DBAAR Tech

2009-11-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

If you're on Facebook, you can put a "See My Listings" link on your Facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/realestatemarketer

2009-07-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

5 Reasons To Use Twitter in Real Estate

You've no doubt heard of Twitter by now. But it is worth the effort? Will it help your real estate business? You may have delayed a year or two on Facebook before, only to realize now how useful it can be for generating referrals and keeping in touch with your sphere. Don't make the same mistake with Twitter! Here are 5 reasons I came up with for you agents on the fence:

Reason #1: Following other top agents in your market.
Even if you never send a single "tweet", you can sign up and follow the top agents in your market. You already know how useful it is to talk with other agents to stay on top of your local market: new listings coming on, pocket listings, new developments, and general industry gossip. With Twitter, you can stay constantly aware of this chatter even if you're in the office all day.

Reason #2: You'll add people to your social sphere you won't find elsewhere.
A few days after setting up my own Twitter account, I was "followed" by another agent even though we had rarely spoken and weren't connected on any other social network.

Reason #3: A large social sphere is an asset for winning listings - and selling them.
During listing presentations, you probably tell your client about all the great networking and marketing you plan to do to get the word out. Once you've established a large following on Twitter, you'll have even more credibility to back up your "Master Networker" claims. Though you absolutely shouldn't be constantly spamming your followers with every tiny price change, use sparingly Twitter can help you get the word out quickly.

Reason #4: It's a great way to unobtrusively stay in front of potential buyer and seller clients.
In the "old days", potential buyers and sellers might drive around their ideal neighborhood and see which agent has the most signs. These days, those same individuals may very likely go online and see who's talking about that neighborhood. When they search "dallas real estate" in twitter, don't you want to be the one who pops up?
At the same time, many past clients will likely be folllowing you on Twitter. Often times getting referrals means staying top of mind with past clients - I'm sure you've felt the frustration of missing out on a transaction because a past client simply forgot to mention you. If they're constantly getting tweets about your real estate activity, they're a lot less likely to forget next time they're talking to a friend who's about to buy.

Reason #5: You know you're going to be using it in a year anyway, once everyone else is (just like you did with Facebook!). Why not do yourself a favor and get ahead of the curve?

Re-posted from Active Rain
Author: Michael LaPeter (Resonant Properties)

Webhosting Unleashed

2009-05-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you get a spam email that is really useful! It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it almost makes you feel like you found a diamond in the dirt! This website has great information for choosing a vendor for your website. They have a lot of downloadable comparison charts, whitepapers, and webhost company profiles that can be read or downloaded to read later. Go to http://www.webhostingunleashed.com/ and check it out for yourself!

DBAAR Technology Blog Terms of Use

2009-04-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

DBAAR Technology Blog Terms of Use

This blog is made available by the Daytona Beach Area Association of REALTORS® for our members to share information about real estate-related technology. By accessing and/or posting on this blog, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
• DBAAR grants you a limited right to access, use and display the blog and its material, provided that you comply fully with these Terms of Use.
• You may not post content that is illegal, obscene, defamatory, infringes on intellectual property rights, is threatening or otherwise objectionable. DBAAR reserves the right to delete messages for any reason.
• This blog may be changed without notice and its information is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date.
• The opinions expressed on this blog are the opinions of the individual authors and should not be construed as reflecting the opinions of the DBAAR.
• While DBAAR makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information on this blog, DBAAR does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee its accuracy, completeness, efficacy, or timeliness.
• Reference to any commercial product, process, or service does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendation by DBAAR.
• This blog may contain links to other web sites external to this blog, and such may contain information created, published, maintained, or otherwise posted by organizations independent of DBAAR. DBAAR does not endorse, approve, certify, or control these external sites, nor any commercial product or service referenced therein, and does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, or timeliness of information located on these sites.
• DBAAR assumes no responsibility for consequences resulting from use of the information contained herein or obtained at linked sites, and expressly disclaims all liability for damages arising out of use, reference to, reliance on, or performance of such information.
• Posts to this blog should be on the topic of real-estate related technology.
• You may not post or link to any posts which violate the National Association of REALTORS®’ Code of Ethics.
• You may not post or link to any posts which discuss any competitor’s policies, commission levels, fees, business expenses or other business information; details of any transaction which may be considered confidential; any other actions that might be construed as an attempt to restrain competition.
• DBAAR reserves the right to delete posts which it feels, in its sole discretion, violate these Terms of Use.
• DBAAR reserves the right to modify at any time these Terms of Use.

