Newsroom

Fort Myers Realtor association partners with Point2 Technologies - Naples News

scorbett — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:59:00 GMT

The Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach Inc. a 5,000-broker and agent member organization and one of the 10 largest real estate boards in Florida, announced that it has completed the implementation of a national online listing exposure initiative in partnership with Point2 Technologies Inc. (Point2) that will significantly expand online visibility for its member listings with consumers.

The initiative widens the exposure of “For Sale” Southwest Florida property listings online by leveraging Point2’s syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 high traffic search engines, real estate search sites and media Web sites to maximize listing visibility with prospective buyers.

Effective Nov. 1, association members began streaming approximately 24,000 listings daily to the Point2 Exposure Engine for syndication across the company’s industry-leading network.

A simple dashboard provides participating brokers and agents with complete control and choice over syndication destinations, on a listing basis, and enables them to track traffic results generated on key Web sites.

“The partnership with Point2 will enable our brokers and their agents to maintain profitability and grow their businesses, while protecting their listing assets,” said Suzanne Sherer, association president. “We have now ensured that our members can publish their listings so they can be found more easily by an ever fragmented consumer base, while sparing them the effort of having to post individual listings manually on the various sites.”

“It’s exciting to see the real estate industry take back its future by way of organized and supervised dissemination of listing data to the Internet and beyond, with Point2 participating as a key enabler of this progress,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc. With Point2 syndication, we are enabling organized real estate to empower real estate professionals on the ground with control over when and where their listings are published online, on the most popular Web sites, while ensuring leads generated from the listings are directed to the respective listing owner.”

Point2 Technologies Announces Ten Real Estate MLS and Association Contracts

scorbett — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:01:00 GMT

Over 100 MLS and Association Partnerships in 12 Months Representing 125,000 Brokers and Agents, and Over 550,000 Listings in Syndication Reinforces Paradigm Shift in Organized Real Estate

SAN DIEGO, CA – Point2 Technologies today announced that it has been selected by ten leading real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) organizations and Associations across different regions of the United States to power their national online property listing syndication strategy and plans.

The new partnerships include, amongst other major organizations, Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati, Mid America Regional Information Systems, Northern Kentucky Multiple Listing Service, Pensacola Association of REALTORS®, Prescott Area Association of REALTORS®, and Tulare County Association of REALTORS® & MLS.

Under the agreements, the partnerships will deliver Point2’s critical enterprise level automated listing syndication and traffic reporting solution to over 32,000 brokers and agents representing over 80,000 property listings, at no added cost to them.

Key user benefits will include single point of data entry, which will enable brokers and agents to capitalize on their MLS listing data to selectively publish listings across Point2’s industry leading syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 high traffic consumer real estate search sites and search engines as well as to over 260 media websites across the nation. Access to online traffic reports will also be provided to all users, as part of the agreements.

Seamless technology integration will also extend to all users convenient access to Point2’s complete online marketing, syndication and website solution software suite, Point2 Agent, on a subscription basis.

In addition to listing syndication, subscribers will be able to export listings to their existing websites, create and export virtual tours, access detailed traffic reports, launch a Point2 Agent website or blog, and maximize lead conversion through the system’s advanced and proprietary predictive marketing technology.

“Organized real estate’s adoption of ‘Distribution Trumps Destination’ as an operating mantra has accelerated significantly over recent months, recognizing the benefits of publishing listings where consumers go online when they shop for real estate,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc. “Controlled distribution of listings on popular consumer sites, enabled by the MLS or Association has also brought a very valuable new member benefit to brokers and agents, allowing them to better control their listing assets online, simplifying the online advertising process and applying significant pressure on the lead generation and resale model.”

Since launching its syndication solution for MLSs and Associations just over one year ago, more than 100 real estate organizations from across the United States, representing over 125,000 brokers and agents, have now partnered with Point2 to deliver the benefits of syndication to members.

Point2’s real estate syndication engine today feeds over 550,000 listings to its syndication and re-syndication network through a live Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS) based data feed, once every 24 hours.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing
software solutions for the real estate, Point2 Agent and heavy equipment industries, Point2 Manager.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at Point2 Technologies. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Cell: 778-960-8906
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E-mail: rnoujeim@point2.com

U.S. Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) Retracts 4.11 Percent to 5.59 in October

scorbett — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:38:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies today released the findings from its Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) survey for the United States, for the month of October 2009. The Index measured 5.59 on the 1 – 10 Index Scale (1 being “bad” and 10 being “good”), down 4.11% month-over-month.

While the October Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) score came in below the September reading of 5.83, a number of brokers and agents leveraging foreclosure properties in most states cited and credited strong business activity to this category, enabled by the federal government’s $8,000 First-Time Buyer Credit.

The Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) tracks the opinions of thousands of real estate brokers and agents, measuring their forward-looking sentiment of the real estate market, across the United States.

Properties in the mid to low price ranges continued to generate the majority of market activity in most states, as indicated by brokers and agents who participated in the RECI survey in October.

Typical winter season market adjustments were also cited by some respondents as a reason why markets may slow down until activity starts to rebound beginning in February.

The RECI tracks the current market sentiment, short-term (3 – 6 months) optimism/pessimism and long-term (6 – 12 months) optimism/pessimism of real estate professionals in the United States. The median across all three time periods represents the forward-looking Index measure for the month.

Real estate professionals’ current sentiment, one of the three variables that make up the RECI, averaged 4.89 on a seasonally-adjusted basis, for the month of October. The change represents a 3.36 percent decrease in confidence across the country versus last month. October is the first time the current sentiment has turned negative compared to the previous month’s reading, since the RECI’s introduction in June.

The forward-looking short-term (3 – 6 months) optimism/pessimism reading came in at 5.37, remaining above the mid point on the RECI 1 – 10 scale despite it being 5.79 percentage points lower than the September score.

Long-term (6 – 12 months) optimism/pessimism remains in stronger positive territory at 6.51 on the scale, but also off by 3.12 percent versus the September reading of 6.72.

To obtain the complete RECI Summary Report including respondent commentaries by State, visit www.RealEstateConfidenceIndex.com.

1,524 licensed real estate professionals across the United States participated in the October survey.

Survey Instrument and Methodology
Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) tracks the real estate market opinions of thousands of licensed real estate professionals, brokers and agents, across the United States, accounting for seasonality, on a scale of one to ten (1 being “bad” and 10 being “good”). The RECI also rates respondent sentiment for market conditions 3 – 6 months and 6 – 12 months into the future on a ten-point scale (1 being “pessimistic” and 10 being “optimistic’). The median across all three time periods represents the Index measure for the month.

The RECI is open to the Point2 Agent membership and to tens of thousands of licensed real estate professionals across the nation at the beginning of each month, for up to seven days. Respondents complete a simple, four question survey through third party survey solution providers, Survey Monkey. The data is tabulated electronically, median averages surfaced for quantitative questions, and qualitative feedback is captured and presented in Point2’s monthly RECI Summary Report. For more details and a listing of the RECI survey questions, or to request the complete Summary Report, please visit Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI).

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.Point2Manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 Technologies and InternetCrusade CEO Saul Klein Joins Speaker Panels on New NAR Initiative HouseLogic.com and Generational Marketing and Negotiating at Annual REALTORS® CONFERENCE and EXPO

scorbett — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:37:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and San Diego, CA – Point2 Technologies and InternetCrusade Chief Executive Officer Saul Klein will participate on key speaker panels at the upcoming National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Conference and EXPO to be held at the San Diego Convention Center in California, November 13, 2009 to November 16, 2009.

Real estate industry visionary, author of MLS 5.0 ‘The MLS of the Future’ Whitepaper, 1993 President of the San Diego Association of REALTORS® and a Licensed California Real Estate Broker since 1977, Klein will join a panel of top brokers invited to discuss NAR’s new consumer centered initiative, HouseLogic.com, which will make its debut at the Conference.

HouseLogic.com will feature critical content and tools consumers need to enhance the value of, protect, and maintain their most important asset: their home.

Panelists will share their experiences on how the new site can improve business by providing top-quality, relevant, ready-to-go content for broker and agent newsletters, blogs and other marketing communications vehicles aimed at supporting their client base while helping to position them as market experts.

In a separate session, Klein will share his insight and ideas on generational marketing and negotiating, joined by high profile speakers, experts and technology trainers including RealSure Inc. Senior Partner, Author & Speaker Stefan Swanepoel.

In this session, attendees will review the skill sets needed to work with buyers and sellers of multiple generations, and will identify generational traits that impact housing choices, financial products, communication methods, negotiating strategies, and investment decisions. Participants will also be able to determine how generational differences affect trends in brokerage practices and technological advancements.

Session 1:          Generational Marketing and Negotiating
Date:                Friday November 13, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Location:           Room 25A, San Diego Convention Center, CA

Session 2:          Get Great Consumer Content For Your Marketing Tools (HouseLogic.com)
Date:                 Saturday November 14, 2009, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Location:           Room 26A, San Diego Convention Center, CA

Session 3:          Get Great Consumer Content For Your Marketing Tools (HouseLogic.com)
Date:                 Sunday November 15, 2009, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Location:           Room 26A, San Diego Convention Center, CA

More information on the REALTORS® Conference & EXPO or regarding any of the above sessions can be accessed at: http://www.realtor.org/educsess.nsf/ProgramsByDateAll?OpenForm

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment (www.Point2Manager.com) industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:
Roger Noujeim
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 Technologies Wins Achievement In Business Excellence (ABEX) Award

scorbett — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:44:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies was recognized by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce with the prestigious Achievement in Business Excellence (ABEX) Award at a dinner gala held last Saturday night at TCU Place in Saskatoon, SK. Nearly 700 government and business personalities attended this year’s high profile event, organized by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the accomplishments of 52 exceptional businesses in the province of Saskatchewan.

The annual ABEX Awards program is the largest private sector business awards program in the province of Saskatchewan. Now in its 26th year, the ABEX Awards recognize outstanding Saskatchewan based businesses for excellence in a number of categories. 52 finalists from across the Province contended for the coveted Awards this year, across 14 different categories.

Point2 President and co-founder Barry Willick accepted the Award on behalf of Point2, for the Job Creation category. The Award recognizes Point2’s sustained growth between March 2008 and March 2009. During this period, Point2 increased its staff count by nearly 50 percent, in support of its rapidly expanding business.

“We dedicate this Award to our relentless, creative and hard working staff members who make Point2 what it is,” said Willick. “The ABEX Award is a great privilege we also owe to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and our local government for championing an aggressive growth strategy for Saskatchewan and for creating the right environment for business to thrive.”

Saul Klein, Point2’s Chief Executive Officer was out of the country and could not attend the ceremony.

Commenting from San Diego, Klein said: “We would like to thank and recognize the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and its leadership for their constant efforts towards making Saskatchewan a business friendly province,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc. “We are honoured to have been selected for the ABEX Award this year and extend a special thanks to the Chamber of Commerce and the ABEX Awards Committee for organizing this valuable program.”

“We applaud the efforts of Point2. Their tremendous growth in a sector not typically associated with Saskatchewan shows the power of out-of-the-box thinking and innovation,” noted Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce CEO, Steve McLellan. “They are a great Saskatchewan success story and truly deserve this award.”

Point2’s ABEX accomplishment comes at the heels of the company’s selection to the ‘Top 20 Employers in Saskatchewan for 2010’ earlier this month, as part of a nationally recognized Awards program organized by Mediacorp Canada Inc.

More information about the ABEX Awards can be found at http://www.saskchamber.com/default.aspx?page=49.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.Point2Manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Direct Capital and Point2 Technologies Sign Agreement to Offer Financing Solutions on Point2’s UsedIron.com

tamundson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:21:00 GMT

PORTSMOUTH, NH and SASKATOON, SK – October 21, 2009 – Direct Capital Corporation (“Direct Capital”), the 6^th largest independent leasing and finance company in the United States, and Point2 Technologies (“Point2”), a leading provider of inventory management and online marketing software for the heavy equipment and real estate industries today announced an agreement to offer Direct Capital financing solutions on Point2’s heavy equipment online marketplace, http://UsedIron.com.

The deal will provide easier, more convenient access to capital to UsedIron.com’s more than 600,000 annual unique visitors, through Direct Capital’s creative leasing and financing products.

Further details on the terms of deal were not disclosed.

“Direct Capital is pleased to support the heavy equipment industry with creative financing when access to funding continues to be one of the toughest obstacles facing contractors today,” said Paul Ringuette, Vice President Sales, Direct Capital Corp. “By prominently positioning Direct Capital on one of the industry’s most highly trafficked, information rich equipment websites, we’re significantly enhancing our market presence while establishing a solid foothold from which we can extend our services to Point2’s dominant and growing user base.”

“Point2’s partnership with a world class, aggressive financing solution provider like Direct Capital brings critical service to assist our customers in building and growing their business,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies. “With traffic on UsedIron consistently one of the highest in the industry, providing our users with convenient access to Direct Capital is yet another milestone towards making UsedIron by far the most preferred destination for used equipment online.”

UsedIron.com features over 33,000 heavy equipment listings and generates approximately 9 million page views each year.

About Direct Capital
Established in 1993, Direct Capital provides specialty finance solutions, including capital equipment leasing, commercial loans, and merchant cash advances. Direct Capital markets its services through direct relationships with businesses and through partnerships with vendors, dealers, and manufacturers of capital equipment. Superb execution on its exceptional and unique direct service delivery model is the cornerstone of Direct Capital's success in an increasingly commoditized financial services industry. The company has offices in New York, California, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Ohio, Iowa, and New Hampshire.

About Point2 Technologies
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2^® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contacts:

Direct Capital Corp.
Paul Ringuette
Vice President Sales
T. 1-603-373-1342
E. pringuette@directcapital.com

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Agent, broker confidence slips - INMAN News

scorbett — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:31:00 GMT

September Point2 survey based on 2,493 respondents

SABOR partners with Point2 Technologies to provide new member benefit

scorbett — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:01:00 GMT

San Antonio, TX – The San Antonio Board of REALTORS® (SABOR) is pleased to announce its partnership with Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”). As a benefit to SABOR members, the Point2 Agent syndication solution places MLS property listings on a variety of internet sites with a click of the mouse. With a network of nearly 40 online partners reaching more than 300 high traffic real estate consumer and media Web sites across the United States, Point2 Agent is the largest syndication utility available for real estate professionals.

Point2 allows every active SABOR broker and agent to syndicate property listings automatically, with Web site live feed updates from Point2 occurring every 24 hours. Users will no longer have to manually send their listings to individual Web sites.

With the syndication dashboard provided by Point2, users can view regular updates on internet traffic generated by their MLS listings. Users can also set their preferences on which sites they would like to have their listings placed as well as view prospect information. Members with at least one active MLS listing will be able to activate their syndication dashboards.

“We are very excited about the service that Point2 provides to our members,” Florence Terrell, 2009 SABOR Chairman of the Board, said. “Point2 allows for time-efficiency; and for REALTORS®, efficiency is key. Syndication will also provide more avenues for consumers to see what REALTORS ® have to offer.”

“We welcome SABOR’s leadership and its 7,000 members to the Point2 community, and we look forward to helping them capitalize on the Internet’s potential,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Distribution trumps destination on the Internet today and the members of SABOR will receive the benefit of broad listing distribution at no additional cost.”

The San Antonio Board of REALTORS® is the largest professional and trade organization in San Antonio and represents over 7,000 REALTOR® members. SABOR is one of over 1,600 local boards and 54 state and territory associations of REALTORS® nationwide that make up the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Please visit SABOR.com for more information.

Point2 Technologies Named One of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2010

scorbett — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. Point2 Technologies today announced that it has been selected as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2010 by Mediacorp Canada Inc., featured today in the province of Saskatchewan’s two largest daily newspapers, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post.

“We are extremely honoured to be recognized as one of the top employers in the province of Saskatchewan,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc. “We share this privilege with every employee at Point2. Their input, dedication and relentless drive are what inspires and fuels our employee programs and benefits each so deserves.”

“An engaged and motivated workforce has always been one of Point2’s most important priorities, and we are committed to constantly improving how we do things,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies Inc. “The Top Employer designation is a great reflection of our commitment to our employees, and mostly a reflection of employee feedback, participation and leadership on many of our creative programs.”

Now in its fifth year, Saskatchewan’s Top Employers (http://www.canadastop100.com/sk/) competition is an annual program that recognizes organizations that take a lead in offering exceptional places to work. The competition, which drew a record number of applications this year is organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers project.

“Point2 distinguished themselves in a very competitive field,” said Tony Meehan, Publisher of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Employers nominated for Saskatchewan’s Top Employers designation were graded on eight criteria, namely (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement.

Point2’s inclusion on Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2010 highlighted a number of central employee benefits, including i) company matched retirement savings plan contributions, ii) career development and training programs including on-going education subsidy, iii) comprehensive onsite health and fitness facilities, iv) new employee referral financial bonus rewards and, v) extended annual paid vacations starting with three weeks for new employees and increasing to five weeks based on years of service.

More information about the reasons for selection and a list of the Top Employers for 2010 can be found at http://www.canadastop100.com/sk/.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at Point2 Technologies.
Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 among top employers - Star Phoenix

scorbett — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:06:00 GMT

By Jenn Sharp

Saskatoon's Point2 Technologies was founded in 1996 by five entrepreneurs who saw the power of the Internet as a useful sales and marketing tool for an industry that was struggling to sell its product in the global marketplace.

Company president Barry Willick said they decided to focus on Internet-based software that could be used by heavy equipment dealers and manufacturers for sales, marketing and inventory management. "We provided tools for dealers to advertise their equipment no matter where they were in the world."

Currently, half of Point2's 115 staff members are responsible for writing and maintaining the site www.catused.com, after Point2 established a key relationship with Caterpillar Inc. The software Point2 developed is now used by heavy equipment dealers and manufacturers all over the world. In 2002, they decided to diversify to include the real estate market and developed Point2 Agent, a full online marketing tool kit, which has been used by agents in 120 countries.

Jay Pepper-Martens, a 35-year-old sales engineer, has been with the company for nearly three years, and said he joined the Saskatoon team because he knew Point2 worked with a variety of markets, and would give him the chance to expand his skills: "I was working at a smaller company and was looking for more opportunities and chances for professional growth and development."

"They've become a very progressive company," Pepper-Martens said. "Point2 is flexible; they embrace change . . . and have switched to a modern development program. They keep me trained in ways which help me grow professionally."

Saskatchewan's Top 20 Employers are chosen annually by a Toronto firm called Mediacorp Canada Inc. After a year-long process, Saskatchewan companies are chosen from more than 2, 600 applicants to Canada's Top 100 Employers competition. Employers completed an extensive application process that included a detailed review of their operations and human resource practices. Applicants are graded on eight key areas: physical workplace; work atmosphere and social aspects; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.

Point2, which has offices in Saskatoon and Vancouver, was recognized in five categories. Along with matching RSP contributions, offering new employees three weeks paid vacation and providing a free, on-site fitness facility, the company also manages a formal, in-house, career development program. Pepper-Martens said the program, which includes one-on-one coaching and bi-weekly progress reviews, "is at the top of my list. I was recently sent to a conference in Chicago, where I met people in my industry and had the chance to meet Americans which was something I had never done before. It was huge for my professional development."

Willick explained that those sent to conferences have a responsibility to teach the other employees what they have learned: "They have to make that commitment so we can all take advantage of outside knowledge."

Time is allotted each week for learning workshops.

"Friday afternoon is a lower productivity time for any business, so we shut down the office at 3pm and last year started to use the time between 1 and 3pm for professional development," he explained.

"We encourage staff to prepare and deliver workshops that explain new concepts . . . It's time that can be used for learning or working on projects that are important to Point2 and in areas they want to learn."

Another key area of Point2's benefits for employees is their referral program. While many companies offer bonuses for employees who refer a person who is successfully hired, not many offer $1,000 or more.

"Our culture is to promote from within where it makes sense," said Willick. "We're always looking for the best person for the job and we look inside first . . . but sometimes we need new experts who raise the game and bring in new experience."

Willick said the $1,000 incentive encourages staff to seek talent in the development community. "(Our staff) know we don't just hire anybody. They're putting out their endorsement for the quality that person reflects."

Willick said the incentive program has brought recruits from all over the world to work at Point2 and that they were "attracted to the company because of the people we already have working here."

"We take pride in our culture. It's our greatest asset and we protect that," explained Willick.

Pepper-Martens agreed and said Point2 "is a positive environment where everyone feels they're allowed to contribute. A lot of great ideas come from an open dialogue."

Saskatchewan's

Top Employers:

Airline Hotels & Resorts Ltd.

Cameco Corporation

Co-operators Life Insurance Company

Crestline Coach Ltd.

Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan

Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan (ISC)

ISM Canada

Magna Electric Corporation

Point2 Technologies Inc.

Regina Police Service

Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI)

Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST)

Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club Inc.

Saskatoon Health Region

SaskEnergy Incorporated

SaskPower Corporation

SaskTel

University of Saskatchewan

Workers' Compensation Board of Saskatchewan

"Friday afternoon is a lower productivity time for any business, so we shut down the office at 3pm and last year started to use the time between 1 and 3pm for professional development," he explained.

"We encourage staff to prepare and deliver workshops that explain new concepts . . . It's time that can be used for learning or working on projects that are important to Point2 and in areas they want to learn."

Another key area of Point2's benefits for employees is their referral program. While many companies offer bonuses for employees who refer a person who is successfully hired, not many offer $1,000 or more.

"Our culture is to promote from within where it makes sense," said Willick. "We're always looking for the best person for the job and we look inside first . . . but sometimes we need new experts who raise the game and bring in new experience."

Willick said the $1,000 incentive encourages staff to seek talent in the development community. "(Our staff) know we don't just hire anybody. They're putting out their endorsement for the quality that person reflects."

Willick said the incentive program has brought recruits from all over the world to work at Point2 and that they were "attracted to the company because of the people we already have working here."

"We take pride in our culture. It's our greatest asset and we protect that," explained Willick.

Pepper-Martens agreed and said Point2 "is a positive environment where everyone feels they're allowed to contribute. A lot of great ideas come from an open dialogue."

Don’t Tell Anyone What I’ve Done with My Website - RIS Media

scorbett — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:12:00 GMT

By Mike Parker

RISMEDIA, — I was recently informed that one of our new online marketing services clients had experienced success ridiculously quickly. I found it hard to believe that someone could sell a home to their first lead from their website, and obtain that lead in their first month of using it, so I wrote the agent/broker and asked if what I had heard were true.

“I told my assistant that she can’t tell anyone what I have done with my website. I’ve had three great leads in two days and I’m in a small boutique market,” our client said. Well, maybe I can’t tell you who I’m talking about, but I can surely share with you what this broker did and perhaps you can use that information.

Lightning-quick success is not the norm online
The Internet is huge: about 11 billion active Web pages are out there being indexed every day. It only stands to reason that any action taken to improve your websites rankings and placement take time to accomplish. Normally, it’s 4-6 weeks (or even longer in highly completive marketplaces) before you will notice any substantial improvement in your online marketing results. However, just as success rarely happens overnight, success improves as time goes by and in time, online marketing success becomes something to be maintained, not achieved, because you’ve already achieved it in 80+% of all cases.

What our client did with her website
First she bought in to what is not always obvious in online marketing: It is not about bombing people with information they don’t need as much as it is about tantalizing them to ask you for more information that they want. Accordingly, the broker stripped her homepage to give minimal information and her online marketing services company rewrote it for her to be as powerful as possible in the eyes of Google and the other search engines. That allowed three major things to occur:

Her properly optimized homepage is on page one of Google, Yahoo and Bing for what she sells in both her market targets. This has increased her traffic considerably. In her first few weeks, 76 different people found her in this niche market on the first page of search engines. Here’s what one of them who signed in asked for: “Please send me brochures, school info, community events, a Visitor’s Guide, and maps for residential properties and condos. Any info you could e-mail would be great. Prices range from 300-500k.” This was accompanied by the Internet buyer’s name, phone and e-mail address.

Having attended the “How to follow up an Internet lead” course, our broker knew what to do: she called the prospect and sent a personalized (never an auto responder) e-mail confirming that she had received his inquiry and was complying with his request. She did this within an hour of receiving the lead.

The rest, as they say, is history!

After a year with a website, just 30 more days to succeeding online
This broker subscribed to her online marketing services on August 13, 2009. Production optimizing her site and rewriting her homepage was completed on August 21, 2009. She was selling homes online right after Labor Day. “I’ve had my website for over a year,” she told me. “It’s a very good platform (Point2) and I’m very happy with how easy it is for me to maintain. I read about another broker who also had a Point2 site and who started selling homes to Internet buyers after Compass tweaked her site, optimized it for her and gave her the training courses. After talking with that broker, I decided to take the $3,400 gamble and give CompassSearch a try. I have to tell you, I am so impressed at the results and I am very glad that I did.”

If you could see this broker’s site, you’d know her listings range from $280,000 for raw land to $5,575,000 for a top-of-the-line estate, and anywhere in between; do the math at what the commission on just one Internet sale might be. It is that return which is the basis for investing in online marketing services for Realtors: with 87% of all residential real estate sales starting online, chances are good that the cost is recovered several times over during the initial year of subscription.

Don’t tell!
It’s a common thought to keep something that gives you an unfair advantage to yourself, especially in a very small niche market. Most agents, however, are up to their ears in competition, and want to know about anything that can give them that edge. A major problem today is that “experts” of all sorts are pushing all sorts of technology for all sorts of reasons and a lot of that “must have” technology is baffling to regular folks like you and me.

So, whatever you do, don’t tell anyone that succeeding online is a simple three-step process: Enable your website to be found on the major search engines under what you sell; Convert 5-15% of all visitors to leads by signing them in and tantalizing them to ask you for more information; Follow up immediately and respond as fast as you can with what they want.

One more thing: don’t tell anyone that 87% of all residential homes sales today begin on the Internet or that 92% of Internet homebuyers find the agent they buy a home from through a search engine. NAR’s been trying to tell folks that for years, but somehow, the message is getting blocked. Just imagine what agents and brokers would do to succeed in online marketing if they knew these things. Just imagine the huge difference in your income stream if you could tap into that 87% of transactions.

While the identity and location of the broker who is the real source for this column must remain secret, the facts listed above are no secret. Success can be yours, regardless of market conditions, in the place where 87% of all residential real estate transactions occur. The question is: are you going to try to compete on your own, or are you going to seek help from professionals? Because without a doubt, you must become active online.

Whatever you decide, the time to begin is now. You can’t wait to be fed leads anymore. You need to find a way to make them for yourself and the place you can do that is online.

United States Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) Dips 0.85 Percent in September

scorbett — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:05:00 GMT

Current Sentiment Up but Weaker Forward Looking Confidence Weighs In on Index

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today released the results of its forward looking Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) for the United States for the month of September 2009, reporting a reading of 5.83 on the RECI scale of 1 – 10 (1 being “Bad” and 10 being Good”), compared to 5.88 for August 2009. The RECI remained virtually flat at a national level, slipping less than one percentage point.

The RECI tracks Current market sentiment, Short-Term (3 – 6 months) Optimism/Pessimism and Long-Term (12 – 18 months) Optimism/Pessimism of real estate professionals in the United States. The median across all three time periods represents the forward looking Index measure for the month.

Real estate professionals’ Current sentiment averaged 5.06 on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 4.96 in August. The change represents a 2 percent improvement in confidence across the country. However, the forward looking Short Term (3 – 6 months) Optimism Pessimism reading came in at 5.70, slipping 1.7 percent.

Long Term (12 – 18 months) Optimism/Pessimism was also off its recent high, dropping by 2.3 percent versus last month and further pressuring the Index’s overall score.

Bank owned properties (REOs) and low priced foreclosures combined with the US$8,000 First Time Buyer Tax Credit were frequently credited by RECI survey respondents for spurring much of the market activity in the Study period. Foreclosures and REOs were however also cited as a primary cause for continued downward pressure on the market.

Other positive catalysts linked to the recent buying activity include low interest rates.

General concerns reported by survey respondents include i) the Federal Tax Credit program nearing its expiry on November 30, 2009, ii) persistent high REO and foreclosure inventories, iii) a weak employment picture and, iv) a continued tough financing environment. Tough appraisals, which tends to derail deals, and sporadic sentiment that more foreclosures are being held back were also mentioned by respondents in several states.

To obtain the RECI Summary Report including respondent commentaries, by State, visit http://RealEstateConfidenceIndex.com.

2,493 real estate professionals across the United States contributed to the Real Estate Confidence Index in September.

Survey Instrument and Methodology
The Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) tracks the real estate market opinions of thousands of licensed real estate professionals, brokers and agents, across the United States, accounting for seasonality, on a scale of one to ten (1 being “bad” and 10 being “good”). The RECI also rates respondent sentiment for market conditions 3 – 6 months and 6 – 12 months into the future on a ten-point scale (1 being “pessimistic” and 10 being “optimistic’). The median across all time periods represents the Index measure for the month.

The RECI is open to the Point2 Agent membership at the beginning of each month, for up to seven days. Respondents complete a simple, four question survey through third party survey solution providers, Survey Monkey. The data is tabulated electronically, median averages surfaced for quantitative questions, and qualitative feedback is captured and presented in Point2’s monthly RECI Summary Report. For more details and a listing of the RECI survey questions, please visit www.RealEstateConfidenceIndex.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

APPN.com - Local Briefs

scorbett — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Association forms partnership

The Monmouth County Association of Realtors, provider of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service, announced its partnership with Point2 Technologies, which will provide property listing distribution of the industry's largest syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 third party, high traffic Web sites and search engines, as well as more than 260 newspaper Web sites, on a listing-by-listing basis.

According to Kenneth Walker, chairman of the Monmouth Ocean Multiple Listing Service Committee, the association is the first in New Jersey to partner with the Point2 syndication network.

Point2 Technologies CEO Saul Klein to Address California REALTORS® on Age of Wikonomics, Social Media and Web 2.0

scorbett — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Saul Klein, will speak to members of the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® on pervasive and rapidly growing Internet technologies set to shape how real estate business will be conducted over the next decade. Klein will address the audience in a dynamic 60 minute seminar scheduled as part of the 2009 CALIFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO set to take place at the San Jose Convention Center in California, October 6 - 8, 2009.

The first Internet evangelist in real estate with nearly 35 years of industry experience, Klein will guide attendees with thought provoking insight and practical ideas on how to make the most of Web 2.0 to galvanize their business.

“From a practical point of view, the term Web 2.0 remains vague and social media remains elusive to most in real estate. Professonials realize Web 2.0 technologies are game changers and want to gain understanding of the impact they will and can have on their business,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Learning about and how to integrate the various components of Web 2.0 into their business and marketing plans will be central to prospering in an economy governed by a new type of consumer with an insatiable appetite for technology.”

Klein’s session will address key questions on the minds of REALTORS® today that pertain to social media, search engines and the ‘long tail,’ and the world of the Wiki in the context of Web 2.0. Participants will learn about the four major components of Web 2.0 and how it’s changing Web marketing, comprehend the power of analytics and predictive marketing, and get motivated to take the required steps to create a plan for success in 2010 and beyond.
The session, entitled ‘Distribution Trumps Destination: Why You Should Market Your Listings Everywhere’ will take place at the San Jose Convention Centre on Tuesday October 6, 2009, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.Point2Manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

REM Online - Saskatchewan links with listing syndication service

scorbett — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:54:00 GMT

By Kathy Bevan

The Association of Saskatchewan Realtors (ASR) has joined with Point2 Technologies to establish the first national real estate listing syndication program to be set up in Canada by a regional organized real estate association.

