REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY 2.0

 

This month, we focus on a local non-profit Web Innovations and Technology Services ("WITS") who is the largest non-profit electronics recycler in Missouri.  Under Missouri law, electronic equipment such as computers, televisions, cell phones, cordless telephones, and monitors are classified as "hazardous waste" and must be collected and disposed by regulated collection sites because electronic equipment often contains heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and even PCBs. Although there are a number of commercial electronics recyclers in the St. Louis area, there is only one with a strong track record of re-use and recycling.

Here are some of WITS' achievements:

• In 2009, WITS refurbished and reused over 3,500 computers and other electronics. Since 2004, WITS has refurbished and reused over 20,000 computers and electronics. These refurbished computers and electronics have been sold or given away to residents in local communities.
  
• Over 8,000 volunteers and residents have helped promote or support WITS or donated to WITS programs.
  
• In 2009, WITS diverted over 6.5 million lbs of electronic components from landfills and waste streams by refurbishing electronics, by disassembling electronics, and by re-manufacturing products for other uses. Since, 2004, WITS has diverted over 20.5 million lbs. of electronic components from landfills and waste streams.
• 65% of electronic items donated to WITS are reused. 35% of electronic items donated to WITS are demanufactured and sold for new product uses.
  
• WITS has created over 365 new jobs since its inception.
• 1,250 low-income families have volunteered at WITS events to earn a computer, TV or other working electronic item. 

Here are some of the ways that St. Louis real estate professionals can benefit from WITS' recycling programs:

• Electronic Disposal: Dispose of old, used and inoperable electronic equipment in a safe, environmentally friendly manner. Other commercial recyclers charge disposal fees. WITS does not charge for the disposal of most electronic items delivered to the WITS' facility or delivered to a WITS' collection site.
  
• Tax Donation: Receive a charitable donation letter summarizing the fair market value of the donated item for use as a charitable tax donation
  
• Onsite Electronics Pick-Up: If you require pick-up service, WITS charges $50-$100 per box truck for all business pickups, $30-75 for residential pick-up with a 1 hour drive.
  
• Purchase Refurbished Electronic and Other Items: Purchase refurbished computers (from $60), laptops (from $100), and LCD Monitors (from $25). Other items including televisions, radios, stereos, fans, heaters, lawn equipment, etc. are available starting at $5.
• Home CleanOut: If you work with seniors or sell home in probate estate, WITS offers a low flat fee ($100) pick-up service of all household items. WITS then repackages and delivers such non-electronic items as clothing, household furniture, etc. to other non-profits.
  

Other WITS's programs:

• Volunteer for Computer Program: Volunteers who agree to work at WITS' facility or WITS' events for 65 hours receive a free computer or other electronic item. Senior, veteran and disabled volunteers can work from home placing telephone calls and earn a free computer after 45 hours of volunteer time.
• Student Program: Eligible low income students accepted to college and maintain a B+ average receive a free computer.
• Kids with Kancer Program: Chronically ill children age 8 to 18 suffering from cancer and hospitalized or receiving full-time home care are eligible to receive a free laptop.
• Seniors Program: WITS receives applications from seniors and donates 1 computer system per month to seniors in need of a computer.
  
• Computer Exchange: Non-profit organizations, schools and churches can exchange used, old and inoperable computers for new computers.
  
• Revenue Sharing: Non-profit organizations, schools and churches can act as event organizers or collection sites and receive a percentage of the income generated from the recycling of electronic items. 

If you are interested in learning more about WITS, visit their facility at 647 E Holly Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63147 (2 blocks from N. Grand and Hwy 70), their website at www.witsinc.org, or their upcoming recycling event in Belleville, Illinois on August 8 or Chesterfield, Missouri on August 28.

This site provides you with an estimated value based on modeling. The comparable sales used to determine the estimated market value may or may not be comparable and the estimated fair market value may not reflect recent changes in market conditions. In addition, the estimated market value and the optimum list price may be different. Data provided by First American Core Logic. Home valuation provided courtesy of PREA Signature Realty.

Need a more precise analysis of the optimum list price for your historic home, townhome, condominium or loft in the City of St. Louis? Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at PREA Signature Realty at 314-971-4381 or via e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.

