info: Info: Santa Clara County Secured Property Tax Search - 05/10/08 12:48 PM
Whether representing the sellers or the buyers, a real estate professional should always try to get as much reliable information as possible. Here in Santa Clara County, we have the luxury of being able to research secured property taxes online through the Santa Clara County website.Click the Santa Clara County Tax Collector - Secured Taxes link under the Government Resources links on the right side of the tech4REpros blog.

Enter the APN (Assessor's Parcel Number) or property address and click Search. If a matching address is found, the system will display a summary of secured tax payments for the current … (0 comments)

info: Info: Email Scams And IP Tracing - 01/20/08 10:34 PM
I just received a "4-1-9" scam email that was sent to me through my ActiveRain contact form.  If I got one, some of you will probably get one as well. 
The "4-1-9" scam is also known as the "Nigerian Scam" because many early variations were sent by people claiming to be from Nigeria. The essence of the scam is that a large amount of wealth is being held in a foreign country for some reason and that only your KINDLY intervention can save the day. In exchange for your help, you may be offered A PERCENTAGE of the wealth. The letter usually contains SPELLING ERRORS … (9 comments)

info: Info: tech4REpros Technology Glossary - 01/19/08 09:12 AM
Welcome to the Technology for Real Estate Professionals technology glossary. This glossary is available through a permalink on the right side of every page. New terms will be added on a regular basis.Thanks!Frank Jewett==========Blog - Web LogAn internet journal publishing model that is easy to design, manage, and update. Blogs are ideal for increasing audience retention by frequently posting comments.CSV - Comma Separated ValuesCSV files are commonly used to transfer data between spreadsheets, databases, and contact management programs. Each piece of data (a cell in Excel, a field in a database, a field in Outlook) is separated by a comma. Each … (3 comments)

info: Info: What is Viral Marketing? - 01/10/08 08:20 AM
Viral marketing is when you create a marketing message so entertaining, interesting, or compelling that others voluntarily spread that marketing message for you. In the old days, before computers, we called this "word of mouth advertising", also known as "referrals", and recognized it as a valuable resource for generating business.Are you distributing marketing materials and messages that are so entertaining, interesting, or compelling that your clients and prospects would pass them on, or are you simply sending out stock newsletters and "just sold" cards (aka "brag cards") to remind clients and prospects that you haven't left the business yet?What does it … (5 comments)

info: Info: Making Sense Out Of Median Sale Prices - 12/27/07 07:13 PM
A couple of months ago, I posted Info: Understanding Averages and Medians which explained the reasons for using median instead of average when looking at sale price and DOM.  It's also important to keep in mind that the median sale price can fluctuate due to changes in the mix of sales.  For example, the median home price here in Santa Clara County increased for several months during the summer, breaking records even as the number of transactions dipped and inventory swelled to record levels. 
Which numbers tell the real story?
I would argue that the number of transactions is the most important indicator of the … (4 comments)

info: Info: Why Browser Market Share Matters To You - 12/09/07 05:36 PM
What browser are you using to read this post? Odds are good that you are still using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. Internet Explorer has dominated browser market share for the past eight years, but to the dismay of Microsoft management, IE7 has yet to achieve widespread adoption despite being "priced to move" as a FREE download.According to thecounter.com, IE6 had 50% share in September, followed by IE7 at 22%, and FireFox at 13%. Click here for more information from thecounter.com. Web analytics tracker OneStat.com shows FireFox at almost 20% in the US, up about 4% over the past six months, while … (4 comments)