Gwyneth's Blog

One Year Anniversary and Real Pro Systems 3.0

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:27:46 -0500

I've been at Real Pro Systems - the company known for innovating "stealth marketing" or unbranded websites - for just over one year now. I've seen some amazing developments here by a talented group of designers, programmers, and client care team lead by a strong management team. The development team has been very busy lately with interface design, new features and a completely re-programmed agent website system. We're a new generation of Real Pro Systems - 3.0! We also unveiled our new corporate website: www.realprosystems.com.

I can sneak out a bit about our new release - Real Pro System's Gold 3.0. It's the culmination of forward-thinking tools and enhancements and our clients' wish list executed via Web 2.0 technology.

Our goals in re-architecting our agent website systems were to:
- Increase search engine visibilty by delivering a true Web 2.0, "web standards" platform that search engines love
- Compatible with mobile devices (view listings on cell phone)
- Facilitate customization and the addition of new features w/o programming
- Improve useability by both agents and consumers
- Keep pace with changing consumer demands
- Pages load faster with cascading style sheet designs
- Dynamic content system

We'll be announcing the new features at the Star Power Annual Conference in Orlando, FL in about 2 weeks.

Other products include:
Real Pro Silver Agent website System
FSBO System
Short Sale Stealth Site
Lender System
Podcast System
VillageMaker

Here are some comments on our systems:

"Real Pro Systems is amazing at anticipating market needs and building innovative solutions ahead of anybody else!"

Mr. Mike Parker, CRS,
Huff Realty, Florence

"I'm probably one of your biggest fans- the system just works. The stealth sites are working unbelievably well- I just follow the guidelines you guys give online and it works very well. Just with your short sale stealth site I have gotten six listings since the first of 2008 (in three months), and five of those have contracts on them! "

- Rob Zwemmer, The Zwemmer Group, Keller Williams Realty, Palm Desert, CA

05/31/2007 07:57 AM

Great Real Estate Programs

I am constantly asked "what programs should I incorporate into my business?"

I always tell my clients or prospective clients that the key to Internet success is to have a strong lead generating program. So, if you are needing one you might look into www.realprosystems.com. Each agent system features a series of lead generating "stealth" web sites that people love! Prospects readily register for your services without obligation or threat of being hassled. Whether people want you to prepare a CMA or provide them with an ongoing e-mail property search, all leads are e-mailed directly to your in box!

....

Couldn't agree more about these programs!

07/17/2006 07:36 PM

by Teri Isner GRI, CRS, CIPS

These are both great companies. I use them both.

07/22/2006 02:49 PM

by Sharon Simms ABR CIPS CLHMS CRS CyberStar

Wonderful, Thanks,
... I have been using Real Pro Systems since 2004 and I love my website! www.SilverSpringTeam.com by Debbie Cook

Blogging and Graffiti

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:00:39 -0500

I read some surprising new statistics about blogging, that 8 out of 10 Americans know what a blog is. For a new form of journalism, albeit a bit questionable i some cases, it has taken the Internet space by storm. I see this is a way of giving a personal voice to those of us who feel so lost in this age of information, not unlike graffiti.

I sometimes feel like a page on a website buried in sub menus that never gets found by the search engines. I'm a kilobyte of information jostled around and shoved aside in the expressway of gigabytes running on T1 lines. So how does one project a true self? A funny question for agents who "are their brand" and have their photo on every piece of communication.

It used to be that kids and teens made their mark with graffiti, advertising their "brand" with stylized, often illegible (to me) type and characters. In New York City graffiti was everywhere there was a surface. Even the subway windows were scratched with names. Someone pointed out to me that on every single subway steel post in every station throughout the five boroughs of NYC was scratched an X. This person was literally making their mark.

Blogs are the new way for people to feel real, to communicate in this age of non-personal communication. It's the natural progression for kids who grew up "talking" in chat rooms and playing massively multiplayer online games with a carefully crafted persona and fantasy lifestyles, never meeting in person their playing counterparts yet knowing their online persona intimately.

For real estate professionals, blogging is a personal voice as well as a tool for SEO. There would be an inclination for old-school agents to want to promote their personal brand, in a self-aggrandizing way. But a blog is an opportunity to open a dialog with prospects, clients and friends. Why not encourage people to get involved, bring community back into their lives? Offer to write a letter to your congressman on their behalf for some issue in your community. Use it as a tool, as technology should be seen as, to facilitate or encourage action, whether it's a charity function, volunteer effort or gathering.

And don't forget to use your search terms!