The syndication service plans to complement CREA’s national Realtor.ca listing website, by offering Saskatchewan brokers and salespeople the option of having their listings posted at no charge on Point2’s network of third-party websites and search engines, including Google, HouseHunting.ca, The RealEstateChannel.ca, TheRealEstateBook.com, HomesZ.com, eBay, Craigslist, Oodle.com and Zoocasa.com. Any brokers or salespeople who do not want to have their listing data syndicated by Point2 can opt out of the listings feed, which will be provided to Point2 by the Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors (SRAR), where most Saskatchewan real estate listing data is hosted and processed.

SRAR led the initiative, a collaborative effort among eight Saskatchewan industry organizations, including the Prince Albert and District Association of Realtors, the Moose Jaw Real Estate Board, the Council of Battleford Realtors, the Swift Current and Region Council of Realtors, the Melfort Real Estate Council and the Southeast Saskatchewan Council of Realtors.

Some concerns have been expressed about allowing Saskatchewan listing data to be shared with large Internet sites that have been regarded as a potential threat to organized real estate, by taking the Realtor out of the equation. Harry Janzen, SRAR’s executive officer, says that, as all the data will come from the associations, boards and councils, with brokers and salespeople having the ability to opt out of the process, the integrity of the data and the Realtor’s role is not at risk.

Janzen also says that Saskatchewan has a stringent data access sharing agreement in place with Point2. “We could cut off the flow of MLS data literally by the flick of a switch, if anything was found to be in violation,” he says.

One of the province’s larger franchises, Century 21 Connexus, has decided to opt out of the new program and will not allow its listings to be syndicated through Point2. Other industry members are only too happy to have the new syndication program in place. Dale Ripplinger, broker/owner of Realty Executives Dale Ripplinger & Associates in Regina and current president of CREA, has been using Point2’s syndication service for the past six months.

“I think it’s great. As a Realtor, anything that facilitates me exposing my client’s product to the widest possible market is good for me and it’s good for my client. And having the association do it just makes it easier for me as a Realtor to get it done.”

Having authorized listing information fed directly to Point2 by the Saskatoon Association of Realtors means brokers and salespeople who already use Point2’s services will no longer have to do double entry work, or constantly update the Point2 site whenever any listing information changes. Janzen estimates that, in Saskatoon alone, this affects approximately 275 Realtors who were already using Point2’s services.

“For those who are opting into our new syndication program, it relieves them of the responsibility of managing their Point2 website,” says Janzen. “They know that, because of our feed, if the listing expires tonight, it’s coming off both the MLS system and the Point2 syndication.”

Realtors don’t need a Point2 website to opt into the new syndication service, but they can buy into additional “premium” services from Point2, including websites, if they wish.

The company, headquartered in Saskatoon, was better known for its software solutions for Realtors until about 20 months ago, when it began working directly with MLS services in the U.S., offering to syndicate their listings through wider Internet distribution. The firm now has syndication agreements in place with more than 70 MLS organizations south of the border.

Saul Klein, CEO of Point2 Technologies, acknowledges that it has been a more difficult proposition trying to persuade organized real estate in Canada about the benefits of using a third-party syndication network to broaden exposure of MLS listings.

“It’s kind of a foreign idea in Canada – or more foreign than it is in the U.S. – to widely distribute listings across the web so it’s easier for consumers to find them,” says Klein. “It’s just that the Internet continues to move forward and as the Internet moves forward, there are more opportunities to take advantage of the technology and the reach.”

Klein says, “I tell people, there’s a buyer for every property somewhere – you just have to find them. And when people go to search for real estate on the Internet, we’d like to believe they all go to one spot. But the fact is, people will search for real estate in a number of different ways.”

Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® Taps Listing Syndication Trend with Point2 Technologies Solution

scorbett — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:42:00 GMT

New Free Service Covers Listings from the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service - Bolsters Association Member Benefits and Optimizes Online Home Buyer Access to Local Inventory

Tinton Falls, NJ and Saskatoon, SK – September 28, 2009 – Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® (MCAR), provider of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service (MOMLS) today announced its partnership with Point2 Technologies which will provide property listing distribution to the industry’s largest syndication and re-syndication network of nearly 40 third party, high traffic websites and search engines, as well as over 260 newspaper websites, on a listing by listing basis.

The new, free program successfully rolled out today to over 930 offices and 9,500 members of MOMLS. The service includes access to online traffic reports, to enable better marketing and online advertising expenditure decisions.

Advanced traffic reporting and lead conversion software tools are also seamlessly available as part of an optional, subscription based service to all MOMLS members, offered within the Point2 Agent software suite.

“We are tapping a critical service in partnership with a leader in the industry, to better serve and deliver on our commitment of world class service to our members,” said Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® President, Glenn Mills. “Listing syndication has become extremely important and it is key that buyers everywhere gain access to all available inventory.”

According to Kenneth “Kip” Walker, Chairman of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service Committee, “We are extremely pleased to be first in New Jersey to bring the benefits of the Point2 syndication network to our members as well as to consumers across the U.S., buyers and sellers alike.” “Our partnership with Point2 is a great milestone as it allows us to deliver very valuable services at no cost to our members, while saving them significant time in their online marketing efforts.”

“Adoption of listing syndication as a means to automate the distribution of property listings online has accelerated significantly over recent months, thanks to leadership and collaborative efforts between technology providers, listing aggregators and search engines, as well as forward looking industry Associations such as MCAR,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “The ultimate beneficiaries of all these efforts will be the consumer, and the economy, as inventory gains better, more accurate and more timely exposure on the Net. Point2 is proud to partner with MCAR on this initiative and to play a leading role in the evolution of real estate marketing on the Web.”

Key service benefits to MOMLS members also include single point of data entry, which eliminates the need to re-enter data on the various sites including their own website or their Point2 Agent site, to help maintain data accuracy and consistency for the user’s listing online.

Point2 boasts the industry’s largest listing syndication network. Since launching its real estate MLS and Association solution just over a year ago, over 90 organizations have joined the Point2 program.

About Monmouth County Association of REALTORS®
The Monmouth County Association of REALTORS® (MCAR), founded in 1936, is a trade association serving over 5,800 REALTORS® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATES®. MCAR is the provider of the Monmouth/Ocean Multiple Listing Service (MOMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 930 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together our members participate in over 40,000 real estate transactions every year. More information can be found at www.momls.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.Point2Manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contacts:

Monmouth Association of REALTORS®
Joanne Conroy, ePro
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
T. 1-732-918-1340 x25
E. jconroy@momls.com

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

RISMEDIA - The MLS of the Future – A Seismic Shift, Technologically and Generationally Driven

scorbett — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:18:00 GMT

MLS Matters by Saul Klein

Once MLS 5.0 has been fully implemented, the changes that will have occurred in the real estate landscape will be equivalent to a seismic shift of catastrophic proportions, catastrophic to those who refuse to adapt. Traditional MLSs, Realtor associations, franchises, brokerages, teams and agents that embrace these scalable, visionary initiatives will provide unprecedented benefits to consumers by better positioning the Realtor at the center of the online real estate conversation. Those who fail to act early and decisively may likely lag behind, lose market share and possibly cease to be a force of any measure or consequence in the industry.

So far in this series, we’ve discussed what MLS 5.0 is and what it will look like. But, specifically, who will MLS 5.0 serve?

MLS 5.0 will serve the customer of today and be ready for the customer of tomorrow. That customer is the Realtor and their customer, the buyers and sellers of real estate. According to NAR, Gen X and Gen Y made up 78.8% of all first-time home purchases in 2007. This is a significant milestone. Within a few years, these generations will be first-time home sellers and second-time home buyers. The size of these two generations combined is greater than the Baby Boom Generation. They will have a significant economic impact on the real estate industry. MLS 5.0 must be built to fulfill the expectations of the Realtor and consumer of today, as well as the Realtor and consumer of tomorrow.

While there is a variety of information and definitions about the different generations, one thing for certain is that there are truly generational differences based on the times in which people live, the seminal events in their lives and the world conditions they experience during their lifetime.

Traditionally, MLS has always been a broker-to-broker (business-to-business) network. It was not created as a central platform to facilitate marketing efforts. As all listing information is now digitized, the first point of entry is typically the MLS. The MLS of the future must consider becoming the single point of entry to facilitate the distribution and, thus, the marketing of listings both online and eventually offline. This will actually give control back to the brokers.

So how can an MLS restructure its business model to ensure the Realtor is in the center of the real estate conversation online, communicating and speaking the language of the new consumer? We’ll visit this issue in next month’s article.

U.S. Real Estate Professionals’ Forward-Looking Market Sentiment Improves 5.4 Percent in August

scorbett — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Real Estate Confidence Index Trends Higher for Third Consecutive Month but Remains Marginally Above Neutral Territory at 5.9

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today released its Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) survey report for the month of August 2009. The RECI extended its upward move for the third consecutive month but remained marginally in positive territory, recording a 5.9 reading at the national level on the Index scale of one to ten (1 being “Bad” and 10 being ‘Good”). The August reading reflects a 5.4 percent improvement over July 2009 and a 21 percent increase over the June 2009 average.

The RECI tracks Current, Short-Term and Long-Term market sentiment of real estate professionals in the United States. The median response across all questions represents the Index measure for the month.

Short Term Optimism / Pessimism (3-6 months) averaged 5.8 in August, a 4.5 percent improvement over July and almost at par with the June reading of 5.74.

Long Term Optimism / Pessimism (6-12 months) sentiment moved up to 6.88, a 3.6 improvement over the July reading and nearly equal to the June reading of 6.8.

“We continue to track overall improving sentiment within the Point2 broker and agent community around the country,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “How do sentiment and reality track? That can only be determined in retrospect.”

To obtain the RECI Summary Report including respondent commentaries, by State, visit http://RealEstateConfidenceIndex.com.

3,151 real estate professionals covering every U.S. State, Puerto Rico and Guam contributed to the Real Estate Confidence Index in August. In addition to the national reading, Point2 plans to release regional indices starting with the September, 2009 Report.

Survey Instrument and Methodology
The Real Estate Confidence Index (RECI) tracks the real estate market opinions of thousands of real estate professionals across the United States, accounting for seasonality, on a scale of one to ten (1 being “bad” and 10 being “good”). The RECI also rates respondent sentiment for market conditions 3-6 months and 6-12 months into the future on a ten-point scale (1 being “pessimistic” and 10 being “optimistic’). The median response across all questions represents the Index measure for the month.

The RECI is open to the Point2 Agent membership at the beginning of each month, for up to seven days. Respondents complete a simple, four question survey through third party survey solution providers, Survey Monkey. The data is tabulated electronically, median averages surfaced for quantitative questions, and qualitative feedback is captured and presented in Point2’s monthly RECI Summary Report.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.Point2Agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.Point2Manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact:

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

REM Online - More photos get more viewers

scorbett — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:12:00 GMT

A study by Point2 Technologies, a provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, says home buyers are more attracted to online listings that have lots of photos.

The study set out to examine the impact of photos in driving real estate transactions, as part of a broker’s or agent’s online marketing efforts. Point2 Technologies says the results strongly suggest that adding more photos generates a better response to real estate listings.

Listings that did not include any photos performed very poorly, generating little consumer response and business, says the company. The study showed that listings with zero photos attract, on average, 0.02 per cent of the detailed listing views that listings with 21 to 36 photos enjoy. Listings that featured a single photo fared significantly better.

“Once again the data indicates that online home shoppers want rich content, specifically in the form of more photos, otherwise they intend to move on to the next listing,” says Carey Tufts, director of marketing, Point2 Technologies. “Especially in today’s market, home sellers and their agents do not have to take this risk. The data sends a powerful message. With more than 80 per cent of home buyers continuing to do their research online, agents must attach more photos to their listings for them to stand out and attract more potential buyers.”

Compared to listings with only one photo, those with 21 or more photos generated more than triple the number of detailed views, more than double the amount of interest, and double the number of leads, says the study. Compared to listings with no photos, those with 21 or more photos generated more than 55 times the number of detailed views, nearly 27 times the amount of interest, and 898 times the number of leads.

“The days of putting out little information in the hopes that buyers will phone in to learn more are gone,” says Tufts.

Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with nearly 200,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 Agent platform, in 100 countries. Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its offices in Saskatoon and Vancouver.

Point2, ASR Implement Program

scorbett — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:54:00 GMT

The StarPhoenix

A local company and a provincial real estate association have teamed up to implement Canada's first national real estate listing program by a regional association.

Point2 Technologies Inc., which employs more than 120 people at its corporate office in Saskatoon, and the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors (ASR) said Wednesday the national listing syndication program is set to maximize Saskatchewan property listing exposure online and help ensure listing accuracy on real estate search sites and search engines.

The groups say the program is a result of three months of planning and development. The initiative was led by the Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors, which hosts most of the province's real estate listing data. Real estate associations from the Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Battlefords, Swift Current, Melfort and southeast Saskatchewan regions also participated in the development of the program.

The program is in operation effective immediately.

The MLS of the Future – Understanding MLS 5.0

scorbett — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:58:00 GMT

MLS Matters by Saul Klein

RISMEDIA, - MLS 5.0 is constructed as a property Wiki. While traditional MLS is listing or transaction based, MLS 5.0 is parcel based. A sale or transaction is but a moment in time in the life of a property. Information about properties may be needed during periods other than a transaction period.

A wiki is a collection of Web pages, where the content is written by contributors (Wiki in plain English). Wiki software can have many uses and applications, the most well known being Wikipedia, which is an encyclopedia written by volunteer writers and editors. Companies today often use wiki software to create searchable, retrievable information about the company. A wiki begins with something referred to as a “stub,” which can be a word or a phrase, and then contributors write about the stub. Based on a concept known as the “wisdom of crowds,” the information about a stub (where a wiki subject item begins), typically becomes more comprehensive and accurate over time based on contributions from its participants.

The word “wiki” is the Hawaiian word for fast or quick. For many years, a flight into the Honolulu International Airport also meant a ride on the Wiki Wiki Shuttle.

A property wiki, then, is a wiki in which the stubs are property addresses or parcel numbers, to which information from contributors and editors can be added to create a comprehensive record.

Imagine a blank website for every property address in the U.S. To that blank website, imagine adding anything publicly known. Now imagine inviting the property owner and Realtors to add what they know about the property. While there are some concerns about accuracy, Web 2.0 concepts, self-policing, flagging and social capital will, in time, minimize the inaccuracies.

This is key to understanding MLS 5.0…that a listing is merely a moment in time in the life of a property. MLS data is a subset of a larger body of data relative to a parcel of real property. Of value to Realtors and consumers is information about a parcel before the property is listed for sale. Property history, in one convenient place, easily and quickly accessible and searchable, is an asset that grows in value as more information is accumulated over time. Pictures, video, audio, text and other formats of information relevant to a property and conveniently aggregated will provide benefits to both real estate professionals and consumers. There will also be the opportunity for local real estate professionals to demonstrate their expertise about properties and neighborhoods and build their real estate social capital in an online world.

Next month we’ll examine the beneficiaries of MLS 5.0, taking a closer look at generational differences, ever-changing expectations and the void the future MLS-MLS 5.0-will fill.

Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® and Point2 Technologies Implement Canada’s First National Real Estate Listing Syndication Program by a Regional Association

scorbett — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:27:00 GMT

New system enhances and expands existing regional MLS® system nationally - enables listing distribution and publishing on popular third party websites for optimal visibility to buyers

Saskatoon, SK – The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® (“ASR”) and Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced the launch of Canada’s first automated national real estate property listing syndication program to ever be undertaken by a regional Canadian real estate industry organization.

The initiative aims to maximize Saskatchewan For Sale property listing exposure online and will help to ensure listing data accuracy and integrity on high traffic real estate search sites and search engines that have become increasingly popular with consumers for researching real property.

The program reflects three months of extensive planning and development, and is a collaborative effort between eight industry organizations. The Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS® (“SRAR”) where most Saskatchewan real estate listing data is hosted and processed, led the initiative.

Participants also include The Association of Regina REALTORS®, The Prince Albert and District Association of REALTORS®, The Moose Jaw Real Estate Board, The Council of Battlefords REALTORS®, The Swift Current and Region Council of REALTORS®, The Melfort Real Estate Council and The Southeast Saskatchewan Council of REALTORS®.

Under the new system, REALTORS® across major cities and jurisdictions in the province of Saskatchewan including Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Swift Current, The Battlefords, Estevan, Weyburn, and Moose Jaw will now be able to automatically supplement Realtor.ca branding and listing exposure with visibility across Point2’s industry leading network of 16 third party websites and search engines including Google, Craigslist, eBay, HouseHunting.ca, TheRealEstateChannel.ca, TheRealEstateBook.com, ZooCasa.com, HomesZ.com and Oodle.com.

Harry H. Janzen, CAE Executive Officer of the Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS® stated: “Fundamental changes in online consumer search habits and expectations have introduced challenges that until now REALTORS® have had to tackle through manual, and potentially expensive means, including posting listings on third party websites. By automating listing syndication, not only are we empowering Saskatchewan REALTORS® with more efficient ways to widen online listings exposure and branding, but we’re simultaneously ensuring data standards, consistency and accuracy no matter where consumers choose to search within the distribution network.”

Said Bill Madder, Executive Vice President of the Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®, “We are ecstatic to partner with an industry leader like Point2 to provide REALTORS® across Saskatchewan with the ability to market listings nationally, in a new and empowering way, but also to gain access to traffic reports and other conversion tools that can help turn more browsing prospects into clients.”

“This is a great milestone for the province of Saskatchewan. We foresee other provinces also embracing syndication in the future, as a means to add value to their membership and enhance consumer experience on the Internet,” concluded Madder.

“Point2 has executed more than 70 MLS® and Association syndication agreements over the past eight months and our experience with the Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®, and the leadership and implementation teams at SRAR has been exemplary at every stage,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “We are very excited to be able to make a difference and to help further the value and value proposition of REALTORS® in the province of Saskatchewan.”

Effective immediately, current Saskatchewan based Point2 Agent solution users will start to draw the benefits of single point of data entry, automatically populating their Point2 system with listing data, through a live feed drawn directly from their MLS® system.

About Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®
The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® (ASR) is a voluntary, non-profit organization serving, representing, and providing direction and leadership to its members and to organized real estate. The ASR is one of the largest single-industry trade organizations in Saskatchewan, representing the interests of over 1,200 licensed REALTORS®.

Through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), ASR members facilitated the sale of 12,282 properties valued at over 2.7 billion dollars in 2008.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contacts:

Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®
Bill Madder
Executive Vice President
Toll Free: 1-877-306-7732
T. 1-306-373-5377
E. bmadder@saskatchewanrealestate.com

Saskatoon Region Association of REALTORS®
Harry H. Janzen, CAE Executive Officer
T. 1-306-343-3440
E. hjanzen@srar.ca

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 signs deal with association

mlust — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:27:00 GMT

The StarPhoenix

Point2 Technologies Inc. has signed a deal with one of the largest real-estate associations in the United States.

The Saskatoon-based company and the Southland Regional Association of Realtors have implemented a major program designed to extend advanced property listing syndication technology to the association's 10,000 real-estate brokers and agents in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, Point2 said Tuesday.

The deal allows the real-estate association's members to automatically publish listings on nearly 300 search engines and websites. Point2 says the technology will allow buyers to more easily find and research Southern California real estate on preferred real-estate websites and on more than 260 newspaper websites.

In the six months since Point2 launched its real estate MLS and association partnership initiative, more than 65 organizations representing 250,000 Realtors and 500,000 property listings have joined the program, the company said.

Online Real Estate Leader Point2 Technologies Releases the "Real Estate Confidence Index" to Track Street-Level Real Estate Market Sentiment

mlust — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:13:00 GMT

Index goes beyond data to capture a forward-looking view of the real estate market - from the people who know it best.

San Francisco, CA - Point2 Technologies, Inc. (www.point2.com), the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication solutions for the real estate industry, with users in over 100 countries on its platform, debuted the Real Estate Confidence Index today at the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference. The Index, which tracks the real estate market opinions of thousands of real estate professionals across the United States, fills a missing link in real estate intelligence by capturing the current, near-term and long-term sentiment of the people most attuned to market conditions. The company released its June and July national level results today with plans to provide regional indices starting September 2009.

More information and initial results can be found at www.realestateconfidenceindex.com.

The Real Estate Confidence Index is produced through a monthly survey of real estate professionals across the country who are asked to rate current conditions in their market, accounting for seasonality, on a scale of one to ten (1 being "bad" and 10 being "good") and rate their sentiment for market conditions 3-6 months and 6-12 months into the future on a ten-point scale (1 being "pessimistic" and 10 being "optimistic"). The median response across all questions represents the Index measure for the month. 3,191 professionals contributed to the Index in June; 3,201 contributed in July.

The Real Estate Confidence Index for June was 4.7, with respondents taking a measured assessment of current conditions on a seasonally adjusted basis - a median rating of 5 on the ten-point scale. However, respondents showed marked optimism for both short (3-6 months) and long-term (6-12 months) prospects.

The July index showed a 16.5 percent increase, rising to 5.5, signaling that real estate professionals are seeing positive movement in a market characterized by contraction for over two years. However, not all respondents were sanguine. 18 percent were less than optimistic about market prospects even 12 to 18 months into the future.

"The feet-on-the-ground perspective only real estate professionals possess is critically important to understanding where the market is, where it is heading and it simply cannot be captured by traditional measures," said Saul Klein, Point2's CEO. "The Real Estate Confidence Index provides a window into the market that did not exist before."

Point2 will issue the index on a monthly basis and intends to provide region-specific indices starting in this fall. The company will also provide advance reports to professionals who contribute to the index.

"Since the beginning of real estate time, at backyard barbeques and in neighborly conversations, consumers have asked real estate professionals the same question: 'How's the market and where do you think it's headed?'" concludes Point2's Klein. "The Real Estate Confidence Index reflects the collective answer of thousands of informed professionals across the country.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate (www.point2agent.com) and heavy equipment industries (www.point2manager.com).

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes (www.point2homes.com), and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.usediron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
C. 778-960-8906
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Companies making news

mlust — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:10:00 GMT

Detroit Free Press - Freep.com

• Ann Arbor-based SchoolPictures.com, a provider of school pictures, donated more than $2 million to Michigan schools that have used its portrait services in the four years since its founding. This milestone validates the company's mission to supplement funding for education and improve the academic environment for children while providing pictures.

Partnerships

• Grand Rapids-based Wolverine Building Group, a construction company, hired Michael J. Houseman to lead its Wolverine North America division. Houseman plans to merge his Walker-based company, Houseman Construction, with Wolverine Building Group. Houseman's company will be identified as Wolverine North America, a fourth division of Wolverine Building Group launched in 2005 in response to needs of clients to build outside west Michigan.

• The graphic artists and multimedia developers at Grand Haven-based Media 1 have expanded offerings beyond learning and performance to visual communication projects under the M1 DesignWorks banner. Design services will also include marketing/promotional animation, graphic design, photography and online video production.

• Realcomp, Michigan's largest real estate multiple-listing service headquartered in Farmington Hills, and Point2 Technologies debuted new online home marketing technology services. The new system is designed to enhance online home listings awareness and reach and will be offered free to Realcomp's 11,000 Realtor members.

• The Green Panel, a solar energy company providing turnkey solar planning, engineering and installation for Fortune 500 companies, universities, state and municipal government and nonprofits, and Feyen Zylstra, a knowledge-based electrical services firm supporting commercial, industrial and institutional clients in the Great Lakes region, have come together to provide a one-vendor solar approach called EF&I.

• Cornerstone Advisory Group Inc. and the Virtual Interactive Agency joined the Business Improvement Team, a consortium of independent consulting firms.

Trulia gets Houston listings

mlust — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:08:00 GMT

Inman News

HAR listings on Zillow, Cyberhomes, Google Base, Realtor.com

The Houston Association of Realtors has added Trulia to the list of Web sites it pushes listings to, under a partnership that will automatically feed more than 50,000 for-sale property listings to Trulia.com.

Other multiple listing services (MLSs) providing direct feeds to Trulia.com include MLSPIN, CLAW, MLSLI and NORMLS, Trulia said. Technology vendors that accept feeds from MLSs, such as Threewide Corp and Point2, provide listings from more than 200 MLSs to Trulia.

HAR has similar agreements in place with a number of other third-party real estate portals. When HAR announced in November that it would begin feeding listings to Zillow.com, it already had similar agreements in place with Cyberhomes, Google Base, Homes.com and Realtor.com (see story).

The listings HAR sends to Trulia will include full property descriptions, photos and contact information for the listing agent, the companies said. The listings will link back to HAR.com so consumers can obtain more detailed information about the property, neighborhood, listing agent and brokerage.

Agents see better market in 12-18 months

mlust — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Inman News

Survey is basis for company's 'Real Estate Confidence Index'

Nearly two out of three estate professionals rated current market conditions on the bottom half of a 10-point scale in July, but were considerably more optimistic about the near- and long-term outlooks.

That's according to surveys of more than 3,000 agents in the U.S. and Canada who are clients of software developer Point2 Technologies Inc.

Asked to rate current market conditions in their area on a seasonally adjusted basis using a 10-point scale, 64 percent of agents rated conditions on the bottom half of the scale (from one to five). Only 36 percent said current conditions rated a score of six to 10.

But when agents were asked how optimistic or pessimistic they were about the near term -- the next three to six months -- they were more equally divided. Nearly 52 percent were optimistic, scoring the near-term outlook between six and 10, while a little more than 48 percent were on the neutral or pessimistic side of the scale (one through five).

The outlook for the next 12-18 months was even brighter, with 70 percent rating the long-term outlook as a six or better. Although 30 percent scored the long-term outlook on the neutral or pessimistic side of the scale, the percentage who were deeply pessimistic declined sharply.

Only 5 percent of agents rated the long-term outlook as a one or two, compared with nearly 10 percent who saw the near-term outlook that way and more than 13 percent who scored current conditions as a one or two.

At the other end of the scale, just 3 percent said current conditions rated a score of nine or 10. But 9 percent said the near-term outlook rated a nine or 10, and close to 21 percent saw the long-term outlook in that light.

Point2 said it will use the survey to produce a Real Estate Confidence Index to provide "a window into the market that did not exist before," with the median response across all questions representing the index measure for the month.

With two months of surveys completed, the Real Estate Confidence Index for July was 5.5, a 16.5 percent increase from the 4.7 median response in June, Point2 said.

Builder confidence rebounded in July to a level not seen since September, but far more builders still see conditions as "poor" than "good," according to a survey by an industry trade group.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose two points in July to 17 (see story). When the seasonally adjusted index is above 50, more builders view sales conditions as good than poor.

Southland Regional Association of REALTORS® Partners with Point2 Technologies on Listing Syndication Initiative

mlust — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:40:00 GMT

Van Nuys, CA and Saskatoon, SK – Point2 Technologies Inc. ("Point2") and Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®, one of the largest real estate Associations in the United States today completed the implementation of a major program designed to extend advanced property listing syndication technology to more than 10,000 real estate brokers and agents in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys.

The partnership will allow Southland Regional Association members to automatically publish listings on nearly 300 search engines and websites, with a single click, optimizing property exposure on the Internet while enabling buyers nationwide to more easily find and research Southern California real estate on preferred real estate portals and on over 260 newspaper websites.

Users will also gain optional, seamless access to the full capabilities of the Point2 Agent (www.Point2Agent.com) platform, enabling them to more effectively capture and convert leads into revenue. Further elevating buyer experience online, subscribers will be able to augment and publish listings with up to 36 photos each, video and automatically created virtual tours.

"We are very pleased to lead the State of California with yet another world class initiative," said Jim Link, Chief Executive Officer of the Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®. "Our partnership with Point2 on such an important initiative reflects our relentless determination and focus on our members' success."

"Southland Regional Association is leading the way in California. Point2 is proud to have been chosen to help enable and support their vision," said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. "As forward thinking organizations continue to adopt the Point2 Agent solution, the value of the REALTOR® will continue to increase as consumers realize the benefits of professional, cutting edge online marketing expertise in the buying and selling of real estate."

Since launching its real estate MLS and Association partnership initiative six months ago, more than 65 organizations representing 250,000 REALTORS® and over 500,000 property listings in the United States have joined the Point2 program.

About Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®
The Southland Regional Association of REALTORS® is the "voice for real estate" in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. Our mission is to provide products and services to our members so that they may successfully pursue the real estate profession with fairness, competency and high ethical standards, and, through collective action, promote the preservation of real property rights.

Founded in 1920, SRAR has grown to over 10,000 members and is one of the largest local REALTOR® associations in the country. All members of SRAR are members of the California Association of REALTORS® and National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics. More information on SRAR can be found at www.srar.com.

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Southland Regional Association of REALTORS®
David R. Walker
Media Contact
T. 818-635-9812
E. davidr7944@aol.com

Point2 Technologies’ Zach Scott Joins Judges and Speaker Panels at Real Estate Connect

scorbett — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) chief operating officer Zach Scott will participate on three speaker and judging panels at the INMAN News Real Estate Connect conference held at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA, August 5, 2009 – August 7, 2009.

In the first session, Scott will share practical insight on the application of Agile development principles that are revolutionizing operations and productivity in the software industry. The session will explore new development paradigms that are challenging real estate development teams to deliver software applications quicker than ever.

Session 1: Ruby on Real Estate: How to Apply Agile Development Principles to Your Project

Date: Wednesday August 5, 2009, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.

Meeting Room: Sea Cliff Room, Second Floor, Palace Hotel, San Francisco.

Speakers: Zach Scott, Chief Operating Officer, Point2 Technologies
                 Mike Mangino, Owner & President, Elevated Rails
                 Galen Ward, Co-Founder & CEO, Estately Inc.

Session 2: Connect Launchpad: In this review, a judging panel will hear and discuss demonstrations by five new company CEOs as they unravel their real estate software applications in front of over one thousand INMAN Connect attendees.

Date: Thursday August 6, 2009, 9:10 AM – 9:45 AM

Meeting Room: Green Room, Level 1, Palace Hotel, San Francisco.

Judges: Zach Scott, Chief Operating Officer, Point2 Technologies
             Dan Woolley, Co-Founder, W&R Studios
             Constance Freedman, Managing Director, Second Century Ventures; VP of Strategic
             Investments, NAR / Second Century Ventures

Session 3: Connect Create: In this Real Estate Connect first, programmers from cutting edge technology companies serving the real estate industry will compete for the winning title following a 48 hour programming marathon.

The teams will showcase their online innovations to the review panel as well as to INMAN Connect attendees, on the last day of the conference.