The Big Send...

2009-04-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

There are times when I just need to send very large files and I don't want to bog down my email, or it exceeds my server limit. I found this service online that solved my problem.

Share large files with anyone on the Web for FREE with TheBigSend.com. Simply upload your file and The Big Send™ will email the recipient a link to download the file. You can send files as big as 100MB and they'll remain online for seven days.

There’s also an upgrade to store files online and the cost is minimal.

These are both products of GoDaddy.

Check it out here:
https://www.thebigsend.com/?isc=gdr0409d

Candace Curtis
Weichert Realtors
www.YourFloridaHomePro.com
386-451-5642

Crawling to walk

2009-03-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

I logged on several times and subsequently interupted several times to understand it is best to blog while you can focus, at least until you get comfortable with it. So there is my intial contribution. I will research for substance in the blogs to follow.

Create a pdf for any printable file

2009-03-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever created a document in Microsoft Word that you wanted to send to someone but you didn't want them to be able to edit it? With CutePDF you can convert any printable document into a pdf file.

I recently received a home inspection report that was saved as a word document. I questioned the home inspector and asked if he realized that anyone can modify the report that he sent out. If he converted the file to a pdf it would be protected and nobody would be able to modify or alter his report. It was something that he had never thought about.

CutePDF is a free shareware download that I use all the time. It saves the CutePDF software as one of your printers. When you choose the printer to send the file to you can select CutePDF and it will ask you where you want to save the file. It then converts your file and saves it as a PDF.

Give it a try...

Ian Anderson
RE/MAX All Pro Realty
www.TheDreamHomesTeam.com

Do You Really Understand The Power Of The Net?

2009-03-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Have you really thought about how powerful the Internet is? I do I think about it everyday. While some might accuse me of being techie..it has nothing to do with being a techie..it has everything to do with being smart...efficient..prepared and economical!

Think about it..
What other tool can you use that has the ability to reach billions with a few keystrokes..with just words..pictures and a list price?

How many publications do you advertise in and it cost you nothing?

What works for you 24 hours every single day ?

It's The World Wide Internet!

Agents who are willing to embrace the net will be agents of the future..meaning staying in the real estate business for the long haul.

If you feel you are questioning whether what I am saying is true..read it for yourself and it isn't a NAR survey..it's much bigger...and packed with vital information. So vital it will convince you that there is power on the net!
Read it here>>>>>>>yahoo's real estate white pages!

After reading this..you might have a whole new understanding and I hope to see you on google!

About The Author: Midori Miller is a licensed real estate associate with CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty, Real Estate Trainer and Manager . CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty is located in Volusia County with 2 office locations to better serve the public. Daytona Beach and Ormond by the Sea.midorimiller@yahoo.com (386) 453-3236

Free Service to Replace JOTT

2009-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with jott.com, the service that lets you send reminders from your cell phone while you’re on the go. It’s a great service that many of us got to know, love and depend on as a tool for our hectic business.

If you’ve been using jott then you know they have recently started charging for what we have enjoyed as a free service for quite some time. Keeping my money in my pocket is more important than ever right now, so I decided to check out my options.

The search began and I finally found my replacement for jott. It’s called Dial2Do. You can text, get the weather report, email and for those of you that don’t have a smart phone you can even listen to your email. The computer voice is a bit annoying but if you’re in a pinch it will come in handy. And for the world traveler it even has a translation service.

You can upload your contacts from several different contact management applications and add/remove services as needed.

It may not offer all the options we had with jott, but it does have a few extras you might enjoy!

Go to www.Dial2Do.com and check out this great new tool, that’s FREE!!

Candace Curtis, Realtor
Weichert Realtors Hallmark Properties
www.YourFloridaHomePro.com

2008-12-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

GUIDELINES FOR SECOND LIFE® COMMITTEE MEETINGS

1. All documentation should be prepared and sent to committee members prior to the meeting start time and in a timely enough manner to enable them to read and/or print the information.

