blog.propertiesonline.com » Listing Syndication http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com Technology Tools and Tips for the Real Estate Professional Wed, 15 May 2013 16:29:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Tech Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tech-tools-every-real-estate-agent-should-be-using/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tech-tools-every-real-estate-agent-should-be-using/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:44:08 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1722 The personal touch is still an important component in attracting clients and closing real estate sales, but technology use is quickly replacing charisma as a Realtor’s most important attribute in attracting home selling and home buying clients. According to statistics compiled by the National Association of Realtors, in 2011 87% of home sellers and buyers searched for real estate agents on the internet. Equally important, 88% of all buyers and 94% of buyers in the 25 to 44 age range used the internet to search for a home. Today’s real estate customers are looking for Realtors that make aggressive use of the latest internet tools, mobile technology and social media platforms to market real estate listings. The real estate tech products that are attracting the greatest attention are: Listing syndication expands multiple listing service feeds beyond the primary destination website to agent-designated websites. Listing syndication services like ListHub also provide customized tracking services that allow real estate agents to see where their leads are coming from and allocate marketing resources to the most productive real estate sites. Virtual staging provides a time-efficient alternative to physical staging. Instead of physically clearing out the clutter, moving furniture and worrying about proper lighting, real estate agents can snap a series of digital photos and submit them with a floor plan of the home to a virtual staging company. After digital enhancement and photo shop-enabled virtual decorating, the photos are returned to the agent ready for uploading to listing domains, agent websites, eflyers, Virtuet videos, Facebook, etc. Social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and other social networks puts real estate listings where potential buyers and sellers are spending the majority of their internet time. People spend more time on Facebook than on any other social network — 700 billion minutes each month! The recent launch of Facebook IDX now allows Facebook users to access and use multiple listing services to search for homes without leaving Facebook. Mobile apps for smartphones allow on-the-go real estate agents to connect with equally busy customers and respond to customer queries immediately. Tech Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Tech Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Tech Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tech-tools-every-real-estate-agent-should-be-using/feed/ 1 New Real Estate Listing Network Challenges MLS http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/new-real-estate-listing-network-challenges-mls/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/new-real-estate-listing-network-challenges-mls/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:53:11 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1535 The launch of a new real estate listing network aimed at real estate franchises challenges the supremacy of the real estate industry’s traditional multiple listing services (MLS) and is generating a lot of discussion among U.S. Realtors. Developed by behemoth real estate syndicator ListHub, the new Real Estate Network (REN) will expand property listing syndication to the websites of the nation’s biggest real estate franchises. Owned by Move, Inc., ListHub is offering participation in its new Real Estate Network to real estate brokers and multiple listing services as a free and voluntary online real estate tool. RE/MAX, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Realty Executives International were the first to jump on the bandwagon. The launch of Real Estate Network will allow the 43,000 real estate brokerage firms, 376 multiple listing services and numerous real estate franchises that currently participate in ListHub to expand their real estate marketing reach by choosing to send their property listings to one or more network members. Members of the new network retain the right to pick and choose the network members with whom they will share property listings and may refuse to share listings with select network members at their discretion. In the Real Estate Network launch announcement on PR Newswire, Move CEO Steve Berkowitz called the new network “an industry-friendly initiative” that “maximizes and ensures broker control” over the promotion of real estate listings. While Real Estate Network rules are similar to the Internet Date Exchange (IDX) listing parameters imposed by multiple listing services, the game-changing difference is that Real Estate Network mandates a uniform nationwide listing standard. Several aspects of the new network are generating talk in the real estate community. The possible demise of multiple listing services seems to be the greatest potential impact the new network might have on the real estate industry. Some industry watchers are also predicting that online realty lister Zillow will suffer from competition with a new, broad-scale listing network. The biggest winners may be smaller real estate firms that stand to benefit from free access to real estate tools developed by their bigger brethren. New Real Estate Listing Network Challenges MLS is a post from: Properties Online Blog

New Real Estate Listing Network Challenges MLS is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post New Real Estate Listing Network Challenges MLS appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/new-real-estate-listing-network-challenges-mls/feed/ 0 Is Syndication Making the Agent & Broker Less Relevant? http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/is-syndication-making-the-agent-broker-less-relevant/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/is-syndication-making-the-agent-broker-less-relevant/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:40:44 +0000 Amanda Cornelius http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1501 As the debate about whether brokers should or should not syndicate their listings rages on, I thought it would be a good idea to weigh the Pros and Cons.

