Elizabeth Kaplan's Blog

I Finally Found My Dream House...

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:15:08 -0700

A number of years ago, my brother and I were out for a Sunday drive when we stumbled upon this absurd property for sale. We couldn't really see much of the house itself because it was set quite far back from the road with a fair amount of foliage obscuring the view. We could, however, tell that it was very unique and really exquisite. Not only did the house itself appear to be beautiful and very large, but it sat upon 13 acres in the middle of a country club community (that's pretty unheard of in Greensboro). Ever since, it has become a fairly regular topic of discussion amongst my family. A true mystery. Who built this house? Why had we never heard of it before? What's the asking price?

A couple of days ago I was playing around on my Listingbook account and found it! I immediately emailed my entire nuclear family to let them know that I had details and photos and WOW! that the house is as amazing, if not more so, than we imagined. It has 10 bedrooms, 9 baths, a guest house, formal gardens...I'm in love. I'm going to try and set up an appointment to see it as soon as possible. It's just unfortunate that its price tag matches its size....Oh well, at least I'll finally get to see my dream house after all these years.

The ActiveRain Points System

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:24:35 -0700

As a new ActiveRain member, I have yet to completely explore all of the site's features. Not by a long shot. I have, however, become fairly acquainted with the points sustem that seems to somehow spur me on in a rather unexpected manner. I feel a bit like a child at Chuck E. Cheese's trying to earn enough tickets to get a free bouncy ball or chinese finger trap. So my question to all ActiveRain members is this:

Do you find that ActiveRain's point system provides an extra incentive to participate in the community?

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Discover the Ultimate Online Solution for Real Estate Agents and Their Clients!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:54:05 -0700

Listingbook^TM is an MLS-wide online service that connects agents and their clients through an integrated platform of client management, sales productivity and direct marketing tools.

Designed to complement any MLS system, Listingbook^TM automates, tracks and analyzes client activities in an agent-managed, real time environment that encourages collaboration and communication.

An Intelligent Virtual Assistant working 24/7 for agents, Listingbook^TM saves agents and their clients time, makes agents more knowledgeable, speeds the sale and results in more satisfied buyers & sellers, creating clients for life.

For Buyers:
- Conducts instant property searches
- Obtains personalized service from agents
- Communicates instantly with agents

For Sellers:
- Compares area sales in their neighborhoods
- Obtains showing feedback from their agents
- Receives monthly summaries from agents

For Agents:
- Automates the busy work
- Tracks buyer & seller activities
- Enhances agent value to buyers & sellers

For Real Estate Companies:
- Tracks showings and listing activities
- Boosts agent productivity
- Creates happier buyers & sellers

For MLS:
- Provides additional services to agents (no training, support or equipment expense)
- Ensures secure and reliable data transfer to Listingbook^TM
- Guarantees no redistribution of data

Get Your Free Account Today!

How do YOU utilize Listingbook?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:46:14 -0700

I want to put up one more post today, though in a slightly different topical vein. For those of you who are already Listingbook users, I'm interested in knowing what features of the program you find most useful? Are there other features that you simply don't use or find superfluous? And most importantly, do you seasoned Listingbook users out there have any tips for other users? I'm not asking for testimonials, I would just like to start a conversation that will allow new users (I include myself in this category, as I am indeed a new user) to benefit from the wisdom and expertise of those who have had time to fully explore Listingbook.

How Do You Like to Communicate?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:44:52 -0700

I have a blackberry addiction. There. I've said it. I feel anxious when I can't find my phone or leave it behind, and the mere feel of the device in my hand gives me a sense of overwhelming comfort. As disturbing as my PDA dependence might be, I have noticed that I am certainly not alone. Most of my friends (who, like myself, are in their early 20s) also carry around their crackberrys, iphones, treos, etc as if the devices were little electronic lifelines. We use them to text message, blackberry message, surf the web, check our email, and, of course, to occasionally also make phone calls. The emphasis here is on 'occasionally' though, because we are a generation that tends to prefer the anonymity of emails and messaging over the personal nature of a phone call. I go to absurd lengths to avoid speaking on the phone (and I am actually fairly phone competent): I order food online, I buy my clothing from online stores, and I even communicate with my parents via email. Of course, my parents were quite averse to this means of keeping in touch at first, as they are both more than happy to actually hear the sound of another's voice, but I think they've come around.

So here is the question that I pose: how do you like to communicate? Do you prefer emailing to phone calls, or vice-versa? If a client contacts you by phone or email, do you respond using the same medium or will you respond to an email with a phone call or a phone call with an email? Do you use a PDA? If so, have you found it important to your business to be able to stay in touch at all times or does that accessibility cause aggravation?

Straight From the Mouths of Agents...