Date: Friday August 7, 2009, 10:25 AM – 11:00 AM
Meeting Room: Grand Ballroom, First Floor, Palace Hotel, San Francisco.
Judges: Zach Scott, Chief Operating Officer, Point2 Technologies
             Dan Woolley, Co-Founder, W&R Studios
             Constance Freedman, Managing Director, Second Century Ventures; VP of Strategic
             Investments, NAR / Second Century Ventures

More information about Real Estate Connect can be obtained here.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based inventory management and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes,and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:
Roger Noujeim
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Sorting out real estate data, politics

scorbett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Inman News

Real Estate Connect Speaker Profile: Zach Scott

What new features are in the pipeline?

Obviously our focus is still very much on providing value to Realtors by aggregating their data from the MLSs. We're working hard on that and have a number of new MLS clients announced, many more in the pipeline, and more than 250,000 additional listings to syndicate. Beyond that we're looking at the mobile space, integrated IDX and MLS Connect, a single-sign-on solution to help our members access Point2 directly from their MLS site.

What lesson did you learn in the last year?

We overestimate what we can do in the short term but underestimate what we can do in the long term. It's about focus and momentum.

What would your second career choice be and why?

Founding or co-founding a new venture. I've always got too many ideas and not enough time. Creating new things that excite people is what gets me out of bed in the morning.

What is the biggest problem in the real estate market today, and how would you fix it?

Many challenges still exist around sharing data that if overcome would benefit all involved. We're working hard to bring as much of this data together as we can so the people and companies who need it can access it more easily.

What do you most enjoy about working in the real estate industry?

It's complex both in terms of data and politics, and I like dealing with complexity. I like to be challenged. I also see tremendous opportunity to bring about valuable change. I get very excited thinking about cutting through the complexity and creating simple solutions that work.

Tell us something we don't already know about you …

I like to work with my hands around the house on evenings and weekends. I've built a large play fort (some say it's an actual fort) for my two daughters, and I'm in the middle of renovating my house. I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to focus on something other than work and doesn't require the same level of thought. Sometimes that's when my best ideas come.

Hear Zach Scott speak during the Connect Tech workshop at the Real Estate Connect conference, which runs from Aug. 5-7 in San Francisco.

MLS Matters by Saul Klein

scorbett — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:20:00 GMT

RISMEDIA

While potentially at risk of becoming irrelevant in the next generation, MLS has within its power the assets needed to continue to lead the real estate industry and become an even stronger, more essential player in the future. It is important to note that no other entity or organization in our space has what we in organized real estate have in our local MLSs.

Through the creation and evolution of MLS 5.0, MLS will continue to be the most important tool for real estate practitioners. MLS 5.0 is the instrument that will give Realtors the opportunity to transcend the present and continue their success into the future…but they must be willing to leave behind some ideas and habits in the process.

Building an MLS is not the challenge; the industry has been doing it for years.

Here’s the challenge: building an MLS and property database to serve the needs of Realtors and consumers as technology changes the methods and habits of those wanting access to the information; building an MLS that reinforces a compelling argument for the use by consumers of a real estate professional in the transaction when there is an abundance of information about real estate everywhere on the Web in bits and pieces; and overcoming the political and parochial interests.

Not to be overlooked is the fact that MLS is an offer of compensation. Until buyers are ready to sign commitments to pay brokers and agents for their services-whether the buyer buys or doesn’t buy-the offer of compensation will remain an important piece of the MLS value proposition.

Evolution of MLS - What is MLS 5.0?

MLS has been transforming since its creation. The change from the way it is done today to the way of the future requires acknowledging that major changes have successfully taken place in the past, often over the objections of many well-intentioned individuals and organizations.

First Generation-Cards and then listing sheets and ringed binders with weekly updates and errata, which were used to update the inventory manually, everyday or every other day.

Second Generation-The bound MLS book. This book was printed every two weeks. The San Diego Association MLS printed a book every week. Even in a good real estate market, no one dreamed of anything close to a system where the inventory was updated daily. The idea of real time access (like one can find on websites like Craigslist), would have been discarded as eccentric.

Third Generation-Computer access to MLS data through “dumb terminals” over telephone lines…no monitors, no video display.

Fourth Generation-Web-based MLS (no more banks of phone lines and busy signals), access with a browser-only one type, Internet Explorer-and through a dial-up connection at 14,400 bps.

Fifth Generation-MLS 5.0: let your imagination run a little here. Built in the spirit of Web 2.0, MLS 5.0 is open and collaborative, incorporating all the current and future tools of Web 2.0 (and Web 3.0), from the LAMP stack to the applications, such as blogs, RSS, widgets, APIs, Wikis, taxonomies, social networks, mash-ups and more.

Part 4 of this series will delve into more specifics on what MLS 5.0 is.

What’s your opinion? Please write to thefutureofmls@point2.com.

Saul Klein is CEO of InternetCrusade and Point2 Technologies Inc.

Victor Valley Association of REALTORS® and Point2 Kick Off Initiative to Promote Local Real Estate on National Scale

scorbett — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:20:00 GMT

Automated Listing Distribution Technology Enables Victor Valley, California REALTORS® to Maximize Online Listing Visibility and Leads – Targets Buyers Across the United States

VICTOR VALLEY, CA, and SASKATOON, SK - Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) has completed the implementation and roll out of a national listing syndication program in partnership with the Victor Valley Association of REALTORS® (“Victor Valley Association”), the organizations stated today.

The partnership, announced earlier this month will help more than 2400 local real estate professionals to seamlessly and effectively promote Victor Valley home owner properties in front of prospective buyers, on their preferred local and national search portals as well as on major auction and classified advertising sites, including AOL, Craigslist, Cyberhomes, eBay, Google, HomeFinder, Trulia, Yahoo!, Zillow and others.

Victor Valley Association members can now also showcase home seller listings on key local and regional newspaper websites, with a single click of the mouse, through Point2’s industry leading syndication and re-syndication network that reaches over 300 newspaper websites across the country.

“Online buyers can be anywhere, not just in California, and we know that they research real estate on a variety of sites. We’re extremely pleased to partner with a world class technology company like Point2 to bring syndication to our members this quickly,” said Victor Valley Association of REALTORS® President, JoAnn Tidwell.

“We are always looking for new ways to support our members. Syndication simply had to be done, but it had to be done right,” said Diane Smith, Executive Officer, Victor Valley Association of REALTORS®. “From corporate leadership to account management, and marketing support to technology integration, the process with Point2 was just outstanding. I have never seen any implementation so well orchestrated, ever.”

“Point2 is pleased to be able to make a critical difference for Victor Valley Association and its members,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Congratulations to the leadership for taking this critical step in the evolution of listing display on the Internet.”

Effective immediately, brokers and agents who belong to the Victor Valley Association of REALTORS® can login to their individual Point2 accounts, control listing syndication destinations, book enhanced listing advertising and view traffic reports. Users can also launch an optional Point2 Agent website, access more detailed analytics and, manage and convert leads through a single, easy to use platform, at minimal cost.

Current Point2 Agent website users will now have their listings automatically populated on their site, saving them valuable time and effort.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact

Point2 Technologies Inc.

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

RealTracs Solutions Selects Point2 Technologies Listing Syndication Platform

scorbett — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:16:00 GMT

SASKATOON, SK and VANCOUVER, BC – RealTracs Solutions (“RealTracs”), the multiple listing service (MLS) in Middle Tennessee has selected Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) to drive its online property listing syndication strategy, Point2 announced today.

Under the agreement, listings from over 10,200 RealTracs participants will be distributed across the Point2 listing syndication partner network, delivering free exposure on the industry’s largest network of high traffic consumer real estate search engines and portals.

This agreement will enable members of one of the largest MLS systems in the United States to control listing syndication destinations and access traffic reports, at no cost to them or to RealTracs.

Real estate professionals from the Clarksville Association of REALTORS®, Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®, Robertson County Association of REALTORS®, Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS®, Southern Middle Tennessee Board of REALTORS®, Eastern Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS®, Williamson County Association of REALTORS® and, Sumner County Association of REALTORS® participate in RealTracs.

“Irrespective of market conditions, widespread online distribution of listing information has become critical in real estate,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Together with RealTracs, we are pleased to provide brokers and agents with easy access to valuable marketing and revenue generating services, such as syndication. The exposure will serve both home buyers and sellers well. Buyers will be able to browse more properties where they prefer to search online, while sellers can be confident their broker has their home advertised more widely so it can be more easily found by buyers.”

Program benefits also include seamless user access to optional, advanced Point2 Agent platform capabilities including detailed traffic reports, a world class website, automatically generated virtual tours, single click spotlight advertising booking on multiple third party sites and, a cutting edge lead management and conversion system.

“After extensive research, we found that the most efficient and cost effective way for us to bring more value and syndication services to our members is through partnership with Point2,” said Stuart White, Chief Executive Officer, RealTracs Solutions. “Our member listings will be published on the largest network in existence today, period. There is no excuse or reason why listings should not gain maximum exposure. Every incremental set of consumer eyeballs counts. Second, syndication benefits truly come about when the listing agent can capitalize on leads. With a highly effective system built right into Point2 Agent to capture and convert leads, we’re maximizing revenue opportunities for our members, which is what true value is all about.”

RealTracs members who already use the Point2 Agent platform will be able to automatically export their MLS listings to the Point2 system, saving them time and effort, while ensuring data accuracy and integrity.

The Point2 real estate syndication network today encompasses over 35 sites including Google, Craigslist, Point2 Homes, Yahoo!, Cyberhomes, AOL, Trulia and, Zillow. A complete list can be viewed at www.point2agent.com/features/syndication.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact

Point2 Technologies Inc.

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 Technologies Forges Seven New Real Estate Association and MLS Partnerships

scorbett — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:24:00 GMT

Deals to Drive Listing Syndication for Over 50,000 REALTORS® – Empowers U.S. Consumers with More Choice and Higher Quality Listings Online

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Point2 Technologies (“Point2”) today announced seven new technology integration and co-marketing agreements with real estate Boards, Associations and Multiple Listing Service organizations (MLS) in the United States to jointly deliver listing syndication and online marketing technology services to their members.

Technical implementation is in progress for all the new partners announced today, including:
North Texas Real Estate Information Systems (NTREIS);
Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS®;
San Antonio Board of REALTORS®;
Lexington Bluegrass Association of REALTORS®;
Alaska MLS;
Victor Valley Association of REALTORS®; and,
Lexington, Buena Vista, Rockbridge Association of REALTORS® MLS.

The initiative aims to simplify and significantly reduce the cost of syndication for real estate organizations, destination portals and search engines, by streamlining the delivery of data through a single hub, as it eliminates the need to establish and maintain hundreds of relationships and data feeds.

The Point2 MLS-centered program is part of a strategic push by Point2 that will give consumers access to a wider choice of high quality, accurate, up to date For Sale property listings.

“The real estate industry is reinventing itself and organized real estate is once again leading the way. We’re pleased to work with our partners…MLSs, Associations and destination website operators to facilitate a central function of the industry’s future,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “As more MLSs and Associations embrace and promote wide distribution of listings, the consumer, both buyers and sellers will benefit, and REALTORS® will continue to deliver valuable services as the experts in the transaction.”

Once complete, the integrations will extend to brokers and agents, through their respective MLS, the ability to publish their listings through the industry’s largest syndication network, with complete control and choice over advertising/syndication destinations. Access to traffic reports and analytics is also offered under the free program, also at no cost to the user or their MLS.

Integrated technology will also deliver the benefits of single point of data entry, enabling users to manage and syndicate listings without having to manually re-enter the data into the Point2 system.

Point2 Agent website users will be able to have their listings uploaded directly from their MLS, saving them time and effort while maintaining data quality, integrity and consistency on their website and on syndication destination sites.

Point2 also offers to its users access to detailed analytics, automatically created video tours, predictive marketing tools and automated, relevant e-mail marketing campaigns and a lead conversion system.

Point2’s syndication network and listing re-distribution channels encompass nearly 40 high traffic consumer portals and search engines, as well as more than 260 regional and national U.S. newspaper websites.

Leads generated through the Point2 network are directed to the listing broker or agent, at no charge.

About Point2 Technologies
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Cell. 1-778-960-8906
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Realcomp and Point2 Technologies Complete Internet Marketing Services Rollout

scorbett — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:27:00 GMT

Listing Syndication and Online Marketing Technology Automate Online Advertising and Extend Advanced Lead Capture and Conversion Capabilities to 11,000 Realcomp Members

Farmington Hills, Mich. and Saskatoon, SK, – Realcomp, Michigan's largest real estate MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and Point2 Technologies (“Point2”) today announced the successful implementation and delivery of the industry’s most advanced listing syndication and online marketing technology services program, to Realcomp’s 11,000 members.

The program enables Realcomp members – brokers and agents to conveniently tap Point2’s industry leading suite of online marketing tools including automated syndication and web marketing analytics and reports.

One click technology now allows every Realcomp member to publish listings across the industry’s largest network of search engines and high traffic real estate consumer search sites with complete control and choice over syndication destinations, at no additional charge to them.

Users can also activate a world class Point2 Agent website, automatically populated with their inventory, saving them significant time and effort. Members can launch a blog, access detailed syndication website traffic reports and, benefit from the unique, predictive marketing-based lead incubation system, to maximize conversion and revenue.

“Realcomp is proud to be one of the first MLSs in the United States to bring to its members the power and added value of the largest real estate online listing distribution network to help them capitalize on their listing assets,” said Karen Kage, Realcomp Chief Executive Officer. “With the Michigan market being one of the most attractive for buyers right now, and interest rates at their lowest in decades, our member listings are now well positioned where buyers can find them online.”

“We’ve taken great care in developing and working through this important initiative and could not have chosen a better partner than Point2,” added Kage. “Point2’s professionalism, first class technology and support are impressive and will greatly impact our member productivity and advantage in the marketplace.”

Saul Klein, Point2’s Chief Executive Officer said: “Realcomp has demonstrated great foresight and leadership in recognizing and enabling its membership to harness the power of the Internet to market listings. Our close association with Realcomp and, the technical complexity of this initiative further reinforces Point2’s superior technology and commitment to delivering the best syndication and revenue generating solutions for MLSs and their members, across the country.”

About Realcomp
Realcomp is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan and has continuously operated as a full-service provider to the real estate industry, offering Multiple Listing Services, real property data, products and training since 1994.

About Point2 Technologies
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron. More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contacts:

Point2 Technologies
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Realcomp
Francine Green
Marketing Manager
Toll Free: 1-866-553-3003 (ext. 114)
Tel. 248-699-9114
FGreen@corp.realcomp.com

10 Ways to Sell. Point2’s CEO Saul Klein, on social networking.

scorbett — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:04:00 GMT

Real Estate Today Radio interview with Point2’s CEO Saul Klein, on social networking.

Listen

MLS 5.0-The MLS of the Future

scorbett — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:35:00 GMT

Internet Strategies by Saul Klein, Part 1

RISMEDIA, What will be required to build on the current solid foundation of today’s MLS? Here is part of the MLS 5.0 whitepaper, a vision that attempts to answer the question and creates a basis for an industry discussion. Open and frank discussion is essential to creating the tools and organizations that will position Realtors to provide services to meet the expectations of future buyers and sellers. This paper is a vision and not a roadmap. MLS in the broad, generic sense needs to be redefined in the age of information proliferation and online participatory environments. MLS is more than an offer of compensation and cooperation, but how much more? That decision is up to you.

Concept

The real estate industry has the opportunity to “take back its future.” For a number of reasons, it has appeared over the last few years that forces, out of our control, were at work to reshape the real estate industry-from technology, to the Internet, to the U.S. Department of Justice, to new business models that are the darlings of Wall Street, to the press, to the divergence of the different generations, and to economic conditions. It is now time to fight back, and in doing so, all concerned will be winners, Realtors and consumers alike.

It is upon this theme that the concept of MLS 5.0 is introduced, as the “MLS of the Future.” It is time to look at what MLS seemingly has “always done,” and bring it into the new millennium. This will require bold initiatives. To get the most out of this paper, you may need to suspend your skepticism and step into the future. Ask yourself: “What is the value a real estate professional brings to consumers when information about everything, including real estate, is so abundant on the Web? MLS 5.0 should provide the tools to enable the real estate professional to deliver value, part of which will be to put the information available into context for the consumer.

Today, MLS is not the only way to gain exposure for listings. Yahoo!, Google, Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, VAST, Point2Homes, Realtor.com and many more have the potential to expose listings to more potential buyers than ever before-and for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. If you were a consumer selling your home, wouldn’t you want it marketed everywhere? In the age of information, consumers and Realtors are becoming more comfortable using these new tools and new databases, and will become even more comfortable as the concepts of Web 2.0 become better appreciated and understood. MLS must reflect the new realities.

Many Realtors are not acquainted or familiar with some of these realities. It will take more than vision to bring the ideas and concepts of MLS 5.0 into reality. It will take courage and leadership, as old paradigms, territorial rights, politics, potential job loss by MLS executives and staff, and fear will undoubtedly create obstacles to successfully altering the mission of MLS. And that is what we are talking about-altering the mission-and with a new vision for MLS. Objections-real and imaginary-will be heard in abundance. Be prepared to field them.

In a follow-up article next month, we will aim to answer the big question pertaining to what the Future MLS would look like, if we were to build one from scratch today.

What’s your opinion? Please write to thefutureofmls@point2.com.

Saul Klein is CEO of InternetCrusade and Point2 Technologies Inc.

Zap negativity, tap distribution

scorbett — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:14:00 GMT

By Bernice Ross
Inman News

Need help building your online business? Check out what real estate's leading women had to share at the recent AFIRE (Awesome Females in Real Estate) conference in Savannah, Ga.

1. Distribution trumps destination
Jennifer Anderson of Point2Agent explained how "distribution trumps destination." In other words, it is more important to have your listings appear on multiple sites rather than two or three sites with high traffic. Since consumers search on multiple Web portals, it's imperative that your listings appear in as many places as possible. Point2's syndication service reaches 40 different major real estate portals and more than 200,000 agents in 100-plus countries.

Janet Case of Proxio.com explained how her company helps agents reach clients all over the world. Her service allows agents to have their listings posted in multiple languages in multiple countries. The Proxio platform can also be used in other countries where they lack a multiple listing service. For example, the Philippines just adopted the Proxio platform to run their first-ever Multiple Listing Service.

Anne St. Dennis from the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards and the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board Service shared how her boards are meeting the challenge of serving both French- and English-speaking clientele. Dennis explained how they set up their own television station and produce their own videos to reach both the public and their members with important information. For example, they interviewed Bob Hale, CEO of the Houston Association of Realtors and Inman Innovator of the Year for 2008. They tried using subtitles but found that did not appeal to their client base. Consequently, they now dub all of their video so people can listen in their native language rather than reading subtitles.

2. Have a plan and be patient
One of the questions posed to Joeann Fossland of Advantage Solutions and to technology speaker and trainer Amy Chorew, was "What kinds of behaviors work well on social media sites and what doesn't work?" Both agreed that you needed a plan for social networking and that it will probably take 12 to 18 months before it yields results. Since many social networking solutions require your time to succeed, Chorew proposed that Realtors need to address both ROI (return on investment) and ROT (return on time).

Both Chorew and Fossland also emphasized how important it is to track your results. Without tracking, you will never know what works and what doesn't work. For example, Fossland shared a story about the winner of the Inman/Active Rain blogging competition in 2007, Mary Pope-Handy. When Pope-Handy first started blogging, she was frustrated by the lack of results. Due to personal issues, Pope-Handy had to recently cut how much she was blogging. Surprisingly, her leads continued to flow due to the posts she did during 2007 and 2008. The point is to stick with whatever you're doing long enough for it to yield results.

3. What to avoid online
Keynote speaker Marilyn Naylor called the negative energy that many people encounter online "splinter energy." Responding to those who are highly negative will result only in escalating the situation. You won't be able to change the other party. Unfortunately, when you grab a stick with splinters you're the one who gets stuck.

While it's common for people to engage in online sniping, the best approach is to avoid online battles and confrontations. It's also smart to avoid flaming your boss, your clients or your company

For example, one new hire at a major technology company complained about the choice between the fat paycheck vs. the long drive and the stupid work. It took only a few minutes for the message to reach the top levels of his company. Needless to say, he was fired.

Another common mistake is to use social media to "pitch, pitch, pitch." Last century's marketing messages are no longer effective in today's social networking environment. Instead, people expect you to engage in the online conversation as a person, not as a real estate agent trying to drum up business.

4. How to handle negative posts
One of the challenges that almost everyone faces is what to do when someone posts something negative about you. Marilyn Wilson of the WAV Group and Darity Wesley of PrivacyGurus.com recommended using Google Alerts to monitor what is being posted about you or your company online.

When someone does a negative post, not engaging may be the best policy. To lessen the impact of that post, be aggressive about getting testimonials from past clients. Wilson suggested going through the Quality Service Certification as a means to control your online reputation.

There is also a new program from MyFrontSteps.com that can assist you in pushing negative comments to the back pages of a Google or Yahoo search. Wilson suggested that agents and brokers sign up for the "Step Rep" program, which allows you to monitor, manage and build your online reputation through social networking. Step Rep tracks posts on all major social networks, along with video content and photo tags. Step Rep allows you to categorize what you want posted and what you want to bury. They also provide a widget that lets you publish positive information across the Web with a single click.

When it comes to implementing new technology, take it one step at a time. The key is to discover what you will do on a regular basis. Even more importantly, be yourself, contribute to the conversation, and remember what your mother used to say, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything."

Internet Search, Standardized Data Fields, and the Changing Role

scorbett — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:05:00 GMT

by Saul Klein
CEO, Point2 Technologies Inc.

Today, if you want to find out anything about anything, where do you go? There is a high probability that you go to Google. So ingrained in our culture is the power of Google search, that Google has become a verb. On a daily basis, many of us “google” one thing or another. As smart phone applications become more ubiquitous and as wireless hot spots continue to pop up in public places, the power of Google to change the world will grow stronger, and at an accelerated pace. Also consider that the more search that takes place on Google, the “smarter” Google becomes.

What does this have to do with MLS and REALTORS®? Simply put, Google may be the change agent that revolutionizes the real estate industry and could play a role
in the reconstruction of MLS technologies and the age old battle of data standards. This does not make Google the enemy…but Google _ what it does, how it does it, and how
it continues to creep into the daily life of people of all generations _ must be considered by those who are building MLS 5.0, the MLS of the future.

Search:
Searching the Internet today is easy. While there are techniques that can be applied to narrow search results, even the novice searcher is capable, with no training, of finding just about anything he or she may be interested in on the Internet. What does that have to do with real estate? In the future, sellers may advertise their home for sale on any number of Web sites, including maybe their own site or on a “public access” site provided by Internet providers as part of their subscription for connectivity. Homeowners will likely use plain language (and not the diverse system of abbreviations that have been devised and localized by MLSs and MLS Committees over the years) to describe their home and the features that are the “standards” (bedrooms, baths, etc.) and the features that are important to them. Properties could be described in a paragraph instead of the grid format many of us are currently using and seeing. Or a piece of software could be made available to consumers that allows the homeowner to build their own grid, adding or taking away fields at their discretion.

Standard Fields:
Standard fields has been the “holy grail” for years. In the mid 1990s, NAR (National Association of Realtors®) worked on bringing technology to the real estate industry through the REALTORS® Information Network (RIN). The problem of matching data fields from MLS to MLS to create a searchable national database was tackled and the proposed solution was something called Data Exchange Method, or DxM. DxM was described as a “data dictionary” that, if implemented, would allow not only for greater access to more listings by REALTORS®, but more software choice as real estate business solution software at the time had to be customized from one MLS to another, limiting choice and increasing costs.
Of course RIN went the way of the Brontosaurus and the standard promoted today in the industry is RETS (Real Estate Transaction Standard), which is a great tool and a major improvement. With the power of search today, how important are so many different fields? Isn’t it time to consider the creation of a national standard of say 50 fields, and the rest of the characteristics of a property listed as remarks, capable of being found via advanced search technology?

As Gen X’s and Gen Y’s continue to make up a larger percentage of the homebuying and selling population (NAR statistics indicated that 78.8% of first-time homebuyers in 2007 were Gen X or Gen Y), and as this group grow to make up a larger percentage of the REALTOR® population, born and raised with Google and efficient, accurate search, standard fields may become less important while search takes on a much more important role. In addition, the ability to distribute one’s listing information to more destinations on the Internet, allowing “long tail” benefits, will be easier, and MLSs will become an ecosystem of innovation for software developers who will be able to deliver a wider choice of tools, and at lower cost.

Point2 Technologies Boosts Photo Upload Capacity on UsedIron.com and Manager Platform to 36 Per Listing

scorbett — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:24:00 GMT

Upgrade Improves Consumer Experience Online – Positions Equipment Dealers for Higher Visibility and Impact with Buyers

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC, – Point2 Technologies (“Point2”) today announced system upgrades to its global equipment search portal, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com) and to Point2 Manager (www.Point2Manager.com), the industry leading inventory management, sales and marketing software platform.

The release represents close to a five fold increase in photo upload capacity on both systems.

“Our data indicates that listings with more photos engage more prospects longer, and generate significantly more leads,” said Zach Scott, Chief Operating Officer, Point2 Technologies. “With the majority of buyers doing their research on the Internet for both machinery and dealers, we are enabling our clients to capitalize on evolving online consumer expectations, without much effort and at no added cost to them.”

According to the Wells Fargo Construction Industry Forecast 2009 report, 73 percent of contractors and 89 percent of equipment distributors use the Internet to locate hard to find items. 66 percent and 86 percent state that they use the Web to research and to locate suppliers, respectively.

“Online buyers are skipping listings with few or no photos, and spending more time on listings with more to look at, especially in the used equipment category,” added Scott. “The segment is expected to benefit from a significant surge in purchasing budgets this year. Vendors positioned to capture more online buyer interest will stand to benefit from the trend, and we’re pleased to be in a position to facilitate such as opportunity for our clients.”

Representing a 140 percent increase versus 2008, the number of contractors who plan to purchase used equipment in 2009 grew to 48 percent, up from only 20 percent last year, according to the Wells Fargo Report.

Taking the hassle out of the photo upload process, Point2 Manager users can automatically resize and upload multiple photos for posting on UsedIron and other online marketplaces, with Point2’s unique, patented PUF (Photo Upload Facility) technology.

With a single click of the mouse, users can now also produce and issue professional looking quotes and equipment brochures that feature up to 36 photos, for maximum impact.

About Point2 Technologies

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, UsedIron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news.asp.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact

Roger Noujeim
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

MLS 5.0 …The Outer Limits’ Focus of Point2 Technologies CEO Saul Klein’s Address at Annual Real Estate Association Executives Institute

scorbett — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:45:00 GMT

Klein to paint a picture of the future of the MLS, and refute the claim that the MLS is threatened to become irrelevant

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – ‘MLS 5.0 …The Outer Limits’ will be the central theme of Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) chief executive officer Saul Klein’s address at the upcoming annual real estate Association Executives Institute (AEI). The Institute will be held from March 20 to March 24, 2009 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Klein will discuss the unavoidable evolution the real estate profession is undergoing and how forward thinking Multiple Listing Service (MLS) organizations are taking the lead and embracing industry changing disciplines that are re-asserting, yet again, the value of MLS.

As Multiple Listing Service organizations seek to identify new ways to deliver value to their members, Klein’s address will tackle key issues and aim to quell critical concerns that remain on the minds of many senior executives at MLSs across the United States and Canada. Facing a brutal economy and general unease around the value of MLS, Association Executives will be invited to examine:

-          The state of their organization today. Is it moving in the right direction, or is it merely an image of its old self?
-          The Vision and the Mission of their MLS
-          What the MLS of the future will look like (http://MLSofTheFuture.com)

The session will also explore what will be required to build on the current foundation of today’s MLS. Klein will paint a picture of the future of the MLS, and refute the claim that the MLS is threatened to become irrelevant. Klein’s assessment, based on 33 years of MLS experience in many areas and at many levels will highlight the strengths of the MLS and its potential to play a tremendous role in the real estate environment of the future.

“Easy access to property listing information online, and an extremely weak housing market have applied significant pressure on real estate brokers and agents, translating into pressure on Association Executives to revisit the purpose of their organizations,” said Klein. “But the challenge MLSs and Boards face today, are only reminders of the relevance and resilience of these institutions. They have evolved with the times and time and again proven that they remain the backbone of the industry.”

Klein’s session is set to take place on Saturday March 21, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., in the International Center North, International Center, at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, Used Iron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim

Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224

rnoujeim@point2.com

How to Improve Your Google Ranking Using Video Virtual Tours

scorbett — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:57:00 GMT

By Bernice Ross

Several months ago a number of articles appeared on the Internet saying that Google had once again changed their algorithms (i.e., the mathematical formula that they use to determine organic web rankings.) To get "Google juice" or good ranking, the algorithm now appears to place the greatest value on videos. After that, pod casts, blogging, links, and in last place, static websites.

Consequently, one of the first steps that you can take to improve your web rankings is to include more video virtual tours of your listings. Research from Poin2Agent (the best place to syndicate your listings to over 225,000 agents in 141 countries and 30 major real estate portals) shows that increasing the number of pictures of each of your listings also helps you to have better search results. For example, the 2008 Point2 Agent study of buyer online behavior found that having 16 different pictures of your listings as compared to 15, produced 33 percent more page views. The minimum number for the best results is at least 20. An important part of how Google ranks your site is based upon how relevant is, how long people stay on your site while they are there (stickiness), and the number of page views. Using pictures and videos is a great way to improve this.

There's another new development that merits noting. Just recently, the folks at Adobe announced that they have a new product that Google has started using. This product takes the voice part of the video and converts it into a text file that the Google search engine can read. Consequently, if any of your virtual/video tours uses music in the background, it would be smart to redo the audio part of the video and change it to voice. For all new videos that you shoot, be sure to use words rather than just music on the audio portion. This is will increase your Google Juice and help you beat those competitors who don't know about this shift.

Point2 Technologies’ Zach Scott to Discuss Real Estate Listing Syndication and Unveil iPhone Mobile Application at Clareity Annual MLS Executive Workshop

scorbett — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:54:00 GMT

Point2 Chief Operating Officer on Panel to Address Listing Syndication Best Practices with Cyberhomes, HomeFinder and Trulia Executives – Participates in Mobile Application Shoot-Out

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Zach Scott, COO of Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) will address real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) executives on listing syndication best practices and will unveil a Point2 real estate application for the iPhone, at the Annual Clareity MLS Executive Workshop held this week at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On Thursday, March 5, 2009, at 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m., Scott will participate in an Arizona style “Mobile Device Applications and Services Shoot-Out.” With significant investments continuing to be applied towards mobile solutions, the event will showcase and enable conference attendees to compare leading edge products, side by side.