Here're excerpts from the article that triggered by thoughts:

"8 Of 10 Americans Know About Blogs; Half Visit Them Regularly
by Adrienne W. Fawcett, Wednesday, Aug 29, 2007 5:00 AM ET
(Adrienne W. Fawcett can be reached at adrienne@mediapost.com)

IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT where everybody knows what a blog is.
According to an exclusive Marketing Daily study, eight out of 10 Americans know what "blog" means, and almost half have visited the blogosphere--some as often as daily.

"The high awareness is surprising given that blogging is an emerging media outlet," says Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate eNation, which conducted the online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults. "The segmentation on awareness and usage, and on people having their own blogs, is driven by age, with obviously younger people more active in blogging." Nearly 90% of 25- to-34-year-olds know what a blog is, compared to 64.5% of those age 65-plus. Similarly, 78.4% of 18- to-24-year-olds report they have visited a blog, compared to just 44.7% of older Americans.

Technorati reports there are 99.9 million blogs out there. With so many to choose from, it's no wonder that 54.4% of blog-readers surf a variety of blogs rather than remain loyal to the same sites, according to the eNation study. And an indication that the blogosphere is not too different from the real atmosphere: Men are more commitment-phobic than women. Nearly 60% of guys surf a variety of blogs, compared to 50% of women."

"...Recently, a rep for Marvin Windows and Doors sent a flattering (exact replica) e-mail to several house-bloggers (including this reporter at http://www.fixerupper.typepad.com/) to "better understand how Marvin can better interact and inform you as a home remodeler and blogger."

She offered to provide "how to" tips and recommendations along with updates on company innovations and products. The company's "end, end goal," the rep said in a follow-up note, is to expand "Marvin's footprint as an expert in windows and doors." She teased at the potential for future promotions and advertising, but added, "That's really several months away."

"This does happen on a somewhat frequent basis," says Aaron Olson, who runs houseblogs.net, a network of house-bloggers. "Some are more 'above the board' than others and it really varies."

So who's blogging? Eight percent of Americans have their own blog. "That's high, given that blogging was unheard of a few years ago," says eNation's Mularz. It's also surprising that more women than men are bloggers (given that men tend to dominate the computer/tech fields). Nearly 14% of men versus 20% of women have blogs, eNation reports.

Being a "Go-Giver"

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:47:20 -0500

I was reading my issue of Broker Agent News today and latched onto the phrase "Go-Giver" in an article, The Key to Influencing Others, by Brian Tracy. It is about being a giver, becoming a friend in order to be a successful salesperson. Here are the salient points:

- Do Nice Things For Others
- See Them As Friends and Partners
- Send Thank You Notes
- Be A Go-Giver Rather Than A Go-Getter
- Be Open and Empathetic
- Really Listen to Others

This reminded me of the book, Love is the Killer App, How to Win Business and Influence Friends, written by Tim Sanders, who was Yahoo!’s Leadership Coach and prior to that, Chief Solutions Officer. I heard Tim speak at the Churchill Club during the Dot Com heyday and fully subscribe to the approach that if you share your knowledge and give of yourself, you will find professional success.

Now, more than ever, this approach can create the kind of trust needed when a home buyer or seller, in many cases, embarks on the biggest transaction of their life. How do you "give?" Here's what Tim Sanders suggests:

"It starts with amassing as much usable knowledge as possible..."

So, if you stay on top of mortgage rates, community news, real estate investment advice, local environmental issues, etc. and send clips relevant to your prospects -- just a quick note will do, such as "Saw this and thought of you" -- you will begin to cultivate trust and friendship.

Tim's approach "...follows with an emphasis on networking to the extreme." You probably already network with local politicians and business leaders, get involved with charity events and find other ways to become a prominent thought leader and give to your community.

"Sanders offers concrete suggestions, from compiling a super list of contacts to ensuring all are regularly stored in an always-accessible format. And he concludes by advocating a true mindset of compassion, which he says involves sharing this knowledge with those contacts and ultimately helping anyone who in one way or another may ultimately help you."

We are all "solutions salespeople." My job at Real Pro Systems is to help real estate and mortgage agents improve their online marketing and be more successful in business. An agent's job is to help a buyer or seller navigate a huge, emotion-ridden event with a smooth transaction, bringing the best financial outcome for their client. A home is more than just a transaction - it is the warm, safe environment wrapped around families and truly and one of the most important aspects of their daily lives. How wonderful to be a part of the solution.

Client Testimonial on Stealth Site Concept

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:33:53 -0500

Rob Levy shares:

"Speaking as a REALTOR®, I can tell you that so far this year, my personal Real Pro Systems stealth sites generated about $10,000,000 in sales. Remember: this is Portland Oregon, not Berkeley, so our average price is only $240,000.

