Without a contract, the perceived ‘representation’ is limited to the agent conveying information provided by the other party, buyer or seller, that the buyer or seller must then analyze and make their decisions upon. This is referred to more as working ‘with’ the customer, rather than working ‘for’ them. A far cry from an optimal position, in as far as the customer is concerned.

True value and advantage lies in the customer’s ability to tap the agent’s extensive negotiating, neighbourhood insight and overall expertise, to their advantage. To benefit from their recommendations on how to approach the negotiating process, rather than just relaying to them an asking price and carrying back counter offers. As a home buyer, you want your agent to put serious skills to bear, much like a lawyer might. But they can legally only do so if they are under contract to ‘represent you.’

While the benefits of remaining free to work with one or more agents may seem appealing to some, there are many risks associated with such an approach. Carolyne Realty Corp. has a great write up on representation that covers the subject in far more detail and might be a good read for any buyer or seller. Realtor.com, on its website, also stresses the importance of proper representation when consumers are ready to take their search from online to real-life. Not just in securing the best deal possible, but also to access accurate data and facts about a property before making the leap.

We know what sniffing is, and what fishing is. But Phishing, with a ‘P’? And ‘Smishing’?

After digging a bit, yours truly also figured he didn’t even know what fishing really was, even though I’d been ‘fishing’ ever since I was a child. Not in technology terms at least.

Malicious activity chasing personal banking and other private information on someone’s computer comes in many shapes or forms. In a world going more and more mobile however, new tactics – and terms – have emerged. So take note.

Especially if you use an Android powered mobile device, hackers’ ability to trick you into allowing them to grab your information is seemingly higher than if you use an iPhone. Don’t shoot the messenger. I am simply stating some facts garnered on AARP, a technology resource favourite for many.

Android powered phones are outselling iPhones, but unlike the Apple marketing machine, which closely monitors what applications are posted in its iTunes store, Android based apps aren’t supervised as well, if at all, as this article by Steve Morgenstern claims. There are as such higher chances that you upload a malicious app on an android-powered phone or other mobile tool such as a tablet.

Here are, for starters, are a few key terms to pay attention to, in order to help keep your private information safer as you navigate through the World Wild Web.

Phishing – is when an email or message prompts you should click on a link – to update security information or any other manner of personal information. These emails could appear to be issued by your bank, for example. That’s one way for the bad guys to gain access to your username and password.

Wifi Sniffing – is when private information is accessed by tapping into an open, unsecured public Wifi network that you are logged on. These can be wireless access points offered at many coffee shops and other public facilities, as well as an unsecured Wifi access point in your home. An example of this in action is the popular FireSheep application which sniffs your passwords over-the-air.

Smishing – the latest term I have come across in Web security. It combines SMS messaging and Phishing. The approach could include dubious text messages asking you to click on a short link (a Bit.ly link for instance). While convenient, these short links make it more difficult for the non tech savvy to see where the link actually leads to.

QR Codes / tags are also being used to take you where you shouldn’t go. Once you’re on the Web page of their desire, they’d just load malware onto your phone and let technology take over, grabbing whatever information they’ve designed their system to seek. Even third party contact information, so they can work them too, even by impersonating their messages as coming from you. This is a particularly effective tactic since many QR reader applications do not show you the URL the code directs to, rather it just takes you there.

But don’t lose heart. If you tend to innocently follow links that come in through to your laptop or phone, whether they’re short links, regular links or QR Codes, you may be better off looking up some anti-virus software for mobile devices such as AVG.

It’s also easy to secure your home Wifi system with a password, although that may seem like a highly technical exercise. It’s not. Start by calling customer support at your Internet provider, or the Wifi device manufacturer – they will be able to provide you with step-by-step instructions for setting everything up.

Learn More…

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UPDATE (3:10 PST/5:10 CST/6:10 EST): Public-facing websites are now back up and running.  The system restoration continues to progress according to plan and we expect to have back-end login access back up within 1-2 hours, or sooner. Thank you for your patience and support.

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UPDATE (1:30 PST/3:30 CST/4:30 EST): The system restoration continues to progress according to plan and we expect to go live in the time range indicated earlier, or sooner. Thank you for your patience and support.

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Hi Everyone,

We are currently experiencing technical system difficulties with one of our third party storage components that triggered at 2:05AM CST this morning and has affected Point2 user websites and email service. Restoring these critical services for our customers is our top priority and our engineers are working to switch services back on.

Email services have now been restored. We expect all systems to be running normally within 8-10 hours (between 5 PM and 10 PM CST) or less, and will continue to update you as we progress.

Thank you for your patience and confidence, and once again we apologize for the inconvenience. We are working to resolve the issue in the fastest and most effective manner possible.