On Friday, March 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Scott will join a panel of experts to discuss sweeping trends in real estate listing syndication that are seeing MLS organizations nationwide look to adopt the service as a core offering. Scott will share best practices and requirements for implementing and effectively managing syndication programs today. Participating with Scott in the panel discussion will be Marty Frame, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cyberhomes.com, Mark Tepper, Vice President of Business Development, HomeFinder, and Mark Weiss, Vice President of Business Development, Trulia.
The session will be moderated by Gregg Larson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clareity Consulting.
“Progressive MLSs are currently looking to deploy revenue generating, innovative programs, such as listing syndication, that deliver significant value for their members. In fact, we find that the drive for syndication services is largely due to member interest and a critical need to advertise listings wherever buyers may choose to do their research online,” said Scott. “We’re pleased to be able to offer the largest syndication network in the industry and we’re proud of our close association and exceptional relations with our MLS clients and our syndication partner network companies.”
Scott was appointed COO of Point2, in February of 2009. Prior, he held the company’s chief technology officer post.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce, inventory management and sales and marketing solutions (www.Point2Manager.com), powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network (www.CatUsed.com) and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 125 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

SOURCE: Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies Launches Point2 Agent for MAC and Linux – Enables Mobile Account Access on PDAs and iPhone

scorbett — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:20:00 GMT

Upgrade enhances Point2 Agent user experience and flexibility – positions Point2 to benefit from increasing market diversity and Apple’s expanding market share

SASKATOON, SK and VANCOUVER, BC – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced the release of its highly anticipated browser and platform neutral Point2 Agent website and listing syndication solution.

The upgrade will allow Point2’s customers in over 100 countries to use their preferred operating system (OS), be it Windows® PC, Macintosh® or Linux. Users will also be able to access their Point2 Agent account through their browser of choice including Internet Explorer (IE) 6.1 or higher, Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, Safari and others.

Mobile account access through smartphones and handheld devices including the iPhone, Blackberry and other PDAs is now also enabled, further helping to enhance user experience, convenience and productivity on the road.

“A cross-browser, cross-platform Point2 Agent brings a significant new edge to our customers who today are making more diverse hardware and software choices,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “We continue to invest in building powerful yet easy-to-use solutions. By facilitating hardware and browser choices, we’re now enabling real estate professionals to conduct their business within flexible, convenient environments where they can more easily tap the tools with which they are most comfortable and productive.”

Net Applications, a company that tracks operating system use and market share by looking at results from search engines reported a 9.93 percent share of Apple OS users for January 2009, up from 9.63 percent the previous month.

Browser share reported for the same month indicate Microsoft's Internet Explorer at its lowest since Net Applications began tracking browsers in 2005. According to the report, IE users now comprise 67.6 percent of the browsers online. In the prior 12 months, IE share dropped by about 8 percent.

With full compatibility with Apple’s Internet browser, Safari, Point2 Agent users will no longer need to switch to Windows in order to take advantage of the Point2 Agent online marketing and lead management suite, potentially saving them valuable time and effort.

Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Safari, and Google Chrome continue to gain market share. Safari's share of 8.3 percent, recorded for January 2009, was a record for Apple.

According to research firm Gartner, Inc., Apple’s total share of the PC market in the United States for the 4th quarter of 2008 stood at 8 percent. For the third quarter of 2008, the firm reported the iPhone leapt to third place in global smartphone sales.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce, inventory management and sales and marketing solutions (www.Point2Manager.com), powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network (www.CatUsed.com) and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 125 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Independent Equipment Dealers Association and Point2 Technologies Expand Partnership

scorbett — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Deeper Alliance Boosts IEDA Membership Benefits and Value – Delivers Online Advertising and Lead Generation Program Across Membership Base

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO and SASKATOON, SK, – Independent Equipment Dealers Association (“IEDA”) and Point2 Technologies (“Point2”) today announced an agreement that will extend to IEDA member companies online advertising and lead generation technology as well as support services, as part of a new benefit package fully subsidized by the IEDA.

Under the new agreement, IEDA members worldwide can now automatically syndicate their listing inventory of used and rental heavy equipment, as well as attachments to IEDAused.com, a leading edge equipment exchange developed and powered by Point2, and to UsedIron.com, one of the industry’s largest equipment marketplaces online.

The agreement also extends to IEDA members free training and support, including assistance for equipment listing data transfers into the Point2 system.

“The IEDA is proud to be the first heavy equipment industry Association in North America to offer Point2’s world class listing advertising solution as part of its membership benefits,” said Mike Cunningham, President, IEDA Board of Directors. “We are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to help our members to stay on the cutting edge of business and grow their revenue. With more prospective buyers today relying on the web to research, buy or rent equipment, every single IEDA member company is now positioned to gain from the trend.”

“We have been successfully using the Point2 solution to manage our inventory and advertise listings since 2007,” said Randy Gogowich, IEDA member and Sales & Rental Manager at Edmonton, Alberta-based Emeco. “To have access to such world class technology and services will be a very powerful success catalyst for independent dealers, especially in today’s market.”

“An absolutely amazing service! Kudos to the IEDA for being proactive in offering such a valuable service,” said Keith Smith, IEDA member and Advertising Coordinator at Richmond, Kentucky-based Interstate Equipment. “Working with the Point2 team on the equipment listings transfer was a breeze. Within a week from adding our listings to IEDAused.com and UsedIron.com, our traffic surged. We’re extremely pleased with the results.”

“Effective marketing today must include wide distribution of listings online, without which revenue and growth potential are compromised,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies. “We’re excited to work closely with a progressive Association such as the IEDA on this important initiative. Their leadership recognizes the potential impact of the web on business today and has taken exemplary steps to support its members in this area.”

According to the Wells Fargo Construction Industry Forecast 2009 report, the number of contractors who plan to purchase used equipment in 2009 increased dramatically, reaching 48 percent, up from only 20 percent in 2008, representing a 140 percent increase. 73 percent of the contractors and 89 percent of the equipment distributors responding to the survey stated they use the Internet to locate hard to find items. 66 percent and 86 percent said they use the Web to research and to locate suppliers, respectively.

The new program replaces a member paid syndication plan IEDA and Point2 introduced in 2007.

About Independent Equipment Dealers Association

IEDA is a trade association dedicated exclusively to issues affecting independent equipment dealers. We have become a unified and powerful voice for independent equipment dealers.

The Association was established to provide the resources needed to promote participation, professionalism and advancement in the independent distribution of heavy equipment. More information can be obtained at www.iedagroup.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce, inventory management and sales and marketing solutions (www.Point2Manager.com), powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network (www.CatUsed.com) and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 130 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contacts

Independent Equipment Dealers Association
Cindy Challis Orr, CAE
Tel. 1-970- 384-2843
E. cindy@iedagroup.com

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

MLS Public-Facing Websites-Build or Buy?

scorbett — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:30:00 GMT

By Saul Klein

RISMEDIA, -Progressive MLSs have adopted new thinking and launched platforms designed to generate more exposure and leads for their subscribers and participants. Approximately 400 MLSs in the U.S. have now introduced consumer-facing websites to allow home buyers and sellers to research local listings as they would on sites such as Realtor.com, Yahoo!, Point2 Homes, Trulia, Zillow, Vast and other final destination Web portals. Some are better than others. Several are world class.

For many MLSs contemplating launching a public-facing site, the big question is whether to build their own or to buy an existing solution.

One of the advantages of hiring a technology team and building the solution in-house is control and choice. The ability to choose functionality and to deploy resources at will, can be very attractive, such as the ability to develop unique features that may not be part of an existing, out-of-the-box solution. A custom solution may address this issue, but always at the expense of time and money.

Counterpoints to the “build it yourself” route include:

Distraction-As an MLS, focusing on data integrity, customers and value-add services is paramount. Introducing a technology development department is a significant undertaking that will dilute management’s focus on its core mission. If the right management structure is not in place, and necessary additions are introduced, the potential negative impact cannot be overstated.

Technology Know-How-Building and maintaining a world-class portal requires serious technical knowledge and expertise. It’s also an ongoing process that necessitates constant networking and contact within the technology industry. Technologies deployed might be adequate today, but will quickly become obsolete or require constant updates to stay at the leading edge with a solution that consistently meets consumer expectations. Maintaining adequate relationships with third parties to enable functionality-such as listing syndication or traffic reporting and tools-is extremely taxing. Ongoing challenges, such as search engine optimization, will intensify over time, easily overshadowing the excitement of the first release of a “build-it-yourself” site, often within weeks or days.

High Cost-The idea of bringing on a team and releasing half or part of its members when the site is launched might be appealing. This notion is in fact flawed. If anything, the team may need to grow instead. The added cost of staffing, employee benefits, computer hardware and software will be substantial. Considering that tens of millions of investment dollars have gone into the development and upkeep of some of the popular consumer search sites on the Web today, and that many of these organizations will continue to require funding until they turn profitable, the drag on the financials of an MLS may be overwhelming.

Some MLSs have done very well with in-house teams. For the majority, however, the option to buy versus build is probably the best alternative. If you choose this route, partner with a vendor:

- Who has a proven track record
- Whose core business is technology development
- Who has staying power

These are critical considerations.

Saul Klein is CEO of InternetCrusade and Point2 Technologies Inc.

Real Estate Marketing Report Card Keeps Agents, Brokers on their Toes

scorbett — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:42:00 GMT

By Joel Burslem

International Listings, an search portal for global luxury properties, has put together a very clever marketing device they’re calling their Real Estate Marketing Report Card.

The idea is pretty simple; a seller can punch in their address and listing price and the system will quickly check a handful of real estate search destinations to make sure the home is displayed and the price is accurate.

(It’s missing Realtor.com oddly enough - but this is probably due to the FSBO element of the IL site)

It’s a great promotional tool - one that’s clearly designed to encourage people towards listing their home on the site (a $299 one-time fee).

The proliferation of consumer search portals has given rise to all kinds of syndication tools like International Listings as well as Listhub, Postlets, vFlyer, Point2 and others, that do the heavy lifting for agents and brokers to get their listings out across the web.

Savvy sellers, who in this market are going to want to see that their agent is doing all they can to move their home, are likely going to be checking the various search sites to make sure that they find their house. A tool like this one, while clearly a gimmick, helps make that possible.

What I’d really love to see is a big brokerage implement something similar on their site — it would be a fantastic way to build engagement with consumers by letting them come to your corporate site and see how their listing is doing. Keller Williams, who has their own internal listing syndication tool (KWLS), would be a natural fit for this kind of application.

Even better, find a way to white label the technology and brand it for every single one of your agents to deliver monthly to their clients; a full report of where the home is listed and activity on each of the sites.

In this market, consumers are starting to demand accountability. Best get ahead of the curve and figure out ways to support them.

Point2 Technologies Announces Senior Executive Promotions

scorbett — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:01:00 GMT

Zach Scott and Aidan Rogers in New Leadership Posts Deepens Management Core and Supports Growth Plans

SASKATOON, SK and Vancouver, BC, – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced the promotion of Zach Scott and Aidan Rogers to new leadership roles.

Zach Scott, formerly Point2 Chief Technology Officer has been promoted to the post of Chief Operating Officer. As a key member of the executive team, Scott will be responsible for operational management and improvement, working with the company’s leadership to deliver and ensure the company’s success worldwide.

Aidan Rogers has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer, assuming Scott’s former role. Effective immediately, Rogers also joins the Point2 executive management team. Rogers will oversee Point2’s systems and technology development across the company’s business divisions. Rogers most recently held the position of Development Manager.

“We are fortunate to have Zach Scott and Aidan Rogers fill such important roles,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Zach is a well respected leader who makes things happen. He is ideally positioned and ready for this role. With Aidan Rogers spearheading our technology efforts, Point2 will continue to improve on what are already the leading web marketing tools available in the real estate industry.”

“We’re proud to be able to offer a work environment where top talent is willing to move great distances to join our team, where promotion from within is part of the culture and where people can look forward to long term careers working with world class professionals and leading edge Internet technology,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies.

“I am very excited with the challenge and the opportunity to make a difference at the operational level,” said Zach Scott. “It is a privilege to participate in Point2’s growth and innovation. 2009 will be a year of innovation and vision as the market begins to shift and awareness of our products and services reaches new levels.”

Point2 staff has grown by 25 percent over the past twelve months. The company continues to seek highly skilled professionals for its development, systems, quality assurance and customer support teams.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce, inventory management and sales and marketing solutions (www.Point2Manager.com), powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network (www.CATused.com) and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 125 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact

Point2 Technologies Inc.

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

The Real Estate Agent of the Future

scorbett — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:50:00 GMT

Asked what skills future realty agents will need to compete, Saul Klein--president and CEO of InternetCrusade and CEO of Point2Technologies--cites product knowledge, sales competency, access to customers, and service with integrity.

More specifically, he says an agent working in 2015 will need the ability to communicate effectively across generational spans as the different age groups move up and out.

Another key skill of the future, he says, will be the ability to negotiate successfully. To increase access to clients, the Realtor of the future will need to technology-oriented.

Prospecting and marketing will have become automated, says Klein, and client management and online transaction management software will become more important.

Additionally, as more and more business-client relationships bud online in the coming years, property agents will need to be able to communicate effectively through the written word as they log on to social networking sites to mine for prospective customers and old referrals.

Source: Inman News, Saul Klein (01/26/09)

MLS Public Facing Websites – Why, or Why Not?

scorbett — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:30:00 GMT

By: Saul Klein, CEO, Point2 Technologies Inc.

If you believe that Distribution Trumps Destination at this stage of the evolution of real estate on the WWW, that the distribution of listing information to many consumer accessible and trafficked web sites is far more important than listing information appearing on any single web site, then it is difficult to question the value of a well run public facing MLS web site.

Seekers of real estate information will emulate water, taking the path of least resistance to find what they are looking for. The easier it is to find, the greater chance that it will be found. Listing data will also emulate water, finding its way to many destinations on the web, through a number of different sources. It is already happening and will continue to happen. Can MLSs facilitate this phenomenon while building a valuable asset for the MLS, its Subscribers and Participants, as well as a valuable service for buyers and sellers? While the jury is still out, indications are that the answer is yes…absolutely.

It is in a broker’s best interest that their listings can easily be found on the web. The best way to insure that they will easily be found is to put them in as many places as possible. A public Facing MLS web site is one more place, with many obvious benefits, not the least of which is information control and consistency.

It is in the home buyer’s best interest that listing information be easily and conveniently found on the web.

And, it is in the seller’s best interest that their home be found by as many potential buyers as possible.

With the above points in mind, why not add one more place for listing information to be found on the Web, an MLS Public Facing Web Site?

Now the questions (and feel free to submit answers):
Why not also publish that information on a web site controlled by the MLS?
What is the downside?
What is the upside?
Does it truly provide brokers a competitive advantage to display their listings only on their web sites?

Some brokers insist that a Public Facing MLS Web Site competes directly with broker sites. Bob Hale, CEO of the Houston Association of REALTORS® will argue emphatically, with statistics to back up his position, that brokers and agents benefit when an MLS has a strong Public Facing Web Site, with leads being generated and provided directly to the listing agent with no intermediary. MRIS, another major MLS with a newly launched public facing web site seems to agree. As a matter of fact, at least 400 of the MLSs in the U.S. have created a public web site with listing displays for consumers. While the debate may not soon subside, the trend of MLS public facings sites will likely accelerate forward as more MLSs seek new ways to drive value to their members.

Point2 Technologies CEO Saul Klein to Participate in Real Estate MLS Innovation Track Speaker Series

scorbett — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – January 05, 2009 – Point2 Technologies Inc. “Point2”:

Who:    Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc.
What:    Revitalizing The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) – MLS 2014: Five Things To Do Right Now To Get Ready
Saul Klein, Point2 Chief Executive Officer and author of MLS 5.0, a White Paper will join a panel of top visionaries to discuss and address INMAN Connect attendees on the state of the MLS in today’s market and to share key ideas MLS executives must be aware of and can begin to apply today to best position their organizations for the next five years.
Messrs. Joshua Sharfman, CTO, California Association of Realtors®, Brian Larson, Attorney at Law, Larson/Sobotka PLLC, and Mark Lesswing, Sr. Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, NAR (National Association of Realtors) complete the panel.
The session will be moderated by Victor Lund, Partner, WAV Group.
When:    Thursday January 08, 2009, 3:50 PM – 4:35 PM.
Where:    INMAN Real Estate Connect NYC 2009, January 07, 2009 – January 09, 2009 New York Marriott Marquis Hotel
Times Square, New York    Meeting Room: Westside 3, 5th Floor

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 130 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Connecting Online

scorbett — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Real Trends

Social networking is becoming a hip, new way to network with consumers and professionals. It may take time, but its low (or no) cost publicity for you and your brokerage. But, with so many options out there, which one is worth your time?

REAL Trends spoke with three real estate professionals about what they use and what they receive as a return on investment.

Scott Daniels, Broker
Florida List 4 Less Realty Inc.
Cooper City, Fla.

REAL Trends: What type of social networking do you do?

Daniels: I use everything from Active Rain to my own blog and Twitter. I have a blog on Point2Homes as well. I take advantage of the whole system. Each offers different networking opportunities. For example, Twitter is a good place to reach consumers.

Trulia and Active Rain drive people to my Web site. I use Facebook as a social network. The world is friendlier on the Internet than they are in person. I encourage my 72 sales associates to blog; however most don't take advantage of it. They rely on me to be their lead pipeline.

REAL Trends: Which is the most effective?

Daniels: Active Rain gets me leads—mostly referrals from other sales associates and brokers. They read my articles and like what I say. I do a lot of short sales and foreclosures and know that business very well, so real estate professionals are always asking me questions. I use Active Rain solely for business marketing—it's a business network.

REAL Trends: What type of response do you get from your blog and social networking?

Daniels: I get at least 15 to 20 leads generated a month, not all close. But, it's a pipeline. I use it as a recruiting tool as well. I invest my time. Every day, I spend about 1 to 2 hours writing and updating. This year alone I was able to gain nine sales through networking alone.

Kristal Kraft, Broker Associate
The Berkshire Group Realtors
Denver, Colo.

REAL Trends: What type of social networking do you do?

Kraft: I'm active with a variety of social networking groups—Active Rain and Twitter. I maintain a business blog at http://www.kristalsellsdenver.com/denverdwellings/ and post on PropertyTube.org, Flickr, Bigger Pockets (an investor blog) and Seth Godin's blog.

REAL Trends: Which is the most effective?

Kraft: That depends on what I am trying to achieve. Active Rain blogs and comments tend to be fun and very responsive, Twitter(@KrisTalk) is spontaneous and fun—it's the cocktailparty of social networking. My Denver Dwellings blog is my creative outlet for my photos and to show off my town. My business comes from my blog. Flickr is a wonderful and inspiring networking place for photographers.

REAL Trends: What type of response do you get from your blog and social networking?

Kraft: My business blog brings in consumers, oddly enough they don't leave comments—they call me. When they call, they say they read something I wrote and appreciated it. Blogging has set me up to reach people who may otherwise not find me.

Return on Investment for social networking is really hard to measure. The cost for me to maintain several blogs is minimal, it's the time that's hard to find. It's important to set goals and limitations on your time so you don't spend too much chasing after a "maybe" or Active Rain points!

Thanks to social media I have a network of influence that extends the world. Social media is important but at some point it's necessary to leave the computer behind and meet the consumer face to face. So far I haven't sold (nor do I ever intend to) sell homes without meeting the consumer. Social media should be just one aspect of the marketing mix.

Lenn Harley, Broker
Homefinders.com
Maryland and Virginia

REAL Trends: What type of social networking do you do?

Harley: I only use Active Rain. I write two types of blogs—one has opinion pieces and the other is on the agent-to-agent network. I also post about local real estate and I generate a lot of business from my local posts and my Web sites. Active Rain provides a local feed to my site.

REAL Trends: Which is the most effective?

Harley: I generate a lot of business from my local posts and from my Web site. The blogs feed my Web site.

REAL Trends: What type of response do you get from your blog and social networking?

Harley: I get comments from other agents, rarely from consumers. They either go on my Web site or call me directly. Occasionally, I'll get consumer comments. It's hard to tell how much business I gain directly but I do know that it leads people to my Web site. It's a synergy. Each marketing plan fits into the next and the social networking is the juice that keeps everything moving along.

I'm a buyers' agent, so I give referrals, I have a network of agents and brokers, mostly brokers. I generate the business and I refer buyer clients to the agents (about 15 of them) and brokers in my network and they do the actual selling. I do keep and work directly with a few buyers who are looking in my neighborhood.

But, social networking is not just about the business gained. It's the interaction with agents, brokers, lenders with major companies, mortgage brokers, title company owners, home inspectors—you name it. The insight we get into the practices of these services is invaluable.

Point2 Technologies and InternetCrusade Chief Executive Officer Saul Klein Named to Real Estate Top 10 Newsmakers List

scorbett — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT

SASKATOON, SK and SAN DIEGO, CA, – December 16, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) and InternetCrusade today announced that Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer has been selected to the Top 10 Newsmakers of the Year 2008 list, as part of the annual Swanepoel Trends Report.

This year’s report also includes United States Secretary of State, Henry Paulson, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke, General Counsel for the National Association of REALTORS®, Laurie Janik, CEO of the Bank of America, Kenneth Lewis, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Sheila Bair, and founder and CEO of Fidelity National Financial, William Foley II.

The Trends Report Top 10 Newsmakers list highlights individuals who during the year made headlines as a result of their actions and leadership of the companies or organizations they are involved in, within the real estate industry.

In his report, Stefan Swanepoel, best selling author, national speaker and leading visionary on business trends in real estate recognizes Klein’s longstanding involvement in the industry and his role in driving nationwide syndication of MLS listing data across the Internet.

Said Stefan Swanepoel: “As president and co-founder of InternetCrusade, Klein has been around for a long time. However, his appointment as CEO of Point2 Technologies and the subsequent nationwide syndication of MLS information launched him into the spotlight. Klein has also tirelessly promoted the e-Pro certification program and helped build the second largest real estate community – RealTown.”

The highly anticipated Trends Report ( www.retrends.com ), now in its fourth year of publication discusses and analyzes market dynamics and technology trends that are driving change in the real estate industry, and provides real estate professionals with a clear vision on what is happening today as well as what to expect in the future.

The Top 10 Newsmakers list is announced ahead of the release of the full report, scheduled for February 2009.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 130 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

About InternetCrusade

InternetCrusade® (www.InternetCrusade.com) is a San Diego-based company that was founded in 1995. Specializing in online publishing, InternetCrusade provides productivity tools and systems for real estate professionals including domains, domain hosting, e-mail systems and hosting, online communities, online voting and surveys. The firm is the exclusive provider of the National Association of REALTORS' e-PRO® Technology Certification Program and a member of the REALTOR® Benefits Program. InternetCrusade® powers the RealTown.com real estate portal, the industry’s oldest and most respected real estate network.

Press Contacts:

Point2 Technologies Inc.

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)

T. 604-675-9393 Ext. 224
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

InternetCrusade®

Rich Hudson
Director of PR/Marketing
InternetCrusade
T. 619-283-7302 Ext. 602
E. Rich@InternetCrusade.com

Reshaping Real Estate

scorbett — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Maria Patterson, Stephanie Andre, and Paige Tepping

RISMedia

The close of the year often begs a retrospective approach to the events that took place-good, bad or otherwise. The sharp edges are often dulled in hindsight, motivated by the desire to put it all behind us and move on to the fresh promise of a new year.

For those of us in the real estate business, however, the look-back at 2008 is not quite so sentimental. Faced with varying degrees of challenge and crisis, real estate professionals from all walks of life have suffered the wounds of a thorny year.

But many forged ahead and will continue to do so…some lucky few are even expecting business to pick up in ‘09. But, then again, it really has nothing to do with luck. It has to do with understanding and adopting the paradigm shifts swiftly taking root in our industry. The game has changed for good and you’d better have the new rulebook.

To close out 2008, therefore, we’re taking a look at the industry’s most significant paradigm shifts. Don’t mistake these for trends-these are long-term, if not permanent, foundational changes to the way real estate will be conducted in 2009…and well beyond. If you haven’t embraced these shifts yet, start now. They are critical to your survival and bounce-back in the real estate business.

1. Accepting Economic Reality

While maybe, deep down, we naively hoped that writing a $700-billion plus check would instantly infuse new life into our failing economy, it’s important to realize that overall economic health is far down the road. And, according to most real estate pundits, the boom years of the early 2000s will probably never be seen again.
Why? For starters, unbridled price appreciation is most likely gone for good. Blamed, in fact, for many of the ills of the housing market and, in turn, the economic mess, skyrocketing housing prices, combined with pernicious loans, led to most of the problems we are feeling today as homeowners, real estate professionals and American consumers in general.

Sure, it’s tough…but it’s not over. There is still success to be had in this business. But that success will only come with a full acceptance of the current state of the economy-a state that stands to stick around for a while-and learning how to operate within the new business model it presents.

“We’re in the fourth year of a market correction following an unprecedented decade-long run-up,” says Alex Perriello, president and CEO of Realogy Franchise Group. “So what do we do now? We have two choices: we can hope, in due time, that the market will recover…or we can roll up our sleeves and accelerate the process of this recovery.”

To stimulate sales, brokers and agents have to restore consumer confidence in the housing industry, says Perriello. Know your local numbers, he says, not just by zip code or city and state; drill the numbers down by price, property type and neighborhood, and share the numbers with sales associates on a weekly basis.

Perriello also recommends going back into client archives and mining the data on those who bought homes prior to 2003: “Mine the clients, pencil them out strategies and create interest in opportunities in the market.”

2. Waning Consumer Confidence

With all the talk about consumers “sitting on the sidelines,” unfortunately, there are many who’ve now moved from the “sidelines” to the parking lot. The economic meltdown that began in late September has left many consumers less worried about selling their homes, and more worried about keeping their jobs and paying their bills.

“We have this mindset across the U.S. that I call, ‘recession, depression, obsession’,” explains Ron Peltier, chairman and CEO, HomeServices of America. “With all of the negative media, consumer confidence is at an all-time low. In business, in general, 70 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) is driven by consumers. We are in for an extended recession, perhaps even depression, if you talk to some people. And, if we continue to obsess over that, people will hold tight.

“Our job is to make consumers understand why real estate is still a smart investment,” he continues. “We need to take the proper initiative in each market to get to the news media and talk about the very things we know ourselves-yes, the market corrected and yes, values have dropped, but over a five-year horizon, real estate is still a great investment and very safe. If consumers embrace that, we believe that there will be buyers.”

3. The New Lending Landscape

While industry professionals continue to examine the bailout bill and its possible effects on the housing industry and America at large, many lending institutions are taking the problem into their own hands and offering programs and support systems to families across America. “We will work with families who want to save their homes but are struggling to make their payments,” says Charlie Scharf, CEO of Retail Financial Services at Chase, one company that’s being proactive in today’s uncertain market.

With the lending landscape continuously changing, institutions are modifying their practices to best suit the needs of homeowners. In fact, for the first time in 30 years, HUD revised its RESPA rules in order to restore trust in the housing market. “The new RESPA rules seek to bring more clarity and certainty to the real estate market,” says Steve Preston, HUD secretary.

In addition, the government bailout that was approved in October was recently revised. Regulators were given the power to change the plan, hoping to gain the support of all Americans. The plan, as it stands now, is to give money to financial institutions in return for stock, rather than buying the securities that no one else wants. The objective? Get the banks to start lending again.

Whatever the outcome, agents and brokers must step into the role of financial adviser to guide clients through the new lending waters. Make sure your knowledge of the latest bills, restrictions and credit guidelines is encyclopedic.

4. Creative Cost Control

When the going gets tough, budgets get slashed. It’s a basic business fact of life. But for the successful broker and agent, cost cutting is not random, but rather, a highly creative and refined process. Rashly cutting your marketing budget, for example, can diminish your presence in your respective marketplace, stem the flow of leads and give your competitors a chance to step up and reclaim market share.

Look to more creative cost-cutting ideas instead. Begin by removing underperforming, wrong-attitude personnel, but then look to those areas that will save you money without reducing your prowess and reputation. Chad Ochsner, president of RE/MAX Alliance in Denver, for example, devised a clever way for his agents to save money while also giving an important nod to the environment. This past summer, in the face of dramatically escalating gas prices, Ochsner’s agents asked clients to narrow down their home choices online in order to streamline driving time during showings. Agents then charged clients a gas surcharge for any above-and-beyond time spent driving to scope out homes.

Gino Blefari, president and founder of San Francisco-based Intero Real Estate, recently told the audience at RISMedia’s 13th Annual Power Broker Forum that he managed to cut $1 million from his budget. Among the laundry list were seemingly insignificant items, like getting rid of the “exotic coffee machines” and becoming a green operation. If you’re of the mind that the little things don’t matter, remember that every item contributed to Blefari’s $1 million savings-a savings, by the way, that’s allowing him to grow his franchise and open new offices.

5. Green For Good

Over the past months, we’ve witnessed an unheard of amount of information, deliverables and attention paid to green initiatives. Moving into 2009, expect this shift to become even more prominent and permanent as brokerages look to save both money-and the Earth.

Initiatives like NAR’s new Green Designation and the emergence of Ecobroker are quickly gaining popularity.
“It’s our job as stewards of the environment, but also as real estate agents, to educate our clients about what they can do in the homes that they’re buying and/or selling to help this cause,” explains Carson Matthews, a Realtor with Atlanta-based Harry Norman Realtors. “I really kind of preach about greener living, with the hope that others will follow suit.”

“The greening of the industry is no longer just a trend,” adds Chad Ochsner, president of RE/MAX Alliance in Denver. “It’s become an expectation.”

From paperless transaction management software to recommending more energy-conscious products for the home, brokers and agents will push for green living well through next year.

6. Seeing Real Estate Clearly

The wealth of information online is experiencing exponential growth on a daily basis, taking transparency to a whole new level. Consumers want more information-and they want it fast.

Real estate verticals such as Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia and Point2 have become mainstays by offering the ability to view millions of listings and their photos.

“The bottom line for an agent with a listing is that you want that property viewed by as many people as possible,” says Kaira Sturdivant Rouda, president of Ohio-based Real Living. “Partnering with [listing sites] is the way to do it. Listing data today is ubiquitous. The more credible places your listing appears, the better.”
Be on the lookout for even more transparency from Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions’ Cyberhomes. The company is prepping to unveil its newest offering-Neighborhood Outlook, which lays out a detailed account of market trends such as loan delinquencies, REOs and foreclosures in any given neighborhood.

Another sign of transparency: collaboration. From Realtor.com’s recent agreement to list FSBOs from forsalebyowner.com to RISMedia’s own partnership with Realtown.com, real estate’s top players realize that working together will deliver even more to consumers.

To that end, companies such as Yahoo! Real Estate, Trulia and Zillow have even adopted a new standard data format for the distribution of real estate listings online. With this standard, listing providers will be able to distribute their listings data to several of the leading real estate sites in one common format, making it easier to get critical information to consumers faster and more efficiently.

7. Differentiation That’s Actually Different

Agents have long touted their differentiation in their respective marketplaces. But the reality is, claims of offering the “best service” are prevalent…and getting old-especially in a down marketplace where consumers are seeking serious financial advice.

Truth be told, most consumers view all real estate agents as more or less the same, and for the most part, not very favorably. According to a 2006 Harris poll, in fact, real estate agents ranked last out of 23 professions in terms of prestige!

To truly stand out in today’s real estate marketplace and dispel poor perceptions, agents need to increase their professionalism by becoming an expert resource and provider of consumer-relevant information.

RISMedia’s recently launched Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, for example, offers agents a way to promote their differentiation and elevated status to consumers by providing consumers with the high-level information they crave. While we all love a good recipe, these are serious times that demand serious information.

