Read all about it!
The Blog Post heard round the world…
ForSaleByOwner.com
The analysis…
Wurzer
The discussion…
Agent Genius
The response…
Realtor Magazine
It never ceases to amaze me how unglued Realtors get about FSBOs!
News
Archived Posts from this Category
November 14, 2008
November 13, 2008
WAV Group names Dwellicious “Most Innovative of Show” for NAR 2008!
Posted by Greg Robertson under News, Trade Shows & Events, VibeNo Comments
Right out of the gate Dwellicious is already generating some buzzzzzzzzz!
In Wav Group’s Blog Victor Lund singled out Dwellicious as “Most Innovative of Show” for NAR 2008 stating;
“WAV Group’s pick for most innovative new product at NARLANDO.
It is always refreshing when the WAV Group gets to see new technology products early on in their development. Like a lime in a corona, dwellicious is cool and refreshing. Having previously developed dozens of products over the years, Dan and Greg have hit one that may cast themselves well beyond the eNeighborhoods boat.
The positioning for the product is simple. We know that consumers are going to 4 or more websites in their search for a home. We know that they hate to register to keep the information they want to save from each site. We know that social bookmarking is a hugely popular internet feature (aka Digg, Stumbleupon, Delicious).
With dwellicious, consumers can bookmark listings from any site they like, and its free!
For agents, it will be a great prospecting tool for buyers. They will be able to market their listings and services to consumers who are already expressing interest in similar homes.
Wouldn’t it be great if an agent bookmarked the location of their listed properties on all of the syndication sites?
The boys have a great product - stay tuned for their public launch.”
November 12, 2008
As you may have read HouseValues has rebranded itself as Market Leader. While I think this is so smart, on so many levels, I want to focus on Market Leaders’ CEO Ian Morris, larger message.
Granted HouseValues has taken its share of lumps, but this latest move shows you this company is a fighter. Down, but not out, this company has taken responsibility for its own future.
Like any great Kung-Fu movie, a fighter that has been beaten must go back in to the forest and reinvent themselves with a new philosophy, train, and come back stronger.
In an article in the Palm Beach Post newspaper Ian Morris states, “People are going to continue to buy and sell homes,” Morris said. “It’s an exciting time. Now is the time to double down.”
Exactamundo! “Double down”. I love that! I’ve written about this before. Ian is stating what many of us believe and echos a great quote for this industry.
“People have this business backwards. You need to cut expenses when the market is good because don’t need to spend the money, and you grow market share when the market is bad. So when the cycle turns, which it inevitably will, you’ve got a larger share”
- Chandler Barton-Former president of CEO of Coldwell Banker.
Sounds like Ian has snatched the pebble from Mr. Barton’s hand.
November 6, 2008
Narlando is upon us!
Posted by Greg Robertson under Industry Parties, News, Trade Shows & Events[3] Comments
I can just feel the state of Florida sink as the multitudes of REALTORS(r) and Vendors decend upon Orlando to the 2008 National Association of REALTORS EXPO and Conference. Questions remain…
1. How many REALTORS(r) will show up? 3,000 or 20,000?
2. How many Vendors will show up? Word on the street many Vendors cut back on staff this year. It will be interesting to see who made the cut.
3. Trade show traffic. Will the REALTORS buy?
4. What are budgets looking like next year? Only so many dollars for those “per member per month” type deals.
5. And what about the rumors? Will they all come true? Will new ones replace them? Time will tell.
So get your Twitter on and follow us from the lobby bars, the hospitality parties, the industry parties, the after parties, the after-after parties, and all the blood sweat and tears that is NAR 2008!!!!
And remember Vendor Alley Trade Show RULE #1
NEVER, and I mean NEVER go BIG on the first night!
November 5, 2008
First major iPhone MLS application is released by Rapattoni
Posted by Greg Robertson under Agent, News, Trade Shows & EventsNo Comments
This looks cool. Although I’m not quite sure “been optimized” means. We shall see…
Rapattoni Introduces New iPhone Interface for Mobile MLS Agents
Simi Valley, Calif., November 4, 2008 – Rapattoni Corporation announced today that the Rapattoni MLS PDA interface has been optimized for the Apple iPhone. Elegant changes to the user interface now put the power of Rapattoni MLS at iPhone users’ fingertips. Tap through listing searches, pictures, details, history, and contacts using the iPhone’s revolutionary Safari web browser. Tapping a listing’s address will plot the listing in Google Maps where driving directions are just a tap away.