Following are answers to some of the questions you might have:

1)   Will I lose any of my data/information?

No. All of your information will be there waiting for you.

2)   Is email down as well?

We have brought our DNS servers back online, meaning that you should now be able to send and receive email that is hosted through Point2. You can login to webmail over at: http://mail.point2agent.com

3)   Are my listings still being syndicated?

Listings added to the Point2 system up until February 8, 2012 have been syndicated to our syndication network partner sites to continue to generate leads for you, as usual. All leads are being currently funneled into your Point2 account, also as usual, where you will gain access to them as soon as our systems are back up.

4)   Can I get in touch with anyone at Point2?

Absolutely! Our Customer Care team is on hand to answer any questions you may have & provide any assistance you need. We can be reached toll free at: 1-866-977-1777.

Please keep an eye on this space as we will be updating on our recovery progress throughout the day. Thanks for your patience and understanding! We know this affects your business and we won’t rest until everything is back to 100%.

To ensure that we structure training and events that are of most value to you, we have prepared this short, quick-question survey that you can complete in 2-3 minutes. And enter to win the $100 Card, right there and then.

Your feedback will shape the types of events to come, so be numerous. The survey closes February 10, 2012.

START HERE

Download the full PDF White Paper right here.

Today, my 70-year-old grandmother has an iPad.  Most pre-teens own a smartphone.  And the term “cloud-computing” is recognized and understood by a vast majority of the population.  Technology is such a ubiquitous part of our lives that most cannot comprehend or remember how to function without it.

Technology plays a comparably significant role for home buyers and sellers, who use the Internet, email, SMS, social networking, mobile computing – and many other technologies to improve both their lives – and the process of buying or selling a home.

Every consumer has some basic demands:

• Speed
• Convenience
• Choice
• Value Added
• Quality
• Service
• Discounts
• Information

Buyers expect a quick response from real estate professionals and quick access to listings of interest.  Sellers expect to know that their listing is online as soon as they have signed the papers.  Both buyers and sellers expect access to information quickly and easily.

Buyers want access to listings from the convenience of their computer or mobile phone while sellers want to be able to access their listing information and view any reports generated from it whenever and wherever they want.

Buyers want to be able to find listings from a website of their choosing, be that Zillow, Trulia, Google, etc.  Just as not everyone chooses the same flavor of ice-cream, not everyone searches for listings using the same website(s).

Virtual tours, downloadable listing brochures, and CMAs, are all pieces that add value to a listing from the buyer’s perspective.  Sellers see value added when their listings are distributed to as many places as possible.

Buyers want access to quality listing data, just as sellers want their home to be advertised in the best, most accurate manner possible.  This also ties in to ‘information’.  Consumers want access to feature-rich sites, and with as many details about a listing as possible.  Listings that display a single, grainy photo, with virtually no additional information are quickly passed over, regardless of their relevance to the consumer.

 Based on those demands, how does technology fit into what the typical consumer expects from a real estate professional today?

In an age when ‘technology’ means everything, and keeping up with the times simply means staying competitive, real estate professionals cannot settle for just ‘okay’.

So how does technology change your game plan?

There will always be a need for technology basics: a domain name, branded email account, and a web presence.  But what are the more specific needs of today, and more importantly, what will be the needs of the future?

Selective Online Marketing

The term “online marketing” is broad.  It covers everything from having a website, to advertising via email, to pay-per-click search engine marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), to participating online in blogs and social media channels.

Because online marketing encompasses such a broad range of activities, it is essential to select the ones that optimally enhance your business.

Is money best spent paying top dollar for a custom-designed website?  What about search engine optimization?  Do the DIY advertising options available out there such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads deliver enough bang for your buck?  There are no universal answers that apply to every agent.  Fortunately however, most online advertising options are fairly inexpensive and provide analytics to help determine the effectiveness of your efforts and your reach.  

Social Media Presence

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ – the list keeps growing, and will likely keep growing.  Once a means to share photos and connect with friends, social networks have been rapidly expanding their reach into areas of business networking, media, and communications.

The advantage of using social media platforms as advertising mediums is that typically the only cost is a little elbow grease.  Social media will continue to be a key channel for online marketing and advertising in the immediate future, and real estate professionals should look to this area for significant business growth opportunities in 2012 and beyond.

Generational and Niche Marketing

The preface to “Rocking the Ages” by J. Walker Smith and Ann S. Clurman states: “Understanding generational values and motivations has become essential because each generation is driven by unique ideas about the lifestyle to which it aspires.  And it’s these aspirations that determine the ways consumers spend and save their money.”

The book continues, “Marketers who use the principles of generational marketing to understand the factors that influence the values and buying motivations of consumers stand a much better chance of spotting trends way ahead of the competition and reaching customers first in profitable new ways.” 