As someone who lives and breathes in a digital world, I regularly text, e-mail and use social media to communicate with friends, family and colleagues.  However, I use traditional, commonly accepted modes of communication when it comes to substantive business correspondence such as:

• Telephone Call with Confirming E-Mail
• E-Mail
• Business Letter Sent via Facsimile
• Business Letter Sent via U.S. Mail

Usually, I try to mimic the method of transmission of the message used by the other person.  If you send me an e-mail inquiry, I typically will respond via e-mail to the e-mail address that you used to send the original message to me.  However, I draw the line at texting and social media as a communication tool for agent-to-agent business communication.  Here are a few reasons:

• Papertrail:  Texting doesn't create a papertrail that can be easily accessed or easily archived.  There are programs and systems for doing so.  However, only the real tech savvy do so. Whereas a copy of e-mails and letters are placed in the file and archived on my computer, text message aren't - except I do type out a written summary of substantive texts for the file.
  
• Security:  Social media messages travel through unknown servers.  I simply don't trust that the messages will be received, that the messages won't be intentionally or inadvertently sent to the wrong location (e.g. Facebook wall versus personal message), or broadcast to unintended recipients.
• Professional Content:  Text and social media messages often have limited number of characters.  It is difficult to fully communicate a position on a substantive issue in 140 characters or less.

More importantly, although I use multiple e-mail addresses for specific purposes, I only use a single e-mail address for business communication.  I don't use a separate e-mail address for MLS, for my website, for my business card, etc.

Here are some simple examples of the poor use of technology tools to communicate with other agents:

• Example #1:  Scanned counteroffer is sent to listing agent with cover sheet via e-mail.  Telephone call is placed to listing agent to confirm receipt of offer.  No response to voicemail mesage.  No response to e-mail.  Deadline passes for counteroffer.  Additional telephone calls are placed to listing agent.  Again, no response.  After deadline has passed, listing agent sends reply to counteroffer via text message.  At this point, deal is dead.
• Example #2:  Agent sends inquiry regarding contract via e-mail.  Listing agent replies via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the first agent.  No reply.  Telephone calls are placed to agent inquiring regarding status.  Agent, after claiming that amendment wasn't received, finds the e-mail and states e-mail account where the e-mail was sent is his bulk e-mail account and he doesn't check it regularly.  E-mail address is the e-mail address listed on the local association roster and on his MLS bio or profile.
  
• Example #3:  Broker sends text message regarding dispute.  Listing agent replies "too lengthy to discuss via text... call me."  Broker doesn't respond.  Listing agent then places call and leaves voicemail message. No response.

My point is pretty simple.  Stop texting... stop using social media... and pick-up gosh darn telephone for business communication.  Send a confirming business letter or e-mail summarizing the conversation where appropriate. 

The rise in instant communication has resulted in some circumstances in poor communication and lazy transmission of important contractual responses.  While instaneous communication may have some benefits in timing, it certainly has some major drawbacks in terms of substance. If the tone of message is lost in e-mail, then it is even worse via text. 

So... stop hiding, pick up the telephone and act like a professional. By the way, if you think "LOL" and a "smiley face" make you look and sound like a professional, I suspect that you are dead wrong.

 

For real estate agents, Craigslist is an invaluable marketing tool. However, it isn't exactly technologically advanced platform, visually pleasing or even user friendly.  It does, however, generate leads. As with any marketing medium, it is important to differentiate yourself from your competition.  The text ads offered by Craigslist offer little visual appeal.  Craigslst ads created using html code - whether cutting and pasting html from Postlets or your ActiveRain blog or some other html editor - are more visually appealing and project a more professional image.

Despite the title of this post, Craigslist doesn't support embedded YouTube or other videos.  If you attempt to embed a video, Craigslist simply strips it out  of your ad when it is posted to the site.

However, there is a simple solution.

• Step 1:  Take a screenshot of your YouTube video
• Step 2:  Upload the photo to your favorite photo hosting site. 
• Step 3:  Using your preferred html editor, upload the photo and then create a link to your YouTube video URL.
• Step 4: Cut and paste the code into your Craigslist ad.