“A greater commitment among real estate professionals to meet the increasing informational interests and demands of consumers is needed now more than ever,” explains RISMedia President and CEO John Featherston. “Regrettably, many consumers perceive that real estate agents are principally only transaction-to-transaction oriented. It is to the benefit of our entire industry that these perceptions begin to change-this can only take place by strengthening our profession’s commitment to meeting the informational needs of consumers.”

8. Bye-Bye, ‘Back to Basics’-Hello, ‘New Deal’

Disclaimer: Mastery of real estate fundamentals is, of course, very important.

That said, it’s not nearly enough to hang your hat on. Real estate professionals who wish to be around for the long-term must embrace new ways of doing business, starting with the messaging they are sending out in their local markets.

“In 25 years, I can’t recall a marketplace like this,” explains Allan Dalton, president, RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network®. “In my travels, I hear, ‘We’ve got to get back to basics,’ but no one describes what that means. We have to be cautious before being that nostalgic. The problems we have are far more pervasive. We don’t need to get back to basics. We need a ‘New Deal.’”

According to Dalton, agents have to change the way they market themselves as an industry. “We have to change the messaging. Never before have consumers been in greater need of being persuaded and never before have so many not been persuading them,” he says. “Our job is to inspire the consumer. We have to put a tourniquet on the bleeding on where the market is going.”

9. Real Estate’s New Face

If you’re among the few who view the multicultural market as a trend, you’re missing the boat-and a wealth of real opportunity.

“Growing your business in the midst of a major economic correction is not the first thing that comes to mind for most organizations, but the customer segment that the industry has traditionally overlooked may now be our economic lifeboat,” says Oscar Gonzales, founder of the Gonzales Group. “Since 2000, we have seen a significant shift in the profile of consumers as the multicultural consumer has grown both in population size and buying power.”

In a real estate market that has us all on our toes, a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly growing multicultural market can only help. Real estate professionals can capitalize on this market segment if they take the time to learn about and understand these cultures.

“What’s been eroded in this industry is trust,” says Robb Heering, founder and CEO of Casa Latino Franchise Corp. “Multicultural consumers need to be educated on how the home-buying system works as well as on the value of credit and banking.”

9. Targeted Technology

It goes without saying that technology is an invaluable tool for today’s real estate professional.

“As we are no longer dealing with a local client, our pathway to everyone begins with technology,” says Carlina Boji, broker/owner, RE/MAX Classic, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Today’s successful real estate companies have made it their mission to equip real estate professionals with the tools they need to reach consumers. Listing homes online isn’t enough anymore, and VuVista is one example of a technology company offering more in today’s market.

“Our new iVuZoom technology allows us to take the virtual tour concept one step further and deliver an immersive and interactive virtual tour,” says Steve Marques, president and COO, VuVista. “For the first time, you can have a 360- or 180-degree panorama, stop the picture and zoom in to see precise details.”

Also, as cell phones continuously infiltrate the real estate industry, the mobile search concept has taken off and changed the way agents and consumers share information with one another.

Not only are technology companies targeting the Internet, but BlackBerries and iPhones have become a common information-sharing avenue as well.

Zillow scores Houston listings

scorbett — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:40:00 GMT

HAR will feed data on more than 60,000 properties

By Matt Carter, Inman News

Zillow.com has reached an agreement to automatically receive more than 60,000 listings from the nation's second-largest Realtor association, the Houston Association of Realtors, the companies said today.

Launched a year ago, Zillow's listings feed program allows any broker, multiple listing service or vendor with multiple listings to push them to Zillow automatically.

The program now brings information on more than 3 million live listings to the real estate portal, formerly known primarily for its automated property valuations.

The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) is only the second multiple listing service (MLS) to agree to feed listings directly to Zillow. MLS Property Information Network, a privately owned MLS serving the New England area, agreed to begin sending information on about 60,000 listings in March (see story).

Zillow also gets listings from technology vendors that accept feeds from MLSs, such as Threewide Corp., which Zillow says provides listings from more than 120 MLSs.

Also among the hundreds of companies Zillow claims as partners in the listings feed program are industry giants like Realogy, Homes & Land, and Prudential California-Nevada-Texas Realty.

Real estate agents and homeowners who don't have a feed can upload individual listings to Zillow, and third-party listing syndicators like Point2 Technologies Inc. also feed listings to multiple sites.

Michigan's biggest multiple listing service, Realcomp, announced this summer that it would send listings to Point2 when authorized by member brokers and agents. Point2 boasts more than 30 listing syndication partners, including Zillow, Trulia, Cyberhomes, eBay, Google Base, and Homescape.

The listings HAR's 26,000 members provide to Zillow will include a property description with up to 16 photos and contact information for the listing agent. Each will link back to the HAR Web site, HAR.com, where consumers will find more information about the home, neighborhood, listing agent and brokerage.

Spencer Rascoff, Zillow's chief operating officer, said the partnership gives Zillow better coverage in the Houston area, while HAR members and sellers get additional free marketing for listings.

HAR Chairman Michael Levitin said the association is continuously looking for ways to maximize marketing exposure for members and listings, and that Zillow's Web traffic "offers a tremendous marketing opportunity for our agents and their sellers."

Zillow claims the site attracted 5.4 million unique users in September, two-thirds of whom were planning to buy or sell now or in the near future.

HAR has actively distributed its members' property listings data to a number of third-party sites, and Levitin said the association will continue to send listings to Cyberhomes, Google Base, Homes.com and Realtor.com.

HAR president and CEO Bob Hale is a longtime champion of public-facing MLS Web sites. During a July panel discussion at Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco, Hale said HAR generates about 600,000 free leads for members a year, with agents and brokers receiving a monthly report detailing leads, click-throughs, and listing views generated

Carey Tufts Named Vice President of Marketing, Point2 Technologies

scorbett — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

SASKATOON, Sask. and VANCOUVER, BC – Carey Tufts has been promoted to the post of Vice President of Marketing for Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), the company announced today.

Tufts will be responsible for Point2’s global marketing strategy for the real estate and heavy equipment business divisions. Tufts will direct and oversee the advertising, marketing, promotion, sales and support functions and programs, as well as corporate branding efforts.

Tufts assumes the new role after having served as the company’s Director of Marketing, since December 2007. Tufts joined Point2 in 2004.

“Carey has taken our marketing to the next level. He has proven to be an extremely valuable leader at Point2, consistently demonstrating strong initiative and ability to drive complex projects that directly impact corporate goals and growth,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Carey’s project and people management skills have earned him great respect across the organization. Most notably, his contributions over the past year towards advancing Point2’s position as a leader for listing syndication solutions for real estate MLS® (Multiple Listing Service) organizations and Associations have been instrumental to our rapid growth in the area.”

“I’m proud to welcome Carey to this important role and to see yet another senior position at Point2 filled from within. This transition provides Point2 with the seamless continuity it needs in marketing, and solidifies our bench strength at the senior level as we forge into 2009 with highly ambitious goals,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies. “Carey’s understanding of our brands and our markets have served us well over the past several years. His strategic thinking and contagious commitment to his work will now enable him to make an even greater impact on our business.”

Tufts holds a BA and a Master degree in English, from the University of Saskatchewan. A native of Saskatoon, Tufts has traveled extensively throughout Canada, mountain biking and rock climbing. He is married to Rebecca Hunter, the owner of a successful bridal boutique in Saskatoon, and they both spend every non-working minute chasing after their three year old daughter Madeline.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Media Contacts

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 Technologies and MLSListings Inc. Sign Listing Syndication Agreement

scorbett — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Single Data Feed to Automate Real Estate Listing Syndication for MLSListings Members to 35 Hot Consumer Search Sites

SUNNYVALE, California and SASKATOON, Sask. – MLSListings, Inc. (“MLSListings”) and Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), today announced an agreement to provide automated listing syndication services to MLSListings’ nearly 19,000 subscribers. The system will enable brokers to control syndication destinations and to access summary traffic reports. The new, opt-in offering is scheduled to go live during the fourth quarter of 2008.

The initiative aims to enable broad listing exposure for MLSListings subscribers, efficiently and cost effectively. With a single click, brokers will be able to publish listings across the industry’s largest syndication network of high traffic consumer search sites, helping to maximize listing awareness online, benefiting home buyers and sellers alike. The Point2 network today encompasses over 35 sites including Google, Craigslist, Point2 Homes, Cyberhomes, AOL, Yahoo!, Trulia and Zillow. A complete list can be viewed at http://agent.point2.com/features/syndication.asp.

The initiative will also enable users to book spotlight advertising on participating websites within the network, with a single click of the mouse, making it extremely easy to enhance brand and listing exposure on highly popular sites such as Point2 Homes, Google, LiveDeal and others.

“Individually, agents and brokers could never efficiently achieve this kind of advertising reach without a syndication service,” said James Harrison, President and CEO of MLSListings. “The partnership between MLSListings and Point2 means the data feed to these high-power consumer sites is automatic. There’s no need to re-enter listings on a site-by-site basis. Simply enter the listing in the MLS, and it’s posted to the most powerful Internet sites available.”

At their discretion, subscribers will also be able to access and leverage their listings in a number of ways, to optimize their marketing and revenue. Members can easily augment listings with up to 36 photos each, using Point2’s patented Photo Upload Facility® (PUF). Launching an optional Point2 Agent website also becomes a breeze, as well as controlling listing syndication destinations and accessing detailed, site-by-site and listing-by-listing traffic reports. Built-in advanced, automated predictive marketing and lead conversion technology will assist users in turning leads into revenue.

“Leading MLSs are looking for innovative, value added services for their subscribers and participants” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies, and a California real estate broker himself for over 30 years. “Using the Point2 solution, MLSListings has eliminated the need to develop individual data feeds for each consumer site and provides users a single point of entry for distribution of listing information across the Internet and beyond. ‘Distribution trumps destination’ in the age of Web 2.0. The Point2 MLS strategy also helps our syndication partners, by delivering to them hundreds of thousand of listings through a single Point2 feed, from the best and most authoritative source of listing data, local and regional MLSs.”

Larry Knapp, President and COO of Alain Pinel Realtors, noted “Our brokerage is known for providing the tools to help our top-performing agents meet their customers’ needs. And we want our MLS to assist us wherever possible in that effort. MLSListings’ agreement with Point2 propels the effectiveness of our listing advertising efforts to new heights.”

About MLSListings Inc.

MLSListings Inc. formally launched in 2007 after considerable effort to consolidate the region’s MLS systems. MLSListings is designed to more effectively meet the current and future MLS needs of the region’s real estate professionals. MLSListings provides technology and support services that empower its subscribers to meet the challenges of conducting business across a large geographical area. MLSListings formally acquired RE InfoLink and Central Valley MLS in 2007 and continues to work with neighboring MLS providers to enhance service to its customers. MLSListings represents nearly 19,000 MLS subscribers. MLSListings is governed by the brokerage community, and owned by Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley, San Mateo, Monterey, Watsonville, San Benito and Central Valley Associations of REALTORS®.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contacts

MLSListings, Inc.
Anne O’Callahan
MarCom Manager, MLSListings Inc.
T. 1-408-874-0242
E. aocallahan@mlslistings.com

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Internet 'evangelist' promotes real estate tech

scorbett — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:00:00 GMT

By Lai Saetern, Inman News

It all began with an advertisement in the newspaper over three decades ago.

After serving for five years in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer, Saul Klein was ready for a change. He sought a career with better pay and plenty of room for advancement.

It made sense for Klein to jump into the real estate business. His father used to buy properties and sell them, and Klein saw that real estate could be a lucrative business.

He responded to a job ad, took a test and got his real estate license in 1975 to work as a sales associate.

For two years, Klein sold condos, working at a Century 21 office in San Diego. He got his broker's license in 1977. He then teamed up with a partner and launched their own firm, using an IBM typewriter to transcribe documents.

He recalled a fateful encounter during those early days in the industry.

"It was like serendipity. I got a phone call from a lady in Mexico, telling me to meet her at the Tula Vista restaurant in Mexico at 6:30 a.m. one morning," said Klein. Being the adventurous guy that he was, Klein drove to Mexico to meet his potential client.

This woman, whose identity Klein said he did not wish to disclose, became a key partner in his first firm for 12 years. She owned a business in Guadalajara, Mexico, and introduced Klein and his partner to numerous clients from Mexico. He earned her trust and she played a significant role in his budding business.

Klein came a long way from the IBM typewriter on his path to becoming a real estate technology guru. On his mission to build larger networks among real estate professionals, he began to engage in the online real estate community chat rooms and linked up with Mike Barnett, a chat-room moderator. Barnett, who has known Klein for more than 15 years now, was initially impressed by Saul's humorous blogs and innovative ideas.

"I hosted the chat room every Tuesday night, and Saul and I would have conversations about taking (property) listings to kiosks and the Internet. Even though I came from an entertainment background, Saul taught me a lot about the real estate industry," Barnett said.

Klein and Barnett traveled together across the country to educate real estate professionals about the use of technology in the real estate business. The two, along with John Reilly, author of best-selling, "The Language of Real Estate," launched Realtown, a real estate online network for Realtors.

During the mid-1990s, Klein served as a consultant for the Realtor Information Network, a plan by the National Association of Realtors to bring property listings from Realtor associations and multiple listing services to the public. That original plan gave way to the creation of the Realtor.com Web site, which is the most visited online real estate search site.

An Internet pioneer and so-called "evangelist" for the real estate industry, Klein was selected as one of the "25 Most Influential People in the Real Estate Industry" by the National Association of Realtors and has also been recognized by Inman News among the "100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders."

"It is always a challenge working with Saul. He is like an ever-ready Energizer battery," said Reilly, who was persuaded by Klein to relocate from Hawaii to California.

Besides real estate, Reilly and Klein share another interest in long-distance running, and they have been known to trade military stories.

Last year, Klein took on a new role as CEO for Point2 Technologies Inc., a company based in Saskatoon, Canada, that offers technology tools for real estate professionals and a search site for consumers.

And he still maintains his title and role as president of Internet Crusade, the online marketing company that operates the Realtown network and offers an ePro certification course for tech-savvy real estate professionals.

Despite his busy schedule, Klein said he always provides his undivided attention to whomever he is meeting with, whether it is one person or hundreds of people.

"I have a pet peeve in the way that people treat the urgency of communication nowadays. I get annoyed when I am in a conversation with someone and they are text-messaging or checking their e-mails on the phone," said Klein.

With all of the people that he has to keep up with and his continuous travels, Klein said that he loves his job and is not sure when he will retire. When he does slow down, he said he wants to pursue his other passion -- writing -- and contribute more to his blogs.

Klein has plans to retire in Hawaii, where he tries to visit once a year with his wife. Family occupies his time when he isn't working.

Point2 Technologies Chief Executive Officer Named to ‘100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders' List

scorbett — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SASKATOON, Sask. and VANCOUVER, BC, – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Saul Klein has been named to the INMAN News Top 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate: 2008 report.

Mr. Klein is listed in the Technology and Online Real Estate category, which recognizes achievers who have built technology tools and offered services to make the industry more productive and efficient, helping to drive change in the way real estate professionals conduct business.

Mr. Klein has now been named to the INMAN News report four years in a row.

Each year, INMAN News compiles a list of the 100 most influential people in real estate. The list reflects the industry’s best and brightest and also includes those individuals from outside of the real estate industry whose actions influence the business of buying and selling real estate. The people on the list embody leadership, innovation, ingenuity, power and persistence.

The full INMAN News report can be downloaded at http://www.inman.com/products/downloads/100-most-influential-real-estate-leaders-2008.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contact:

Roger Noujeim
Public Relations Director
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 Ext. 224 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Changes taking place at Point2 Technologies Inc.

scorbett — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Cassandra Kyle, The StarPhoenix

Saskatoon's Point2 Technologies Inc., an employer of 113 people, is beginning to take its product in a new direction. The software development company is moving away from promoting its online real estate programs to individual agents, instead looking to regional real estate agencies for contracts.

SP reporter Cassandra Kyle recently sat down with Point2 CEO Saul Klein to learn about the company.

SP: If the average person in Saskatchewan came up to you on the street and said what's Point2, what do they do and who knows them in Saskatoon, what would you say?

SK: Primarily (we work in) the real-estate industry. We develop software for the heavy equipment industry and the real-estate industry.

SP: And what's its presence like in the city? I know most of your business is in the United States.

SK: Now that we have the sign (on top of the Eighth Street office), if they don't know they're going to wonder. I know that in the real-estate community in the city it's very good, and I know in Saskatchewan it's very good because I talk to the people who run the real-estate associations here, so they know about Point2. But I'm not stopping anybody on the street and asking them what they know about Point2. I would bet at the university in the technology fields -- because we get a lot of inquiries for employment from the university -- I would think there's a pretty good presence there.

SP: Why is Point2 better known in the United States than it is in Saskatoon?

SK: I would say No. 1, the United States marketplace is bigger for Point2 products. . . . There are more Realtors, by huge numbers, in the states then there are in Canada, that's the primary reason.

Since I got here we've started to do more to gain more presence in Canada because I know people who run the associations here because I've been a speaker at CREA (the Canadian Real Estate Association) a number of times.

SP: That kind of answers my next question, but I'm still going to ask it. Do you plan on increasing the company's profile in Saskatoon?

SK: Yes. And part of that will be through the sponsorships and relationships we have with the (real-estate) associations. We have a very good presence in Saskatoon with the agents on the street. Saskatoon is probably, and I don't know for sure, but I would say that Saskatoon is probably one of our best markets from a penetration perspective. It's home and it started here.

SP: Last December, I'm going to go back almost a year, eight of Point2's executive officers resigned from the company for personal reasons. Has Point2 recovered from that?

SK: I think dramatically. Revenues have increased, staff has increased, the organization -- its structure is different now than it was, the methods we use to develop software (have) changed dramatically. So from my perspective, and I was not an intimate part of the company prior to that, but I do know based on talking to people the morale of the company, output, productivity has never been better. That's what I'm told. I feel very good about that.
SP: One of the changes to come out of that management change was your appointment as CEO. What have your experiences been like with the company so far?

SK: It's been great. They're very open, as I mentioned they're very friendly, they take care of me. They make sure I have the tools I need to do what I need to do. There's an ownership structure and a board of directors and I have the ability here to do what I need to do to get the job done and their full trust and confidence, so it's great. Not to mention the personal stuff -- they make sure I have all the things I like to eat in my refrigerator when I come to town.

SP: We also know you're the CEO of a San Diego-based real-estate company (Internet Crusade) and you split your time between the two cities. How can you give Point2 the attention that it needs while you're away?

SK: It's very interesting that this is the age of technology. . . . Instant messaging, e-mail, cellphone, so when I turn my computer on I have instant messaging, so I talk to the people in my office in San Diego all the time, all day long. When I have a question, it's an instant message. So when I'm not here and I need to contact somebody, it's instant messaging -- or it can be a phone call or it can be an e-mail.

And then another thing people don't think about, I guess, and if they thought about it they'd realize it, but CEOs of most companies aren't there day-to-day. . . . That's why you have a president of the company, that's why you have an HR department, right? The job of the CEO is more visioning and direction and strategy. . . . For me, I have ample time to devote to Point2 everything that it needs to be successful.

SP: Will there be a time when you'll have to choose between these two companies?

SK: I don't think so. What I think is over time we'll discover more synergies and we'll see more ability for companies to work together, and my wife would probably never move to Saskatoon.

SP: Recently, Point2 has started targeting the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) agencies instead of individual Realtors. Why make that change?

SK: Quantity. You get lots of listings faster by going right to the multiple listing services. In addition to that, it's a valuable tool for a Realtor to put their listings everywhere.

SP: So what direction is the company headed in now?

SK: Up. It's in a growth mode, one we'd hopefully like to describe as a hockey-stick. All projects have phases . . . I believe that Point2 is on its way to breakthrough.

SP: Thanks for going through that with me. I have one more question for you. Is there a funny story or experience you can tell me about working in Saskatoon?

SK: I'll tell you an odd situation. Two times now my cellphone won't work here -- two times -- and this is one of them. Well, you know there's no reason to have a landline in my apartment because everybody has cellphones. This week, I can't call my wife, I'm stuck, I'm all alone, so I have to e-mail my wife. . . . Next time I come they promised me I'd have a land line in my apartment.

SP: Thanks for your time.

SK: Yeah, you bet.

Point2, GEPAR become partners

scorbett — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Canwest News Service

Point2 Technologies Inc. has entered into a partnership with the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors (GEPAR), giving the association's members access to individually branded Point2 Agent websites.

The Saskatoon-based company, which develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software for the real estate and heavy equipment industries, announced the partnership with the Texan association Monday. The deal is among a number of recent partnerships with American real-estate associations for Point2.

"The real-estate landscape continues to change and high online visibility for listings makes sense, especially in this economy," said company CEO Saul Klein. "With their own fully customizable website and Point2's massive listing syndication network, maximum exposure online is now in the grasp of every broker and agent at GEPAR."

The company says the second phase of the implementation, which is planned for the fourth quarter, is set to automate data entry into agent websites through a direct feed from the GEPAR Multiple Listing Service to Point2.

Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS Selects Point2 Technologies to Automate Listing Syndication – Launches Large Scale Point2 Agent Website Initiative

scorbett — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SASKATOON, Sask. and Vancouver, BC, Sep. 29, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced
that The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS® (“GEPAR”) has released world class, individually branded
Point2 Agent websites to its entire membership base, as part of a plan that aims to optimize individual member exposure and success online.

At the discretion and control of GEPAR members, Point2 Agent users can now use their accounts to launch professional looking websites and to add and syndicate listings across the industry’s largest network of high traffic consumer real estate search sites, easily and cost effectively.

Phase two of the implementation, planned for the fourth quarter of 2008 will automate data entry into Point2 Agent websites, as well as listing syndication, for all members, through a direct feed from the GEPAR MLS system to Point2. The capability is expected to deliver significant productivity gains to GEPAR members, by eliminating multiple data entry requirements. The benefits will also be extended to current Point2 Agent users.

“Only 60 percent of REALTORS® today own a personal website. In addition, many brokers and agents now see the benefits of mass listing exposure on the Net but currently must spend a lot of time and effort posting listings on popular sites. Our partnership with Point2 gives to our members a new edge in the marketplace, by enabling consumers to find them more easily online,” said Dan Olivas, President, El Paso Association of REALTORS®. “We have invested significant time and effort working with an industry leader such as Point2 to ensure each of our members can have a professional looking, individually branded site right out of the box, and can push listings to high traffic sites with a click of the mouse, giving them the visibility they need while saving them time and money.”

“We are extremely pleased that The Greater El Paso Association leadership has chosen the Point2 Agent platform to help unleash the potential of the web for its members,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “The real estate landscape continues to change, and high online visibility for listings makes sense, especially in this economy. With their own fully customizable website and Point2’s massive listing syndication network, maximum exposure online is now in the grasp of every broker and agent at GEPAR.”

Point2 Agent will provide users with full control over where their listings are published. Dynamic access to detailed traffic reports and analytics will enable better marketing and advertising spending decisions, such as for the purchase of featured listing advertising spots on the various sites. Point2 Agent enables one click ad booking on several sites, at exclusive rates to Point2 members.

The Point2 real estate syndication network consists of over 30 partner sites, including Google, Yahoo! Classifieds, Cyberhomes, Craigslist, Point2 Homes, Hotpads, Trulia and Zillow. A complete list can be viewed at http://agent.point2.com/features/syndication.asp.

Integrated, cutting edge predictive marketing, lead capture and conversion tools will maximize lead conversion into revenue, by automatically managing hundreds or thousands of online leads while the agent concentrates on their day to day activities. Syndication and other system features such as the website or lead conversion components are all options the user can activate individually.

GPAR users can start to benefit from their Point2 Agent websites immediately, free of charge for six months, and for only US$9.95 per month thereafter.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contacts
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 Agent Solution launched in Massachusetts

scorbett — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The StarPhoenix

Real estate markets in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and other communities in Massachusetts now have access to Saskatoon's Point2 Technologies Inc.'s Agent Solution System.

The company and Cape Cod and Islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Inc. jointly launched Point2 Agent Solution in Massachusetts this week.

The service is set to automate listing syndication for Cape Cod and Islands MLS and provide "critical listing exposure" for members across the industry's biggest network of consumer search sites.

The system will let real estate brokers control syndication destinations of their listings and access traffic reports.

"We're very excited to partner with Cape Cod & Islands MLS on this important initiative," stated Point2 CEO Saul Klein.

"As more real estate organizations seek value-added benefits for their members and look to create new revenue opportunities, Point2 is best positioned to lead in the syndication and website segment with unique, comprehensive, MLS-targeted solutions."

Point2 develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 reaches Mass.

scorbett — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Regina Leader Post

SASKATOON -- Real estate markets in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and other communities in Massachusetts now have access to Saskatoon's Point2 Technologies Inc.'s Agent Solution System.

The company and Cape Cod and Islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Inc. jointly launched Point2 Agent Solution in Massachusetts this week. The service is set to automate listing syndication for Cape Cod and Islands MLS and provide "critical listing exposure" for members across the industry's biggest network of consumer search sites.

The system will let real estate brokers control syndication destinations of their listings and access traffic reports.

Point2 develops and markets Web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries.

Point2 and Cape Cod & Islands MLS Deliver Breakthrough Listing Syndication Program

scorbett — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:35:00 GMT

Cape Cod & Islands Launch Marks Industry’s First Implementation of Enterprise-Level Point2 Agent Solution for Real Estate MLSs and Associations

WEST YARMOUTH, Mass. and SASKATOON, Sask., Sep. 15, 2008 – Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (“CC&IMLS”) and Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), today announced the launch of Point2 Agent across the Association’s markets including Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. The implementation is designed to deliver superior, value adding productivity tools and services to Association members to help bolster their position and success online, at little or no cost to them.

Effective immediately, enabled through a RETS (Real Estate Transaction Standard) compliant feed from the Association to Point2, the new, advanced enterprise-level Point2 Agent solution will automate listing syndication for Cape Cod & Islands MLS (Multiple Listing Service), providing critical listing exposure for members, free of charge, across the industry’s largest network of high traffic consumer search sites.

The system will enable brokers to control syndication destinations and to access summary traffic reports, also free of charge.

“We are constantly investing in new technologies and services to drive value to our members,” said Henry J. DiGiacomo, Chief Executive Officer, Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS® and Cape Cod & Islands MLS. “Online listing exposure is a key driver to success, and Point2 Agent is head and shoulders above any other solutions we considered. We are privileged that Cape Cod & Islands MLS members are first in the world to tap the benefits of Point2 Agent directly through their MLS system, which will provide prominent, vast exposure for their listings to consumers worldwide. This also gives consumers additional access to Cape Cod & Islands REALTORS®, and will help them to easily select and own a precious piece of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.”

The Point2 Agent listing syndication network includes over 35 partner sites including Google, Craigslist, Point2 Homes, Yahoo!, Trulia, Zillow and NYTimes.com. A complete list can be viewed at http://agent.point2.com/features/syndication.asp.

Point2 Agent will also allow Cape Cod & Islands members to seamlessly access their listings and tap the full potential of the Point2 Agent platform such as to augment listings with up to 36 photos each, launch an optional, world class website, control listing syndication destinations, access detailed, site by site and listing by listing traffic reports and, draw on the unique built-in predictive marketing lead capture and conversion system to maximize revenue.

These value services are available to all members free of charge, for six months, and for only US$9.95 per month thereafter. The free summary reports immediately available to brokers will become available to agents as part of a planned system upgrade, during the first half of 2009.

“We’re very excited to partner with Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service on this important initiative,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “As more real estate organizations seek value-added benefits for their members and look to create new revenue opportunities, Point2 is best positioned to lead in the syndication and website segment with unique, comprehensive, MLS-targeted solutions.”

Jamie Regan, 2009 President, Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS® and Cape Cod & Islands MLS, stated “We’re pleased that members of the REALTOR®-owned Cape Cod & Islands MLS now have access to the most complete listing syndication technology in the industry. This solution will also make a noticeable difference for consumers in fulfilling dreams of home ownership, as the majority of buyers today use the Internet in their home search.”

Linda Collins, 2008 President of the Cape Cod & Islands MLS, noted “My goal as president last year was to help our members expose their listings to as many avenues as possible. Signing a contract with Point2 helped me to exceed that goal, far surpassing what I thought was possible! The leadership of our Technology Manager, Michael Kennedy, in researching and implementing this great new member benefit, could not have been more thorough and professional.”

The enterprise-level Point2 Agent solution is fully supported with a complete introduction, implementation, training and customer service program to facilitate ease of execution for Association executives and administration teams, while helping to maximize user adoption and success. An optional revenue share program is also built in, which creates an instant, new revenue channel for Associations and MLSs.

About The Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

The Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service, Inc. is a for-profit REALTOR®-Association owned and operated MLS comprised of 2,300 subscribers throughout Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. The MLS is led by an eleven REALTOR®-Member Board of Directors, with representation from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, the Upper, Mid, Lower, & Outer Cape, and Directors-at-Large. Jamie Regan, owner of Century 21 Regan REALTORS® in Mashpee, MA is the 2009 President.

The activities of the Cape Cod & Islands MLS range from offering valuable member benefits, to providing FREE Continuing Education and other professional development courses, as well as legislative advocacy on behalf of REALTORS® and property rights. It is affiliated with the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, as well as the National Association of REALTORS®.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with nearly 200,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 Agent platform, in 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contacts

Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS®
Henry J. DiGiacomo, CAE, RCE
Chief Executive Officer
T. 1-508-957-4344
E. hdigiacomo@capecod.net

Point2 Technologies
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
E. rnoujeim@point2.com

Real estate data in high gear

scorbett — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:31:00 GMT

By Patrick Cassidy, Cape Cod Times

HYANNIS — The real estate market on Cape Cod and the islands went "back to the future" yesterday.

Much like in the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie by the same name, officials from the Cape Cod and Islands Multiple Listing Service Inc. took a look back as they revved up for what's to come.

At a forum sponsored by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce in the Rectrix Aerodrome Boardroom at Barnstable Municipal Airport, officials responsible for the local MLS announced a pair of online changes in the way homebuyers interact with real estate data and listings.

"MLS is so 20th century," Cape and Islands MLS and Realtors association chief executive officer Henry DiGiacomo told the audience of about 50 people. "We had to think 21st century."

First, the Cape and Islands MLS signed up for Point2 National Listing Service, a Canadian company that compiles real estate listings internationally. For example, details for homes on Cape Cod can be viewed through a Web site alongside homes from elsewhere, Jamie Regan, president of the local MLS and Realtors association said.

Multiple listing services are a group of databases that allow real estate brokers representing sellers to share information with other brokers who represent buyers.

DiGiacomo and Regan also announced the imminent launch of an update to the local MLS site, promising it would include information on sold properties for the consumer, something that until now has been reserved for real estate professionals and releases to the media.

"That sold data will actually be available to the consumer to let them know what their home is worth," DiGiacomo said. The site should be up in about a month, he said.

The change will help the industry keep up with new generations of homebuyers who are more comfortable using computers, he said, adding that real estate professionals will still be in demand to analyze the data.

The wider availability of data in the real estate industry can be partially traced to a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against the National Association of Realtors, DiGiacomo said.

In that case, the government argued that restrictions on listing information that treated online real estate brokers differently from "bricks and mortar" brokers stifled competition.