Niche marketing may be equally important to a real estate professional’s marketing plan.  Since many real estate professionals focus on very specific market areas (e.g. condos, commercial, vacation, etc.), their applicable audience needs to be identified and marketed to accordingly.

No longer can there be a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing.  Get to know your audience and the various ways you can market to them.

Do More With Less

It seems like the days are getting shorter, or our time is filling up more quickly.  Either way, technology should help to increase efficiency, not over-complicate things.

Email, instant and text messaging, automatic listing distribution, social networking – all of these tools allow real estate professionals to quickly connect with customers and peers.

Here are a few key things to look for when shopping for technology and business solutions:

Flexibility

Mobile phone providers offer different package options to their customers for a very specific reason.  Not every person wants or needs all of the same features.  Some require a data plan, while others are happy with just a plain old telephone.  Some want call display, others call waiting, still others voicemail.  Mobile carriers are successful because they allow their customers to choose which features work best for them.

The same should be true of a real estate professional’s online marketing solutions.  Keeping up with the times means having the flexibility to choose the tools that work for each individual’s personal and business needs.  Gone are the days of being forced to pay for features that will never be used, all because “it’s part of the package”.

Online Education

Real estate professionals need to be able to further their education quickly, easily, and in small, digestible chunks.  What can be learned via online education?  Perhaps the answer should be, “what can’t be?”  Product demos, online marketing trends, industry trends – the list goes on.  Online webinars, learning platforms, and other mediums provide real estate professionals with the ability to learn affordably, from almost anywhere.  Taking advantage of these opportunities provides you with a needed competitive edge.

Automatic Listing Import

Time is money.  If real estate professionals are required to re-enter their listings multiple times to get additional exposure, value has already been lost.  Accuracy is also a concern when a listing is added manually to multiple sites one at a time.  Since technology should be increasing efficiency, real estate professionals need to research tools that will help them distribute their data to numerous destinations from one entry point.

Syndication

Exposure is a key piece to every real estate professional’s marketing plan.  Consumers want their listings advertised in as many places as possible.  Syndication is a key piece to the puzzle as it generates massive listing exposure at little or no cost.  Enhanced tools such as predictive marketing help identify the areas of interest to your audience and market to them accordingly. 

Control Over Listing Data

While syndication and listing exposure are important, significant value is lost when there is no control offered with regards to the flow of listing data.  Control should be provided to every stakeholder including agents, brokers, and MLSs/Boards/ Associations.  Reporting also needs to be provided to every level so each party can determine if the destinations to which they are distributing listings are serving their best interests.

Another factor to consider is data licensing agreements.  Make sure you are confident your technology and syndication partners are serving your best interests – what do they do with your data?  What is the licensing agreement?  Are you able to easily access their data agreements and terms and conditions statements?  Answers to these questions should be clear and easy to find.

Mobile Capabilities

Research suggests that the most valuable piece of technology is still the phone.  Today’s smartphone is portable, multi-functional, and easy to use.  Real estate professionals should be able to have access to listing information quickly and easily directly from their mobile device.

A staggering and increasing number of people are relying on mobile.  For the youngest generation, it is all they know.  The ability to deliver a seamless and enjoyable browsing experience on mobile devices will only become more important as the smartphone revolution continues to take root. 

Opportunity Awaits

While some have the time and desire to learn how to code and build their own tools for online marketing (including websites), the majority of real estate professionals view their time as better spent serving their customers.  For these, a full-featured, automated service that encompasses all of the above requirements is a must.

Some might be thinking, “Technology is not a new thing, this is the same information we’ve heard in the past.” And you’re right.  Technology as a whole is not a new concept.  However, effective use of technology is.  Many have chosen to jump on every technology bandwagon that has come around, without sitting down to evaluate its true value.

It is important to remember that no matter which direction a real estate professional’s online marketing plan takes him or her, effective use of technology should increase efficiency in the areas of workflow, listing advertising, lead generation, and contact management.  If the chosen solution(s) does not do this, it is time to re-evaluate.

To borrow a line from Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changin’”.  The world of tomorrow is taking shape today, and now is the time to embrace change.  Adapting to the new world order can be a difficult task, but for the real estate professional who is able to stay in touch with the new breed of customer…vast opportunity awaits.

We, along with Get A Grip Audio and Web Solutions, are very pleased to announce their inclusion in the Qualified Website Desiner section of the Alliance Member Program (AMP)!

Barry and Cher have extensive experience, creativity, and energy to help you determine and obtain the design elements and marketing tools necessary for you to see the results you desire.

For more information about both the audio and website design serives, as well as view examples of their work, visit www.GetaGripAudio.com or call 250.545.2999.

Congratulations, and welcome to the Alliance Member Program in a new capacity!