Going live today, this upgrade will be bringing a bunch of great improvements to how Point2 Agent support & education will be accessed, delivered, and ultimately disseminated.

Just what kind of improvements you ask?  For starters, our entire product knowledge base is now entirely searchable.  Want to learn about our custom content modules?  No problem!  Now all of our support materials (FAQs, videos, and education sessions) are right at your fingertips.

If you are itching to jump right in and experience all the new toys for yourself, you can find the new support portal over at – http://agent.point2.com/support

If you would like to know what these changes mean for our existing support tools, here is a brief overview:

• The support email address agent@point2agent.com will soon be no more. Customers can submit a ticket to us directly at http://agent.point2.com/support
  Please note: If you are unable to submit a ticket, you can still do so by emailing customercare@point2agent.com
  
• The new and improved Customer Community (aka message board) can now be found right here.  Note that this does not mean the old Message Board is gone.  In the coming weeks, we will be importing existing content from the old Message Board (like the website tips & tricks) to make sure our fantastic community hits the ground running.
• Clicking “Contact Customer Care” within your Online Office will now bring you to our support portal.  We encourage all customers to search through our knowledge base to find the answer to your questions, but we can always we reached by email or at our toll-free support line.

As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, we would be happy to answer them – so don’t be shy, get in touch with us and tell us what’s on your mind!

So just who are these new additions that your listings will be zipping off to, should you so choose?  Well in order to get acquainted, here is a quick synopsis of what each has to offer:

Exactly as the name suggests, CampusHomesOnline focuses on – you guessed it – homes in close proximity to campuses around the United States.  The brainchild of Real Estate virtual assistance Renee Crabtree, this niche property portal lets users search by institution to find the properties for sale or rent nearby.

Besides being one of the only search portals to utilize Facebook Connect as a means of logging in, searching with GoListNow couldn’t be easier!  Simply enter your zip code or city and get an instant influx of listings.  You can even sort by “most popular” or “recently added”.

As the landing page for Repeat Property states, the site “is all about making connections”.  Users have access to a wealth of tools to help make connections with buyers, sellers, and other real estate professionals.  Among them, the ability to create a network of other users of the site, save & share listings to special folders, and alerts from buyers outlining what they are looking for in a property.

Know of any other consumer search sites where Point2 should be sending your listings?  Let us know!  Also, be on the look out for even more syndication partners being added in the very near future.

At Point2 we are constantly asking ourselves the question “who are our customers?“; because being able to understand the mind of your target market goes a long way to being able to provide them with a product they actually want.

To answer this question, we often turn to NAR’s annual Member Profile. This tome of information, which details all there is to know about real estate professionals – from how much they make, to if they are registered to vote, is pure data gold.

However, as previously stated, it can be a little exhausting to dig through endless charts and graphs, so we put together a poster for internal use detailing some of the neatest stats from this year’s profile.

Once this poster was complete we realized that its usefulness wasn’t confined to just us.  All real estate professionals can benefit from learning about their profession and what the industry trends are.

So without further fanfare check out our 2009 Member Profile Infographic below by clicking on the image!

Also, if you are looking for the quick synopsis on the entire report, you can check out a great rundown of the best stats over at real estate all-stars AgentGenius.

Spread the word!

What is this site all about you ask?  Well, LovelyListing is a blog dedicated to finding the most random/amusing/hilarious real estate listings on the internet – and let me tell you, some of them are ridiculous.

For example, check out this latest entry, found on Zillow, which gives literal meaning to the phrase “accented stonework”:

Or this entry, which may win the prize for the most sinister looking decorations of all time.  Foosball anyone?

So if you are in need of some distraction this afternoon (or anytime) take a trip over to LovelyListing and have a laugh or two.

This report, which covers everything from the very broad (like how much the average consumer spent on a new home) to the very very precise (such as the primary language spoken by first-time home buyers) means one thing – lots of juicy data.

For the information junkies at Point2 this means we get an opportunity to pour over the endless charts & graphs, looking for interesting tidbits, facts, and trends; but we  recognize that this isn’t everyone’s ideal way of spending an evening.

So in an effort to spend the love of data around we whipped up a fancy infographic that takes some of the coolest stats from the Home-Buyer chapters and presents them in a single, easy-to-digest visual (which I might add is perfect for showing to your own buyers).  For example, did you know that in 2009 single females accounted for 21% of all homes purchased?  Neat stuff.

Check it out by clicking the image to the right, and if you have any questions, comments, or would like to see us publish more of these infographics – let us know.

Also, if you know anyone who might benefit from this data, nothing would make us happier then for you to share it with them.  Spread the love of data!

Just one week after being honored as one of Saskatchewan’s Top 20 Businesses, Point2 has the distinct pleasure of announcing that we have been awarded the Achievement for Business Excellence (ABEX) award by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in the category of job creation.

This award, which is given to the company that “demonstrates exceptional performance in the creation of new permanent jobs” is in recognition of Point2’s sustained growth between March 2008 and March 2009. During this period, we increased our staff count by nearly 50%, in support of our rapidly expanding business.

To put it in perspective, that is an additional 30 developers whose sole job is to provide our customers with the best software in the world, or an additional 20 Customer Care representatives to help make sure that our members squeeze every last drop of value out of our products.

But this award doesn’t mean we are going to lose steam or rest on our laurels.  Oh no.  In the words of Charles Dickens, we’ve got “great expectations” for Point2 – all of which require additional manpower.

Speaking of which – do you want to work for Point2?  If you think you’ve got the chops, head on over to our careers page and see what’s available.

If this post post is any indication, we are probably hiring.