Good Luck Competing Against GoogleBase, Just Real Estate Listings

Ya gotta love an underdog! I just read this press release from www.JustRealEstateListings.com:

Similar to Google Base, Just Real Estate Listings currently offers free real estate listings, as well as a free data integration service that regularly and automatically updates listings from real estate and advertising content feeds.

As Gary Coleman would say, "What you talking 'bout, Willis?"

Do most Realtors (or online consumers) know what a "advertising content feed" is? And don't go throwing terms like "free data integration" at them either - lol. The point that I am making is that simplicity works best. A press release written in language that most real estate professionals understand would have gotten their points across better: They offer free, self-service real estate listings and real estate advertising.


Technorati Tags: blogs, real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news, rss, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, seo

HP Real Estate Technology Awards

AKA... how HP markets it's Real Estate Marketing Assistant software by giving away awards to real estate professionals who use technology to improve client service:

Winners of the contest used HP technology to be more efficient, improve client service, enhance marketing tactics, generate more listings and improve overall sales revenue.(See also: HP Small & Medium Business - Real estate - Mobile technology guide)

See Also:
Phoning in your real estate listing
Cell phones become maps, info sources for home seekers

Technorati Tags: blogs, real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news, rss, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, seo

Reader Question: What is The Ideal Real Estate Search Engine?

No search engine or software is perfect. But, I believe two things:

1. With a little digging, you can find most any information you need on search engines. Usually.
2. Software makes your life easier. And if you can dream it, there’s software for it. Usually.

A recent article on the inability by search engines to resolve simple keyword queries, ( Just Answer My Question ) reminded me of my futile efforts to answer the following reader's question: what is the ideal real estate search engine.

I searched for two days straight and could not find relevant information in search engines. Worst yet, I couldn't find any software that could help. And after speaking with a friend who works in research at a real estate development company, there is definetly a market for this software.

So over the past few months I've been keeping track of any software developers or internet resources that could help answer the readers question. Below you will find Bill's question and tomorrow you'll find my response.


Bill writes:

Natasha:

I just stumbled into your blog and I’m glad I did. I’m a real estate developer in NM, very formerly a Managing Director at Jones Lang Wootten (now JLL); back then I had access to a tremendous library, my astute peers down the hall, and a proprietary database with the works. Now, I can get most current finance, industry and property market data I need either online or from my contacts and partners. But what I need help with is topical research, often quite technical (construction techniques, legal/contracts, codes/standards).

I’ll describe my current needs, just to give you an idea where I’m headed with this request. We are bidding on a property to develop, subject to a ground lease. I’ve negotiated these transactions before and have in my own library the basic texts and completed transaction files. (I’m not on the ‘ground floor’.) I went online to probe for articles, opinions and case studies dealing with “leasehold mortgage”, “unsubordinated ground lease” and, more generally, the financial issues regarding selling residential condominiums on leased land. Through ProQuest (via a college), the usual search sites and some back door links (via law firms), I found a lot of what I was looking for, but the task was extremely time consuming, and yet, I know, not thorough.

I’m going back to your blog to review - again - your directories vs. search engines piece. But my question to you remains – for the type of queries I’ve described -WHAT IS THE IDEAL REAL ESTATE SEARCH ENGINE?

Thank you for getting this far with my request, and, of course, I’d appreciate a reply.

Bill

Thanks Bill, for letting me publish your question. And if any of the readers out there know of any resources to help Bill, please send them to me, and I'll publish them tomorrow as well.

Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news

More Clever Real Estate Software Developers Hack Free Mapping Services

In last week Friday's post I asked:

Would a brokerage pay for this service (referencing this mapping service), when a programmer on their tech staff can implement one of these technologies into their current offerings?

I actually planned on answering this question today with a post about these services being necessary for some real estate firms. Service providers such as RealBird can be a cost effective tech solution for brokerages without the staff in place to implement these tech solutions. Hello, I do work for a real estate software company - lol.

Then I read this article today: new service lets consumers map real estate sold prices. The website CostWhat.com, uses Google mapping technology to map properties that recently sold. Again, very clever!

Many real estate web solution providers and listing services use links to services like MapQuest when providing home information. How difficult would it be to integrate Multiple Listing Service Data into search provider mapping technologies such as Google maps? Hmm...

Maybe the answer can be found in one of the links in this Search Engine Roundtable post:

So how do you hack Google Maps?

Well good question, as its not quite a simple as Yahoo Maps for instance. There is an excellent Wiki resource that compiles a lot of the work done by other developers to help share some of the hacks they have developed. You can visit Google Maps Hacking . Another Sourceforge resource is a recent thread on the subject here. Finally there is a Google Group on Map Hacking here as well. Some great places to start.

Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news

With Major Search Players Ramping Up Their Mapping Services, What Will Become of Real Estate Mapping Companies

“Map-based search is the future of online real estate search. It is much more intuitive and productive than searching only with menus,” - Gabriel Gross, president and co-founder of RealBird.

I read an article this morning about RealBird Mapping Service, which offers online mapping solutions for the real estate industry and thought to myself: "They better have one hell of a marketing team to survive."

Why? Because of clever people such as programmer Paul Rademacher, who are using new offerings from major search players to their advantage. His HousingMaps, combines CraigsList Real Estate Listings with maps from Google Maps to create a tool that lets people find housing simply by looking at a map.

Currently Google and MSN are gearing up for a map war with MSN Virtual Earth and Google Earth. And don't forget, there's also Amazon's A9 "Block View" Technology, which lets users virtually walk streets and see businesses, buildings and streets in two-dimensional photos.

So, with articles such How To Make Your Own Annotated Multimedia Google Map on Engadget I ask:

Would a brokerage pay for this service, when a programmer on their tech staff can implement one of these technologies into their current offerings?

See Also: Smile! You're On Google 3D Mapping

Google plans to create an online 3D map of San Francisco, and maybe other major US cities will follow later. To achieve this they will use special trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment to map the entire city. The trucks will need to drive along every street in San Francisco and will map the entire area. The lasers will measure the dimensions of buildings to create 3D frameworks, on which the digital photos can be mapped. Google's goal is to create similar online versions of other main US and overseas cities. The data will be used for Google Earth (Keyhole).

Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news

Realty Times, Where For Art Thou?

I read alot on a daily basis. When it comes to real estate news, there are a few sources I check on a regular basis:

• Inman News
• Realty Times
• RIS Media Real Estate News
• Topix.net - Real Estate News
• PR Web - Real Estate Press Releases

Lately, I've noticed that the two sections I check the most on Realty Times have not been updated recently:

• Realty Times Agent News - Marketing Advice
• Realty Times Agent News - Technology Advice

I hope they start updating these sections again, as I consider them invaluable resources. But then again, I am the same person who went for a month without updating this blog. So who am I to complain? - LOL

Real Estate & Mortage Industry Marketing Gets Hip To Podcasting

Any one who knows me or reads this blog knows how much I love RSS (ie: the RSS Calendar test to the right). Martopia's new service "gets it". I can dig it.

From: Executive Insight Podcasts Debut

Martopia, a national marketing and public relations firm specializing in the mortgage and financial services industry, announced today the launch of its Executive Insight Podcasts for clients interested in innovative communications strategies for thought leadership and corporate positioning messages.

The company will initially utilize podcasts to interview senior executives from client companies about trends, new technologies and critical issues facing the industry. The podcasts can then be downloaded from Martopia's Web site or distributed via subscription, and played at the user's convenience through his/her computer or portable music player.

Technorati Tags: podcasting, real estate, real estate marketing, real estate news