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:01:20 -0700

On another blog, Larry Szolosi, a Listingbook member from Fort Myers, Florida, gave a fantastic example of how Listingbook works for the agent. With his permission, I am reposting his example below:

"Our MLS had a lot of features that most people did not use or didn't even know they existed. Then they added Listingbook and I am not sure when but after I discovered it and started using it, it was everything you could ask for and more. Here are a few of the things I found that are great about it.Example: A particular buyer calls you and says they are looking for a 3/2 with a pool in the 33912 zip code. They would like to keep it under $300,000. You advise them of a new service you have available and tell them you are going to give them access to the same database you use to find homes. At that point you go in set them up an account and set up the initial filters to pull up all the homes that meet their criteria. Now for the good stuff: you can go in and review the listing and can leave them notes on anything you want to bring to their attention on each listing. You can highlight some as your picks to let them know that these are some of the best. When they get the list of listings they can view them and reject them or add them to their favorites list. Any time that a new listing is added they are notified. You get a daily summary of all the clients that viewed their listings and if they left you any notes. Within the listing is all the information they could want: tax information, pictures, map, satellite view, HOA fees and more than we normally had in our regular client listing sheet. They can also tag a property to notify them if there is a price change. These are only a few of the features but it really helps the client narrow the field because they have the ability to refine the search criteria and you are advised when they do. There is also a quick search feature that if a client was looking for a foreclosure for example they would just type foreclosure in the remark and it would only bring up foreclosures. When the client has selected his properties as his favorites and you are ready to set up showing appointments you can create a map route to make your schedule the most time effective or however you want it laid out. When you print out the buyer's presentation, they receive not only the information but a check off sheet with all the things they may want to make notes about the property. Really makes reviewing properties a breeze. There is much more but this is a quick view of a well thought out program. The seller side is also impressive and just as powerful."

The ActiveRain Points System

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:35:38 -0700

Do you find that ActiveRain's point system provides an extra incentive to participate in the community?

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Want to Put a Link From Your Own Website to Your Listingbook Sign Up Page?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:07:24 -0700

This video, created by a Listingbook user, shows how to add a Listingbook focus box to your own website in order to easily direct people to your Listingbook sign up page. It's a very cool user tip!

http://clearwaterkw.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/how-to-add-a-listingbook-focus-box/

***I should clarify that this is a user tip that only works for Keller Williams agents. However, it is a good example of a way in which a Listingbook user found a cool, new way of using Listingbook. If any other Listingbook users have tips, please feel free to share them!

Listingbook in The New York Times!!!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:13:04 -0700

Check out this article about Listingbook from Friday's New York Times:

The Web As Real Estate Trove

I plan on posting something with more content later today. I just got back from Kiawah, South Carolina, and I must say to those of you from South Carolina, WOW! What a beautiful State!

Another Random Fact...

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:11:43 -0700

I found this fact on the Associated Content website and thought it was quite interesting. Even better, it relates in a roundabout way to the only kind of real estate that I've ever personally bought or sold (the Monopoly kind):

The game board streets in original Monopoly are named after streets in the gambling resort city of Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1972, when an Atlantic City Commissioner wanted to change the names of Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues, he was met with a vocal demonstration from hundreds of fanatic Monopoly fans along with a letter from the president of Parker Brothers, the board game company. Needless to say, the Commissioner changed his mind.

Monopoly simply wouldn't be the same without Baltic Avenue...

Listingbook in Minnesota!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:27:51 -0700

I've recently learned that Listingbook will be holding agent Lift Off sessions for Northstar MLS members in Minnesota! I believe that Listingbook has been up and running in the Twin Cities area for a couple of months now, but in mid-September we will be officially launching Listingbook in MN. As part of Lift Off, we will bring in Listingbook specialists to help agents open accounts and demonstrate how you can use Listngbook to its fullest. So for those of you in Minnesota, keep your eyes open for an invitation to Listingbook Lift Off. I believe you can go ahead and open a Listingbook account today if you want to get ahead of the curve...

How Do You Deal With Rising Gas Prices?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:24:07 -0700

Driving to work this morning, I suddenly realized that I was about five miles away from completey running out of gas. This doesn't happen all that often. I tend to be pretty careful about checking how much I have left, and I usually don't like going under a quarter of the tank. I pulled into the closest gas station and proceeded to fill up my tank. All twenty-one gallons of it. At $4.11 a gallon. Wow.

I have spent the last four year in New England (where gas is certainly more expensive than in North Carolina), but I had never before filled up nearly my entire tank at one time. This got me thinking. I really only drive to and from work and occasionally around town to run basic errands or go to restaurants, but I'm under the impression that real estate agents are constantly driving around in order to show houses to clients.

So- How are rising gas prices affecting your business?

Completely Random, Though Hopefully Interesting, Fact Of the Day!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:20:50 -0700

Perhaps this is already common knowledge, but I recently learned that there is now a major dispute over which illness actually caused Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralysis. For many years (since the initial diagnosis), it has been believed that FDR suffered from paralytic poliomyelitis (polio), which was a major epidemic of the era. Recent studies, however, suggest that FDR's age at the time of contraction, the symptoms he suffered, and the progression of the illness point much more toward Guillain-Barre syndrome than polio.