Nick Rapattoni, president of Rapattoni Corporation, stated, “The iPhone is a powerful and stylish business tool. We are pleased to provide our users with an elegant mobile MLS experience on this innovative and popular platform.”
The iPhone software roll out scheduled for November 12, 2008 is the result of a continuing research and development program at Rapattoni to assure that its customers are able to take advantage of new technologies.
Rapattoni will be showing its real estate industry software and service products at the annual National Association of REALTORS® Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida, November 6 through 10.
About Rapattoni
Rapattoni Corporation has been serving the real estate industry under the same name and management for 38 years. The company provides an array of integrated products and services for real estate associations and MLS organizations, including Internet MLS systems, Association Management software (AMS), and Secure Logon with Single Sign-On identity portals for online security and convenience. The company’s MLS products are serving about 300,000 agents nationally and its association management customers represent more than 88% of the nation’s Realtors®. Rapattoni’s headquarters are in Simi Valley, California.
For more information contact Public Relations at 800-722-7338 or visit the company’s Web site at http://www.rapattoni.com/.
November 3, 2008
There was another update this morning. Sounds like good news.
“4 days without a fever, what a difference they have made. Beth is feeling so much better. She is now wanting to brush her teeth by herself with a little help from me but she is doing it. Yesterday when they were suctioning her she started to gag when I saw her feet move for the first time. I was about to start dancing around the room. She now wants to try writting. We’ll see how this goes. Thanks again for your prayers and well wishes, they seem to be working…. Greg”
October 30, 2008
Vendor Alley Makes Inman’s “25 Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers: 2008″ special report
Posted by Greg Robertson under News, Trade Shows & Events, VibeNo Comments
Vendor Alley made it to the “Notables” section of Inman’s Industry Special Report.
The description they gave the site was…
“Greg Robertson
Founder, Vendor Alley
Greg Robertson led the sales and marketing team at eNeighborhoods and had served
as general manager and vice president for the company prior to his departure this year
from the company. He now serves as an industry consultant for Woolley Robertson
Group and as a corporate director for the Council of MLS, a 51-year-old organization
for representatives of MLSs and real estate vendors. Robertson’s Vendor Alley blog is a
sometimes humorous, sometimes down-and-dirty insider’s look at the real estate industry through the eyes of a vendor. It’s a must-read for anyone who has ever attended a real estate industry conference or plans to.”
I must correct Inman in stating that I’m not an “industry consultant” (not that there is anything wrong with that..) but currently building another real estate software company (yet to be named).
Thanks to all our readers who made this happen!!! Don’t forge that you can also follow us on Twitter.
If you are interested in getting the full report click here.
And don’t forget those super comfy Vendor Alley T-Shirts!
October 30, 2008
Rumors….rumors…and more rumors…
Posted by Greg Robertson under News, Trade Shows & Events, Vibe1 Comment
The rumor mill is cranking away today. So it looks like the NAR show next week in Orlando is gonna be interesting.
I’m sitting on 3 HUGE rumors that could be potential game changers in the industry. The first involves agent software, the second involves the NAR “gateway” plan, and the third involves one of the biggest players in our industry.
All I can say is WOW!
October 30, 2008
This is pretty cool. The article is called “House Hunters.-By tallying the nation’s foreclosures, a California company defines the housing bust.“
And there’s Jim in the red shirt about to crush Atlanta with his left foot.
Congrats Jim!
October 29, 2008
The Virginian Pilot is reporting today that “Landmark suspends sale of most assets, not Virginian-Pilot” Landmark Communications is the parent of Dominion Enterprises.
Dominion Enterprises owns some of the top brands in real estate technology; Homes.com, eNeighborhooods, Advanced Access, Number1Expert and Harmon Homes Magazine (now Homes.com Magazine)
This has got to be a HUGE BUMMER for Dominion Enterprises. They spent all year working on selling these assets. Maybe they took too long. Might be that minding all those “Ps and Qs” cost them some “$”.
The real question now is; What’s next?
Simply put the owners of Dominion Enterprises wanted out. They wanted the cash. They didn’t want to run a big company anymore. They wanted to relax. Rest on their laurels. Live the good life!
And who could blame them? Who would want to run a complex company like Dominion Enterprises, especially now??
I’m hoping that the leadership at Dominion Enterprises can rally and shift gears. There are a lot of Dominion employees, and their families, counting on them to do so..
