Coldwell Banker unveiled its home search application by conducting demonstrations of Microsoft Surface during this week’s International Business Conference. More than 1,700 attendees were provided with specially tagged badges that, when placed on the Microsoft Surface, unveiled that individual’s profile and contact information.

Coldwell Banker plans to continue rollout of this technology at brand events and at offices across the country this year.

“As a leader in the real estate industry with a strong heritage of innovation, we recognized that the Microsoft Surface technology has some very interesting potential to change the future of the real estate search,” said Michael Fischer, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “Microsoft Surface allows us to showcase listings in a very unique way that offers users a different experience with the entire real estate search process literally at their fingertips. We believe the technology can increase consumer engagement to an entirely new level.”

Last year Coldwell Banker became the first national real estate brand to put its listings on in-car GPS devices through an exclusive feed to Dash Navigation launch and launch a customized online platform for iPhoneTM and BlackBerry users.

Tags: coldwell banker, microsoft surface, real estate application, real estate search, real estate technology

Jott For Realtors – Capture Your Voice, Turn it Into Text

February 24, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Latest Posts, Tech News, Useful Websites

1 Comment

Jott makes sure you stay on top of everything. With a simple phone call to 866-JOTT-123, you can capture notes, set reminders and calendar appointments, stay in touch with friends and family, and interact with your favorite web sites and services – all with your voice! Jott can even transcribe your voicemail.

Simply call Jott and tell them where you want your message to go. They capture your voice, turn it into text, and send it to the destination you chose.

Ideas for Using Jott for Real Estate

Record notes about a home’s features for clients
Listen to real estate news feeds on your phone
Take notes during your weekly home tours/previews
Create To-Do lists for client files
Create email and text reminders for real estate showings
Use group messaging feature to send updates to your real estate team

Introductory Video About Jott

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tszK2zmAQHU[/youtube]

Jott Apps

Jott Apps helps you stay organized the way that works best for you. Whether you want the simplicity of a desktop list application in Jott Express, you are obsessed with your BlackBerry or iPhone, or you live in Outlook or iGoogle all day, Jott has an application that works the stuff you can’t live without.

Jott iPhone App

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iUBS81Z3s[/youtube]

How Much Does Jott Cost?

Jott
$3.95 / month
With a 1-week Free Trial!
our best value
15 second recording time
Unlimited voice to text
Apps for Outlook, and iPhone*

Jott Pro
$12.95 / month
With a 1-week Free Trial!
for the road warrior
30 second recording time
Unlimited voice to text
Apps for BlackBerry, Outlook, and iPhone*

Jott PayGo
$6.95 / 5 mins. (~30 msgs.)
Try it today!
pay per minute
60 second recording time
5 minutes voice to text
Apps for BlackBerry, Outlook, and iPhone*

Tags: blackberry, blackberry app, iphone, iphone app, jott, jott for real estate, real estate technology, text reminders, voice solutions, voice to text

Technology’s Effect on Commercial Real Estate in a Recession

February 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Latest Posts, Tech News

Blackberry Bold versus iPhone for Real Estate

January 31, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Gadgets, Latest Posts, Tech Tutorials

2 Comments

REtechy chooses post topics from the many emails we get from readers like you. Here is a question we received yesterday from Brandon Harris.

I have AT&T wireless service and I am about to purchase a new phone. Until I came to this site I was set on purchasing the Blackberry bold for it’s push through email and it’s ability to edit Microsoft documents. Now after seeing the plethora of real estate related applications for the iPhone, I am once again confused as to which phone would serve me better. I would like to know if the Blackberry Bold will have some similar real estate related applications or if the I phone would be able to edit documents like word, excel etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. – Thanks Brandon Harris

Advances in technology make using a smartphone a requisite for any real estate agent worth her/his weight. Many options are available, but two phones have risen to the top of the smartphone food-chain.

Is the Blackberry Bold or iPhone better for business?

How the heck can I answer that without subjecting myself to hostility? I can tell you this though – the Blackberry Bold is the best Blackberry ever created. The Bold was designed for business use and boasts features the iPhone does not have including: ability to edit documents & video recording.

The Blackberry Bold’s security also makes a compelling argument. The Blackberry is a preferred phone for Supra eKEY (GE Security); BlackBerry users can now join the thousands of real estate professionals already enjoying the timesaving benefits of eKEY service on their Palm and Windows smartphones.

Before you go buying a Blackberry Bold let’s talk about the iPhone. Apple’s iPhone is the 2nd sexiest thing I have ever held (1st is you honey). The UI is beautiful, the web browser blows Blackberry out of the water, and did I mention it was sexy? Apple’s App store for the iPhone holds many great real estate related applications, with new ones churned out all the time.

Let’s remember the iPhone is designed for the consumer; you can hail cabs, order groceries, make fart sounds all from your iPhone. The developer community supporting iPhone applications is large and active. If you fall in love with an application, or two, the iPhone may prove to be the best phone for your needs.

Here is the best online comparison for the Blackberry Bold & iPhone > The iPhone Blog

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl7cqFQatP4[/youtube]

PinStack.com put together the great comparison chart below. Click on image below to enlarge.

Tags: apple store, at&t, bbb, blackberry, blackberry bold, bold, iphone, iphone applications, microsoft documents, preferred phone, smartphone, supra ekey, video recording

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