neighborhood search
Turnquist Partners shows high-tech commitment to agents and clients
Some real estate companies say they support their agents with the latest technology and some real estate companies put it right in their mission statement.
And right on the home page of their web site.
Turnquist Partners, based in Austin, TX., is one of those real estate companies that walks the talk.
“Our business philosophy embodies a commitment from our associates to provide the highest degree of knowledge and expertise needs to meet our clients’ real estate needs,” states their web site. “Sales associates are provided with state-of-the art computer... Read More
Are you addressing home buyers concerns about how those miles add up?
In economics, we are taught the magic of compounding is a beautiful thing.
Right now interest rates are unusually low for certain financial instruments. But even today, you could get 5% interest on a 10-year corporate bond.
Buy the bond for $1000 and 10 years from now with compounding interest, that money magically grows... Read More
When selling real estate, are you obeying the “law of geography?”
There seem to be a bunch of very unique laws out there. I’m not talking about regulations against speeding or stealing.
But laws concerning big ticket items – Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, or the Law of Large Numbers.
There’s one law that everybody in the real estate profession should be familiar with: The Law of Geography.
It was developed by a brilliant American-Swiss doctor of geography, Waldo Tobler (not that other Waldo, although, you could make a connection because it does involve places).
The First Law of Geography states:... Read More
When selling real estate, are you obeying the "law of geography?"
There seem to be a bunch of very unique laws out there. I’m not talking about regulations against speeding or stealing.
But laws concerning big ticket items – Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, or the Law of Large Numbers.
There’s one law that everybody in the real estate profession should be familiar with: The Law of Geography.
It was developed by a brilliant American-Swiss doctor of geography, Waldo Tobler (not that other Waldo, although, you could make a connection because it does involve places).
The First Law of Geography states:... Read More
Deloitte designates "Geospatial Visualization" as one of the top Tech Trends this year…and we've got it
Remember all those years of... Read More
Deloitte designates “Geospatial Visualization” as one of the top Tech Trends this year…and we’ve got it
Remember all those years of... Read More
When a development provides 'no amenities,' use a positive spin
It makes sense that real estate would be booming in a city that never sleeps – NYC.
Believe it or not, some experts say those insane housing prices in New York City are a bargain.
Sure, they are high, but they are not hysterically high like in Tokyo or London or Paris.
There are other factors causing the boom – super low interest rates in the US, inquiries from overseas investors and a scramble by Wall Street wonders who now apparently have more faith in real estate than in the stocks they sell.
This has caused some interesting trends, including a rush to... Read More
When a development provides ‘no amenities,’ use a positive spin
It makes sense that real estate would be booming in a city that never sleeps – NYC.
Believe it or not, some experts say those insane housing prices in New York City are a bargain.
Sure, they are high, but they are not hysterically high like in Tokyo or London or Paris.
There are other factors causing the boom – super low interest rates in the US, inquiries from overseas investors and a scramble by Wall Street wonders who now apparently have more faith in real estate than in the stocks they sell.
This has caused some interesting trends, including a rush to... Read More
Is your approach to real estate stuck in the dark ages of 2001?
I just love those commercials where the two mobile phone users seem to know everything that is going on at a football game or in their office before anybody else does.
Their saying is: “Oh, that was so 17 seconds ago.”
The commercials are amusing. And Read More
You can enhance the traits of what it takes to be a successful Realtor
Business philosopher Jim Rohn once said, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
Everyone knows the old sports adage, when things go wrong, it’s time to get back to the fundamentals.
Steve Gutstein, a certified... Read More
This year, use the right technology to farm a neighborhood
When it comes to farming a community, there’s one guy in Daytona Beach, Fla., who is a real pro.
According to RealtorMag, of the 649 residences in the Fairway Estates community, Ed Savard has either listed or sold one out of three of them.
One out of three! That’s not a farm, that’s a gold mine!
The article says his strategies are simple: Pick a Target (hopefully a place not too oversaturated with agents) Read More
Vague resolutions are worthless, specific action is priceless
Here we go again. A new year. A time to reassess where we are and where we want to be.
It’s funny how we as humans all seem to come up with the same resolutions every year.
I’m sure you’ve seen the list.
1) Quit smoking
2) Get fit
3) Lose... Read More
How the newest tech trends in 2012 will affect your real estate business
The tech gurus at Mashable came out with their 10 trends to watch in 2012 and savvy Realtors will pay close attention to the list.
It’s rather obvious that most new trends coming up make it is easier for web users to reach out to each other.