"The secret to the whole thing is keeping our egos out of it. As agents, we always promote ourselves. We name domain names after ourselves, have 6" glossies of ourselves on our sites, etc. This does not appeal to the consumers as much as directly meeting their needs through a stealth site. "I am in Portland Oregon, home to 20,000 Intel engineers. Some of my clients are in the ‘social anthropology' group, and they literally do studies on how we do things. What they have shared with me is that our main buyer group grew up trusting technology, they hate salespeople and they don't want to be ‘sold.' One of the reasons is they can find out more on the product they are buying on the Internet than the salesperson knows, whether it be a car, a camera or a house. They tell me that those people are more attracted to a "stealth" site precisely because they don't have to talk to a salesperson in order to get information.

"This is why stealth sites work. Agents who use Real Pro Systems take advantage of this fact and of the automatic drip email campaign that kicks in as soon as a visitor to a stealth site makes an information request. We promote our stealth site addresses over and above our main site address in real estate magazines, on the back of the flyers and via postcards mailed to our IVR callers." Here are Rob's Stats:

Rob has 2,336 buyer leads and 117 seller leads. He has closed or pending a little over $10 million in volume from his stealth sites, with an average sales price of $240,000. He maintains a 2% closing rate for those who initially request information from his stealth sites.

Rob's Real Pro Systems "Gold" agent website:

www.roblevy.com

My First Week at Real Pro Systems

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:31:30 -0500

I began work this past week here at Real Pro Systems knowing it would take some time to get up to speed on all the features included in Real Pro Gold, Silver products and the upgrades: podcasts, FSBO stealth site, ProLeads for buyer leads, and more. It's alot to learn!Who needs RPS?

Who Needs Real Pro Systems?

The agent that wants to upgrade their agent website to be more productive in lead capture will be interested in RPS, especially the fact that leads are managed and cultivated automatically through the drip email campaigns RPS provides. As the buyer or seller gets closer to taking the step to contact the agent, they are well "warmed," having received what they thought are personal, meaningful emails with beautiful stationery (that matches the agent website) over a period of time.

For the buyer's request for a CMA, the agent takes the search criteria RPS collects and enters a recurring search in their MLS to be emailed to the prospect. This allows the agent to review and possibly edit the search terms (if they aren't realistic).

I love the idea of stealth sites - non-branded sites that offer buyer and seller information without an agent calling (since they don't need to leave a phone number). How many times are buyers repelled by the thought that an agent will contact them before they are ready? And how many agents paid for leads that are worthless because the person just wanted to check their home value? No wasting time on bad leads with RPS.

For examples of stealth sites, be sure to click on "What's Your Home Worth?" and "New Listing Alerts" here on the home page of my RPS website. If you sign in you'll see the automatic drip email campaigns and my stationery. I'll also send out the provided newsletters, also seen on the website on this page: Local Market Trends

http://www.realprodemo.com/newsletter.asp

Top 10 "Reasons to be Cheerful" in '07

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:38:44 -0600

AgencyLogic's CEO, Steve Fells, wrote this in our newsletter.

CEO's Message

I want to start off with a four letter word beginning with "F" that will offend most people reading this newsletter: "FSBO". OK, I admit it's not a word, but it's used like one and with such venom, it seems to be a curse word in some circles. We should add in "Technology", add a pinch of "Blogging", stir it all up with "Commissions" and we have a start to my "Top 10 List of Hot Real Estate Topics for 2007". But don't think it will be all doom and gloom as we start this New Year. If you pardon my using the lyrics of a lesser known hit from the 80's - "Reasons to be Cheerful - Part 1". So, in no particular order:

1. FSBO
It seems there are more and more ‘For Sale by Owner' signs in my neighborhood. Whether this is a trend or a fad, it will receive continued attention. Realtors will be discussing relationships, trust, and expertise: all things that ultimately lead to a unique value proposition. There has to be value. Buyers and Sellers are now savvier on ‘the process' and that is definitely a trend and not a fad.

2. Technology
Following last month's newsletter, I spoke to one of our clients, John Temple, CRS (www.johntemple.com). John is based in Danville, CA and has been in real estate long enough to have seen circles of repeating fads. During our discussion John mentioned that while he is an advocate of technology, he feels the future of real estate communication is Internet based, not the future of real estate. Of course John is right, and I expect Blogging to be at the heart of this.

