To help sort out the issues, controversies, benefits, and fears surrounding Listing Syndication check out at this Slidecast presentation that was put together by Point2′s own Saul Klein and Linda Moola, which outlines the features and benefits of Listing Syndication to real estate professionals on all levels – from MLS/Associations, to Brokers and individual Agents.

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback we’d love to hear from you!

No guess work here. Load up your website up with listings and you would have covered one of the top two things on a home buyer’s list of most valued information on a REALTOR®’s website. 83 percent of buyers who used the Internet last year to research properties said that detailed information about homes for sale are ‘Very Useful,’ according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report.

And given that 21 percent of sales agents reported generating between 11 and over 100 inquiries from their website, 3 percent pulling between 51 – 100 inquiries and 4 percent more than 100 inquiries, your online store has the potential to be more than just a pretty place. The reason I say this is that there are still 31 percent of agents out there whose websites bring in no inquiries at all! That’s a huge opportunity.

Established REALTORS® seem to be well set then, if they typically carry good inventory. Provided they do most other things right of course. We covered some of those things or ideas, in Parts 1-3 of this series.

Undoubtedly though, even the best sellers’ agents can benefit from additional listings, to attract even more visitors and generate more return visits to their websites. For those who have no listings or just few, this particular challenge can be daunting. Here are three surefire ways to add more listings to your site. As in, many more.

1)    Expand your personal network – This is an on-going exercise that requires time. If you want instant gratification, skip this step and go to points 2 and 3. But in the long run, this step will be key to success and business resilience especially in tough markets.

Here are some facts, also from NAR’s report. The most important thing people look for in an agent is honesty and trustworthiness, and nearly half of all buyers find their real estate agent through a referral from a friend, neighbor or relative, especially first time home buyers.

The more experience and transactions you facilitate, and the larger you grow and foster a supporting network of friends and contacts, the more business and listings you’ll get. Join and participate in local societies and groups, join one or more charities, volunteer time on a not-for-profit board and attend school events if you have kids. A note to self: ‘I won’t spend all my time at such events with people I know. I will reinforce those relationships and make it a point to meet several more people and exchange more business cards or phone numbers. And, my networking does not mean spending lots of time in online chat rooms with other agents.’

2)    Build IDX into your website – This can be as easy as cutting and pasting some code onto your website. IDX or, Internet Data Exchange, is a solution that allows visitors on your website to search approved Multiple Listing Service (MLS) properties in your area. The service is subscription-based and for the value it adds, many would concur is worth every penny.

There are several great IDX service providers in the marketplace today, so here are some things to look for:

-       Easy to plug (technical jargon: frame) into your website.
-       A solution that seamlessly integrates (funnels) leads into your prospect management system.
-       Don’t get held up by a long term contract. You should have the right to get out at any time.
-       Double check on the IDX service provider’s ‘uptime.’ You want a service that is ‘on’ all the time.
-       Affordable. You can usually secure a top name IDX directly or through your website service provider at a reasonable price.

3)      Handshake™ with other REALTORS® in your market – This idea applies only to Point2 Agent users. Handshake™ is proprietary technology that allows you to publish other REALTOR® listings on your Point2 Agent website, and the other way around. The idea is to automatically and immediately give you credibility but importantly, a large inventory to market. Especially for new agents, this advantage can make a significant difference. The more local co-marketing relationships you initiate and approve through your Point2 Agent site, the more listings you’ll get. You can test this technology for free here.

Point2 will be at NARdiGras 2010 on November 5th-8th.  We are looking forward to seeing many of our long-time friends, clients, and contacts – and hope to make some new friends too.

This event is a great time to sit down for a few minutes with Point2 and see what we can do for you and your organization.

If you belong to your MLS or Association Board of Directors, you’ll want to set up a time for you and your executives to meet with us.  We’ll provide you with information about our syndication services at the MLS level.  Just contact us to set up a brief meeting time which is convenient for your group.

We look forward to sharing some fun times with you all at NARdi Gras in New Orleans!

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!

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!

We don't typically get Mexican food this good, what with being a couple of thousand miles away from the Mexican border.

Of course the air was absolutely thick with discussion and speculation surrounding RPR and HouseLogic – on our plane down from Vancouver you could hardly walk two rows without hearing whispers about “data management” or “RPR.”   It was pretty cool to see, actually – and some very interesting discussions about technology were the rule throughout the week (some sober and insightful, some . . . less so).

With Jason and Lupe from El Paso, some of our favorite clients. (It's the mustaches that make the hats work.)

Point2 had a large crew in San Diego, speaking to MLS and Association representatives about our MLS Syndication efforts, speaking to agents and brokers about our Point2 Agent products, and hooking up with loads of new syndication partners to keep finding interesting and fruitful destinations for our REALTORS®’ listings.

Jen from Point2 & Rhett Damon from Homefinder.com - mustache > goatee.

The Point2 men were also fortunate enough to encounter some “Mo Bros & Sisters” in San Diego – Point2′s men are growing mustaches for charity (prostate cancer research) as a part of the Movember effort (donate here!)

All in all it was a great trip – thanks to Saul and his family for showing us a good time in San Diego – it was particularly nice to finally meet the IC crew in person.

It’s always rewarding to get out there in front of our customers (particularly when it’s 80 degrees and a football game is involved ).

See you next year in New Orleans!