"If it's on the Internet, it's in the public domain," DiGiacomo said of the government's contention. "If it's in the public domain, it belongs to the public."

Audience members were generally positive toward the more open access.

"I'm thinking it's time for Cape Cod to be thinking in a progressive way," said Kate McHugh of Century 21 Shoreland in Hyannis. "The Internet is the way of the world now."

DiGiacomo and Regan reminded the audience of how far real estate had come since the first National Association of Realtors was formed in 1908 and explained what they saw in the recent market.

In 1926, the first Cape and Islands association of Realtors was started, Regan said.

The first MLS was literally a meeting of real estate professionals who exchanged information on slips of paper, he said.

Computers soon became part of doing business and, in 2001, the real estate market was really "propelled into the Internet phase," he said.

Now, with the wider availability of listing information real estate professionals have "left being the guardians and gatekeepers of the information," Regan said.

Looking forward to new generations, such as so-called "Generation Y," born between 1981 and 1994, DiGiacomo said he saw a "tsunami tidal wave that people are oblivious to."

On the Cape, both men said there were deals to be had as home prices have dropped in recent years. But the bottom was close, they said. Not everyone in the audience agreed with such a rosy assessment.

The "extreme momentum" prior to the bottom of the market in previous downturns had not yet arrived, said Carl Persson of Cape Cod Capital Management, LLC.

But DiGiacomo and others countered this time around things were different with protections for consumers, median housing prices already up in areas and a strong local banking industry.

Point2 to syndicate Realcomp listings

scorbett — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:20:00 GMT

Inamn News

Michigan's biggest multiple listing service, Realcomp, will send listings to syndicator Point2 Technologies Inc. when authorized by member brokers and agents, the companies said today.

Realcomp members will be able to send their listings to any or all of Point2's more than 30 listing syndication partners, including Cyberhomes, eBay, Google Base, Homescape, Point2 Homes, Trulia and Zillow.com.

Realcomp is the first MLS in Michigan to partner with Point2, which claims nearly 200,000 broker and agent subscribers. Under an agreement between the two companies, Realcomp will enable Point2's automated listing syndication for members, who will also have the option to use the Point2 Agent platform's predictive marketing technology.

THE WORLD WIDE WEB IS NOW THEIR ‘OYSTER’

scorbett — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:30:00 GMT

HOME BUYERS, SELLERS BENEFIT VIA NEW REALCOMP PARTNERSHIP WITH POINT2 TECHNOLOGIES

Farmington Hills, Mich. and Saskatoon, SK – August 25, 2008 – Realcomp, Michigan's largest Multiple Listing Service, and Point2 Technologies Inc. (‘Point2’), the largest independent provider of real estate website and listing syndication solutions today announced a partnership that will extend to Realcomp members the very latest, most comprehensive online marketing tools designed to significantly enhance home listings awareness and reach online for area buyers and sellers.

Under the agreement, Realcomp will enable automated listing syndication for its REALTOR® members. Members will also have the option to utilize the most advanced predictive marketing technology in the real estate industry, built into the Point2 Agent platform.

Point2 Agent is a complete website and listing syndication solution for real estate professionals that includes a high-tech prospecting and listings management toolbox and features a virtual network of over 30 top online listing syndication partners; the largest syndication network in the marketplace today, including:

Craigslist
Cyberhomes
eBay
Facebook
Google Base
Homescape
Point2 Homes
Trulia
Zillow.com

With Point2 Agent, Realcomp members will have the ability to automatically update property listings on multiple sites of their choosing, in real-time. Previously, many REALTORS® had to individually and manually update listings on each and every website on which their listings resided–a time consuming task.

"The addition of Point2 Agent to our REALTOR'S® repertoire of services will allow for greater proficiencies, leads and sales,” said Karen Kage, Realcomp CEO. "Today’s home buyers and sellers, in turn, have access to the greatest web of prospects possible—a ‘win-win’ for all.”

"Distribution trumps destination. Forward thinking MLSs such as Realcomp understand this simple fact,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “Providing a single automatic solution for listing distribution to Internet destinations of the broker’s choice is a value added service provided by progressive MLSs. Using Point2 Agent’s advanced syndication system also allows for more than “fire and forget” distribution of listings. It helps brokers and agents to track and determine which website and marketing venues provide the greatest return for their sellers and their business.”

Realcomp is the first MLS in Michigan to partner with Point2, which has served the real estate sector since 2003. The addition of Point2 Agent is the second major electronic real estate improvement system that Realcomp has provided for its members this year. The first was SHOWINGDESK^TM Web Edition, which enables real estate offices to manage electronic showing appointments.

The new service is expected to be available to Realcomp REALTOR® members during the fourth quarter of 2008.

About Realcomp

Realcomp is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan and has continuously operated as a full-service provider to the real estate industry, offering Multiple Listing Services, real property data, products and training since 1994.

About Point2 Technologies

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 110 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2^® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

What Is MLS 5.0?

scorbett — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:25:00 GMT

RISMEDIA

Time is of the essence. The real estate industry has the opportunity to “take back its future.” In order to do so, it must begin the process of socializing and implementing MLS 5.0.

While many in the real estate industry have heard of Web 2.0, with all the press it has received, few understand or can define it. Understanding Web 2.0 and what it entails is essential to the understanding of MLS 5.0, as MLS 5.0 incorporates Web 2.0 concepts, principles, core characteristics, technology building blocks, applications and uses.

To understand MLS 5.0, consider the evolution of the MLS:

• First Generation: Listing sheets and ringed binders with weekly updates and errata
• Second Generation: The bound MLS book
• Third Generation: Computer access to MLS data through “dumb terminals” over telephone lines
• Fourth Generation: Web-based MLS (no more banks of phone lines and busy signals)
• Fifth Generation: MLS 5.0

MLS 5.0 is parcel based and not listing based. It includes all parcels of real property in the region/state/U.S.-not just the inventory of properties available for sale at any given point in time. It leverages property information to bring consumers and real estate professionals together on the Web to participate in an ongoing conversation with real estate at its center.

MLS 5.0 has a public facing side for consumers to interact with real estate professionals and a private side (business network) for the use of real estate professionals.

An army of real estate professionals have the local knowledge to create a force that can compete with any companies currently working to harness the power of property information as the center of their online business model. Consumers frequent different destinations on the Internet for different reasons.

MLS 5.0 will be the authoritative and trusted source of all real property information, not just property “for sale.” MLS 5.0 is the resource that will give real estate professionals the opportunity to transcend the present and continue their success into the future. Along the way it will be required to leave some ideas and habits behind. Knowing that old habits die hard, it will require nothing less than a “Crusade” to socialize and then transition real estate professionals to this new tool.

MLS 5.0 is built in the spirit of Web 2.0-open and collaborative. It is no longer sufficient to advocate that real estate professionals be at the “center of the transaction,” as was promoted in the 1990s. To be at the center of the transaction, the real estate professional must now be at the “center of the conversation” about real property, and this is essential to the mission of MLS 5.0.

In addition, through the use of Open APIs that provide access to listing data, applications can be built cost-effectively, leading to a richer ecosystem of features and software that will benefit real estate professionals and ultimately consumers, encouraging user designed experiences.

MLS 5.0 provides a single point of entry for listing data. Based upon the election of brokers or their agents, it will distribute that information to web portals, newspapers, and even radio and television, and track and return information about prospects to the broker. Why pay for Internet leads generated from your listings? With MLS 5.0, you benefit from inquiries about your listings.

MLS 5.0 incorporates “Single Sign On” in a range of ways.

MLS 5.0 is a property wiki and a social networking site.

To access the complete White Paper “MLS 5.0,” click here.

Saul Klein is CEO of InternetCrusade(R) and CEO of Point2 Technologies, Inc.

A proposal for 'MLS 5.0'

scorbett — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30:00 GMT

Industry veteran envisions marriage of MLS, Web 2.0

Inman News

Multiple listing services are not dead or irrelevant, real estate technology industry guru Saul Klein says in a paper released this week, though they must evolve to embrace Web 2.0 ideals and expand beyond for-sale listing information to encompass parcel-based information.

It's not an entirely new concept for the real estate industry. Third-party sites such as Zillow and Cyberhomes, among others, already provide a range of information on tens of millions of U.S. homes at free public Web sites.

And leaders of the National Association of Realtors trade group have announced a plan to create a national property database that will compile information for industry professionals about all types of property across the country. As proposed, this database would not replace MLSs, and MLSs could be participants in sharing data with the database and channeling database information to their members. While there had been discussions early on about offering limited public access to this database, more recent discussions have focused on a password-protected database that is not accessible by consumers.

But Klein's concept, which he dubs "MLS 5.0," does introduce a new way of thinking for MLSs.

The paper, "MLS Today and MLS Tomorrow," attempts to answer, "What will be required to build on the current solid foundation of today's MLS?"

Klein, a licensed broker since 1977 who serves as CEO for real estate technology companies InternetCrusade and Point2 Technologies, proposes that a key element to this futuristic MLS is that it includes all parcels of real property and leverages information from a variety of sources over time "to bring consumers and real estate professionals together on the Web to participate in an ongoing conversation with real estate at its center."

He envisions that this next-generation MLS will have a public-facing side for consumers to interact with real estate professionals, and a private side accessible only by real estate professionals.

The MLS should feature online communities for real estate professionals and consumers alike, should have multilingual capabilities, agent-rating and referral systems, agent profiles, and updated neighborhood information that accepts user-generated content, as examples.

The MLS should encourage innovation and allow for a variety of front-end software to access the data. "Openness should allow for more applications and solutions and lower prices for Realtors," the paper states.

Why call it 5.0? Klein explains in the paper that he considers the first generation of the MLS to be the three-ring binders with printed weekly updates and daily errata that were commonplace in the days before the Web. The second generation was the bound MLS book, and computer access to real estate data through simple terminals is defined as the third generation.

The fourth generation, according to the paper, was the Web-based MLS, and the fifth generation incorporates components of Web 2.0.

Klein proposes that MLS 5.0 is "open, collaborative, self-organizing and self-policed," and it serves as a property "wiki" that allows users to enter and update information, a social networking site, and incorporates "single sign-on" technology that allows users to log in once to gain access to multiple systems, among other attributes.

While industry discussions have traditionally centered on keeping real estate professionals at the center of the home-sale transaction, Klein suggests that real estate professionals "must now be at the 'center of the conversation' about real property, and this is essential to the mission of MLS 5.0."

His proposed mission statement for MLS 5.0: "Keep the Realtor in the center of the real estate conversation, realizing that conversation extends from far in advance of a purchase and continues after a purchase of real property. Real estate is a lifetime conversation."

There are many ways to generate exposure for property listings information these days, the paper states. In addition to placing property listings information in MLSs, real estate professionals and individual sellers can post information on sites ranging from Yahoo and Google to Craigslist, Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow, among others.

The MLS "must reflect the new realities," Klein states.

In addition to for-sale information, the MLS should carry historic sold data, public data, and consumer-generated content from "online communities, groups, blogs and other Web 2.0 technologies and applications," Klein proposes.

While MLS systems have traditionally served as broker-to-broker networks, the MLS can take on more of a role in marketing, the paper states.

"MLS needs to redefine itself from a purely business-to-business network tool to a marketing facilitator for its participants and subscribers. It needs to take advantage of its assets and shift its paradigm from information about what is for sale to information on all property whether for sale or not."

While Klein acknowledges it will take time for MLS systems to get on board with such changes, he notes that rapid and sweeping changes are common in this era of technological innovation.

"How many people knew of Google five years ago and how many know of it today? In a short span of time, unknown Web sites have become household words.

"The world of MLS as we know it is approaching a cliff, and many riding the MLS train do not see the cliff as it gets closer with each passing day."

Taking Your Technology Back to Basics

scorbett — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:45:00 GMT

Internet Strategies by Saul Klein

RISMEDIA

Most Realtors have access to cost-effective technology that they can use to build their business. Often, however, the technology is applied ineffectively, and outside of the context of a plan. Take websites, for example, which, for the most part, are “billboards on the middle of nowhere” and a waste of money for most agents today. Agents often complain that not enough business comes from their website. They “hope” for the magic SEO (search engine optimization) formula, and many agents resort to expensive website design and SEO services.

The reality is, the problem lies not in the technology, but in the lack of an effective, comprehensive marketing plan. Donald Trump once stated that if you cannot pinpoint your target market, your business will fail.

Michael Bondi, ABR, ePRO, (www.lvrealty4sale.com) is part of the Executive Realty Services team in Las Vegas. Less than two years ago, his business started to slow down and in Bondi’s words, many agents resorted to working in casinos or restaurants to earn a living.

For Bondi, it was time to take the Internet more seriously. Some 18 months earlier, his broker, Enrique Moreno, had provided him and his colleagues with Point2 Agent websites. That weekend, Bondi went to work on his site.

The first order of business was to add all of the brokerage’s listings to the site and syndicate/publish them on as many third-party consumer search sites as possible. He also began to Handshake^TM with peers in his marketplace, accelerating exposure for his listings. While he was happy with his template site, Bondi dug deeper. He used some basic html to customize his site, and also launched a Point2 blog and started to write about topics of interest to prospective buyers and sellers.

A critical catalyst to Bondi’s success today was his decision to differentiate himself from his competitors. As Seth Godin says, “Be different or charge less.”

Bondi’s interest in helping residents to avoid foreclosures turned into his passion. He began to focus on that segment of the market. Before long, he became, along with his partner, Joannie Williams (without whom he tells us he is unable to handle all the business he receives today), an expert in handling this type of situational sale.

Use the tools available to you and market to your target audience. The Internet-effectively utilized-can resuscitate your career.

Saul Klein is CEO of Point2 Technologies Inc.

MLS stakeholders take on syndication, public sites

scorbett — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:18:00 GMT

Discussions focus on 'The Future of MLS'

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Inman News

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cameron Paine, CEO for Connecticut Multiple Listing Service Inc., a broker-controlled statewide multiple listing service that launched in February 2007, said smaller MLSs are in danger of becoming irrelevant.

And what many MLSs don't seem to understand -- and vendors do understand -- is that "it's all about the data," Paine said. It would be easy for a "very light, snap-on MLS model" to bring together the top brokers in a given market and form a low-cost MLS that could quickly grab market share.

"It's just a matter of time. If you're in a fractured market, it will happen. The larger or statewide (MLSs) have enough of a buffer that they are now providing for the data needs of their brokers, especially their largest brokers," he said, which provides them with some immunity from potential MLS competitors.

Paine, speaking during a "Change or Die: Does the MLS Risk Becoming Irrelevant?" panel at the Real Estate Connect conference last week, also joined in a discussion about the value of public-facing MLS Web sites and data-sharing versus MLS consolidation.

The session was part of a series of panels focusing on the future of MLSs -- a hot topic as the California Association of Realtors is pursuing a statewide MLS data-sharing initiative that could lead to a statewide consolidated MLS, and separate collaborative efforts are forging ties between MLSs up and down the state.

Also, the National Association of Realtors trade group is pursuing a comprehensive nationwide property database that MLSs and their participants could tap into. There are about 70 MLSs in California and 900 nationwide -- most of them are affiliated with local Realtor associations.

Other topics during the sessions included the potential impacts to MLSs of a pending U.S. Department of Justice settlement of an antitrust lawsuit against NAR, and MLSs' adoption of Web 2.0 technologies.

"Data sharing is a step, and it's a good one," Paine said, "but data sharing does not remove the underlying problems" of multiple MLS organizations, staffs and related costs. Brokers have cited multiple sets of membership costs, rules, data fields and enforcement mechanisms as incentive to consolidate MLSs or forge cooperative ventures among separate MLSs.

Paine noted that Connecticut, despite the efforts to consolidate all MLSs in the state, is still home to a county with five competing MLSs, and charged that a market with several local MLSs is not the most cost-effective system for real estate professionals.

David Charron, president and CEO for Washington, D.C.-area Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (MRIS), the nation's largest MLS with about 60,000 members, said that the MLS is investing in its public-facing MLS site in an effort to provide more traffic to its member brokers' sites.

The ineffectiveness of existing media was a driver for MRIS in revamping its search site, Charron said. "The MLS is the one entity you can manage and control much easier than a third party," he said, adding that "brokers and agents are going to syndicate listings over hell's half-acre."

But creating powerful public-facing MLS search sites can be costly, said Steve Schultz, senior director of product and business development for Yahoo Real Estate. "Do you employ designers, product managers, servers and operations people? There's a lot of cost associated with (public sites), mostly around people and marketing."

Third-party sites can have common goals with brokers, said Sean Black, vice president of sales for Trulia, a real estate search and marketing site. "At the end of the day we all service one person: the seller or buyer of a home. We all have a part to play."

Paine said that public MLS Web sites can benefit both the small and large brokers in a given market by leveling the playing field for all market participants, and he recommends that the sites "should not be a profit model for the MLS" and should be free of advertising.

Bob Hale, president and CEO for the Houston Association of Realtors and a panelist during a "Public-Facing MLS Web Sites" session, has long championed the benefits of public-facing MLS Web sites.

While there is still resistance by some MLSs in building up their public-facing MLS sites -- as some brokers worry that such sites could draw traffic away from their own sites -- Hale said that the stats for public MLS sites tend to speak for themselves. "I think the main thing to do is quit having opinions. Look at the facts," he said.

HAR's public search site, at HAR.com, is "not a destination -- we're a pass-through," he said, noting that the brokers in HAR's market support the Web site. "We generate about 600,000 leads a year (for members) that they don't pay a penny for. We send every single agent and every single broker a monthly report on how many leads they got, how many click-throughs to their Web site, and how many times their listing was viewed.

HAR has also actively distributed its participants' property listings data to a range of third-party sites.

Ben Phillips, vice president of new products and research and managing director for Realogy Franchise Group, the largest real estate franchise company in the nation, said that the value of third-party sites quickly became evident during a presentation by Google officials. "We were seeing 70 percent of traffic to these national (brokerage) sites already coming from Google -- they're already there -- so why shouldn't I put my listings there?"

He added, "I think that it's a benefit to the industry and to those customers that there are sites like Trulia" for consumers to evaluate properties and brokers, and Realogy has completed several data distribution agreements with major property-search sites in the past year.

Charron said that Hale "led the charge in this many years ago (for public MLS sites), and so many of us now are literally throwing 'Hail Marys' " to catch up.

As MLS public Web sites develop, there is the potential for the "consumer side and professional side of the site to meld and merge," and that could have "interesting implications" for MLSs, he said.

Saul Klein, president and CEO for Internet Crusade, an online marketing and support company, and CEO for Point2, which offers online real estate marketing tools, said he believes that MLSs will ultimately integrate Web 2.0 technologies.

"The MLS should be a 'property wiki,' " he said, with information on properties culled from a variety of sources."Over time (the information) can get better and better and better. Some MLSs are starting to get the idea," he said, and that is "a parcel-based idea as opposed to a transaction-based idea."

Real estate professionals, he said, must create a compelling argument for the services they offer, as their role is not simply to be an information provider "because that information is everywhere." Rather, real estate professionals can put information into the context of a consumer's life, he said so that they become "more valuable as that trusted, authoritative source and adviser."

Beverly Faull, general manager and senior vice president for Fidelity National Information Services, said that brokers have increasingly gained control over data aggregated by MLSs. "Twenty years ago the MLSs were very protective of the data and were inflexible in the ways brokers could manage the data. Over time we've seen that change -- the brokers, they own that data. They should be allowed to do with that listing as they choose."

Brokers are taking the reins in making their own decisions about advertising property listings, she noted.

As for the impact of a pending settlement in a federal lawsuit against NAR over the trade group's previously passed restrictions on the sharing and distribution of online property information, Klein said, "I don't think that the proposed settlement, even when finalized, will have any major or even minor impact" on MLSs.

And Paine said, "There are MLSs who are already providing most of the information that the DOJ is (proposing) we need to provide." Connecticut MLS already provides recent sold data to the public, he said. "We have it on our public-facing Web site. I think MLSs that have gone out of their way to protect that kind of data -- they're going to have to figure out a way to get it into the marketplace."

He added that there don't appear to be any negative impacts for MLSs that share this type of data with the public. "We haven't seen any negative effects on the agents or the brokers in our marketplace. It makes us think it's OK to get that data out there."

Senate Approved Housing Rescue Package, Real Estate Industry Reacts

scorbett — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:45:00 GMT

RIS Media

The Senate cleared a massive housing bill on Saturday designed to prop up the struggling U.S. housing market and put in place a U.S. backstop for giant mortgage-buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Senate lawmakers approved the bill, which contains billions of dollars in loan guarantees, a tax break for first-time home buyers and many other provisions, by a vote of 72-13.

The bill now will go to President Bush, who has indicated he will sign it despite objections about a provision directing $4 billion in emergency aid to local communities to buy and rehabilitate foreclosed homes.

The measure, approved during a weekend session in the Senate, allows homeowners who cannot afford their monthly payments to refinance into government-backed loans. The bill also offers temporary financial help to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The bill won approval in the House on Wednesday by a vote of 272-152, overcoming Republican objections about extending an unlimited line of credit to the two government-sponsored mortgage-finance titans.

The bill gained momentum as worries about the health of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spread. Some House and Senate Republicans were skeptical of a plan unveiled by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on July 13 that extends a line of credit to the two and allows the government to buy their stock if necessary.

Paulson’s plan is included in the bill passed by the House and the Senate, and he praised its passage Saturday.

“I want to commend the Senate for moving swiftly to pass important GSE legislation that will provide temporary authorities to give confidence to markets and will create a strong, independent regulator better able to address the risks these enterprises pose,” Paulson said in a statement.

“As the President has said, we are disappointed that the legislation includes extraneous provisions that can hinder our efforts to get through the housing correction quickly,” he said. “But it is of the utmost importance to our market and economic stability that the GSE portions of this bill become law. These components are orders of magnitude more important to turning the corner on the housing correction.”

Reactions within the industry have been mostly positive as well.

“The mortgage mess is so big, with some many culprits and so many victims, there is no perfect solution, but, by all accounts, this seems like a step in the right direction,” stated Saul Klein, president/CEO, InternetCrusade and CEO of Point2 Technologies.

After the bill passed the House last Wednesday, NAR president *** Gaylord praised the effort, urging that it be finalized and passed into law immediately.

“Realtors® are in the business of building communities, and our 1.2 million members understand that this legislation will go a long way in helping people buy and keep their homes,” says NAR President *** Gaylord. “We look forward to prompt Senate action to finalize this bill, helping ensure that every American who can afford to own a home and wants to do so will have the opportunity and that everyone who responsibly owns a home is able to keep it. This bill must get to the president quickly, and we urge him to act immediately to sign it into law.”

David Charron, president and CEO of Maryland-based MRIS, the largest MLS in the nation, noted that the bill gives Realtors an opportunity to reach out to homeowners.

“First of all, this action bodes well for the consumer,” Charron said. “Realtors may ultimately see benefits but only after the consumer understands what these benefits are. This decision is a perfect opportunity to for the real estate professional to establish a meaningful and valuable conversation with homeowners.”

Added Mike Parker, a principle at the Blackwater Consulting Group, which specializes in online marketing for real estate professionals: “The housing bill is a very good thing for our industry for three primary reasons: It sends an unmistakable message to the American people that the government is not going to allow chaos to proceed; it contains a significant tax credit for first time buyers that will spur home buying by that segment and it removed the need to foreclose on many homeowners; many will now be saved. In a macro sense, there were better solutions, but we got this one. I see the glass as half full.”

With home prices down 16 percent from their 2006 peak and foreclosures at a record high, lawmakers have been working on the housing bill for months in an effort to help homeowners and the overall market.

The bill contains a tax break of as much as $7,500 for first-time home buyers, creates a new regulator to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and allows the government to insure up to $300 billion in refinanced mortgages.

Shares of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have seesawed in recent weeks as they faced concerns about their capital levels.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., said the overall bill deals with a housing crisis brought about by “bad decisions and inaction and malfeasance from years before.”

The rescue plan would extend an unlimited line of credit to the two mortgage-finance giants for 18 months and give the Treasury the authority - also for 18 months - to buy Fannie and Freddie shares if the Treasury deems the companies’ capital to be inadequate.

Some lawmakers have been skittish about the administration’s plan for the GSEs, calling it a “blank check” that potentially puts U.S. taxpayers on the hook.

But opponents of the bill acknowledged that they didn’t have enough allies to block the backstop for the government-sponsored enterprises.

A Freddie Mac spokesman recently praised the bill in a statement.

“Passage of this bill sends a helpful signal of confidence to housing markets and investors. Freddie Mac will continue doing its part to help the economy by raising private capital, helping put families into homes through sound underwriting, and helping troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure,” Doug Duvall said.

Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd said “the legislation should reinforce confidence that the GSEs will be able to serve the housing finance system now and in the future.”

On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office said the plan could cost the government up to $25 billion. However, the same report said chances are better than 50 percent that the government wouldn’t need to help the companies out.

Picture this: More online photos means more interest in home

scorbett — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:37:00 GMT

by: Amy Hoak, Market Watch

To sell a home with an Internet listing, it pays to provide pictures -- and lots of them, according to a recent study from an e-commerce and online marketing firm that serves the real-estate industry.

Compared with listings that had only one photo, those that had 21 or more photos received double the number of responses to the listing broker or agent, according to Point2 Technologies. Listings that included no photos generated significantly less response than those that had one, the firm said.

"The days of putting out little information in the hopes that buyers will phone in to learn more are gone," said Carey Tufts, director of marketing for Point2, in a news release.

But buyers' thirst for information about a home doesn't stop online. Read today's story about a new tactic some home sellers are trying to allow buyers to gather tons of information about a home and its surrounding neighborhood -- a sleep over.

Plus, read a Capitol Report about the housing package that is getting closer to completion in Washington and how effective it may be.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In today's real-estate market, sellers should be prepared to spend thousands and thousands of words to attract someone who will buy their home.

Too much exposure can be a bad thing

scorbett — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:44:00 GMT

How many photos are overkill for a listing?

by: Bernice Ross, Inman News

Are you marketing your listings with just one picture or are you marketing with 20 or more? Is it possible that too many pictures online is preventing buyers from looking at your property?

The research is clear that having only a single photo of your listings online causes Web visitors to search elsewhere. The challenge is how much is enough and how much is too much? A new study from Point2 Agent suggests that the more pictures you have the better it is. Jeff Turner, the CEO of RealEstateShows.com, argues that based upon attention-span research, five to nine pictures is about all the brain can handle in 30 to 60 seconds.

Point2Agent has just released a new study that measures the impact of photos in terms of marketing listings online. This study replicates the results of a study the company conducted in 2007. The current study examined three variables and plotted them against the number of pictures on each site:

1. Detailed views

2. Interest in terms of interaction with the listing on a Web site (i.e. how many times visitors viewed a virtual tour, viewed the listing on a partner site, completed a mortgage calculation for the property, etc.)

3. Leads generated

The study evaluated all Point2 listings entered into their system during the first quarter of 2008. The sample consisted of more than 100,000 listings and included listings from all 50 states, every Canadian province, plus other countries worldwide. All price ranges were represented.

Results

1. Listings that lacked photos performed poorly in the study, generating little consumer response and business. Those that had one picture performed better, but not nearly as well as the sites that had 21 to 36 photos. In fact, those listings that had no picture generated 0.02 percent of the number of listing views as compared to those with 21 or more photos.

2. Compared to listings with only one photo, those with 21 or more photos generated more than triple the number of Detailed Views, more than double the amount of interest, and double the number of Leads.

3. Compared to listings with no photos, those with 21 or more photos generated more than 55 times the number of Detailed Views and nearly 27 times the amount of Interest.

4. Comparable results were obtained when plotting these three key variables against varying numbers of photographs per listing.

5. Views, Interest and Leads jumped 20 percent or more as the number of photos increased from 15 to 16.

The study seems to confirm that having additional photos on an agent or broker Web site affects the stickiness of the site, which leads to substantially higher lead conversion.

RealEstateShows.com's Turner makes a fascinating counterargument. According to Turner, "We've spent a lot of time researching how the brain works when viewing property online. A key point to consider is attention span. There's a reason that television commercials are 30 or 60 seconds. Rather than doing a three- or four-minute movie or virtual tour, we have found that that the brain can absorb about five photos in 30 seconds or nine photos in 60 seconds. If you create a video that is longer than 30 to 60 seconds and that is packed full of pictures, you will exceed the amount that the brain can absorb."

Turner uses himself as an example. When he and his wife were looking for house, his agent showed several properties they did not like. Even though they were adamant about purchasing a single-family residence, the agent encouraged them to look at a duplex. After continued requests, they looked at the duplex and fell in love with it.

Turner goes on to say, "This sale would never have happened if my wife and I had been looking online. We would have never looked at the property because we would have ruled it out when we set up our search criteria. This is exactly the problem with giving Web visitors more and more information. The more information you give them, the easier you are making it for them to exclude your listing from the ones they want to see. Your role in Web marketing is to get them to come out and see the house -- not to give them so much information that they decide not to look at your listing."

The Point2 study clearly indicates that having multiple pictures is a smart idea. Increasing them from 15 to 16 generates 20 percent more leads. On the other hand, we have no way of knowing how many buyers ruled out a specific property because they viewed it online.

What should you do? You can track your page views using Point2's system, Google Analytics or one of the many other tracking tools on the Web. Change the number of pictures and watch your results to determine what works best in your market.

Bulk of Home Buyers Attracted to Listings with High Photo Count – Point2 Technologies 2008 Study

scorbett — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:51:00 GMT

Online buyers clicking away from listings with fewer photos - Double the interest and 200 percent jump in leads indicate photos key to help move real estate

Saskatoon, SK, and Vancouver, BC, July 10, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), the real estate industry’s largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals today released findings from its 2008 Point2 Agent Photo Effectiveness Study, Rich Listings; Rich Agents.

The Study set out to examine the impact of photos in driving real estate transactions, as part of a broker’s or agent’s online marketing efforts.

Results strongly suggest that adding more photos generates better response to real estate listings, reconfirming trends observed in a 2007 study also by Point2.

The Study tracked three trends, namely consumer Views, Interest and Leads. All increased significantly as the number of still photos related to the listings increased.

Listings that did not include any photos performed very poorly, generating little consumer response and business. Specifically, the Study showed that listings with zero photos attract, on average, a mere 0.02 percent of the detailed listing views that listings with 21 to 36 photos enjoy.

Listings that featured a single photo fared significantly better.

“Once again the data indicates that online home shoppers want rich content, specifically in the form of more photos, otherwise they intend to move on to the next listing,” said Carey Tufts, Director of Marketing, Point2 Technologies. “Especially in today’s market, home sellers and their agents do not have to take this risk. The data sends a powerful message. With more than 80 percent of home buyers continuing to do their research online, agents must attach more photos to their listings for them to stand out and attract more potential buyers.”

Key Findings

Compared to listings with only one photo, those with 21 or more photos generated more than triple the number of Detailed Views, more than double the amount of Interest, and double the number of Leads.

Compared to listings with no photos, those with 21 or more photos generated more than fifty-five times the number of Detailed Views, nearly twenty-seven times the amount of Interest, and eight hundred and ninety-eight times the number of Leads.

Views, Interest and Leads jumped 20 percent or more as the number of photos increased from 15 to 16.

