Newsroom

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

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.

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.