3. Blogging
So much change, but how do you keep on top of it? Let someone else do the work for you! Blogging already has a few mini-celebs and some of them are well known for a reason - they really are connected and know what they are talking about. As more people make reading their favorite blog(s) part of their daily routine, expect to see this method of communication becoming more prevalent. For those that are interested, my top blogs include:

www.activerain.com
www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com
realestatetomato.typepad.com

4. Commissions
Pressure continues on what is possibly the hottest topic of all. A friend of mine was recently selling his $500k home and discovered that his Realtor was also selling a family member's home valued at around $250k. "Why should I pay $15k more than him when our Realtor is providing the same services?" I told him about some of the things covered in the great book, "Waging War on Real Estate's Discounters" written by Bernice L. Ross, but the argument (and others) abound. With real estate being a transaction based upon relationships, and with an individual Realtor at the heart of it, value proposition will be up for discussion again.

5. The Market
I am not going to be so bold as to suggest a month when the property market(s) across the country will start to move in the ‘right' direction, but in recent conversations with Realtors there is a feeling of optimism for 2007. Historically, we all know that the market will trend towards more activity, quicker transactions and less inventory, but expect to see more national discussion on this subject than any other.

6. SEO
This key area of online marketing (Search Engine Optimization) is about using the most effective techniques (notice that's plural) for getting your Website to appear as high as possible in the search engines. My suggestions always include:

PPC - Pay Per Click
Reciprocal links (PowerSites, cough)
META Tags

7. Online Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing
The death of the newspaper has been a topic of conversation for years. I don't expect it to happen anytime soon, but as more and more Realtors fully understand that over 80% of people start searching for property online, they will naturally move marketing dollars away from print to the Internet. The newspapers will be pitching their own value proposition, so expect to see new and more creative services through newspaper Websites. Also look for more discussion on the importance of "trackable" results.

8. MLS
I covered my thoughts on this last month, but expect to see even more discussion about the oxymoron of MLS organization. At the end of 2007, I expect integration to reduce the number of MLS's in a trend that may last a few years, but could be shorter. And there will be lots of conversation about why that is wrong (or right).

9. NAR
The National Association of Realtors will need to move and do so efficiently - but more importantly 'effectively' as it attempts to maintain its current role. The real estate industry is slow to change - that is - until it is forced. Commentators will be seeing just how fast NAR changes.

10. The Web 2.0 Gang
Many are holding their breath to see when and how (rather than if) Google will enter the property vertical. Yes, we all know they are in it already, but there's always new and better ways to do things. How will Zillow, Trulia and even Microsoft perform? When will Apple bring out an iPod shaped like a house for Realtors?!? New players will emerge and the world will hopefully be better for it.

I am off to Manhattan later today (Jan. 7th) to speak at the Inman Conference where I hope to meet some of the most knowledgeable and interesting people in real estate. If you are going, please stop me and say "Hi". If I don't see you there, I'll cover the event next month.

Let's hope 2007 is a year of health, happiness and activity for all!

As always please feel free to contact me personally, at any time, for any reason, at stevef@agencylogic.com.

Steve Fells, CEO, AgencyLogic

www.agencylogic.com

Quick SEO Term Definitions - What are Meta Tags?

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 12:07:22 -0600

Here's a quick primer on some of the terms used in SEO. We offer PowerSites "Lighthouse Marketing" for those tech-savvy agents who want to increase their chances of higher page rankings for their property Websites.

Meta Tags
What are Meta Tags?
Meta tags are information inserted into the "head" area of your Web pages. Other than the title tag (explained below), information in the head area of your Web pages is not seen by those viewing your pages in browsers. Instead, meta information in this area is used to communicate information that a human visitor may not be concerned with. Meta tags, for example, can tell a browser what "character set" to use or whether a Web page has self-rated itself in terms of adult content.

The Title Tag
The text you place in the title tag will appear as the name of the browser window when they view the Web page.

The Meta Description Tag
The meta description tag allows you to influence the description of your page in the search engine "crawlers" that support the tag.

The Meta Keywords Tag
The meta keywords tag allows you to provide additional text for crawler-based search engines to index along with your body copy.

What AgencyLogic Does for Your PowerSites

What is a PowerSite? Here're examples of single property Websites agents quickly and easily create with our template-based tool:

www.1blakemore.com/

www.monteverdecarmel.com/

Here's a summary of what we do to get new PowerSites crawled by the search engines:

PowerSite Summary Page - On AgencyLogic.com we have a summary page for each of our live PowerSites. The summary page links directly to the PowerSite home page, details page and the agency information page. These links are a means for the search engines to find and spider your PowerSite.
AgencyLogic RSS - AgencyLogic also has an RSS feed to promote all the latest PowerSites created by our clients. Once your PowerSite has been activated it's also added to our RSS feed as a news item which will link directly to your PowerSite.
PowerSite RSS - For each of our clients with two or more active PowerSites there is an RSS feed link at the bottom of each PowerSite page. This RSS feed lists the PowerSites created under the same account as news items further enabling search engines to find and spider your PowerSite.
Submission to Google and Yahoo - Daily at midnight, each site is submitted for indexing.