Performance in terms of Detailed Views, Interest and Leads generated trended up almost identically during the test period.

Fig. 1.0 2008 Point2 Agent Photo Effectiveness Study

Added Tufts, “The days of putting out little information in the hopes that buyers will phone in to learn more are gone. Strategies have to shift. There are many technology solutions real estate professionals can leverage – Point2 Agent for example allows up to 36 photos per listing, and we hope to motivate members to improve upon their current average of 9.2 photos per listing. Buyers, sellers and real estate professionals alike stand to benefit.”

Methodology

All For Sale properties entered by real estate professionals into the Point2 Agent website network over the first quarter of 2008 were included in the Study, for a sample of well over 100,000 active listings. The Study covered a wide variety of economic regions across every U.S. state, every Canadian province and several other countries around the world.

The sample of listings was analyzed based on the number of photos that each listing included. The number of photos added was then plotted against three key variables:

Views - tracked how many times a listing was viewed online;
Interest - measured how many unique visitors interacted with a listing, such as going beyond the initial set of photos to view the listing’s virtual tour, complete a mortgage calculation or, access more details about the property; and,
Leads - recorded the number of unique visitors who went on to contact the listing broker or agent.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with nearly 200,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 Agent platform, in 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2, Local Matters team up on Facebook app

scorbett — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:12:00 GMT

Companies seek to capitalize on popular social network

Inman News

Point2 Technologies Inc., which offers online tools for real estate professionals, and media technology company Local Matters Inc. on Wednesday announced an agreement in operating Point2's Facebook Neighborhoods application.

The application for Facebook, a social networking site with about 70 million active users, draws from Point2's database of international neighborhoods. About 800,000 Facebook users have installed the application, to date. The application allows Facebook users to view who lives in their area and post or view information about local events or issues of interest. Real estate brokers and agents who use Point2 Agent Web site and property listing syndication tools can post property listings information for free on Facebook or choose to purchase enhanced property ads at the site.

Facebook is the sixth most-trafficked Web site on the planet, according to metrics company comScore, and over 20,000 applications have been built for the Facebook platform.

Point2's neighborhoods database forms the foundation for the company's real estate search portal, at Point2Homes.com.

"The deal incorporates a perpetual, revenue share and cooperation structure that enables both companies to capitalize on the application's future growth," according to the announcement, and Point2 will continue to syndicate property listings information and enable advertising bookings by its members into Facebook Neighborhoods under the terms of the deal. Local Matters will handle ongoing development and marketing efforts for the application, the announcement states.

"We view this as a long term strategic partnership that leverages the synergies of two complementary organizations," said Perry Evans, founder and CEO for Local Matters, in a statement. "We're excited to partner with Point2 to capitalize on a very unique opportunity to connect one of the world's largest social networks to a range of community centered local content and services."

And Saul Klein, Point2 Technologies CEO, said in a statement, "With social networks redefining marketing, Local Matters' deep knowledge and focus in local publishing and advertising will enable both our organizations to fully expand and capitalize on the application's unique position on Facebook."

U.S. firm acquires Point2 application

scorbett — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:59:00 GMT

The StarPhoenix

A Facebook application developed by a Saskatoon company has been acquired by a U.S. online media publisher.

The deal involving Point2 Technologies Inc.'s Facebook Neighborhoods application will allow the company to maintain and develop the application's database while Local Matters Inc. will assume marketing and development efforts for the program.

The application draws on Point2's database that forms the basis for the Point2 Homes real estate search portal.

"We cannot think of a more strategically viable partnership and path to continue to develop Neighborhoods for Facebook, optimize its benefits for our members and tap its revenue potential than with Local Matters," said Saul Klein, Point 2's CEO, in a company release.

Given the rising popularity of marketing through social networks, Klein believes the partnership will allow both groups to capitalize on the application's position on Facebook.

The strengths of the two companies complement each other, said Perry Evans, CEO of Denver, Colo.-based Local Matters. In the release, Evans said his company, which offers consumers a means to search for local content both online and through voice-based directory assistance, is excited to connect to one of the world's largest social networks.

"Events that occur in your neighbourhood are extremely important to consumers, which makes Neighborhoods one of the most substantial and useful applications on Facebook, even in its early stages of adoption," he said.

No financial details of the acquisition were released.

Point2 launched the application in July 2007. More than 800,000 Facebook users have installed the application.

Facebook "Neighborhoods" app sold

scorbett — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:14:00 GMT

I didn't realize that Saskatoon was a hotbed of software development, but that's where a Facebook real estate application was developed by Point2 Technologies.

Point2, a 100-person company that also has offices in Vancouver, B.C., is a big player in the real estate software industry, producing software for syndicating listings.

That platform was the basis for "Neighborhoods," an application that lets users learn about nearby users and learn about and share information about community events. (Sounds a little like Zillow's community tools; I wonder if the folks there are going to widgetize their stuff for social networks?)

Today Point2 announced that it's selling the "Neighborhood" application to Denver-based media publishing company Local Matters.

The unusual deal is actually more of a partnership, since Point2 will continue to power the application for Local Matters, which will handle the marketing. Financial details weren't disclosed.

Online Home Listings Provider Local Matters Buys Point2’s Facebook App

scorbett — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:29:00 GMT

By David Kaplan

Local search marketer Local Matters has acquired online real estate listings syndicator Point2 Technologies’ Facebook app. Financial terms were not released. Point2 had been hoping to get attention for its “Neighborhoods for Facebook” app, which it released last summer. Point2 claims that 800,000 Facebook users have downloaded the app, which is aimed at prospective apartment renters and home buyers. Local Matters plans to build more services around the Facebook app and will continue to develop it.

Point2 Technologies Software Application for Facebook Acquired by Local Matters

scorbett — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:30:00 GMT

Companies build an alliance of combined strength to capitalize on the emerging local-social market

Saskatoon, SK and Denver, CO, May 27, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), the real estate industry’s largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, and Local Matters, Inc. (“Local Matters”), a media technology solutions provider and specialized online media publisher, today announced an Agreement of Sale and Cooperation for Point2’s Facebook Neighborhoods application.

The deal incorporates a perpetual, revenue share and cooperation structure that enables both companies to capitalize on the application’s future growth.

Local Matters will assume the ongoing development and marketing efforts for the application, drawing on Point2 for maintenance and development of the Neighborhoods database upon which the application is based.

“We view this as a long term strategic partnership that leverages the synergies of two complementary organizations,” said Perry Evans, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Local Matters. “Events that occur in your neighborhood are extremely important to consumers, which makes Neighborhoods one of the most substantial and useful applications on Facebook, even in its early stages of adoption. We’re excited to partner with Point2 to capitalize on a very unique opportunity to connect one of the world’s largest social networks to a range of community centered local content and services.”

Point2 launched Neighborhoods for Facebook in July 2007. To date, 800,000 Facebook users have installed the application. Facebook boasts over 70 million active users and is the 6th most trafficked website in the world today, according to comScore.

The Neighborhoods application for Facebook draws on Point2’s proprietary and dynamically updated international neighborhoods database that forms the foundation for the Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com) consumer real estate search portal.

“We cannot think of a more strategically viable partnership and path to continue to develop Neighborhoods for Facebook, optimize its benefits for our members and tap its revenue potential than with Local Matters,” said Saul Klein, Point2 Technologies Chief Executive Officer. “With social networks redefining marketing, Local Matters’ deep knowledge and focus in local publishing and advertising will enable both our organizations to fully expand and capitalize on the application’s unique position on Facebook.”

Under the deal, Point2 will continue to syndicate listings and enable advertising bookings by its members into Facebook Neighborhoods.

Further details about the transaction have not been disclosed.

Neighborhoods for Facebook enables consumers to find out who lives in their area, stay up to date on, or post information about local events and issues of interest to their community. Real estate brokers and agents who use the Point2 Agent website and listing syndication solution can also automatically post listings for free on Facebook, as well as purchase enhanced placement on the site in a highly targeted, hyper-local manner.

About Local Matters
Local Matters, Inc. is a media technology solutions provider and specialized online media publisher focused on the local search industry. It offers solutions that enable consumers to search for local content both online and through voice-based directory assistance. Local Matters owns and operates a network of thousands of locally oriented websites featuring content directed at consumers seeking extensive information about specific local shopping or planning activities. Local Matters delivers its media technology solutions to 22 Yellow Pages publishers in 14 countries, and 26 directory assistance service providers in 12 countries. More information can be obtained at www.localmatters.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with over 185,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 Agent platform, in 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contact

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Point2 and RealtyTrac Enter Marketing Partnership

scorbett — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:14:00 GMT

RISMEDIA

Point2 Technologies Inc. (”Point2″), one of the industry’s largest independent providers of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, and RealtyTrac Inc., a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, announced a marketing partnership agreement that aims to extend both organizations’ market reach and exposure while establishing new revenue streams at the same time.

According to the two companies, Under the deal, Point2 will integrate access to RealtyTrac foreclosure listings, on www.Point2Homes.com. The integration will enable the site’s growing community of nearly 1.2 million unique monthly visitors to access and research the latest foreclosure and bank-owned properties in the United States, as well as related market data, through a simple subscription process.

“With interest in foreclosures unabated, our partnership with the industry’s leading provider of pre-foreclosure and bank-owned properties makes the consumer experience on Point2 Homes that much more valuable and comprehensive and it creates a new lead generation channel we can potentially leverage to drive more business to Point2 members,” said Saul Klein, Point2 Technologies chief executive officer.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Point2 to integrate RealtyTrac foreclosure properties on Point2 Homes,” said Rick Sharga, vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac. “Point2 Homes has and continues to grow at a solid pace, mainly due to the appeal of its unique, rich and detailed listings online consumers seek today. This partnership will enable RealtyTrac to provide foreclosure data to Point2’s growing audience and thereby help us continue to carry out our mission of making foreclosure data more conveniently accessible to more people.”

Each month, says the company, 1.2 million unique visitors research real estate on Point2 Homes, which is reflected in 11 million page views, and 1,500 new listings are posted to the site daily by brokers and agents, augmented with up to 36 photos, property details, neighborhood information and virtual tours.

With U.S. foreclosure activity up 112% in the first quarter of 2008, foreclosure properties are becoming a more sizeable segment of the overall real estate market, generating more interest from buyers, investors and real estate professionals who want to tap into this previously hidden market.

The companies say that this announcement reflects part of a larger plan for cooperation between Point2 and RealtyTrac.

Syndication & Your Business

scorbett — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:02:00 GMT

RISMEDIA

Today, the word “syndication” is used in the real estate industry to express the distribution of listing information to various websites and/or Web portals.

While it was once thought that exposing a listing in one spot on the Internet and driving consumers to that spot (the early theory for Realtor.com) was the best way to market a listing on the Internet, in today’s Internet environment, this no longer makes any sense. Why? Because a real estate listing is a marketing asset owned by the listing broker, and, in addition to the direct economic benefit of having a listing, it provides other, less tangible benefits, including increased brand awareness and the ability to attract new buyers and sellers.

On the Internet today, distribution trumps destination as content moves to where users go, and users go to many different sites-Yahoo!, Google and Craigslist, for example.

Remember, a listing is a marketing asset. It is important to note that not all listings sell and, consequently, commission dollars are not earned on every listing. However, costs are incurred for every listing. Part of the value proposition in the taking of a listing, and the advertising and marketing of that listing, is the marketing and brand benefit the brokerage derives. Multiple sites result in maximum exposure.

Having to enter listing data at multiple Internet locations is time consuming, and more companies today are providing a “single point of entry” and then distributing the content to various websites for brokers. One of these syndication companies is Point2 Technologies (http://Point2.com), which currently syndicates to 29 partners.

The various websites to which Point2 customers can syndicate their listings not only gives the broker (and agents) greater branding and exposure, but it also generates leads. These leads are then seamlessly passed back to the members.

Additionally, when a listing broker advertises their listing or listings on syndication partner websites, the listing exposure is tracked. As a result, the listing broker can see which syndication partners provide advertising and marketing value to the listing broker. The listing broker can use this information in a variety of ways, including providing feedback to sellers as to the traffic the listing generated.

Saul Klein is a Realtor and nationally recognized speaker and consultant. He is CEO of InternetCrusade as well as Point2 Technologies.

Point2 Technologies and RealtyTrac Enter Marketing Partnership

scorbett — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:43:00 GMT

Deal Provides 1.2 Million Monthly Visitors on www.Point2Homes.com with Access to RealtyTrac Foreclosure Listings

Saskatoon, SK and Irvine, CA, May 15, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”), the industry’s largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, and RealtyTrac Inc. (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today announced a marketing partnership agreement that aims to extend both organizations’ market reach and exposure while establishing new revenue streams at the same time.

Under the deal, Point2 will integrate access to RealtyTrac foreclosure listings, on www.Point2Homes.com. The integration will enable the site’s growing community of nearly 1.2 million unique monthly visitors to access and research the latest foreclosure and bank-owned properties in the United States, as well as related market data, through a simple subscription process.

“With interest in foreclosures unabated, our partnership with the industry’s leading provider of pre-foreclosure and bank-owned properties makes the consumer experience on Point2 Homes that much more valuable and comprehensive and it creates a new lead generation channel we can potentially leverage to drive more business to Point2 members,” said Saul Klein, Point2 Technologies Chief Executive Officer.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Point2 to integrate RealtyTrac foreclosure properties on Point2 Homes,” said Rick Sharga, vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac. “Point2 Homes has and continues to grow at a solid pace, mainly due to the appeal of its unique, rich and detailed listings online consumers seek today. This partnership will enable RealtyTrac to provide foreclosure data to Point2’s growing audience and thereby help us continue to carry out our mission of making foreclosure data more conveniently accessible to more people.”

Each month, 1.2 million unique visitors research real estate on Point2 Homes, which is reflected in 11 million page views, and 1500 new listings are posted to the site daily by brokers and agents, augmented with up to 36 photos, property details, neighborhood information and virtual tours.

With U.S. foreclosure activity up 112 percent in the first quarter of 2008, foreclosure properties are becoming a more sizeable segment of the overall real estate market, generating more interest from buyers, investors and real estate professionals who want to tap this previously hidden market.

Today’s announcement reflects part of a larger plan for cooperation between Point2 and RealtyTrac.

About RealtyTrac Inc.
Ranked as the third largest real estate site by MediaMetrix and No. 53 on Inc. magazine’s 2006 Inc. 500 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, RealtyTrac Inc. (www.realtytrac.com), is the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, providing all the resources that home seekers, investors and real estate agents need to locate, evaluate and buy properties below market value.

Founded in 1996, RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national database of pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, For Sale By Owner, resale and new construction properties, with more than 1 million properties across the country, property reports, productivity tools and extensive professional resources. RealtyTrac hosts nearly 3 million unique visitors monthly and has been chosen to supply foreclosure data to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The Wall Street Journal’s Real Estate Journal. For more information, visit www.realtytrac.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with over 185,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 platform, in more than 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes.

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contacts:

RealtyTrac
Michelle Sabolich
Atomic Public Relations
Tel. 1-415-402-0230
michelle.sabolich@atomicpr.com

Point2 Technologies
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
rnoujeim@point2.com

Rapid Growth of Mexican MLS Contributes to Open Market

scorbett — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:11:00 GMT

Buyers, Sellers, and Brokers Benefit from Internet Technology

By Brian Flock: Mexidata.info guest columnist

The rapid growth in use of a new Internet technology over the past two years by Mexico real estate brokers has resulted in a de facto Mexican multiple listing service (MLS). The new system better serves buyers and sellers of real estate throughout coastal and other regions of interest to foreign buyers. This progress helps solve the key challenge of sharing and marketing listings between agents, a historical challenge in Mexico as it was in the early days of US real estate. Buyers and sellers would do well to make sure that their agent is part of this growing MLS in order to ensure that they are receiving the proper real estate service, particularly in regions of interest to foreign buyers.

A common misconception amongst real estate buyers and sellers is that there is such a thing as the “one and only” multiple listing service. This is erroneous because there are literally hundreds of multiple listing services in the US and Canada, and the term is morphing to become a descriptor of any quasi-public repository of real estate listings (except in Canada where the term is a registered trademark for real estate). Anyone may create a multiple listing service with the value of the system being a function of how widely and how responsibly the system is used. Each market determines the MLS system that best meets the need – with the occasional disruption such as the lawsuit by the US Department of Justice with the National Association of Realtors®.

Mexican real estate has a history of agents withholding listings from each other with the intent to get the commission from both the selling and buying sides of the transaction (i.e. “pocket listings”), similar to the situation in the US and Canada before the various regional MLSs were created. This made it difficult for a potential buyer to know if they were seeing the best properties or getting a fair deal, and for sellers to know if their agent would give proper exposure to their property. (The appearance of organized MLSs in the US in the early 1970s was a vast improvement over this inefficient system.)

The good news for consumers is that booming Mexico markets of interest to foreigners plus the ubiquity of the Internet have driven the demand for more open methods of sharing listings to the benefit of buyers and sellers. No longer does the market have to submit to anachronistic sales methods in the Internet age.

One particular multiple listing service has grown organically to gain a leading spot for Mexico’s real estate inventory: Point2 NLS by Point2 Technologies. Mexican agents from Tijuana to Rocky Point [Puerto Peñasco] to Puerto Vallarta to the Mayan Riviera have discovered that this commercial platform is an effective way of sharing and marketing nearly 7,000 Mexico property listings amongst over 1,000 fellow agents throughout Mexico. Quite simply, it is the largest database of Mexico real estate listings shared between agents in the world – and it is growing daily.

“Point2 is a vehicle to provide, in Mexico, the technology that a full-blown MLS provides,” commented Saul Klein, CEO of Point2 Technologies in an interview. “Organizations of real estate professionals can add value around the platform. The key function of sharing and marketing listings between agents is intrinsic to Point2. Individual agents control their business relationships in a way that best serves their clients.” Klein noted that Mexico real estate agents are Point2 Technologies’ third largest group of Point2 adopters in the 85 countries that the company services, preceded only by the USA and Canada.

Why should real estate buyers and sellers in Mexico care about an Internet technology?

The answer is that if their agent uses Point2, that client’s agent has access to the most prolific MLS throughout Mexican regions of interest to foreigners. Buyers and sellers would be wise to ensure that their agent is using Point2. Sellers will want to seek out listing agents that generously share the properties with other agents’ Web sites in order to maximize exposure of those listings. Buyers in turn will want to understand how their preferred agent filters listing results that appear on their agent’s website.

Until an improved sharing and marketing solution is offered nationally to Mexico, the Point2 system is leading the way towards addressing buyer and seller requirements for an MLS in the United Mexican States, one real estate listing and one real estate agent at a time.

Point2 Technologies Promotes Zach Scott to Chief Technology Officer

scorbett — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:18:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC, April 21, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced the promotion of Zach Scott to Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective April 11, 2008. As CTO, Scott will play a key leadership role, working closely with the Point2 management team to drive continued innovation and development of Point2’s technology strategy and vision. He continues to assume the lead of Point2’s technology development, across the company’s business divisions, as well as responsibility for aligning the company’s technology infrastructure to support strategic growth and expansion plans.

Scott brings to the new post 13 years of technology and software development experience, including 10 years as a senior level technical consultant. During his career, Scott built and led cutting-edge teams at a number of high profile organizations including CGI Group Inc. and, AudeSi, later acquired by Wind River Systems where Scott led development of the company’s world class web based managed network switching software today used in most Cisco and Nortel switches and routers.

Scott is also co-founder of two technology companies including Calgary-based Cambrian House, where he last was Chief Technology Officer and member of the company’s Board of Directors.

“We’re pleased to appoint Zach as CTO,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “In the short time that Zach has been with Point2, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities. He has also introduced progressive technology development processes that have delivered solid productivity gains and that will enable Point2 to further accelerate time to market with advanced solutions to serve our customers.”

“Zach has a track record building outstanding teams and technology. His entrepreneurial vision and unwavering focus on customer needs are characteristics we value highly at Point2,” said Barry Willick, President, Point2 Technologies. “We are thrilled to welcome Zach to our leadership team.”

“Point2 is the leader in the markets that it serves, and is poised to capitalize on its unique Internet technologies to extend this position and pursue new markets in the future,” said Zach Scott, Chief Technology Officer, Point2 Technologies. “I am excited to be part of this exceptional team that has consistently set industry benchmarks and is focused on building advanced technology that customers can easily apply to help them compete more effectively and dominate their fields.”

Scott will report to Point2 President, Barry Willick and will work as part of the executive team at Point2’s headquarters in Saskatoon, SK. He joined Point2 in June 2007 and most recently held the position of Director of Systems Development.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with over 183,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 platform, in over 100 countries. Point2’s user base continues to grow by more than 1000 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Syndication Standard - NAR and Industry Partners Agree

scorbett — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:17:00 GMT

RISMEDIA, April 15, 2008

The National Association of Realtors® and other industry members of the Real Estate Standards Organization have unanimously approved a draft standardized data format for distributing real estate listing information.

Real Estate Transaction Standard, an industry effort initiated by NAR and maintained by RESO, simplifies the process of sending real estate information by allowing brokers and MLSs to send their listing data to multiple real estate advertising websites without dealing with different data formats.

The standard was drafted and unanimously approved by a RESO working group composed of NAR’s Center for REALTOR® Technology and many of the real estate industry’s leading publishers and consumers of real estate listing data. They include MLS Assistant, MLS Listings Inc., MLSPIN, New Jersey MLS, TREND MLS, Move Inc. (operator of Realtor.com®), Bridge Interactive, Bainbridge, Cevado Technologies, CLRsearch, eNeighborhoods, eShowings, FBS Data Systems, Google, Homescape, Marketlinx, Oodle, Point2, PropBot, Prudential Preferred CRE, RealEstate.com, Realtracs, ThreeWide, Trulia, Vast, Yahoo! and Zillow.

The partnership of MLSs, vendors and real estate brokers came together to develop the standardized data format because they understand the business and technology needs of Realtors today and their desire to get property information to home buyers faster and more efficiently.

“Realtors are industry innovators and understand that more consumers than ever are seeking real estate information online,” said Mark Lesswing, NAR chief technology officer and senior vice president. “By collaborating with our RESO partners to standardize the data formats, we are making it easier for Realtors to feed their clients’ property listings to multiple real estate sites in one format, saving them time and money.”

The draft standard will be implemented immediately by several of the partner organizations. Following their feedback, a final draft will be presented and voted on during a meeting of the partners in August.

NAR’s CRT was established to provide technology leadership, guidance and assistance for its members. CRT makes available informed industry insight, research and open-source applications through its mission of implementation, advocacy and information.

Agent Increases Income $200K Harnessing the Internet

scorbett — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:43:00 GMT

REALTOR Fine Tunes Web Marketing Strategy with Dramatic Results

by: Mike Parker

Priscilla Allen is a RE/MAX broker in San Antonio, TX. In 2006, she and her husband, along with a long time associate, were the 25th ranked team in San Antonio; in 2007, they were the 10th. RE/MAX singled this little team out as the # 2 commissioned team in San Antonio in (www.allenrealtygroup.com). (If by some chance you haven’t noticed, 2007 was a year when many good agents and brokers suffered huge losses in business and income. How did she manage to increase both when other good people were hurting?)

Priscilla has long been Internet-oriented: she sold eight clients from the Internet in 1998(!), and she has been emphasizing online marketing ever since. If it is Internet oriented, chances are Priscilla has tried it. She embraced virtual tours and sold one of the first homes sold from one. She has had her own web site since1999 and she has been a REALTOR® since1974 but didn’t really start working full time as one until 1996, after having run her Dad’s business in the health area for years.

When we called her to pick her brain about Internet marketing, Priscilla was quick to offer details on how she has succeeded as an Internet REALTOR® and was eager to help others succeed in this hugely promising area of real estate.

“I do not do newspaper ads. I do not do open houses,” she began our conversation. “Referrals and the Internet provide almost all of my buyers.” In the 29th largest market in the nation, that is an amazing statistic. Who would think that a successful agent or broker could make it in such a place without newspaper advertising? “Our group sold $16,000,000 worth of property in 2006, “Priscilla told me, “and we sold $26,000,000 in property in 2007 —a bad year by most anyone’s measure. It is the Internet that has enabled us to do this, and it is our CompassSearch subscription that has brought us much of that $10 million increase!”

“We regularly field inquiries from service people stationed in Iraq,” she explained. “As their tour ends, or if they are to receive major medical attention, many of them are routed to San Antonio. Before they get here, they have shopped online and dreamed online of coming home. With the military facilities in and around Bexar (pronounced “Bear”) County, we are fortunate to do business with many service people. I have an appointment next week with the Head of Pediatrics for the U.S. Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy, who is transferring to University Hospital here starting July. She and her husband called me on February 2 and we talked. They were concerned about the best schools for their children, but they could not afford the $8,000 to fly the four of them home to look around for a home. My local knowledge enabled me to set her fears at rest and to help her select a comfortable and safe neighborhood near the place she will be working, all online. The Doctor is flying here to meet with me and to buy a $300-400,000 home mid-April. We’ll be looking at the field of available properties we narrowed down to three and she will choose one of those. I have them pre-qualified and I am looking forward to meeting her after all this e-mailing and excitement!”

Priscilla Allen’s 8 Relocation Questions

“One of the things I do to make people I meet online comfortable with me is to ask them a list of questions about their needs. I’ve done this so often that I know people are very comfortable sharing this information and I believe it helps bond them with me as their real estate professional. I explain some of the questions in advance, like why I ask about children, for example. I also explain to them (should they send me a house they found online) if I think they should not buy that house, and why.” Here are Priscilla’s questions:

   1. Approximate time of relocation
   2. One or two story preferred?
   3. One or two living and dining areas?
   4. Age preference in the home?
   5. Job location?
   6. School age children?
   7. Square footage preference?
   8. Price range?

I noticed that price came last, and asked why. “People aren’t offended if you spend time with them and seek to answer their questions, then try to narrow down their price range, but I have found that opening with that line can offend people and send the wrong message that I am only interested in a sale. You see, I am really interested in my client, and I feel every one of them is a part of my extended family.” From delivering some personal items to a spouse, or helping a friend get home from the airport, Priscilla makes it her business to make her business with her clients more personal. “I don’t want to sell them a home that I wouldn’t want back to sell again,” she explained. If I wouldn’t be proud to list the home, I surely don’t want one of my clients buying it! If you haven’t been able to tell yet, I am very motherly. I treat these kids as my own and anyone under 50 is a kid to me!”

How Priscilla Succeeds Online

“In recent months, most of my leads come from my web site. We added two new associates at the end of 2007 to help handle the leads (We’re up to five selling agents and one administrator, now!). We are closing about 90% of these leads (defined as where the prospect contacts Priscilla through her web site). We also use the WebReporterTool to show listing prospects our Internet savvy and success; they are extremely impressed when I show them how much we sell through the Internet, and what people online do to find their listing on my site. When I show them the data, often they are just floored by what a difference a strong web presence makes. I also spent the money to have a professional virtual assistant work with my site and make it more consumer friendly (Kathleen Allardyce www.buildrealestateresults.com) . With Kathleen handling the consumer-friendly part, and CompassSearch handling the REAL SEO-friendly part, I feel confident that my success will continue. My CompassSearch subscription put another $200,000 in my personal take home pay last year; not a bad return on $240 dollars a month cost! It’s pretty black and white as to where that increase came from!”

What about RE/MAX Web Site?

“It is not very effective. I get 4 to 6 “leads” (that’s what they call them, anyway) every day. I do not have ONE sale from a RE/MAX lead. Most “leads” from the RE/MAX site are just some poor soul who wanted to browse that site for homes in private and suddenly they are stuck with a REALTOR® calling them. I don’t call that a lead.”

Advice to Agents Wanting to Succeed Online

“Join Point2 agent, call Kathleen to help them do their web site, and hook up with CompassSearch. That’s all it took me and I cannot tell you how happy I am with the results. I like learning something new every day, talking to people from all over the world, giving house tours online, understanding what makes my site work and being number one on the major search engines when people come looking in San Antonio. I have the confidence that we will do even better this year and so far, we already have! I can tell you that no kind of lead is as good as the ones I get from my own web site except a personal referral. I strongly advise everyone to cut back on newspapers, spend a part of that money on your web site, and be free from the doom and gloom that pervades the media about housing today. People are still buying and selling homes. It’s just that they are doing it online, now. You need to be found online by Internet buyers!”

Thanks to Priscilla Allen for being so forthcoming. If you have a client relocating to San Antonio, you will find Priscilla a pleasure to work with and a real asset for your client.

(Mike Parker is a principal at the Blackwater Consulting Group, Inc., and specializes in online marketing for real estate professionals. You can reach him by e-mail at mparker@theblackwatercg.com. To ask for a free copy of his booklet "SEO Secrets for Real Estate Professionals" by writing to realestate@theblackwatercg.com. It will be sent to you free and no one will call you. To request a free review of your web site to determine if it can be found by Internet buyers and if it is search engine friendly, click here and it will be evaluated free.)

Facebook seminar offered by firm

scorbett — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:27:00 GMT

by: Mallory Vough, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

Establishment business people – at least those above the age of 30 – might think Facebook is a publication filled with photographs of people showing off their finest toothy grins. But in fact Facebook is one of the most popular Web sites on the Internet, with a claimed 70 million active users who range from teenagers to corporate executives.

That adds up to a compelling audience, but one that can be difficult to reach. A seminar scheduled for later this month may help individuals and businesses cut through the confusion.

Scranton-based software development company Meezik will host the Facebook Developer Garage on April 26, NEPA at Pepperjam, in the Innovation Center @ Wilkes-Barre.

The four-hour session will introduce software developers and businesses to the new Facebook Developer Platform, said Daehee Park, marketing and sales manager at Meezik. “It’s for developers, marketers and entrepreneurs. We want to show them how to create applications for Facebook so they can develop and monetize those applications.”

The Facebook Developer Platform was launched late last year, and similar events are being held across the United States and the world so that individuals and companies can share ideas with local developers, look for partners on projects, get technical support or simply network and socialize with other developers interested in the Facebook platform.With a total of 21,024 applications on Facebook and the number increasing every day, Park said he feels companies can link people together through these applications in unique and fun ways.

“It’s another channel for marketing their product. The possibilities are limitless,” Park said.

A few applications include “Movies” by Flixster, which allows people to share reviews, discover new movies and test knowledge with the Never-Ending Movie Quiz; “iLike” by iLike, Inc., which lets users add music to their profiles and find their favorite concerts; Neighborhoods by Point2 Technologies, Inc., which shows Facebook users who live near them, what these people are up to and what is happening in their neighborhood; and PortfolioJoe by Interactive Design Associates LLC, which makes it possible to send out professional company or personal portfolios to potential clients or employers.

The intended audience for the seminar is local students, according to Park. “Our main target is students at local colleges who are majoring in information technology, marketing, business or computer science,” he said.

“We also want this to be a networking type thing. If you’re not particularly strong at programming, you can meet someone with strong skills in programming and hopefully work together.”

