Broker Technology Research Archives

Top 5 Broker Website Trends for 2014

There is a significant gap in the depth of information found on listing portals vs. broker websites today. Aside from marketing acumen and marketing investment, the quality of the experience is simply better on many portal sites. A few years ago, portals dominated brokerages with map search. As brokers got a handle on that, portals evolved with the single, Googlesque search bar. Most good broker sites have gotten a handle on that now too. But the bar continues to move in new directions. The biggest gap seems to be the information contained on the listing detail page. I had a [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:22-07:00December 11th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|1 Comment

It’s Your Data – Make Sure You Can Use It!

I do a lot of work helping MLSs choose their next MLS technology vendor and I also work with brokers that use multiple real estate technology tools. The one thing both sets of technology have in common is the fact that without good data the technology is worthless. Numerous roadblocks exist today, however, on the data front that often derails the best software. Some roadblocks come from within the MLS but some come from the technology vendors themselves. MLSs can serve as roadblocks to listing and sales data at the source, meaning they may put arbitrary restrictions on data use [...]

By THE WAV GROUP|2018-05-03T21:24:23-07:00December 9th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

Brokers Losing Agent SEO Battle to Portals

Years ago, when consumers searched for keywords like City Name + Real Estate, an actual real estate broker would appear in the search results. Those days are long gone for most cities in America. Unless a broker has invested richly in the goal to appear on page one, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Homes.com dominate. With the advent of mobile search and the consumer awareness of long tail search, the goal of SEO strategies by portals expanded to include property address. Again, four or five years ago, if you searched for a property by address, and that property was for sale, [...]

By Victor Lund|2024-01-05T21:02:41-08:00December 4th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, SEO|1 Comment

SEM and VTs
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SEM and VTs

Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category

SEM and VTs

SEM and VTs, sounds a little more than conspicuous. It's code for using some Internet strategies to do a little more with online marketing. There is a gaping area of unexploited territory available to cleaver brokers who understand how to leverage unbranded virtual tours in real estate. As WAV Group has discussed before, the unbranded virtual tour allows a broker to publish a Virtual Tour to other broker and agent websites. If done correctly, that virtual tour provides a link back to the broker’s website. It is not a link that the consumer sees or can even touch, but search [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:24-07:00November 25th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category|2 Comments

LeadRouter Gets Much Better

LeadRouter is the solution that is used by the REALOGY firms to manage the hundreds of thousands of leads generated by the franchises and the franchisees across the world. It is arguably the most commonly used lead management solution on the planet. Today, it just got better for the agent and for the consumer. In Thursday’s version release, LeadRouter has taken steps to allow agents to immediately contact the consumer by phone when the lead comes in, and the record of that contact record is automatically published in LeadRouther. It is simple, elegant, better. If you are not a LeadRouter [...]

By Victor Lund|2016-06-30T05:25:24-07:00November 20th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Technology Evaluation|3 Comments

Why are MLSs surprised?

WAV Group has been purposefully quiet during the storm of enlightenment whereby the industry pundits that recognize the role of the real estate broker in our industry. In truth, the leading MLSs in America are perfectly cognizant of the role and needs of brokers in real estate. Frankly, many of The Realty Alliance brokers own MLSs or are standing members of the Board of Directors. Even in the absence of having a broker-owned MLS or having broker led governance in your MLS, there is plenty that you can do that involves the broker in your MLS strategic planning. Every WAV [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:24-07:00November 5th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights, Our Company, Our Services|Comments Off

RE Technology Top 5 Articles of the Week

Webinar: Is Your Website Designed to Meet the Needs of Tomorrow's First-Time Homebuyers? With new mortgage regulations on the horizon and a larger pool of first-time homebuyers ready to take action, the needs of the next generation of buyers are changing. Join us for a webinar that will review the growing interest among consumers in homeownership programs and how you can use your website to leverage this market opportunity. Date: Thursday October 24th, 2013 Time: 2 pm Eastern / 1 pm Central / 11 am Pacific 5 Steps to Maximizing Your Marketing Budget The most important number you need to [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:25-07:00October 18th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, Technology Evaluation|Comments Off

ReTechnology.com Top 5 Articles of the Week

Webinar: Make Your Business Explode with a Powerful Lead Generation Program Many consumers are looking to educate themselves on the housing market. They often end up on third party sites like Zillow and Trulia to see what listings in their area look like INSTEAD of your own site. This webinar will help explain how to leverage your agent or broker site to become your local market's go-to listing information portal that provides accurate information for prospective buyers. Learn how to attain qualified leads that will help your business explode this fall! Date: Tuesday October 8th, 2013 Time: 1 pm Eastern / [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00October 1st, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off

Leveraging The Browser
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Leveraging The Browser

Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights

Leveraging The Browser

Many software solutions used in real estate today are offered as Software as a Service (SaaS), meaning that they are accessed through a browser or, in some cases, a mobile app. For most companies today, being cross-browser compliant is about as far as they have gone. Advanced companies, mostly those who have the luxury of products released in the past couple of years, have made their browser-based application “responsive” so as to fit naturally into any screen resolution on any browser. Cloud CMA just came out with a browser Bookmarklet that reminded me how many powerful browser features are not [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00September 25th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|Comments Off

Listen When Smart People Speak
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Listen When Smart People Speak

Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category

Listen When Smart People Speak

We all have our opinions about things like productivity and social media. Our own experiences with it along with what we hear and see around us make even the casual observer an expert. But there are actually people who study this stuff, and when they talk about their research, it is worth listening to. Heidi Ambles is the Director of Product Management and Social Software at IBM. She thinks highly of social media and is bullish on the benefits of social collaboration in the workplace. Here are a few statistics that Heidi recently shared during a talk that she gave. [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:26-07:00September 24th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category|Comments Off

RE Technology Top 5 Articles

Which Real Estate CRM Should I Use? Are you looking for a real estate CRM? There are so many systems on the market these days that weeding through them is often difficult and time-consuming. We feel your pain! That's why we want to make it as easy as possible for you to understand what to look for in a real estate CRM.Beyond Residential: Commercial Agents Can Use RPR, Too! Making the transition to the commercial real estate can be challenging for agents who come from a residential background. We recently spoke with Sydney Machaut, CCIM, CRE, a veteran [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:27-07:00September 16th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Main category, MLS Insights|1 Comment

Product Overview of BombBomb for Real Estate VMail

BombBomb is a video mail program. You can record yourself talking on your computer or mobile device and send that recording as an email. It is a streaming email, so you are not sending a large file. Beyond vMail, BombBomb allows you to vLog or video blog. You can publish the recordings you make in newsletters, on your blog, website, or social media page. Suffice it to say, once the video is created, you can ship it anywhere. Using BombBomb for the first time was quick and easy. I entered a little bit of profile information and was off creating [...]

By Victor Lund|2018-05-03T21:24:28-07:00August 28th, 2013|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Main category, MLS Insights, Press Releases, Suveys and Research, Technology Evaluation|8 Comments