Having the search engines spider your site is the first step in getting your PowerSite to show up in search results. Content is crucial to good search engine placement. PowerSites with a one or two line description are generally not as successful as PowerSites where the agent has taken the time to write a full and detailed description of the property they are selling.

What You Can Do with PowerSites

Here's a summary of what you can do to get your PowerSites noticed:

1. Use the URL everywhere. Some of our clients use only the URL in newspaper ads. The savings they see as a result of having far less characters in the copy always amounts to far more than the cost of the PowerSite in the first place. Given that a print ad will often run multiple times we see our clients saving hundreds of dollars a month using this method.

2. Use a sign rider with the URL. This not only gets drive-by buyers interested it also gets potential sellers noticing the extra step you take in selling a home.

3. Add the link to the PowerSite to your own Web site. As mentioned above, this has considerable search engine benefits.

4. Add the URL to all existing marketing documents.

5. List your PowerSite in as many visible places on the web as you can - many of our PowerSite referrals come from http://www.craigslist.org/. Craig's List features a property section where anybody can list their property for sale. Adding a posting to Craig's List will help increase the visibility of your PowerSite.

6. PowerSite showcase - AgencyLogic provides a free PowerSite showcase tool to display a link to all your PowerSites directly from your own Web site. You can access this by logging into your PowerSite account and selecting "PowerSite Showcase".

7. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - Search engines rate the relevancy of your Web site using a number of different factors. The main factor is content. The next biggest factor is inbound links (i.e. how many different Web sites link directly to your own) The more PowerSites you have the more inbound links you will have as each page of your PowerSite links directly to your own Web site.

Misleading Count - "Hits" on a Web Page

When agents review the traffic reports on their PowerSites, we are often asked what is a "hit." This is a perilous topic as there is a misunderstanding of what a "hit" is.

Each graphic on a Web page is a single file and the page itself is a file. As a result whenever someone looks at a page with, for example, 10 graphics on it they actually download 11 files - the ten graphic files and the page itself. This is recorded as 11 hits. Most Web pages have considerably more than 10 graphics - the AgencyLogic home page references over 50 graphics. As the person looks through multiple pages on a graphically intensive Web site (like a PowerSite) they can easily clock up thousands of hits during a single visit. As a result when people tell you "I get 200,000 hits on my Web site" they really have no idea how many people that represents. It could be a few dozen which is far less impressive but more accurate. The most important numbers are "user sessions" and "page views" - these numbers tend to be much lower but far more useful in gauging how many people look at your Web site and what they look at.

And do look at the "referring domains" in our traffic reports to measure any Internet advertising you do. Many agents see traffic coming from their Realtor.com virtual tour link that we uploaded their PowerSite to. Or you can see if it came up in a search engine.

Hope this helps! We want to help you have easy entree to the Internet and to answer all that buyer's are looking for online during their property search.

http://www.agencylogic.com/

Acknowledging the Future of Real Estate - Moore's Law and the Big "Z"

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 11:45:44 -0600

CEO's Message from AgencyLogic's Steve Fells

In April of 1965, Electronics Magazine published an article by Gordon E. Moore that is now referred to globally as "Moore's Law". In it, Moore explained how he expected the number of transistors and their relative cost on a computer chip to change such that the chip's power would double every 24 months. Over forty years later the "Law" arguably still holds true and is repeatedly referenced in technical and non-technical arenas as a demonstration of how the speed of progress continues to gather momentum.

In a little more than ten years, the real estate industry has gone from no Internet use to having its entire future defined by the Internet. Considering Moore's law it's hard, if not impossible, to disagree with the statement that we will see more change in the next ten years than we have seen in the last ten. More importantly, if you expect to be in the real estate industry for the next five years, you have an obligation to ask yourself a single question: "How am I going to adapt to this change?"

The first property-related Websites started the ball rolling. The content of those Websites isn't important. What is important is that individuals could easily publish to an audience way beyond the reach of their local newspaper's circulation. And in many instances they could do it far more cheaply. Thomas L. Friedman's book, "The World is Flat" covers the global transition to a single market with amazing clarity. He candidly discusses the impact of technology on the general US economy allowing us to move naturally and correctly towards assumptions about the impact on the property market.