The code should look something like this: <a href=”[insert YouTube URL here” rel=”nofollow”><img border="0" src="Insert Photo URL here" width="480" height-"295" </a>

By following the steps above, your Craigslist ad has the look and feel of an advertisement with an embedded video.  As a result, you have distinguished your advertisement from those of your competitors on Craigslist.  More importantly, you increase the likelihood that the ad reader will watch the video.  An embedded video (or even a pseudo embedded video) is more likely to be watched than a video linked to the ad by a hyperlink.  The method described above is effective because the ad reader is accustomed to clicking on the start arrow to see a video.  The second advantage offered by this method is that it captures the ad reader.  By clicking on the image, the ad reader is then taken from the Craigslist site to the site where your video is hosted.  If your video is hosted on your YouTube channel, website or blog, you have increased the likelihood that they will view other videos or information from your hosting site.

To see an example, visit:  http://stlouis.craigslist.org/reb/1828371425.html

INTERESTED IN SELLING YOUR HOME IN ST. LOUIS USING?  Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at PREA Signature Realty at 314-971-4381 or by e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com to discover how to use technology to more effectively market your home for sale.

 

USE OF INTERNET WEBSITES AS A HOME SEARCH TOOL

With the rise of the Internet, there are now hundreds of websites that offer consumers the ability to search for homes online.  According to NAR and other surveys, over 90% of purchasers use the Internet to assist them in searching for a new home. In the 2008 NAR Survey of Buyers and Sellers, the survey found that purchasers used the Internet reported using the following sites:

• 60% Local Multiple Listing Service Sites
  
• 48% Realtor.com
  
• 46% Real Estate Brokerage Sites
  
• 43% Real Estate Agent Sites
  
• 19% For Sale by Owner Sites
  
• 11% Local Newspaper Sites

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LISTING INFORMATION VARIES BY SITE

As purchasers increasingly use the Internet to search for homes, we decided to take a look at some of the search portals commonly used by purchasers in our area.  The results indicate that not all real estate search engines or search portals are created equally.  The quantity (ie. # of listings) and quality (ie. accuracy of information) varies greatly from site to site. Often, quantity and quality issues depend on how the sites obtain their listing information.  It varies from site to site and includes:

• Paid Placements
• Feeds from Other Sites
• Direct Entry by Owner or Agent

As a result of how the sites are updated and when they are updated, it is common to find wrong, inaccurate or dated information on real estate search engine or portal sites (ie. aggregator sites).  Common problems include:

• Inaccurate # of Bedrooms/Bathrooms/Sq.Footage
• Wrong Location on Maps
• Inaccurate or Dated Pricing Information
• Wrong Status Reports (pending or even sold)

WHERE SHOULD PURCHASERS SEARCH FOR HOMES?

Given the problems with real estate search engines and portals described above, we posed the question:  WHERE SHOULD PURCHASERS LOOK FOR THE BEST DATA ON HOMES LISTED FOR SALE?  Our answer is: GO DIRECTLY TO THE SOURCE.

If you are a serious buyer, want accurate and complete information, and don't want to waste time, I would strongly suggest that you use a REALTOR with MLS access.  Why?  The simple answer is that the MLS provides real-time data, is more accurate in terms of its data, and is more comprehensive for geographic specific locations.  It is also an equal playing field - meaning that search results are based on your criteria and not based on paid placements.

A SIMPLE TEST - SEARCHING FOR HOMES AND CONDOS IN 63104

To test our theory, we entered the same search into MARIS (the local MLS for metropolitan St. Louis), Realtor.com, StLToday.com (the search portal for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Trulia.com, Zillow.com and Yahoo Real Estate.  The search was simply for any residential home or condo in the 63104.

Here were the results based solely on the number of listing available on each site:

 

Here were some simple conclusions based on quantity alone:

• The MLS had the most listings.  Given that the MLS uses real-time data, it isn't surprising that it is the most comprehensive source for data on homes and condos listed for sale.
  
• Realtor.com was a close second.  The difference between the results for Realtor.com and for the local MLS appeared to be attributable to new listings within the past 48 hours. The difference could also be brokerages or individual owners opting out of the listing feed from MLS to Realtor.com.
  