I feel a bit like everything I learned in my 4th grade American History class must be a sham...

**This post clearly isn't related in any way to anything having to do with real estate. I just happen to like random facts. I hope that's ok.

Listingbook Is Coming to Northern Florida!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:59:38 -0700

Listingbook is launching in Northern Florida! If you're a member of NEFMLS, starting next Wednesday you'll be able to sign up for a free Listingbook account. We've had beta agents using the system since early July and have been receiving fantastic feedback from them. So, if you're in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas, mark it on your calendar to get your account next Wednesday. Again, it's free and takes about 3 minutes to register (I actually clocked it a couple of days ago). Don't just take my word for it that Listingbook can help you increase your profits while lessening your work load, go ahead and try it for yourself!

How do you like to communicate?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:29:16 -0700

Again, what is it exactly?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:08:54 -0700

In case my explanation of Listingbook under the comments sction of my "What do agents want"? post wasn't clear, I am also going to post a link to a page that may be more useful. Turn your volume on before clicking the link if you would like to hear what the virtual assistant on the page has to say.

http://www.listingbook.com/subscription/freeagentaccount

Also, I would like to thank all of the activerain members who have messaged me with such warm welcomes! I think it's probably safe to say that this is perhaps the single friendliest community on the internet!

How do YOU utilize Listingbook?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:31:34 -0700

What do agents want?

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:46:33 -0700

I am not a real estate agent. In fact, I've never even bought or sold a house. However, as an employee of Listingbook (one of the few who does not have some sort of real estate background), I am desperately trying to learn as much as I can about the real estate industry as quickly as I can. I have read real estate publications (from the very local to the national), I've spoken to agents and brokers about their business, and I've read a vast multitude of blogs. Now I ask you, members of ActiveRain, what do you percieve to be the major obstacles in the market? What tools, if any, would be most helpful to your business? I happen to think that Listingbook is an unparalleled program in the real estate sector, but in order to continue to build it and make it even more useful we need to know what you, the real estate professionals, really need. Often enough, companies lose sight of the actual needs of the consumer in favor of faster growth, easier sells, etc, and that is truly a shame. Please leave any and all feedback below. It will be much appreciated.

Discover the Ultimate Online Solution for Real Estate Agents and Their Clients!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:52:30 -0700

Discover the Ultimate Online Solution for Real Estate Agents and Their Clients!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:48:58 -0700

Listingbook^TM is an MLS-wide online service that connects agents and their clients through an integrated platform of client management, sales productivity and direct marketing tools.

Designed to complement any MLS system, Listingbook^TM automates, tracks and analyzes client activities in an agent-managed, real time environment that encourages collaboration and communication.

An Intelligent Virtual Assistant working 24/7 for agents, Listingbook^TM saves agents and their clients time, makes agents more knowledgeable, speeds the sale and results in more satisfied buyers & sellers, creating clients for life.

For Buyers:
- Conducts instant property searches
- Obtains personalized service from agents
- Communicates instantly with agents

For Sellers:
- Compares area sales in their neighborhoods
- Obtains showing feedback from their agents
- Receives monthly summaries from agents

For Agents:
- Automates the busy work
- Tracks buyer & seller activities
- Enhances agent value to buyers & sellers

For Real Estate Companies:
- Tracks showings and listing activities
- Boosts agent productivity
- Creates happier buyers & sellers

For MLS:
- Provides additional services to agents (no training, support or equipment expense)
- Ensures secure and reliable data transfer to Listingbook^TM
- Guarantees no redistribution of data

Discover the Ultimate Online Solution for Real Estate Agents and Their Clients!

Elizabeth Kaplan (Listingbook) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:43:07 -0700

Listingbook^TM is an MLS-wide online service that connects agents and their clients through an integrated platform of client management, sales productivity and direct marketing tools. Designed to complement any MLS system, Listingbook^TM automates, tracks and analyzes client activities in an agent-managed, real time environment that encourages collaboration and communication. An Intelligent Virtual Assistant working 24/7 for agents, Listingbook^TM saves agents and their clients time, makes agents more knowledgeable, speeds the sale and results in more satisfied buyers & sellers, creating clients for life.

For Buyers:

- Conducts instant property searches

- Obtains personalized service from agents

- Communicates instantly with agents

For Sellers:

- Compares area sales in their neighborhoods

- Obtains showing feedback from their agents

- Receives monthly summaries from agents

For Agents:

- Automates the busy work

- Tracks buyer & seller activities

- Enhances agent value to buyers & sellers

For Real Estate Companies:

- Tracks showings and listing activities

- Boosts agent productivity

- Creates happier buyers & sellers

For MLS:

- Provides additional services to agents (no training, support or equipment expense)

- Ensures secure and reliable data transfer to Listingbook^TM

- Guarantees no redistribution of data