Today we have countless Websites covering an unlimited number of real estate specific topics. The result is inevitable - all information will eventually be available to all people. And that includes listing data. The fight has already begun with Realtor.com and every MLS in one corner, and Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and several new kids on the block (Trulia, Zillow and many other Web 2.0 members) in the other corner. It's time to acknowledge a fact: the real estate industry no longer holds the key to that data.

This week, the Northwest MLS (which represents "about 27,000 sales associates") decided they will stop uploading listing data to realtor.com. Jack Johnson, the MLS President and CEO, stated "We've always had as our focus the distribution of data to our members, and not to third parties". This is a stunning move. Although initially seeming to be a well-intended decision, it essentially means listing data is less available. With more than 900 MLS's countrywide, duplicity in geographic coverage and coming at a cost of a few to several hundred dollars a year, it's clear that substantial change is needed and will happen. I seriously doubt that Northwest MLS members will see the actions of their association as a step forward.

Sellers and buyers don't care about Realtor.com or your local MLS as much as you do. Their needs are simple: Sellers want as much money as possible using the quickest, most cost effective method available. Buyers want to spend as little as possible using the quickest, most cost effective method available. If a buyer cannot find what they are looking for at Realtor.com, nothing will stop them from finding it somewhere else. This is where I usually hear "But they won't have access to all of the listings in their area!" Why should a buyer care when they do have access to enough listing data? They only want to buy one house. Finding it amongst 200 listings rather than 2,000 means they just saved themselves the time of looking through the other 1,800 listings. Loyalty does not exist, it's important to understand that.

With the vast majority of buyers starting their research online, I struggle to understand why so many Realtors still aren't spending more (or most) of their marketing dollars online. "The sellers expect to see their homes in the newspaper" is a common response, but ask the same seller where they will start their own search for the home to replace the one they are selling and I bet they will list a bunch of Websites. The "past" for real estate technology already covers a relatively long time, and yet there are still Realtors who have a problem understanding that their marketing focus needs to be online.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Does continuing to spend most of your marketing dollars in the local newspaper sound like that?

AgencyLogic also needs to change and you will see that happen in 2007. To better serve our own clients we will further leverage our relationships with Trulia, Oodle and many other outlets (to be announced soon) to provide a choice on where PowerSites appear. We are also talking to any MLS that is prepared to listen and doesn't want to use what I call "The Three Monkeys" approach to data circulation (they don't want to see, hear or speak about it). PowerSites will be seen by the people that count. The definition of "people that count" currently includes buyers and to a far lesser extent sellers, but soon it will include Realtors. When Realtors find themselves going to Google or Trulia before they go to their local MLS, the message will finally have been heard. Simply put, the future of real estate is Internet based.

If you know a Realtor who still does not see the value, the absolute necessity even, of moving to a more Web based marketing strategy in 2007 please get them to call me, I have a bridge I want to sell them.

I wish you a very healthy and happy holiday season and a even more successful 2007.

As always please feel free to contact me personally, at any time, for any reason, at stevef@agencylogic.com.

Stephen Fells,
CEO

Catch Steve on the "MARKETING: Today's Top Customer Acquisition Power Tools" panel at Inman's Real Estate Connect NYC 2007, January 8-10, Marriott Marquis, New York

http://www.agencylogic.com/

Interesting Comments from PowerSite Clients

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:52:42 -0600

"I think PowerSites are one of the best offerings at listing presentations. People really love the fact that their home will not compete with any others. And they are so easy to create. One of the features I just started using is the documents feature. I am now uploading all my disclosures so when buyer agents call for them I tell them to go directly to the address specific Website and they can print them out from there. Thanks for the great product."

Jeff Launiere, P.A., Exit Extreme Realty

"I cannot believe how easy it is to input a listing!!! I have tried a lot of different products over the past year and THIS is the most user friendly tool ever! And I was ecstatic to find that I could submit it to my local MLS as a virtual tour. AgencyLogic is the way to go!!!"

Dee Parrish, Broker Associate, Prudential Carolinas Realty

"I am in the rental/investment market in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The competition is fierce and agents need every tool at their disposal when marketing property.

The AgencyLogic sites have given me the much needed edge to rise above the competition and get my message out to a global marketplace.

Property sellers love having their own site and my buyers love the fact that I have many useful documents ready for download. With the AgencyLogic site I can have real time property stats available like rental income, cash flow analysis, as built surveys, elevation certificates and other useful documents at the touch of a button. These sites have been a fantastic addition to my marketing!"