As a result, you are going to see much more... Read More
Tis’ the season for real estate agents to take pride in the service they provide
As families gather in their homes for the holidays, if you are a real estate professional, you’ve got to have some feeling of pride knowing you found the right home for many of these families.
Many times in our professional lives we get caught up in the numbers – how many sales, how many... Read More
Tis' the season for real estate agents to take pride in the service they provide
As families gather in their homes for the holidays, if you are a real estate professional, you’ve got to have some feeling of pride knowing you found the right home for many of these families.
Many times in our professional lives we get caught up in the numbers – how many sales, how many... Read More
Old-fashion mortgage rates combined with the latest technology can make home sales happen
When my father sold the home I grew up in, he told me an amazing fact.
“You know, when I bought this house back in the 60s,” he said with a grin, “The interest rate on my mortgage was only 4%.”
Ah, the good old days. If only life was that simple again. Better times. Lawrence Welk. Ed... Read More
Real estate broker calls SpatialMatch his 'Magic Map'
Everyone in business knows, you don’t always get feedback from a satisfied customer. Many times they are just too busy.
But when one of your clients refers to your product as “magic,” well, you just gotta listen.
That’s what happened at Team X Real Estate in Los Angeles.
Broker Emmanuel Xuereb wrote in his blog that he has added the SpatialMatch IDX and lifestyle search engine to his web site.
It is “the most incredible new technology for searching properties,” Emmanuel writes. “And we are the... Read More
Real estate broker calls SpatialMatch his ‘Magic Map’
Everyone in business knows, you don’t always get feedback from a satisfied customer. Many times they are just too busy.
But when one of your clients refers to your product as “magic,” well, you just gotta listen.
That’s what happened at Team X Real Estate in Los Angeles.
Broker Emmanuel Xuereb wrote in his blog that he has added the SpatialMatch IDX and lifestyle search engine to his web site.
It is “the most incredible new technology for searching properties,” Emmanuel writes. “And we are the... Read More
How to truly motivate agents in your office in 2012
Have you ever dragged your employees to listen to a motivational speaker?
Or tried to pump them up with lunch or some other promotion?
And then got frustrated because after a few days it didn’t seem to work?
There’s a new year coming and everybody naturally wants to do better in... Read More
Taking IDX search to the next level in push technology
When it comes to search technology today, it reminds me of the Rolling Stones’ lyrics, “You can’t always get what you want.”
Now, I appreciate the wonders of search engines such as Google and Bing as much as anybody.
But, it’s been a few years now and frankly, it could be better.
For... Read More
Leading Plano real estate team adds SpatialMatch to their site
Broker Tom Branch knows data. As a former computer programmer back in the 70s, Tom can appreciate what’s involved when you are crunching huge amounts of information.
That’s one reason why he decided to embed the SpatialMatch IDX and lifestyle search engine on his site for The Branch Team with RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs covering the north Dallas suburbs.
“It’s amazing what you can overlay,” Tom observed. “(With SpatialMatch) you have the ability to combine all this data so the home buyer doesn’t have to go to several different web sites to find... Read More
Search tool condenses real estate data into one simple image
Read MoreUse lifestyle marketing post cards to dig out more listings
It’s a great feeling. As a real estate broker or agent, you are in a market where buyers are swarming to your door. Picking up houses as fast as you can list them.
To get more inventory you send out a postcard to a neighborhood you are farming. The mailing declares: “We have buyers. It’s a seller’s market in your neighborhood and people are generating top dollar for their homes.”
Sweet, right? Well, as a seasoned real estate professional, you realize it’s not Christmas every day of the year. Things change. The market fluctuates.
The pros know... Read More
What Realtors can do to create their own personal brand to sellers
You are a brand.
Every business has a brand identity, whether they know it or not.
And as a real estate broker or agent, basically, that brand is you.
You’ve probably heard the term “branding” tossed about by the big marketers like McDonald’s, Nike or... Read More
How to position your market area as a candidate for the list of “Great Neighborhoods”
If you watch the hit NBC show, Parks and Recreation, you probably cringe every... Read More
How to position your market area as a candidate for the list of "Great Neighborhoods"
If you watch the hit NBC show, Parks and Recreation, you probably cringe every... Read More
Google wants to see "stickiness" – here's how SpatialMatch will improve your site
You may have noticed a while ago how your searches on Google were starting to produce an inordinate amount of sites that were not exactly what you were searching for.
Instead of real estate information, you found bogus pages with nothing but Google links on them.