2. Committee members should be initiated and orientated in Second Life® prior to the meeting in order to be able to "talk and maneuver" without assistance.

3. All meeting business, ie motions, votes, & questions should be via chat and presentations uploaded to the presentation window with copies distributed with the agenda email prior to the start of the meeting.

4. General discussion may be held through talk capability of Second Life® if all committee members have audio capability and can participate. If this is not the case, then all discussion should be held via the chat window as well.

2008-12-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

2009 Technology Committee Meeting Schedule

all meetings held at the DBAAR unless otherwise noted and begin at 9:30 am

Jan 20
Feb 17
Mar 17
Apr 21
May 19
Jun 16
Jul 21
Aug 11
Sep 15
Oct 20
Nov 17
Dec 15

Linda's Line - Dec '08

2008-12-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

Incorporate Technology Information in Your Listings

According to the PEW/INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT (http://www.pewinternet.org/) 55% of all Americans have broadband internet access at home. Of those, 54% say they subscribe to basic service. 29% subscribe to a premium service at a higher price and 16% say they do not know what type of broadband service they have.

What does this mean to us in the real estate world? Well for starters, home use of broadband internet access has increased in the past year by 17%. As more and more people incorporate internet usage into their daily lives, it becomes a standard of living rather than a luxury item.

We have had this happen with many technological advances over the years. I can think of at least 4 that we take for granted today. Electricity was only available in the cities in many places until the 1940's. Television was the big new luxury item of the 1950s and home telephone service covered the same eras. We went from exchanges with party lines & our own "rings" to private phone service for everyone including area and country codes. Washing machines, electric stoves & microwave ovens have increased our leisure time enormously. Where would all of us business people be without our cell phones?

Architects, developers and home designers are now incorporating network cabling into a home's design as well as using computers in every room of the house. As more and more cities and neighborhoods adopt the use of fiber optic cabling and networks, internet access speeds will continue to rise as will its usage and incorporation into our everyday lives.

We need to start incorporating internet availability into our listings just as we do any other desirable feature of a home. Buyers are now requiring the availability of fast internet access as a requirement when purchasing a new home. Here is a short list of what you need to know:

1. What type of internet access is available in the area?
2. What kind of access currently exists or is being used in the home?
3. Is the home already wired with Cat 5 (network) cabling?
4. If wired with Cat 5, how many ports exist in the home?
5. Does a central location already exist in the home to enable sharing of internet access & printing?
6. Does the current owner use a wireless network?

If the seller cannot answer these questions, then you will need to investigate to find out what types of broadband internet access is available in the area.

In the Daytona Beach metropolitan area we currently have:

Brighthouse cable (they offer several different levels of access)
BellSouth DSL (again, different levels of service)
ClearWire (more limited availability than the other 2)

Some communities & condos have cable TV included in maintenance fees or they have special service with Brighthouse. You will need to check with the Homeowners or Condo Association if the seller cannot answer the questions about internet access availability.

Brighthouse, BellSouth and ClearWire have websites where you can check on internet service. You should add these web links to the pages of your real estate website as a service to your buyers.

Linhda's Line - Nov '08

2008-12-04T08:12:00.002-08:00

5 Ways To Speed Up Your PC

1. Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.Use Disk Cleanup to:
Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
Empty the Recycle Bin.
Remove Windows temporary files.
Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup:
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
2. Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
You add a large number of files.
Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
Click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
3. Detect and repair disk errors
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
Close all open files.
Click Start, and then click My Computer.
In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
Click the Check Now button.
In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
4. Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission, and can put you and your confidential information at risk. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
5. Learn all about ReadyBoost
If you're using Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.

Linda's Line - Oct '08

2008-12-04T08:12:00.001-08:00

The “Down and Dirty” Short-list to Using Realist!

1. Start with a Subject Property - Starting from a subject property detail sheet will give you more options for finding all the information you need whether its comps or just tax research on a particular street, subdivision, or area. You can identify the area you are interested in or find out what is near, on the Realist Map or the Assessor Map. You can also get a profile of the neighborhood from the property detail screen as well as print or email the tax records for the subject property.