Chandler Spawr, RE/MAX Ocean Realty

"PowerSites by AgencyLogic has helped us automate the creation of Web pages for every one of our listings, giving us the opportunity of having presence on the Internet which is a significant aspect of our marketing strategy. From day one, customer service has been excellent and they have always listened to our suggestions and requests, even going as far as modifying their templates to meet our needs. ComReal is happy with the service that AgencyLogic provides and strongly recommends it to anyone wishing to create presence on the world wide web."

Carolina Rojas, Director of Marketing and Information Systems
ComReal Miami, Inc

"What a nice personalized touch you guys are providing...I am impressed. I have given your business a bit of business recently.... I am the business coach at Balistreri Realty and in the context of the LEAD GENERATION WORKSHOP, I introduced your specific services to my agents. This workshop is still new and already I know of about half dozen agents who have secured a Website from you for their listings....the feedback has been unanimous, easy navigating, good pricing and very impressive to the average consumers and our clients.

Thanks again for a great job!!!!"

Francine Bisson, BUSINESS COACH
Professional Development Director, BALISTRERI REALTY INC.

"Our team is extremely pleased with the service your company has provided thus far. For the past 10 years we have been trying to find a solution to market our listings with their own sites. It has been too time consuming to consider until AgencyLogic came along. The process of designing a site and getting it online is SO easy. Sellers have called us to say they have never before seen a home for sale presented like this. They are AMAZED at the amount of information the site provides. This is yet another tool we can use to set us far, far above the crowd of other agents out there.

In a day when more and more people are turning to the Internet to find home information, we find these sites to be a true asset. A recent example of how easy it is to provide buyers with information, was when we went to Google and searched Holbrook Batavia IL. We came up in the first 4 or 5 spots. This is a great advantage for this new generation of home buyers."

Kris Kombrink, The Kombrink Team

"I have to tell you that working with your company is a pleasure. From day one, you made sure I was taken care of, today, many months later you are still working hard and with a great attitude. Your support team has also been exceptional, from your designer who captured and created just what I wanted to Dataigh whose knowledge is very much appreciated and his efforts... well, he bends over backwards. Of course it also helps having the best product out there. You have in me a customer for life! "

Carlos Kozlowski, Real Estate Broker
#1 Agent Sierra Oaks Office, Coldwell Banker Residential

"I'm REALLY flattered that you'd like to use the Clarendon Website. If it helps, the house DID sell quickly... in multiples for $1.4M well over the $1.325 asking. As a matter of fact, one of the offers was from a couple who told me they drove by the house the week before it went on MLS, (I had a Coming Soon sign), saw the sign rider with the AgencyLogic Website and had practically fallen in love with the house from the photo tour from the PowerSite before they even walked in the door."

Julie Joyce, Coldwell Banker

"I am ecstatic about our relationship with AgencyLogic. My experience with your user friendly format and the service I receive on a local and corporate level is unsurpassed! Please feel free to use me as a reference any time!"

Terri Queen, The Cliffs Communities

More Release 4.0 Features Announced for AgencyLogic's PowerSites

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:24:30 -0600

There've been recent discussions on ActiveRain about the value of single property Websites. It's not necessarily a new idea to create a Website or page dedicated to a listing, but now there are more ways to achieve this tactic. For those who are Internet savvy, you can create your own solution with similar results but for those who prefer a template-based tool that delivers a more polished look and includes domain registration and hosting, our tool, PowerSites might work for you.

Here are examples:

http://www.304arrowhead.com/

http://www.2029channingway.com/

I can provide examples of PowerSites in your market or check out our clients by state to see who's using them in your area:

http://www.agencylogic.com/wfCustomers.aspx

We are continually improving PowerSites and with Release 4.0 will include the features below, as well as features mentioned in my earlier post:

New, improved design templates: Our talented designers know that presentation is everything. We have created new eye-catching, professional templates that will enhance your listings. Choose from more than 100 possible configurations to make sure that your PowerSite is as unique as you are.

We have expanded our selection of design templates to include franchise designs such as Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Envirian, ERA, EXIT Realty, GMAC, Keller Williams, Long & Foster, Pac Union, Prudential, Realty Executives, Realty World, RE/MAX and Weichert.
You will be able to choose from our standard designs or have a custom design created just for you for an additional fee.
We have also improved our preview mechanism so that you can see exactly what your PowerSite will look like once it is published.

Of course, we still offer custom design service. See examples here.

New Message Options: You will now be able to add a special footer message to all of your PowerSite pages. Add additional marketing and branding messages to every site you create.

Text can be used for a disclaimer, tagline, or whatever you like.

Spell Checker: Because nobody's perfect. Now you can check the spelling on your PowerSite to avoid embarrassing typos and mistakes!

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We are confident that the transition to PowerSites 4.0 will enhance the way you do business and build custom property Websites.