While the folks at Google had... Read More
Google wants to see “stickiness” – here’s how SpatialMatch will improve your site
You may have noticed a while ago how your searches on Google were starting to produce an inordinate amount of sites that were not exactly what you were searching for.
Instead of real estate information, you found bogus pages with nothing but Google links on them.
While the folks at Google had... Read More
How to sell a home with a glass of milk
You know, for all the talk about lifestyle marketing – locating near a golf course, or choosing a Bordeaux from a home with a wine cellar or soaking in that Jacuzzi, there’s one very simple and fundamental item Realtors definitely don’t want to overlook.
Grocery stores.
According to... Read More
With SpatialMatch you can make nearly any property "family-friendly"
There is probably no more appealing phrase to a person looking to buy a house than “family-friendly community.”
It just has a nice, wholesome ring to it, doesn’t it? Conjures up an image from “The Beaver” with mom inside the house cooking and kids playing... Read More
With SpatialMatch you can make nearly any property “family-friendly”
There is probably no more appealing phrase to a person looking to buy a house than “family-friendly community.”
It just has a nice, wholesome ring to it, doesn’t it? Conjures up an image from “The Beaver” with mom inside the house cooking and kids playing... Read More
House Hunters International is a very revealing show
If ever there was a voyeuristic show for those in the real estate business, it has to be House Hunters International.
Even if you aren’t in the business, the show is addictive.
The ratings prove this to be true – recent Nielsen ratings show House Hunters... Read More
Know what is now important to home buyers
There are different ways you can look at negative statistics.
And nobody is better at this than real estate professionals who periodically have to cope with negative news stories.
But it’s the savvy broker or agent with an optimistic outlook who knows how to find that... Read More
Home buyers want to drive less; Show them how they can do that
What’s better, a bigger, secluded house or a smaller house closer to lifestyle amenities such as restaurants and train stations?
According to research recently conducted by the National Association of Realtors, more home buyers are indicating a preference for walkable, transit-served communities.
Basically, they want... Read More
How to start your own hyper-local LinkedIn group
I guess the first question to ask regarding starting a hyper-local LinkedIn group is, should you?
Many people are not familiar with LinkedIn. A simple description would be – it’s like Facebook for business people.
Most members are business people. You can create a Profile, join and form Groups, Network... Read More
Show visitors how to use search tools and find data on your site
Did you ever buy something that was a tad complex – e.g. a digital camera, plasma TV or sound system, only to discover later there were these cool features you could have been using all along?
Tools and data on real estate sites are the same way.
In today’s stimuli-swamped environment, you just can’t assume your clients/visitors are going to get the most out of all those search tools and data you loaded onto your site.
These people have other things on their minds, you know, like bills, kids, careers, their favorite sports team and who will win the next Dancing... Read More
Hyper-local networking ideas for mortgage companies
(This is the... Read More
How hyper-local search tools can help mortgage lenders
Mortgage brokers can greatly benefit from the same hyper-local social media strategies that Realtors use to attract customers.
But hyper-local does not mean hype. If you are going to be a successful mortgage blogger you need to provide... Read More
WordPress – the NEXT big thing for real estate agents
Notice how things have changed in the past few years?
Remember when cell phones were huge, the size of a clunky home telephone?
Then they got smaller and smaller.
Then they got bigger – because you could shoot video with them; record video with them; and watch a live video with them. Wow!
Facebook just added live video chat. Oh, Google+, Google’s new alternative to Facebook, already has video chat. In fact, they have video Group chat.
Technological changes are coming so fast, they’re almost too subtle to notice.
But what about your web site?... Read More
This year's top real estate movie award goes to….
Isn’t great to see a low-budget film make it big?
Independent movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Sideways.”
Movies that don’t have overpaid movies stars and cost a gazillion to make and make you wonder after two hours, wouldn’t all that money have been better spent, say, rebuilding a country.
Our nomination for independent Real Estate Movie of the Year has to go Mark Richert’s film titled “I Want to Live Near a Starbucks.”
It’s only 2:13 minutes long. But it touches the lives of nearly every... Read More
This year’s top real estate movie award goes to….
Isn’t great to see a low-budget film make it big?
Independent movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Sideways.”
Movies that don’t have overpaid movies stars and cost a gazillion to make and make you wonder after two hours, wouldn’t all that money have been better spent, say, rebuilding a country.
Our nomination for independent Real Estate Movie of the Year has to go Mark Richert’s film titled “I Want to Live Near a Starbucks.”