Is Syndication Making the Agent & Broker Less Relevant? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Is Syndication Making the Agent & Broker Less Relevant? appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/is-syndication-making-the-agent-broker-less-relevant/feed/ 2 Why Does Craigslist Drive the Most Traffic? http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/craigslist-for-real-estate/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/craigslist-for-real-estate/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:20:08 +0000 Vered http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1105 The short answer: Because of its huge volume of traffic! Craigslist is a fascinating Internet phenomenon. It reminds us of Facebook: a site that started small, based on a simple, localized idea, but then ballooned into a huge site that everyone wants to use. Ask any seasoned agent and they will tell you that Craigslist is an incredible tool for agents. There’s absolutely no comparison – when you place a listing on Craigslist, it gets you more traffic than any other listing. Craigslist was started in 1995 by Craig Newmark with the modest goal of helping people find affordable housing in San Francisco. It is now the most popular online classifieds website in the world, with over 10 million monthly visitors. Agents can take advantage of this huge traffic by posting free ads and by scanning ads seeking homes and answering them. In addition to its huge amounts of traffic, another useful feature of Craigslist is that it is divided by localities and categories. So as an agent, you can post to the areas that you service. In addition to cities, the real estate section of Craigslist is divided into specific sections, so there are separate sections for apartments/houses for rent, office & commercial, real estate for sale, vacation rentals and more. In most locations, posting an ad on Craigslist is free. You can create single ads for specific properties, or an ad listing all your available properties for an area. Craigslist ads are easy to create and require no coding design or HTML knowledge. You should definitely include images in your ad – these have been shown to vastly improve response rates. Choosing a great title for your ad is also very important. Try to write a catchy title that includes the words people might search for when looking for the properties you sell. Why Does Craigslist Drive the Most Traffic? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Why Does Craigslist Drive the Most Traffic? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Why Does Craigslist Drive the Most Traffic? appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/craigslist-for-real-estate/feed/ 0 Listing Syndication: a Good Idea? http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication/#comments Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:14:29 +0000 Vered http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1087 Listing syndication makes a lot of sense for agents. You obviously want your listings to reach as wide an audience as possible, and placing the listing on your site and social media accounts and in the local newspaper, while definitely useful, will likely not reach a huge audience. Benefits of Listing Syndication Listing syndication allows you to reach a much wider audience, and spread your listing all over the Internet, including major search engines, and high-profile, high-traffic sites such as Zillow, Trulia, and of course Craigslist. Zillow and Trulia: Supporting Agents or Potentially Undermining Them? But while sites such as Zillow and Trulia are excellent for buyers and sellers, are they really that great for agents? We need to remember that these sites are focusing on increasing their own traffic, not necessarily on sending traffic to agent sites. Their goal is to keep visitors on their site. Which begs the question, are these sites great partners for agents – or are they a possible threat? Recent features added to Zillow make it pretty clear that the site’s ultimate goal might be to become a real estate marketplace, independent of real estate agents, that charges a fee for transactions completed through the site. Zillow now enables homeowners to upload information about their homes, it has the “Make me an offer” feature where homeowners can get direct offers on their homes, and it has also added a Wiki where buyers and sellers can learn about the complexities of handling a real estate transaction. Listing Syndication Still Useful So, is listing syndication a good idea? We think it is. You should definitely syndicate to major search engines and to Craigslist. As for property website portals such as Zillow and Trulia, we believe you SHOULD take advantage of the huge traffic these sites receive. After all, you can post your listing on these sites along with your information and a link back to your agent website. But you also need to make it very clear to buyers and sellers that your knowledge and expertise are invaluable, and that going into such a huge, complex transaction without the help of an agent is extremely risky. Listing Syndication: a Good Idea? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Listing Syndication: a Good Idea? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Listing Syndication: a Good Idea? appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication/feed/ 0 Listing Syndication – now a free feature with RealEstateSites.com http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication-now-a-free-feature-with-realestatesites-com/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication-now-a-free-feature-with-realestatesites-com/#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:28:24 +0000 Amanda Cornelius http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=388 We are excited to tell you about a new feature upgrade for your agent website. We have just added Listing Syndication to our growing list of website features for our. We have just completed beta testing our new Listing Syndication tool that will allow you to feed your listing data to the major property website portals like Trulia, Zillow, Yahoo Real Estate and several others. To take advantage of this free service, login to your account and click on the new “Syndication” tool located on the Main Menu. This is the page you see first when you login. Listing Syndication – now a free feature with RealEstateSites.com is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Listing Syndication – now a free feature with RealEstateSites.com is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Listing Syndication – now a free feature with RealEstateSites.com appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/listing-syndication-now-a-free-feature-with-realestatesites-com/feed/ 0 Get More Traffic to your Property Website with Listing Syndication http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/property-website-listing-syndication/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/property-website-listing-syndication/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:40:09 +0000 Vered http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=305 Creating a single property website for each of your listings is an excellent way to use online tools to enhance your real estate marketing efforts. However, as any seasoned webmaster knows, creating a website is not enough – you need to make sure the website is actually found by search engines and by potential home buyers. At Listing Domains, we are aware that you need to market your website, and we are also very aware of how busy you are and how little time you have to engage in marketing efforts. This is why we included so many social media and online marketing tools in our single property websites. The tools are built right in, so that you can easily use them to promote your listings. In many cases, the tools are doing the work for you. Whenever you create a single property website with Listing Domains, we automatically feed your website to all the major search engines such as Google and Bing. We also add your meta tags for you, to make sure each website is indexed properly by search engines. In addition to sending your property websites to search engines, we also feed them to major property website portals, including GoogleBase, Trulia, Zillow, and more. Making sure your website is included in search engines and in property website portals helps your website get the most traffic in the least amount of time. Get More Traffic to your Property Website with Listing Syndication is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Get More Traffic to your Property Website with Listing Syndication is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Get More Traffic to your Property Website with Listing Syndication appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/property-website-listing-syndication/feed/ 2 Google Maps and Real Estate http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-maps-and-real-estate/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-maps-and-real-estate/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:36:10 +0000 Amanda Cornelius http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=154 What do you think of the way Google presents it’s real estate search? How do you think this compares with Zillow or Trulia? Google Maps and Real Estate is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Google Maps and Real Estate is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Google Maps and Real Estate appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-maps-and-real-estate/feed/ 1 Top 10 reasons why building a website for your listings is a no-brainer… http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/top-10-reasons-why-building-a-website-for-your-listings-is-a-no-brainer%e2%80%a6/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/top-10-reasons-why-building-a-website-for-your-listings-is-a-no-brainer%e2%80%a6/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:16:11 +0000 POL http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=122 Learn why creating a website for each of your real estate listings is the best way to market your properties online.

Top 10 reasons why building a website for your listings is a no-brainer… is a post from: Properties Online Blog

The post Top 10 reasons why building a website for your listings is a no-brainer… appeared first on blog.propertiesonline.com.

]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/top-10-reasons-why-building-a-website-for-your-listings-is-a-no-brainer%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0