To help you get acquainted with our new system, we have posted a few of our help methods for you to explore. Take a look!

We'll be exhibiting:

December 5-7
Triple Play Realtor Convention and Trade Expo
Atlantic City, NJ

January 31- February 2
CRS Sell-A-Bration 2007
MGM Grand, Las Vegas

Sneak Peek at PowerSites 4.0, Property Website Tool

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:57:04 -0600

AgencyLogic will be releasing an extensive upgrade to our current PowerSite product in a couple of weeks. Because we are totally committed to your success, these enhancements will not only save you time and make building PowerSites even easier, but will allow you to completely customize your PowerSites and create even richer detail for your audience.

Here are some of the new features and upgrades to look forward to:

Photo Updates: Property photographs are the most important feature that a potential buyer wants to see. Our photo updates will allow them to get a clear "picture" of each property.

Increased Photos: The maximum number of allowed photos per PowerSite will increase from 50 to 100
Increased Photo Size: The maximum photo size will increase from 400x300 to 640x480 to allow for significantly improved photo quality – that’s 156% larger!
You will be able to add up to six photos at one time
You will be able to arrange your photos easily with drag and drop

Unlimited Descriptive Text: After photographs, home buyers are looking for detailed property information. Unlimited descriptions allow you to illustrate and sell each feature of your listing.

You will be able to create unlimited content and text for the Homepage and “Full Descriptions” page
The “Feature Descriptions” text area will also be unlimited

Document Library: Our system will help you to create a comprehensive library of files and documents that you can pick and choose from each time you build a PowerSite - upload them once and use again and again!

Documents that you add at the account level will be available to add to any current or future PowerSite within your account
Documents can be added for each specific PowerSite as well

Custom Pages and Custom Links: Create unlimited pages and links that you can quickly add to any PowerSite such as community and agent information.

You will be able to create as many custom pages as you like
Custom pages can be stored for use on any PowerSite
There will be no limit to the number of custom links you can add
Custom links will also be stored at the account level for use on any PowerSite

Custom Menu Settings: Offering you the ultimate in flexibility - choose the menu options that work for you and the way you want to present your listings.

You will be able to turn on or turn off links, rename them or reorder them by simply dragging and dropping the menu item where you want it
You will be able to save your completely custom menu for use on any PowerSite
Create and save different menu choices for different types of listings or properties

Agent Contact Information: Enter as many agents and bios as you like one time, and they will be available to all PowerSites.

You will be able to store unlimited agents and their contact information in your PowerSite Administration system
You will be able to display two agents on your PowerSite and decide who will be displayed first and second
If you need to change or update a phone number or other contact detail, change it once and it will automatically be updated for all of your active PowerSites.

We hope that we got your attention with this exciting list of upgrades and enhancements. Believe it or not - there are even more! Stay tuned for more news on 4.0! Our development team is hard at work and plans to release the product before the end of the year.

Added SEO Capabilities in Soon to be Released PowerSite 4.0

Gwyneth Iredale (Real Pro Systems) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:54:43 -0600

AgencyLogic is thrilled to announce a new marketing feature, Lighthouse SEO, as part of next month's upgrade to PowerSites 4.0. These powerful search engine tools come FREE with every AgencyLogic PowerSite.

The AgencyLogic Team works aggressively to promote your PowerSites in the search engines. If you want your property Website to be seen by as many potential buyers as possible, it is important to consider your ranking in the search engines. Imagine, one single PowerSite successfully competing against larger Websites with hundreds of properties! How do we do it? We’re very glad you asked.

Our Lighthouse SEO feature lets the search engines know about each and every PowerSite in several ways.

In PowerSites 4.0, we give you the option of editing your page titles, META Description text as well as the META keyword text.

This single benefit allows for complete customization of how you would like your audience to find you. It’s easy for you to do, and can be changed at any time. Don’t worry, however, if you are uncomfortable doing this or simply don’t have the time. We automatically generate effective Title, Keywords and META tag text from the content of each specific PowerSite!

We also proactively market all of our PowerSites using a variety of proprietary search engine marketing techniques:

We optimize PowerSite property information to make it as efficient and effective as possible for the search engines to index.
Once we notify the search engines about new PowerSites, they are scheduled to be “crawled” (indexed).
We guide the search engines to place emphasis on certain pages to increase effectiveness and relevance.
If you have multiple PowerSites, we automatically setup additional search engine enhancements that help all of your PowerSites. The more PowerSites you have, the more effective this is.

Lighthouse SEO is just one of many new features that we are offering in our product upgrade coming next month. Click here to learn more about PowerSites 4.0.