2. A comparable properties list will also enable you to view the comps or solds (if you choose to) on a map as well as in a list.

3. Subscribe to the KISS (keep-it-simple-stupid!) or “Less is More” principles when searching for a subject property. If you don’t know for sure if it is Drive or Dr or dr or DR in the county records, LEAVE IT OUT OF THE SEARCH PARAMETERS! And by the way, there are eight different ways to search for a property in Realist!

4. Lis Pendens and Foreclosures are ‘flagged’ and clicking on the red link will bring up the property detail of the foreclosure information including attorney name, case numbers, etc.

5. Labels and downloads (excel, ascii) can be created from any list that has the export button showing. Note that you can also sort the list to make it easier to choose which properties to select for your export.

And last but not least! DON’T FORGET THE BREAD CRUMBS, GRETEL!

6. At the top of the screens you will see a list of where you have been, ending in where you are. You can go back to any previous screen by clicking on the appropriate link in this list known as Bread Crumbs!

So there you have it, folks! The six things you need to know in the Down and Dirty Short-list to Realist!

Linda's Line - Sep '08

2008-12-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

Cloud Computing is Here, and You’re Already Using it!

When we first started hearing about cloud computing 3 or 4 years ago it was referred to as SaaS or Software as a Service. They talked about "renting" Microsoft Office over the internet instead of buying a license to install it on your computer or buying a "subscription" to the product.

Because the symbol or icon for the internet is a cloud in the techie world, somebody started calling it Cloud Computing and so another new unintelligible label reference was born. Techies and Communications people who build or design pc networks and communication networks understand the reference, but most normal people will have no idea where this label came from.

The MLS is an example of this type of computing so in essence, the REALTOR® world has been a leader in this type of computing ever since they made MLS systems available via the internet! Tax record programs are another good example of cloud computing. If you access the program through a web browser to run it then it is "cloud computing!" If you have ever used the online tax product from Turbo Tax, that is also an example of "CC" or Software as a Service.

Some people think that Cloud Computing is a forerunner to Big Brother, where the government will be able to watch or "see" everything we do. In many respects, this is already true as they can "capture" traffic that passes through internet routers and servers already. However, as long as we make sure that our government keeps reasonable privacy laws in place, I don't think the average, law-abiding person should have to worry about Big Brother looking over his shoulder.

Outside of the US, our laws do not apply. Please be careful what you send in emails or text messages to other countries. Unless you know for certain that all messages are passed through private company networks or you pay to have a secure or satellite cellular phone on both ends, your communications are subject to being captured by an anonymous third party. This is also true of your wireless networks in your home as well as domestic cell phones and even wireless phones in your homes. If you do not have encryption turned on for your wireless routers at home, then you are wide-open for digital eaves-dropping. While encryption means you have to do a little more to get your computers onto your home network, it’s the only thing slowing down the thieves who want to rob you blind. Passwords are a good thing to have!

Linda's Line - Aug '08

2008-12-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Beaming” vs. Bluetooth

Did you know that infra-red beaming is not the only way to exchange information between pda's and smartphone devices? You can also use Bluetooth to "beam" information between devices! Sometimes, infra-red has limitations on how large a file it can send to another device. I have discovered that in those instances, you can connect via Bluetooth and send that large file (all of your contacts from your old device to that cool new smartphone you just purchased!) with no trouble at all!

BTW, Verizon now has a Centro! Its navy blue in color and has a palm operating system. AT&T also has a new Centro in a bright baby blue!

The newest Treo has just been released by Palm for Sprint. The Treo 800W is a Windows-based operating system smartphone and it looks like a Centro! Be aware, this new Treo has NOT been approved for use with the Supra lockbox system!

There are so many things you can do with these new phones! GPS as a service, Mobile TV, Google Maps, they just keep getting more tools, smarter and better quality all the time! And don't forget, you can use the internet access on your phone to connect your laptop to the internet! A one time purchase of PDA NET from www.junefabrics.com and you will be able to use your data cable to connect your laptop to the internet over the phone! No tethers, no air cards! Just the phone and the data cable for your phone and BAM! You are on the internet!

