Real Estate Software & Technology Newsletter
This newsletter is provided especially for [[Contact:26]]
Welcome [[First Name:78]] to the June / July issue of the Ascendant Australia Real Estate Software and Technology Newsletter which provides you with information to real estate agents and property professionals with respect to IT changes and news.
This issue we were going to continue looking at a very hot topic - Google, the famous search engine and focus on search engine optimisation. However, having just returned from the worlds largest real estate technology conference in San Francisco, we look at some future trends and what's happening overseas and will continue with Google in next months issue.
Also in next few months we will look in some more depth at some of the specific items that we saw in the USA and how agents are utilising cutting edge technology in practical ways which may be applied here also including:
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Tablet PC Used in Real Estate - becoming very popular in the US
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Wireless & Mobile Real Estate Agents - Agents working from home or anywhere
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Document Management Systems - automated online forms
Real Estate Technology Conference - RealComm San Francisco - June 2004
Every year for 5 years now the RealComm conference takes place somewhere in the USA and this year was in San Francisco which I attended and in 2001 I also managed to get to the New York conference - if you are into gadgets and technology, as I am of course, its like being in a Bunnings sized Chocolate Shop !
The Conference and show featured around 160 Technology companies and accompanying presentations and sessions - enough to keep even the most die-hard technophile busy ! One of the interesting stats that was picked up was that 71% percent of US real estate agents use the Internet and e-mail for business and I am sure its close to that here also although maybe slightly lower.
Agents in the US, like in Australasia, look to embrace new technologies that will help them work faster, smarter and stay one step ahead of the competition. The US agents and their firms realise that to stand out in this competitive environment, they must be responsive to clients’ expectations, more technology-savvy and offer a wider array of services to build long-lasting client relationships. Technology is their No.1 expense. In fact, in the US agents spent $496 million last year on computer hardware and software. Pictured above is Anna Morris the Westin Santa Clara Hotel's virtual concierge who works from home and greeted and interacted with everyone at RealComm from a large Plasma screen with a camera and mic on top of it.
Because the real estate agent transaction is so paper-intensive and the pressures on reducing operating expenses are never ending, discussions on the concept of technology and more specifically automation are always the highlight at RealComm. This because the agency is right in the middle of the transaction with an inordinate amount of information that changes hands.
Instant Massagers - Do they have a role in real estate ?
Instant messengers are like Email but totally live and many property people are now using them internally within an office and to our minds have 2 main areas of use:
1. Internal Use - Within the office itself or what about your Virtual Assistant
2. External Client Use - would you want your clients to interact live with you ?
3. Directories of Agents using IM's
Click here or on the image above to go to a review site giving you a choice of IM's.
Instant messaging does for the typing what the telephone did for talking. You type in messages to your friends and, if they're also online, they'll respond within seconds. Although chat rooms allowing you to communicate in real time have existed since the 70s, they always had the disadvantage that you couldn't screen who entered a room. Instant messaging allows you to screen people, and only talk to those you want to.
A few Australian real estate offices are now offering this service but they are few in number compared to the US - and notwithstanding the larger population of course. Some offices of course have used the closed IM model where you log in via the agents web site although with the popularity of IM programs, and wanting to integrate with clients directly, its becoming slightly redundant.
One site caught our eye in particular and that was the one on above called RealEstateIM. It's a directory of real estate agents using Instant messengers directed at the real estate public - click on it and have a look !
If you have a look at the web many agents in the US in particular are offering this service and in Australia one of our clients managed to secure a listing using Microsoft's IM. He literally saw the potential vendor pop online while he was in Hong Kong. Our client sent the vendor a message and he responded and gave the listing to our client because he did more to keep in touch !
Here is a tip though - use 2 Messengers - one for friends and colleagues and one just for clients as they can become tricky when you need to concentrate on work and don't want to bothered. Using 2 means you can have one of them on or off.
Miscellaneous Bits
March/April 2004 Ascendant Newsletter
Auto Updating Your client database in Outlook & ACT & more.
April/May 2004 Ascendant Newsletter
Newsletters, Blogging, ANTI SPAM
May/June 2004 Ascendant Newsletter
Google, Outlook, Blogging
Property Bits page with extra info on email marketing and much more.
To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here Questions or Feedback? E-mail me at here or call 0500 558 550
In this months issue:
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USA Real Estate IT Conference
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Good Contacts
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Instant Messaging
Auto Updating Databases - NEWS !!!
Why not let your clients maintain your database for you !
An attendee at the RealComm conference
in San Francisco was Good Contacts who make the worlds leading email updating system for databases. And Ascendant is very excited to announce a special deal just for our clients on their amazing software.
YOU MUST SEE THIS TO REALISE THE OPPORTUNITY !
Automatically create emails and allow your clients to update YOUR database. Imagine what you can do :
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Update Buyer Requirements
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Conduct Surveys
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Comply ANTI SPAM laws
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Track RSVP's and much more
You select the information to be verified/requested from fields within your database. You personalize the email you send to obtain information updates. You customize the web form where your contacts update their information.
Ascendants clients only will be able to buy Good Contacts to update their databases at a heavily discounted rate over the normal $ USD cost.
Some Newsletter readers will be receiving an email from Ascendant showing how the system actually works which will in turn send all updates received directly into our main database - we can send out 5000 emails and have all our recipients type their own info into our database.
We can even use it to create an online web form which can be email merged into this newsletter ! So imagine the possibilities - create an email newsletter for your clients and embed a link to their real estate needs and let them update YOUR database on a regular basis !
Visit our Good Contacts Page for more information
See Propel 2.0 for ACT in Action !
The worlds leading Contact Manager! You can use ACT and Propel in so many ways such as:
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Email Newsletters
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Over 2 Hours of Training Video's
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Exclusive Tips / Hints Newsletters
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Automated Follow Ups
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Automated Database Updating
Click here or above to see and hear our new demo and see how you can stand out by using Propel and ACT !
End of Fin Year Offer ! June 2004 !!!
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE !!
Visit the Ascendant Web Site
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