It’s only 2:13 minutes long. But it touches the lives of nearly every... Read More
How to take your web site to the next level with WordPress and SpatialMatch
On the web, it can be argued that either someone is trying to reach you, or you are trying to reach them. It’s the case of the hunter and the hunted.
As an Internet surfer you are bombarded with advertisers as they try to hunt their way into your wallet.
As a business promoter, you are the hunter trying to get that surfer to do business with you.
How is your hunting going? As you know, the internet landscape is constantly changing. Are you adjusting your tactics to go or do you hunt the same way every time?
Good hunters understand the winds of change and... Read More
Smart Realtors will factor in the advantage of short driving distances
You are going to freak out when you read this. I did.
We now live in a time where paying $3.50 to $4 per gallon at the gas pump is commonplace.
Do you realize, that only two years ago, in July, 2009, the national average for gas was just $2.50 per gallon?
Only 10 years... Read More
Stay competitive: How to make your web site relevant again (part 2)
(Note: This is the second part of a series on HJ Websites – Home Junction Inc.’s new service that creates real estate web sites using WordPress integrated with SpatialMatch’s neighborhood and lifestyle search engine. This gives agents and brokers a more dynamic web site with hyper-local content and SEO enhancements.)
Integrating into the WordPress site is the map-based SpatialMatch search engine tool with its huge volume of properties, schools, businesses and other community information which immediately provides content that has more breadth and... Read More
Get on the real estate bandwagon for “lifestyle marketing” to close more deals
Notice how the world seems to be getting more fragmented. There isn’t just rock music any more. There’s classic rock, hard rock, soft rock, heavy metal, alt rock, etc. etc.Marketing guru tells real estate agents to quit now. Here’s how to fight back.
If anything is apparent today, it is that nothing stays the same. Look at search engines. Remember Alta Vista? Lycos? Yahoo as the place to start searching on the web.
Not any more. While technology is providing us with incredible devices, it also has a nasty edge to it. It disrupts the status quo.
This is very... Read More
Marketing guru tells real estate agents to quit now. Here's how to fight back.
If anything is apparent today, it is that nothing stays the same. Look at search engines. Remember Alta Vista? Lycos? Yahoo as the place to start searching on the web.
Not any more. While technology is providing us with incredible devices, it also has a nasty edge to it. It disrupts the status quo.
This is very... Read More
Let's give them something to Tweet about
Everyone knows that famous Bonnie Raitt song “Let’s give them something to talk about.”
For real estate brokers and agents in 2011, it should be “Let’s give them something to Tweet about.”
Yes, a site that amazingly only... Read More
Let’s give them something to Tweet about
Everyone knows that famous Bonnie Raitt song “Let’s give them something to talk about.”
For real estate brokers and agents in 2011, it should be “Let’s give them something to Tweet about.”
Yes, a site that amazingly only... Read More
Realtors: if you give something away for free, make sure it has value. Try this.
There is no more powerful word in marketing than the word “free.”
And if you are going to market yourself online, you had better be prepared to offer something to consumers for free. They expect it.
Today’s web users are used to free... Read More
How Realtors can dominate a niche with SpatialMatch technology
Customizing the search process orgranizes the "chaos" and keeps consumers returning
The real estate industry has clearly lagged other industries in customization possibilities for “real estate search and display.” Think about it.
On the web you can customize everything – my song playlist, my favorite videos, my bookmarks, my news, my friends, etc. etc. etc.
Customization exists in order to recognize individualism and make things personalized and relevant to each person.
But to... Read More
Customizing the search process orgranizes the “chaos” and keeps consumers returning
The real estate industry has clearly lagged other industries in customization possibilities for “real estate search and display.” Think about it.
On the web you can customize everything – my song playlist, my favorite videos, my bookmarks, my news, my friends, etc. etc. etc.
Customization exists in order to recognize individualism and make things personalized and relevant to each person.
But to... Read More
Secrets on how Realtors can use Facebook search to find new clients
You might not know this, but with about 500 million searches per month, Facebook is becoming one very, very popular search engine.
(The founders of Google know this all too well and it’s giving them major agita. And any time there’s something that’s of concern to a billionaire, you... Read More
"Farming" techniques are changing. Do you have the right tools?
It used to be that America’s farmland was made up of small farmers with moderate acreage. Today, the small farmer is complaining that they are being put out of business by the mega-farm corporations.
How did that happen? The simple answer is that efficiencies were made to the... Read More
“Farming” techniques are changing. Do you have the right tools?