If you haven't tried texting yet, then now is the time to start! Websites are sending referrals via text message. Your website can be setup to text customer info to your phone and you can put texting on your listings using a new company Reply 7! If you set up your website to have prospective customers send you a text, then you can capture their cell phone number and have a way to contact them in return! Sometimes, you just don't want to talk or you are in a place where you can't talk because it's too noisy. Texting is the answer! You can set yourself up with a Flickr account and share pictures and video from your phone with your customers!

Today is all about communicating with your customers, and the more you can integrate different types of communications, web, voice, text, video & photos with your customers the more you will stand out to them.

So limber up those thumbs and get ready to fly!

Linda's line - Jul '08

2008-12-04T08:08:00.002-08:00

Technology From Dawn to . . . Happy Hour

Kudos to the DBAAR Technology Committee for another FANTASTIC Tech Fair! got tech? 2008, held at the Hilton Spa and Resort, was a great success and much fun was had by all. There were vendors from all over the country as well as local companies and the trainers were pretty darn great too! Bob Millward from RE/MAX All Pro taught the Smart Phones class and Mark Dougherty, our own AE, taught Back to the Future, a class on up and coming technologies. Midori Miller from the Tech Committee and Century 21 Sundance taught Using the Web Wisely and O. Kheir, also of the TC and Cook Development, taught a great class on Building Real Estate Websites. Tim McMullen was here from REIS to teach Transaction Desk and we had representatives from Supra, Top Producer, Visual Tour, ePro and MarketLinx teaching us how to use their products. Herb Lubansky and I tag-teamed a class on Online Education and Paul Murphy from Office Depot taught a class on Mobile Technologies.
Smart Technologies, a local vendor, was promoting HP products, and a new company from the northeast called Zip VO, a video tour, also introduced their product to our REALTORS®. BestBuy, Office Depot, Staples and Wireless Wizard, an AT&T franchise store, were in attendance once again this year. Another brand new company and product, Reply7, which was just launched May 12 of this year, attended our event promoting their marketing via text product. iMapp, our current tax info vendor, was in attendance and taught a class on IRIS and Patty Combs, from Visual Tour had a booth again this year as well as teaching a class on her tour product.
Bob Stewart from ActiveRain was here as a vendor and taught a class on the ActiveRain real estate networking and blogging site. ShowingTime taught a class on using their product and participated as a vendor as well. REALTOR®.com came to participate in the Fair and introduced the new REALTOR®.com in a class on that product. Ormond Computer came again and provided a laptop Tune-Up station for the participants.
Go check out our vendors for yourself. Great new products, great services and features from all of the companies who participated in our Tech Fair 2008. For more information, go to www.daytonarealtors.com/techfair. This resource will be available for everyone to use and refer to again and again through-out the coming year.

Thank You
Thanks to the Brokers and Vendors for all their support; the Finance Committee and Board of Directors who believed in our event and the Tech Committee members for all of their hard work and freely-donated time; Ian Anderson, Chair of the TC for his hard work and leadership and Mark Dougherty for his guidance through-out the year of preparation. Without all of these people none of this would have been possible. A GREAT BIG Thank YOU to MarketLinx who provided the All Day Coffee and snacks that everyone enjoyed all day and Swank Audio Visual who donated a large portion of the equipment we needed for the event.

Linda's Line - Jun '08

2008-12-04T08:08:00.001-08:00

PARDON OUR DUST…COMING SOON TO INNOVIA!