• Aggregator sites such as Trulia, Zillow, and Yahoo Real Estate fared poorly by comparison. From 10% to 40% of the available MLS listings weren't shown on these sites.  There sites, in theory, should exceed the MLS with the inclusion of For Sale by Owner listings and REO listings.  However, they not only didn't exceed the MLS in terms of the number of listings; they didn't even match the MLS in terms of available listings.  Here is how the fared:
  • Trulia failed to include in its search 40% of available listings in the search area (83 listings).
  • Yahoo failed to include in its search 10% of available listings in the search area (21 listings).
  • Zillow failed to include in its search 14% of available listings in the search area (28 listings).
• Paid sites like StLToday.com were of limited utility and reflect the decline in classified advertising generally.  The StLToday site failed to  include in its search 65% of available listings in the search area (135 listings).  For consumers, you are seeing limited listings.  The good news for agents is that your listing are more likely to be seen because there are fewer listings.
  
• When you consider that this test was for a single zip code in the St. Louis metropolitan area, the conclusion is that for broader searches you are missing hundreds of listings that may meet your criteria and not be show on sites that require paid placement or on sites that are aggregators as opposed to originators of listings.
• If you were searching specifically for condos, the differences were even more dramatic. 
  

In this post, I simply looked at the quantity of listings.  In the next post, I will take a look at the quality of the listings on these sites.

If you want to search for homes in the St. Louis using real-time data from the MLS, please visit our website at www.PREASignatureRealty.com.  Or better yet, send me an e-mail with your search criteria to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com and I will set you up with a private MLS search portal.

The next Business Resource Meeting is set for March 4, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the Sheraton Westport Chalet.  This Business Resource Meeting will feature a technology panel covering such topics as video marketing, photo blogs, blogging for business, Internet radio, Google tools and other tech gadgets and WCR tech resources such as the WCR toolbar and WCR Live streaming audio and podcast.

Here is the line-up for the 2010 WCR Technology Panel:

Video – How to Effectively Use Video to Market and Sell Homes

Speaker: Darin Wood - Film That House

Website: www.FilmThatHouse.com

Topics will include:

- Tips on How-to Shoot a Good Video

- Sites for Editing Videos

- Sites for Hosting Videos

- Suggestions on How-to Integrate Video into one’s Marketing Plan

- Creation and Use of YouTube Channel

- Common Mistakes Made by Realtors in Shooting Video

- Benefits of Using a Professional Videographer

Photo Blogs – How to Set Up a Photo Blog and Drive Traffic and Business Leads to Your Website

Speaker: Michael Allen - Preservation Research Office

Website: www.preservationresearch.com

Blog: www.ecoabsence.blogspot.com

Topics will include:

- Tips on How-to Shoot a Good Photographs

- Sites for Editing Photos

- Sites for Hosting Photos

- Suggestions on Set Up a Photo Blog

- Tips on Blogging

Blogging for Business – A Realtors Perspective

Speaker: Don Rogers - RE/MAX Gold

Website: www.DRogersHomes.com

Blog: www.activerain.com/blogs/donrogers

Topics will include:

- Developing Your Blogging Voice

- Topics that Drive Traffic

- Common Mistakes Made by Realtors when Blogging

- Blogging Tools

 

Google Tools and Other Tech Gadgets

Speaker: Ryan Shaughnessy

Website:  www.PREASignatureRealty.com

Blog:  www.LafayetteReport.com

Topics will include:

- Google Tools

– Google Talk/Google Wave/Google Calendar/Google Analytics

- Box.net

- JotForm

- SlideShare

 

WCR Live on www.BlogTalkRadio.com

Speaker: Michelle Silies – PREA Signature Realty and/or Klaus Bank – Keller Williams St. Louis Realty

Website: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/WCRLive

Topics will include:

- Show Schedule

- Upcoming Topics

- How to Participate

 

The WCR Toolbar will also be unveiled.  All of the websites and tools that St. Louis real estate professionals need on a single Google search toolbar.