Presented by Facebook, Pepperjam, AppleCart, SpinDVD and Bawls, the event will feature local and national speakers including Kris Jones, CEO of Pepperjam; Ron Frisbie, co-founder of Ringside Networks; Jason Gaylord, president of .NET Valley; Caitlin O’Farrell, Platform Product Marketing for Facebook; Jay Signorello, software engineer, Heavy.com, and Jason Hoffman, CTO and founder, Joyent.

Possible discussion topics include anatomy of a Facebook application, FBML and FQL overviews and viral marketing optimization.

The event is free, but interested attendees must reserve at http://rsvp.meezik.com.
IF YOU GO
inside

What: Facebook Developer Garage NEPA

When: Saturday, April 26, 1-4 p.m.

Where: Pepperjam, 7 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre

Cost: Free

Reserve: at http://rsvp.meezik.com

Info: Daehee Park at (646) 867-0847 or at daehee@meezik.com

Clicking With Buyers

scorbett — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:43:00 GMT

By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 12, 2008; Page F01

Cindy Lawson won't venture from her sofa for anything less than a two-bedroom condominium with a parking space and washer and dryer.

In the meantime, she continues her year-long search by scanning the list of Arlington homes in her price range that is sent to her automatically from her agent's Web site. When she sees something interesting, her agent, Brian Block, sends her the full listing. Rarely do they speak on the phone.

"It's nice to be able to stay here and do that," said Lawson, 56, a legal secretary. "Especially something like buying a house that can be really tedious."

Online real estate search engines have become an established part of the home-buying process over the past decade, but such sites are evolving to offer a wider variety of services, in some cases changing the relationships among buyers, sellers and real estate agents.

For example, Trulia allows users to check out a home's surroundings through a street-level view of its 2.5 million real estate listings and discover unadvertised neighbors -- a park or a cemetery, for example. On BestHomeSearchEver.com, buyers can limit their searches to homes that have been on the market for more than three months and may be vulnerable to price reduction; then they can watch a YouTube video about how to submit a lowball offer.

This part of the online real estate market is still in its early stages but is likely to evolve as a younger generation of buyers and sellers look for ways to trade more information about property, said Saul Klein, a consultant to the National Association of Realtors when it developed its Web site, Realtor.com, in the mid-1990s. "In time, it may become commonplace," he said.

On another site, FranklyMLS, real estate agents are encouraged to leave comments about homes they have taken their clients to visit. On the listing for one four-bedroom house in Woodbridge, an agent said: "Nice place. Water issue in bathrooms????" On a three-bedroom Alexandria home, another agent wrote: "Where's the fridge? Maybe the cockroaches carried it away."

Even negative information about a home can help the sales process if it assures that the buyer knows all of the potential pitfalls in a property, said Frank Borges Llosa, who runs FranklyMLS. "The more information someone has, the more likely they are to make a purchase," said Llosa, who doesn't vouch for the accuracy of comments on the site. "Learning negatives about the house removes the uncertainty factor, which is more of a hindrance than having the information."

Unlike some of its larger competitors, FranklyMLS is a sparse site that relies on keyword searches. It also lacks some of the ease of larger sites that allow users to narrow their search by a number of bedrooms, for example, but it allows real estate agents who have visited a property to add photos to those provided by the seller's agent.

"I don't trust listing agents' photos. They represent only the best side and make it look amazing. It is not necessarily what they look like when you get there," Llosa said.

Real estate agents have fought to control how the listings of their clients' homes are used on the Internet, including in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice. But the National Association of Realtors said that sellers' and agents' growing acceptance of the Internet may have made the point moot. "The policy that we were fighting was adopted five years ago. Things have changed," said Laurie Janik, the trade group's chief counsel.

The group's Web site, http://www.Realtor.com, is still the most-visited real estate page on the Web, according to the market research firm Hitwise. But even it is changing: Recently the site added a feature allowing users to narrow their searches by a neighborhood's "hip factor," based on several criteria, including how close it is to four-year universities, the age of residents and how long people tend to live there.

But the Realtors' site is facing ever-increasing competition from smaller sites, such as Roost, which says it has come up with a more intuitive and faster search engine. Since launching earlier this year, Roost.com has added information about listings from more than a dozen markets, including the Washington area, but still doesn't cover the entire nation. HomesDatabase, which is run by Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, focuses on real estate listings in the Washington area. Other Web sites, such as Owners.com and ForSaleByOwner.com, target homes being sold directly by their owners.

Jim Duncan, an agent for Century 21 Manley in Charlottesville, said he resents that some real estate search engines make agents buy information about users who have expressed an interest in a home they are selling. "They're not adding any value to the transaction," he said. "As a Realtor, they charge me a fee to get that buyer back when they haven't done anything. I have an issue with that."

But even as agents seek to control how their listings are used, the information available online has changed the way buyers, sellers and their agents interact.

After placing a home on the market, sellers can grow anxious wondering how home shoppers perceive their place. Another new real estate Web site, HomeFeedback.com, offers to send e-mails to agents who have visited the property, soliciting their opinions.

Tony Hain, a real estate agent who has been using that service for about a year, said that after reviewing the comments, one client decided that his basement unit was overpriced. "You can't change the fact that it is in the basement, but you can adjust the price," said Hain, who works out of Long & Foster's Woodley Park office in the District.

Block, Lawson's agent and an associate broker with Re/Max Allegiance in Alexandria, said he attracts up to 80 percent of his clients through his Web site, which includes a searchable database of Washington area real estate listings. Some clients do much of the work of narrowing down potential homes themselves and then call him when they want to tour a particular property or want to submit a bid on a home, Block said. "These days, our job as a Realtor is to help negotiate the deal, instead of just finding the house for them," he said.

Sharon Kimball and her husband, Bob, interviewed several real estate agents referred by friends after moving to Washington from New Mexico six months ago. While researching an Arlington condo they had visited, the Kimballs came across a blog by Jay Seville, an agent in Re/Max Allegiance's Arlington office, predicting that prices in the area would be dragged down by the opening of another condo building this year.

That insight persuaded them to sign up for Seville's e-mail service, JustNewListings.com, which automatically alerts them when two-bedroom, two-bathroom homes in their area come on the market. They say they have spent 10 hours a week on their online searches, looking at listings, mapping their distance to the Metro, and researching builders and management companies.

"I have looked at hundreds of properties and pictures," said Sharon Kimball, 54, a federal prosecutor. "You can do it all in the middle of the night when you can't sleep."

They are now in the final stages of negotiating the purchase of a two-bedroom condo in Alexandria that they found through Seville's service and hope to move in within the next couple of months.

"It saved us weeks, no doubt, of work in terms of being able to look at pictures and get descriptions and map locations, just sitting right there in your own den," Kimball said. "It helps you narrow the search and weed out the places that you're not interested in."

Parker Pacific Equipment Streamlines Inventory Management and Trade-In Equipment Assessment with Point2 Technologies Solution

scorbett — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:04:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC, April 09, 2008 - Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced that Parker Pacific Equipment Sales, a division of The Inland Group and one of Western Canada’s leading heavy equipment dealers has implemented the Point2 Manager software platform to streamline inventory management, data entry and trade-in equipment assessment processes. The advanced sales, marketing and inventory management system has been rolled out across Parker Pacific’s 14 locations in British Columbia and the Yukon.

Addressing a significant business need and opportunity typical in the industry, standardizing trade-in equipment assessment and data capture now enables Parker Pacific to more comprehensively and accurately evaluate used equipment arriving at its yards, benefiting both seller and buyer while optimizing profits for the dealership.

Leveraging Point2 Manager to capture and mine equipment data now also provides Parker Pacific with a benchmarking base that can be used to accelerate the assessment and valuation process of incoming equipment, going forward, to help drive additional productivity gains for the organization.

“We went from ad hoc trade-in assessments, inconsistent paper-based feature and condition lists, and a time consuming process, to a streamlined, highly efficient and cost effective approach in less than three months,” said Tracey Russell, Used Equipment Manager, Parker Pacific Equipment.

“We’re pleased to work with yet another progressive organization such as Parker Pacific and to see the benefits of Point2 Manager take hold in such a short time. The key enabler was Parker Pacific’s aggressive vision, but importantly, the leadership team’s commitment to a full roll out and adoption across the organization,” said Mark Fuller, Senior Sales Executive, Point2 Technologies, Heavy Equipment Division.

Added Russell, “We’ve also eliminated duplicate data entry for our entire inventory of used, new and rental equipment between our corporate systems and website, which used to be pretty taxing. It led to inconsistencies and, we feel, lost profits. With Point2 Manager in place we’re now saving significant time and effort, and equipment information is more accurate and up to date across the board, with little effort. We look forward to putting to work additional Point2 Manager capabilities in the near future.”

Parker Pacific is now in a position to capitalize on additional Point2 Manager built-in system functionality such as Manager Mobile, which delivers detailed equipment information to Blackberry, PDA and other Smart Phone devices, giving sales teams instant access to critical information be it at the office, in the yard or on the road.

Marketing features such as quotes, brochures and inventory reports automate and simplify quotations and professional looking marketing collateral for added efficiency and impact with prospective customers.

More information about Point2 Manager can be obtained at www.Point2Manager.com

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based software solutions for the heavy equipment and real estate industries. In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates UsedIron.com, one of the world’s largest public used equipment marketplaces online.

In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with over 180,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 platform, in 85 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

The Successful Combination of Photography and Real Estate

scorbett — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:29:00 GMT

Commentary by Gar Benedick

RISMEDIA, - Pictures that are poor or less-than-flattering can turn buyers off, leading to fewer leads and offers. In real estate, good pictures–the right pictures–are worth more than a thousand words-they can be worth thousands of dollars.

According to a survey of buyers and sellers by the National Association of Realtors, 80% of the people across the country who purchased a new home last year used the Internet while researching their purchase. These buyers rated photographs as the single most useful tool in their search. Agents say the photos buyers see online are often the first, and sometimes the only, chance they may get to make a good impression.

The photograph is almost always the first element in any ad that connects with the buyer. It is the handshake, the first impression, the thing that cuts through the visual clutter to capture the buyer’s attention. Everything in the marketing campaign to sell your home relies on the quantity and quality of the photographs of your home. Photographs are needed for the MLS listing on the Web and in print, a website, brochures, flyers, photoboards, newspaper ads, possible magazine articles, real estate preview guides, blogs, etc. Many times, buyers will decide if they will visit a home, and agents will decide if they will show a property based on the strength (or weaknesses) of the photos accompanying a listing. Quality photos can and do make a difference, a big difference.

The California Association of Realtors findings show that “Multiple photographs/Slideshows” continue to be the online feature with the highest rating among all online features, followed by “Map/Directions.” Because of the nature of the Internet, more photos can be posted with your MLS Web listing and on a home website than in any other medium and for a fraction of the cost.

Point2 (point2.com) conducted a study monitoring listings over a 30-day period which clearly showed that properties which feature just one photo generated approximately five views and 1.37 leads, while listings displaying 21 or more images received over 77 views and close to 11 leads. Clearly, the listings that added 20+ photos generated nearly 10 times the number of leads and over 15 times the number of views.

Another study relating to the number of photos a listing posts compares photos to the number of Days on Market (DOM). The findings show that listings with more photos sold faster. This is the shake down on the photos to Days on Market (average) analysis.

- 1 photo = 70 DOM
- 6 photos = 40 DOM
- 16-19 photos = 36 DOM
- 20 photos max - 32 DOM

And listings with fewer photos sold for less. The Closed NET Price as a percentage of the Original Price also showed a direct correlation. (These findings are based on 2006 numbers and are again estimates.)

- 1 Photo = 91.2% of Original Price
- 6 or more = 95% of Original Price

According to these findings, a $600,000 home, sporting only one photo, could sell for as much as 3.8% LESS or a loss of over $22,000, just because there was only one photo accompanying the listing. More amazing is the fact that only 12% of agents posted the maximum 20 photos.

I received this in a recent e-mail from the Wav Group regarding the use of photos in listings. “As I am sure you know, the more photos, the better. Many MLSs are not allowing listings to be posted to the MLS without photos. In Houston Association of Realtors, you cannot add a listing without eight photos.” Other Associations will not allow a listing without at least one photo and more Associations are moving in the direction of mandatory photos.

Keep in mind that none of these reports/findings mention the quality of the photographs. If photos are the most important factor, it would follow that by having great, high quality photographs, you can be even further ahead of the game. In many cases, it is the agents themselves who are snapping the pictures and posting them on the agency website. Because of this, it is important that sellers choose an agent who will take professional looking photos or pay for a professional photographer.

Good quality real estate photographs are difficult to achieve and it should be clear that a real estate agent can’t be expected to have professional photographic skills. Agents should, however be able to recognize the difference between good and poor photos and refrain from posting poor photos where perspective buyers will see them. With that in mind, it is amazing to find all the substandard photos, which agents and sellers seem to be willing to accept when it comes to posting photos of your property to the MLS listings and into some of the advertising.

“Location, location, location” is the common catch phrase when buying a house. “Photography, photography, photography” will soon be the new advise when selling. When you look at the difference between photos taken by a professional and ones taken by brokers/agents with digital cameras, it’s not hard to see that you get what you pay for. Professional photographers use professional equipment, have the skills set to use it and they have a trained eye for making your home look its best. This is their job, they’re professionals. And paying to have professional real estate photographs, in comparison, is not really expensive when you consider the benefits.

It stands to reason then, that it is very important to have photos that are professionally presented. Some agents use only pictures taken by professional photographers, because, as one agent put it, “if the photos look shoddy or unprofessional, not only are buyers going to find your property unappealing, they’re going to associate you with being shoddy and unprofessional.”

If you’re thinking of selling your home, here are a few of things to keep in mind when it comes to photography:

- Ask prospective agents to show you samples of their photographic work or that of their professional photographer
- Request to review the photos before they are posted to the MLS, the Internet, etc.
- And, insist on the maximum number of photos or at least the maximum number of photos to properly represent your home

What does all this mean? The Internet is the most powerful tool you can use when buying and/or selling your home. According to results, photography does sell real estate. And when you choose to have high quality professional images for your marketing tools, you stand to gain by:

- Generating more interest
- Attracting more viewers/leads
- Entertaining higher offers/selling price
- Enjoying a faster sale of your home

This all translates into less stress and a smoother transition to your new home.

Your home is one of your largest and most important investments. You hire a professional real estate agent to sell your home. Are you willing to let the job of photographing your home to anyone other then a professional?

Gar Benedick is the principal of Studio Beach photography.

NAR may call Realogy, RE/MAX officials as witnesses in DOJ case

scorbett — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Court document reveals preliminary list of possible witnesses
By Inman News, Thursday, March 27, 2008.

The National Association of Realtors has plans to call nine witnesses to testify in court if an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department proceeds to trial, and may call upon an additional list of 14 witnesses.

A preliminary live trial witness list, produced by the National Association of Realtors in a Feb. 14 court document, includes a list of "will call" witnesses and a separate category of "may call" witnesses.

The trial is expected to begin in June or July, NAR has reported, unless the case settles before trial. Justice Department officials have charged in the lawsuit that policies approved by the National Association of Realtors placed illegal restrictions on the dissemination and sharing of online property listings.

NAR officials have argued that its policies are not anticompetitive and that the association has withdrawn some of the policies in question.

The trade group's preliminary "will call" list of witnesses includes: Ann Bailey, co-founder of real estate consulting company Pranix; Patricia Bybee, president and CEO at Metrolist Inc., a Colorado multiple listing service; Carl DeMusz, CEO for the Northern Ohio Regional MLS; Frederick Flyer, an economics expert; and Robert "Bob" Hale, president and CEO for the Houston Association of Realtors.

Other listed "will call" witnesses include: Laurie Janik, general counsel for NAR; Mark Lesswing, NAR chief technology officer; Robert Most, vice chairman of the Metrolist MLS board of directors; and Ron Phipps, who served as chairman of NAR's President's Advisory Group for the Virtual Office Web sites work group and chairman of the NAR MLS Policies Committee.

And among the list of potential witnesses: Dave Liniger, co-founder of the RE/MAX international franchise network; Richard Smith, president and CEO for brokerage and franchise company Realogy; Alex Perriello, president and CEO for the Realogy Franchise Group; Point2's marketing director Carey Tufts; Stephen H. Murray, editor for research and publishing company REAL Trends; and Ralph Holmen, associate general counsel for the National Association of Realtors.

That list also includes Gar Anderson, NAR vice president of association executive and leadership development; and Stephen Byrd, Chris Eigel, Harold Fogel, Clifford Niersbach, Brad Tertell and John Veneris.

The Justice Department earlier disclosed some of the potential witnesses that it planned to call as trial witnesses, including: Gary Beasley, former ZipRealty president; Russell Capper, former president and CEO of eRealty; Steve Polston, CEO for Home Buyers Marketing II, and NAR's Janik.

Point2 Technologies Chief Executive Officer Delivers Web 2.0 Address at 2008 National Association of Realtors®

scorbett — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:02:00 GMT

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – March 27, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. “Point2”:

Who: Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies Inc.

What:    ‘Identifying and Fulfilling Member Expectations in the Age of Wikinomics and the Long Tail.’

Point2 Chief Executive Officer Saul Klein will discuss the latest trends and Internet technologies affecting the real estate industry, real estate associations, MLS organizations and their members. The session will cover the present and will speculate on the future, in Klein’s fast, informative and entertaining style. The discussion will cover community content, social networks, Web 2.0, video and security.

Session attendees will gain deeper understanding of the Web 2.0 concept and what it means to them…from what Web 2.0 is, to what it is not, what its building blocks are, related concepts, liabilities and what the concept means to Realtors®, the Association Executive and their organization.

When:    Sunday March 30, 2008, 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM.

Where:    National Association of Realtors® (NAR)
                2008 Association Executives Institute,
                Sheraton Boston Hotel,
                39 Dalton Street
                Boston, MA 02116
                Meeting Room: Back Bay Ballroom AB - Second Floor

Addendum: Klein will also discuss the impact different technologies have on real estate and real estate associations as part of the ‘Friend or Foe? How Technology Companies Are Reinventing the Real Estate Industry’ panel session. The panel will be held on Monday, March 31, 2008 at 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM in the Back Bay Ballroom CD - Second Floor.

Real Trends Editor, Steve Murray will moderate the session. Industry experts Marty Frame, SVP/General manager, Fidelity National Real Estate Solution, Ash Munshi, Founder and CEO, Terabitz.com and, Errol Samuelson, President, Realtor.com complete the speaker panel.

About National Association of Realtors®
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

More information about NAR or the 2008 Association Executives Institute can be obtained at www.realtor.org.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.
Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals, with over 180,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the Point2 platform, in 85 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the consumer real estate search portal, www.Point2Homes.com.

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its Saskatoon, SK headquarters and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contact:
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Inman Connect NYC 2008 with Saul Klein, Mr. Internet Crusade Says...BE FOUND

scorbett — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:16:00 GMT

Saul Klein, otherwise know as Mr. Internet on Google or yahoo, is now in charge of Point2 NLS and Point2 Technologies. We saw him at Inman Connect NYC 2008 and he talked about the E-pro designation and internet crusade which got him set up with NAR, National Association of Realtors.

Watch the video

Point2 makes Belize deal

scorbett — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:20:00 GMT

The StarPhoenix
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008

Realtors in Belize have embraced made-in-Saskatoon technology to create and launch the South American country's online real estate listing system.

The Belize National Association of Realtors (BNAR) chose to work with Point2 Technologies Inc. to create its multiple listing service (MLS) system based on the Saskatoon company's national listing service (NLS) platform. BNAR launched its new system Tuesday.

According to the companies, the Realtors' association chose Point2 for its functionality and program technology. The features include Handshake, which allows brokers and agents to share listing data (including listings on NLS-based peer websites), and Exposure Engine, which enables users to distribute listings for free to high-traffic real estate search sites such as Google, Point2 Homes and Craigslist.

Point2's CEO Saul Klein said from a cost and ease of implementation point of view, it makes sense that BNAR went with the Saskatoon company to create the MLS system.

"With the application of Point2 NLS, not only has BNAR accomplished an important, relatively complex initiative quickly and easily, but they have also demonstrated solid understanding of the critical value that wide distribution of listings on the Internet brings to Realtors today," Klein stated.

Belize National Association of Realtors® Implements Point2 Technologies Online Marketing Solution to Power New Multiple Listing Service

scorbett — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:56:00 GMT

Belize City, Belize and Saskatoon, SK – February 25, 2008 – Belize National Association of Realtors® (“BNAR”) and Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) today announced BNAR’s new MLS system, based on the Point2 NLS (National Listing Service) platform.

BNAR® selected Point2 NLS for its unique opt-in / opt-out reciprocal listing advertising functionality, enabled by Point2’s patent pending technology, Handshake™. The technology allows real estate brokers and agents to instantly and selectively share listing data, including listing distribution to Point2 NLS-based peer websites. Key benefits include the ability for users to advertise listings on hundreds or thousands of websites for maximum visibility and leads.

Point2 NLS’s listing syndication functionality, Exposure Engine™ was another key factor behind the selection. The system enables users to automatically distribute listings for free to high traffic real estate consumer search sites, at the user’s discretion, including Google, Point2 Homes, Craigslist and Vast. Built-in reporting and analytics provide traffic results and statistics to support more effective, fact-based decision making.

“We are proud to continually set new standards for real estate practices in Belize, with everyone involved in the home buying and selling transaction at the heart of everything that we do,” said Macarena Rose, President of the Belize National Association of Realtors®.

The new system will now also enable BNAR® to provision advanced technology tools to its members, easily and cost effectively, including Point2 NLS websites and blogs.

“60 percent of real estate brokers and agents in Belize will now have access to highly advanced technology, including world class Point2 NLS websites and lead management systems, which will allow our members to represent and market properties professionally, both within Belize and in International markets where a significant number of our buyers originate. This is an exciting time for those who are Members of the Belize National Association of Realtors®,” added Rose.

“With the application of Point2 NLS, not only has BNAR® accomplished an important, relatively complex initiative quickly and easily, but they have also demonstrated solid understanding of the critical value that wide distribution of listings on the Internet brings to Realtors® today,” said Saul Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Point2 Technologies. “While Point2 NLS is strictly an online listing marketing platform and works in concert with existing legacy MLS systems, Associations that do not have such systems in place can also capitalize on Point2 NLS to drive critical reciprocal listing advertising and marketing for their members. From a cost and ease of implementation point of view, it’s an easy decision.”

BNAR® is also using Point2 NLS to power its own website, www.BelizeNAR.org.

Today’s announcement comes at the heels of a recent reciprocal relationship BNAR® signed with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), further reinforcing BNAR’s mission and commitment to bring a superior level of professionalism to the Real Estate industry in Belize, when dealing with a Member of the Belize National Association of Realtors®.

About Belize National Association of Realtors®

The Belize National Association of Realtors®, based in Belize City, was chartered in 2004 and is incorporated as a nonprofit organization. The Association has 150 agent members, representing 60 percent of the country’s real estate professionals.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies provides online marketing and eBusiness software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. The Company is the largest provider of online marketing and lead management software for real estate professionals, with over 175,000 brokers and agents subscribing to Point2 NLS (National Listing Service), in 85 countries. Membership in Point2 NLS continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 is also one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions to the heavy equipment industry, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network and owns and operates UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media Contacts:

Belize National Association of Realtors®
Rev. Macarena Rose
President
Tel. 1-727-490-7710
Int’l. 011-501-670-4045
macarenarose@gmail.com

Point2 Technologies Inc.
Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Agents: Stop dripping and start predicting

scorbett — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:36:00 GMT

Tech innovations to jump-start real estate biz

Friday, February 08, 2008

By Bernice Ross
Inman News

Are you ready to jump-start your business? Upgrading your technology is one of the fastest ways to do it. If you need some help, here are some important innovations to consider.

1. Stop dripping and start predicting

Instead of using drip e-mail, a process in which e-mails are automatically sent to contacts or prospects on a scheduled basis, a better approach would be to use predictive marketing. In addition to syndicating listings to more than 30 different sites at no charge as well as creating a neighborhood application on Facebook, Point2NLS now offers a predictive marketing tool with its premium sites. When buyers sign up to be notified of new listings, the system monitors their browsing patterns and then places homes that fit their preference at the top of what the buyer sees. For example, if a buyer always looks at the kitchen first, the system displays the houses with the best kitchens first. This system is much more effective than drip e-mail because it automatically responds to each Web visitors' unique Web browsing patterns.

2. Immediacy

Today's buyers and sellers expect an immediate response to their Web inquiries. Rather than relying on voicemail, e-mail or autoresponders, there are several great options available to meet this need. You can hire a virtual assistant, use push-to-talk technology (RealPing.com), or install your own instant messaging system on your Web site with plugoo.com or meebo.com.

Another alternative is to create you own live call center using a company such as LeadQual or LivePerson. LeadQual charges on a per-lead basis. When a Web visitor fills out a form asking for more information, the LeadQual fast-response team calls the person and determines whether the lead should be passed on to an agent. If so, the system automatically connects the agent into a conference call with the lead. This entire process takes only a few minutes. The lead receives instantaneous service, and the agent doesn't waste time with unqualified Web leads.

3. Tracking

One of the biggest mistakes that both agents and companies make is failing to trace their Web statistics. Where do leads originate? Which sites generate the most traffic for your listings? What pages on your site cause your visitors to go elsewhere? You can't answer these questions unless you are using tracking. Point2 provides an analysis tool at no charge as part of its Web site package. For your other Web sites, you can track analytics using Google Analytics, Clicky, CrazyEgg, clickdensity or VisiStat. A number of Web reviews recommended Clicky as the preferred resource for this. What's especially interesting about the Clicky application is that you can actually monitor the live activity on your site.

4. Upgrade from brochure marketing to video marketing

Market your fliers on your Web site, your blog, in print, and on cell phones with vFlyer. Better yet, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth 10,000. While it may not be practical financially to shoot a video for every listing, it's an important option on more expensive listings.

An excellent way to use video is to shoot a tour of your local community. Rather than promoting yourself, give a guided tour of your market area that demonstrates what makes your area unique. Use the video to introduce future residents to unusual things to do or the best-kept secrets that even locals may not know. To be really innovative, shoot the video in HD, or high definition. You can post it on your Web site or blog, and copy it to an inexpensive portable drive to give to clients who visit your open houses or who are relocating into the area.

5. Video syndication

While putting a video tour of your listings on YouTube is a great idea, an even better idea is to place them on TubeMogul, which syndicates (sends) your video to six different video sites including YouTube, Google Video and Yahoo Video. Best of all, there's no charge.

6. Cool cell-phone tips

A study from the U.K. recently found that computer use was falling among teens and young adults. On the other hand, cell-phone use was skyrocketing. Instead of using a video camera, you can now track what your friends and others are doing on Twitter. You can also use Twitter to notify your friends and clients about hot new listings, a great sale at a local store, or anything else your clients may find of value. To improve communication, upgrade your headset to a Bluetooth-enabled Jawbone that blocks all background noise. You can also join Jaxtr, a site that allows you to call anywhere for your normal cell-phone rates.

When it comes to making changes in your business, please remember that small steps taken consistently over time produce sustainable change. Trying to add too much too quickly can undermine your success.

(Special thanks to Brian Boero of 1000Watt Consulting for compiling many of the items in today's column).

Point2 Technologies and Compass Internet Systems Announce Commercial Marketing Agreement

scorbett — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:50:00 GMT

Compass Integrates Point2 NLS Professional Full Year Membership in New Service Package
to Deliver End-to-End Real Estate Online Presence and Lead Management Solution to Subscribers at No Added Cost

Saskatoon, SK and Orinda, CA, February 06, 2008 – Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) and Compass Internet Systems (“Compass”) today announced a two year marketing agreement that extends to new CompassSearch solution subscribers, full membership in Point2 NLS Professional, prepaid for 12 months and valued at USD $549.95, as part of a new annual subscription value service bundle offering by Compass.

The new value package is designed to give to real estate professionals who subscribe to Compass’ search engine optimization (SEO) and placement service (SEP), a complete, end-to-end online presence, lead generation and conversion solution, at no added cost. The promotion is limited to the first 1000 subscribers.

“With 11 billion pages of content on the Internet today, it is paramount that real estate brokers and agents deploy smart search engine strategies and technology that can deliver increased visibility and revenues,” said Sean Hogan, Chief Operating Officer, Compass Internet Systems. “SEO and marketing support are our core strengths. Through our partnership with Point2, we are now also making it easy for any CompassSearch customer to access and deploy all the critical services and technology tools they need to compete effectively online, at no added cost to them.”

“Whether it’s the Point2 world class website, listing syndication and distribution network, traffic reporting tools, a blog, virtual tours or, advanced lead conversion technology, real estate brokers and agents now have any or all of it at their disposal as part of their subscription to CompassSearch,” added Hogan.

“This is about giving the real estate broker or agent, including existing Point2 customers, a solid advantage in their market,” said Carey Tufts, Director of Marketing, Point2 Technologies Inc. “We are excited to partner with Compass on this initiative and we look forward to helping make it a great success.”

The CompassSearch value bundle also applies to existing Point2 NLS members, as follows:

-    Point2 NLS Standard users; automatic upgrade to Point NLS Professional for one year, renewable for a second year with equal service extension with CompassSearch. Value: USD $549.95 ($1099 if renewal is utilized);
-    Point2 NLS Professional users; automatic extension of CompassSearch services for an additional three months, for a total of 15 months. Value: USD $719.85;
-    Point2 NLS Premium users; automatic extension of CompassSearch services for an additional three months, for a total of 15 months. Value: USD $719.85.

Subscribers to the new CompassSearch offering can enjoy the company’s guarantee of a minimum of one property sale resulting from the member’s subscription to its new service, or receive an extra year service extension, from Compass, completely free of charge.

Real estate professionals can get more facts about this program at http://compass1.onelanding.com, or by visiting www.CompassInternetSystems.com.

About Compass Internet Systems
Compass Internet Systems (Compass) provides online marketing services for realtors and real estate professionals throughout the real estate world. Through their affiliates, The Blackwater Consulting Group www.theBlackwaterCG.com and Web Reporter Tool www.webreportertool.com, the company is a recognized leader in Organic Search Engine placement, internet marketing services, coaching and reporting systems for real estate professionals. With hundreds of agents and brokers from virtually every franchise and independent organization, Compass and its affiliates make it possible for internet buyers to find their clients when they are looking for homes online, by placing their clients on the first pages of the major search engines for the markets those clients serve. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area with offices and representatives throughout North America, Compass is growing at an annualized rate of 300% in clients, sales, and profits. The company is privately held. More information can be obtained by emailing info@CompassInternetSystems.com.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies provides online marketing and eBusiness software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. Leveraging Point2 proprietary and patented technology, Point2 develops and markets software solutions that enable organizations to conduct business over the Internet more easily and more profitably. Point2 is the largest provider of online marketing and lead management software for real estate professionals, with over 172,000 brokers and agents subscribing to the company’s flagship real estate platform, Point2 NLS (National Listing Service), in 85 countries. Membership in Point2 NLS continues to grow by over 1000 additional members each week. Point2 is also one of the largest providers of e-commerce solutions to the heavy equipment industry, powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network, and owns and operates UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 100 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Media contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President, Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

Blackwater/Compass
Sean Hogan, Chief Operating Officer
Compass Internet Systems
1-925-376-8300
shogan@compassinternetsystems.com