It's that time once again! Your MLS Committee has put together a great list of improvements to InnoVia. You may have already noticed that some of them have already occurred. More are on the way!
The City drop down list on the property type search screens has been moved to the top of the page. All the cities and counties in Florida have been added. They are in alphabetical order. Please, if you find duplicates in the list, let me know right away! On the County list, Volusia and Flagler are at the top then the rest are in alphabetical order like the cities. Don't forget that typing the first letter of the city or county name will take you directly to that part of the alphabet!
A link to the Volusia County School Board website has also been added to all customer displays. Some of the fields to the right of the Main photo display have been removed so that other fields may be added. We've added Maintenance Fee to the 7 photo display and replaced the 5 photo display with a 12 photo display.
We've added subdivision and condo names to the e-update and added the standard disclosure statement to all displays, all pages, all property types. The CID Committee has requested changes to the Commercial property type to clarify searching of commercial properties.
We will be adding map areas to the list for Flagler County. We have enlarged the agent remarks field to the maximum. We have also added a field to display the listing address on the internet. It is a yes/no field just like the Internet field. Both are mandatory fields now and defaulted to yes, so please make sure your listings have the correct info on them.
We are adding an "other room" with a drop-down list of choices. This is not a mandatory field. We have added a source field for the Living and Total square footages. If you change the footages, you must tell the source for that information as it is now mandatory to do so.
We will be adding the capability to extend a listing date while in pending or contingent status. This means you don't have to worry about having it expire and not catching it if a contract falls through.
We will also be changing the default sort on all displays, all property types to be sorted by price from low to high.
Coded Features: We have many changes happening to coded features, from adding categories, splitting categories, adding choices to categories, etc. We have duplicated the Accept and Reset buttons at the top of the coded feature page.
These are your changes in a nutshell! If I have left any out, please forgive me.
If you have questions about the changes please call Ian Anderson, Nancy Cortez, John Leitschuh or Alice Ponte. They are the MLS Task Force sub-committee of the MLS Committee that did all of the research and put together these changes for you! We owe the Task Force a great big THANKS for all their hard work in reviewing our current system and making recommendations to improve it for the benefit of all MLS subscribers.

Linda's Line - May '08

2008-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Living The Life Of George & Jane Jetson

Last year I told you about the new Microsoft Surface table top computer. AT&T is now the first company to have surface computers in select stores. Go into the AT&T wireless store on Madison Ave. in New York City and you will find the Surface table computer there. Place any of the cell phones on the table surface and it will download and display all the information on that phone. Place another phone on the table top and you will see info on both and a comparison chart. You can also see a map and get directions as well as do all of your ordering of a new phone from the surface pc. Microsoft believes that within 5-8 years, these surface computers will be in our homes and in the general business market within 2-3 years. I can see REALTORS® showing property "virtually" from a surface pc in the office. We will pick out our new homes before we even leave the office to go look at them. Rot Ro Rorge! We'll be living the Jetson's life soon!

NVidia, the company most widely known for its killer graphics cards has come out with a new mobile chip. It is the APX 2500 mobile processor and they claim it is the smallest optimized computer on a chip. The proto-type device for using this chip is about the size of an iPhone only slightly thicker. NVidia claims that the production devices will actually be much thinner. This device plays movies, surfs the internet, can be connected to a keyboard, TV screen or just operated by touch.

The appearance of these 2 devices along with other trends in the market place (MS Home Server, iPhone & iPod to name a few) leads me to predict that in the next 5-10 years, we will see a convergence of all of these devices into one portable communications device that keeps us connected to home & business 24-7. We'll have "wrist-watch" input devices and glasses or sunglasses with "heads-up displays" and when we walk into our office, we will place our personal communicator on the surface and download the work we did last night along with the notes from an evening meeting with a customer. When we get home at night, we place our device on the kitchen counter top and download the day's mail into the device or just read our to-do list brought home from work. On the ride home, we can give instructions for our kitchen devices to start cooking the evening meal before we even walk in the door. TV or music will play on integrated devices on the walls and surfaces throughout the house. You know, we just might surpass what George and Jane had.

Linda's Line - Apr '08

2008-12-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Boomers, Gen-Xer's & Millenials… Across the Generations of the Internet
It is the passing of an age, and the dawning of a new era. Arthur C. Clarke, noted author, visionary and inventor of the satellite, was laid to rest Saturday, March 22, 2008. Probably best know for his collaboration with Director Stanley Kubrick on the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," this man, perhaps more than any other, represents a model of trans-generational foresight for the entire world to emulate. As he wished, his epitaph will read, "Here lies Arthur C. Clarke. He never grew up and did not stop growing."
If REALTORS® want to keep up with the different generations and be able to market to them, then we must understand where they are coming from and "not stop growing." Depending on what source you reference, you may find differing opinions on the years of the different eras but this table from Wikipedia seems to have the most descriptive info in a short format. For more information on the individual generations, Google the generation name and learn about your target customer base. The better you know your customers, the easier it is to target your marketing and make your dollars and cents count!