It used to be that America’s farmland was made up of small farmers with moderate acreage. Today, the small farmer is complaining that they are being put out of business by the mega-farm corporations.
How did that happen? The simple answer is that efficiencies were made to the... Read More
Realtors now have a tool to effectively use the persuasive technique of “scarcity” in any market
By now most of you are familiar with Groupon. It’s a company that cuts a deal with a local advertiser, say a restaurant, to offer a sizable discount of 50% or more.
The catch is, consumers have ONE day to buy the deal.
Does this work? Well, Groupon had $750 million in sales last year... Read More
Realtors now have a tool to effectively use the persuasive technique of "scarcity" in any market
By now most of you are familiar with Groupon. It’s a company that cuts a deal with a local advertiser, say a restaurant, to offer a sizable discount of 50% or more.
The catch is, consumers have ONE day to buy the deal.
Does this work? Well, Groupon had $750 million in sales last year... Read More
New IDX and Lifestyle Search Engine gives brokers and agents an edge in their marketplace
(The following is an excerpt of an article about SpatialMatch written for a major online real estate magazine.)
The real estate industry recently took a giant leap forward into the 21st century.
Real estate brokers and agents can now embed into their web sites a lifestyle search engine that... Read More
Generating high-quality real estate leads requires a "give"
On the Internet, if you want to get something, you’ve got to give something.
It is old fashioned Internet behavior to expect me to fill out a contact form before I can even see what you have to offer.
Real estate marketing is no different.
It’s ironic that more than 80% of home buyers start their search for a home on the web, yet, most real estate sites offer users very little or at times nothing in return for their contact information.
SpatialMatch gives agents and brokers a very effective tool to capture leads. Using our... Read More
Generating high-quality real estate leads requires a “give”
On the Internet, if you want to get something, you’ve got to give something.
It is old fashioned Internet behavior to expect me to fill out a contact form before I can even see what you have to offer.
Real estate marketing is no different.
It’s ironic that more than 80% of home buyers start their search for a home on the web, yet, most real estate sites offer users very little or at times nothing in return for their contact information.
SpatialMatch gives agents and brokers a very effective tool to capture leads. Using our... Read More
SpatialMatch featured in major US newspaper
You know the feeling you get when your name is mentioned (for positive reasons) in the newspaper?
Maybe the local paper wrote a story on you. Or printed your letter to the editor. Or took a photo of you.
Come on, admit it. That recognition is sort of... Read More
SpatialMatch IDX feature results in dozens of new clients
Comey and Shepherd Realtors
Now that we added our IDX real estate listing technology, dozens of brokers and agents are embedding the SpatialMatch neighborhood and search engine tool into their web sites to offer consumers... Read More
Put some muscle in those real estate links
There are links…and then there are links.
Imagine you are talking to a seller. He or she wants to know how you are going to promote their property.
Sure, you can send a prospect a link from your listings showing the usual beds, baths, blah, blah, blah.
Or you can tell the seller, that when you interview a prospect, you are also going to find out their neighborhood preferences and coordinate all this listing and neighborhood data together on your neighborhood and lifestyle search engine.
Then when you send that prospect a link, that... Read More
Successful Realtor who built his reputation as a hyperlocal expert adds SpatialMatch to site
David Dion of Solutions Real Estate knows all about hyperlocal. He built his real estate career on it.
Dion is one of the latest Realtor clients to incorporate SpatialMatch’s lifestyle search engine into his web site – appropriately named – Read More
Buzz starting to build about SpatialMatch’s neighborhood/lifestyle search tool
It’s all smiles around the office this week as we received a tremendous boost for SpatialMatch with both a plug on national TV and coverage by a leading real estate technology columnist.
We’ll start with TV. A Fox Business reporter interviewed Joseph Vranich, a business relocation coach, about how businesses are... Read More
Buzz starting to build about SpatialMatch’s neighborhood/lifestyle search tool
It’s all smiles around the office this week as we received a tremendous boost for SpatialMatch with both a plug on national TV and coverage by a leading real... Read More
SpatialMatch chosen as one of six presenters at leading real estate technology conference
This year’s Real Estate Connect conference starting Tuesday is incredibly exciting for SpatialMatch because we will be one of just six companies featured in the “New Kids on the Block” competition.
If you are in the real estate business and want to keep up with the latest technology, then you must attend this event sponsored by Inman News, the recognized and leading source of independent news covering all aspects of the business.
Thousands of people flock to the show every year, held appropriately in the birthplace of innovation, San Francisco.
According to... Read More
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