Both Gen-X and Gen-Y are individualistic people and into multi-tasking. One's into using technology and the other is into assuming technology. X-ers use the PC and Y-ers use the internet. X-ers are self-reliant, practical & pragmatic. They have a killer life and accept diversity. Millennials, on the other hand celebrate diversity, are optimistic, realistic and have a killer lifestyle. While these 2 groups sound remarkably similar, they are in reality, very different. Give a Gen-Xer the requirements and turn them loose; they want to find their own way. On the other hand, if you want Millennials to find the solution, put them in a group and let them work it out together. Clean and easy is their motto. Check out a new, free video website that allows users to stream full-length episodes of some 250 television series and movies online. It went public March 12 and is the first website specifically designed with the Millennials generation in mind — http://www.hulu.com/ is simple, clean and ad-free. "These consumers crave things that work the way they're supposed to," says David Wertheimer, a former Hollywood executive, of the Millenials. Wertheimer also says his research shows Gen Y, despite being highly tech-savvy, put a premium on ease of use. Another key design point, explains Kelly Mooney, president of marketing firm Resource Interactive and co-author of The Open Brand, a book about the influence the Web is having on new marketing techniques, is "to be authentic; Gen Y-ers can smell a fake a mile away." Do your research and learn about the next generation segment you'll be targeting in your real estate marketing.

Linda's Line - Mar '08

2008-12-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

IT'S MY 1ST WEBSITE! WHAT SHOULD I DO FIRST?

It's time to do your first website. Where do I start? What should I do first? As with most things in life, a little planning goes a long way toward making the process less painful!
Think of a domain name as something similar to a logo or slogan for your business. When you choose your domain name it should be something that represents your business and how you want your business (you) to be seen by the world. You also should consider your target audience. Just as magazines target different population demographics, your website and domain name together can target a specific demographic. Think about who your customers are and have been over the years and who you want to attract as customers now. That would be the demographic or age group or type of customer that you want to go after. Once you have all of these things in mind and with that knowledge in hand start looking at different words that can best represent you and what you are trying to accomplish business wise with your website.
Once you have some names in mind, you can go to http://www.godaddy.com/ and check to see if the name you have in mind is already taken or not. If it is available, buy it. You need to have this under your control so that no other can hold your business image hostage. The next issue is money. What kind of a budget do you have for getting your website created and then maintaining it long term? How much time do you have to put into maintaining the information on your site? Do you have the patience with to "do-it-yourself?" Only you can answer these questions. Then you can decide how you want to proceed with getting your website built and by whom.
I would say an example of one of the better business names put together for real estate is probably RE/MAX. Any way you look at it, this company name represents a positive image of real estate to John Q. Public. Now combine that with the company logo, the RE/MAX balloon in red, white and blue is easily one of the most recognized national company name/symbol in the real estate world. A darn near perfect marriage of everything good advertising tries to accomplish. Prudential has "the ROCK" as its symbol which represents the Plymouth Rock where our forefathers landed in the Mayflower. Century 21 is taking you into the 21st Century, another great example of the name/slogan marriage in business marketing. And so on and so forth!
An example of a great agent real estate website/domain is Alice Held from Arizona. Her website, http://www.come2az.com/ if chock full of great information for her customers! Alice's website is a lot more complex than you see on the surface. It is very heavy in content she has gathered. Each of the links you see on her home page lead to other pages on her website. She uses her "home page" much like a table of contents in a book and all of the southwestern style graphics and Saguaro cactus characters capture her customers interest and entice them to spend more time looking at her site. To have a site similar to hers, without copying her and infringing on her copyright will require much time, thought and creative writing on your part to accomplish. If you expect someone else to write the content for you, then you will need to hire a company that does everything, design, copy writing, publishing, hosting and promotion. Here are some of the things you need to do to create a site similar to Alice's:

ulead people to your website by choosing great key words geared toward your site and advertising on the search engines in addition to that.
ukeep people on your site long enough to become so interested that they will come back again and again.
give them long term value (informational things and frequent changes to the website) that will be of interest long after you have sold them because satisfied customers will lead others to you so the longer you can keep them coming back to your site the more people they will bring in with them.
uput your best sales pitch on paper and flesh it out with pictures, cartoons, graphics, advice, area information, schools information or links, virtually everything you can think of that a customer might ask about.

Linda's Line - Feb '08

2008-12-03T12:48:00.002-08:00

Create Your Own Movies!

I have Vista Ultimate on my personal laptop. Having said that, I must admit that Microsoft Vista is not my favorite operating system, but it is growing on me. I don't think that I will ever like the invasiveness of the security in Vista, but I do like the graphics and visual effects and some of the other eye candy that Vista has. My laptop came with XP Home on it but was advertised as Vista compatible so when Vista came out, I bought the upgrade to Vista Ultimate. Make sure you follow your manufacturing company's directions and instructions for upgrading your operating system if you choose to do this. Even if your pc came with Vista, there are still restrictions and instructions on how to upgrade your operating system and not following them could void your warranty on your pc so be careful and investigate before you do any upgrading.

Sometimes buying your own Christmas gifts is the only way to make sure you get great "Santa" presents! While this is not necessarily a bad thing (you tend to get what you really want when you buy your own, hehe), it does limit the fun and surprise factor on Christmas morning! At any rate, I bought a new digital camera for myself that I am very pleased with, thank you, and I found myself taking pictures at an impromptu home wedding with it. I ended up with more than 80 pictures and was trying to figure out how to create a picture dvd that would play on both TV/dvd players and also provide pictures for printing from a pc. I found a program on my laptop that I had not had occasion to look at before called muvee. With muvee you can create movies or video from both digital cameras and video cameras. You can add music, voice-over, transitions, styles and other effects that make your pictures look fantastic and professionally done. I went ahead and purchased the upgrade to this program that was offered, muvee autoproducer 6, and am very pleased with the results of the video that I produced! It also will play on windows media player when you save it as .wmv or with the right dvd codec! What a great product! Very easy to use, and with great results! You can also create video streaming & files for either an ipod or mobile phone! Go to http://www.muvee.com/ and download one of the trial versions to check it out for yourself. I think it has some great possiblities for use with real estate listings in marketing and advertising.

Linda's Line - January '08

2008-12-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

Miscellaneous Goodies for the Holidays!

You can still buy a pc with Windows XP on it but not from your local stores. The companies who still list options for buying a new pc with XP on them are:

http://www.dell.com/
http://www.hp.com/
http://www.toshiba.com/

You have to go online and buy direct from the company and not all models will offer the XP operating system as a choice. But they are there. Microsoft is coming out with Service Pack 3 next year, probably in January if the current release plans hold true. This will be the last service pack for this operating system. They have also extended support for XP until 2014 for security updates. This means that it is not going away anytime soon!

The must-have, hard-to-get electronic toy for the holidays was the Nintendo wii. Stores could not keep them on the shelf nor could shipments keep up with the demand. Move over Playstation 3, Nintendo wii has arrived! The removal of the perennial little girl favorite, Easy Bake Oven from the shelves just prior to the holidays left parents and grandparents frustrated and kids disappointed on Christmas morning. It's hard to explain that Santa had to quit delivering Easy Bake Ovens in his sleigh because it was put on the 'hazardous to children' list after delivering 40 years enjoyment to little girls everywhere. These are just a couple of the electronic toys that made the holiday brighter or sadder for folks this holiday season.

I recently tried out some new (to me) optimization software. PC Pitstop's PC Optimize 2. At $29.95 it seems to be a reasonably priced solution for cleaning up your pc and improving performance. You can run a scan to see if your computer is having problems that PC Optimize can fix. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.pcpitstop.com/store/optimize2.asp

Grisoft still has a free antivirus program for home use on a single computer. That website to download the free program is:

http://free.grisoft.com/

Skins are popular these days. You can skin your laptop, your cell phone, your palm and your iPod. What a marketing tool! Make your own skin with your agent marketing information and picture on it. Give away skins for any device you choose. Create a skin for your own laptop. Promote a property on a skin to give away. Check it out!
http://www.skinit.com/

May the New Year bring Joy, Peace and Happiness to you and your family. Happy 2008! It's looking 'MAH-VELOUS'!