For more information on the 2010 WCR Technology Panel program, visit:  www.WCRSTL.org.  Reservation are required for this event.  Cost:  $25 for WCR Members / $30 for Guests.  For reservations, contact Shelly Clark at Shelly@CardinalSurveying.com.

GOOGLE TOOLS FOR REALTORS SERIES

In this Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will cover, review and provide how-to tips and strategies for Google's suite of productivity tools including such tools as:

• Google Calendar
• Google Alerts
• Google Wave
• Google Base
• Google Documents
  
• Google Maps
  
• Google Earth
  
• Google Local Business Center
  
• Google Adwords / G-Mail Ads
  
• Google Blogger
  
• FeedBurner
  
• Google Analytics
  
• Google Groups
  
• Google Sites
  
• G-Mail
  
• Picassa
  
• YouTube
  
• Google Talk
  
• Google Voice
  
• Google Search
  
• Google Toolbar
  

GOOGLE BASE

In the third installment of the Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will take a look at how Realtors can effectively use Google Base in their real estate practice including such topics as:

• What is Google Base
• Google Base Offers Competitive Advantages
• Why Use Google Base
• How to Feed Your Listings to Google Base
• How to Create Your Google Base Listing Feed
• How to Manage Your Google Base Listing Feed
• Conflicting Feeds
• How Google Base Displays Your Listings
• Google Base Strategies

WHAT IS GOOGLE BASE

Google Base is an easy way to upload your online and offline content to the Internet.  For Realtors, the importance of Google Base is to get your listings displayed on Google Maps with the most current information and to drive traffic to your website or blog. Google Base can be searched directly.  More importantly, listings entered into or fed to Google Base are more easily found in Google Maps and Google search results. 

GOOGLE BASE OFFERS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

Here is an example of the power of Google Base.  Using the local MLS, a search of Lafayette Square shows 31 condominiums listed for sale.  However, when you search Google Maps using the same search parameters, there are only 4 highlighted map pins.  Google Base gives you a competitive advantage to agents who take the time to directly feed their listings into Google Base. 

Here is the map from the MLS Search and from the Goolge Maps Search:

 

MLS Search - 31 Listings for Condos for Sale

Google Maps - 4 Listings for Condos for Sale

WHY USE GOOGLE BASE

Google Base offer the following benefits:

• EXPOSURE:  As shown above, Google Base provide increased exposure to your listings on Google and Google Maps.
• CONTROL OF LISTING DATA:  By uploading directly to Google Base, you control your listing content and data.  It will preempt duplicate feeds from other services.
• DIRECT CONSUMERS TO YOUR WEBSITE OR BLOG:  Although there are several other services that feed or allegedly feed to Google Base (e.g. Trulia, Hotpads, Point2Agent, Postlets, Real Estate Book, etc.), these feeds often direct consumers to sites that include other competing listings.  With Google Base, you can direct consumers to your website or to your blog, not to third party sources of the feed.
• DATA ACCURACY:  By uploading directly to Google Base, you control the accuracy of the data.  That is, price changes, open houses, etc. appear in hours as opposed to days or weeks.
• MLS RESTRICTIONS:  Some multiple listing services feed listing to Google Base.  However, the feeds are limited by the MLS regulations.  For example, some multiple listing services prohibit self-promotion in the marketing comments or place restrictions on photographs or on branding of video and virtual tours.  By uploading directly to Google Base, you can better brand your listing and can avoid MLS restrictions on content.

HOW TO FEED YOUR LISTINGS TO GOOGLE BASE

You can submit listings to Google Base in three ways:

• Upload via File Transfer Protocol
• Upload via Third Party Service (e.g. Postlets, Point2Agent, Hotpads, etc.) using the Google Base API
  
• Directly Upload to Google Base

As discuss above, this post only addresses how to upload your listings directly to Google Base.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR GOOGLE BASE LISTING FEED

Step 1 - Create a Microsoft Excel file.

Step 2 - Create spreadsheet headers across the top of the spreadsheet matching the attributes used by Google Base:

• title
• agent
  
• area
  
• bathrooms
  
• bedrooms
  
• broker
  
• description
  
• expiration_date
  
• feature
  
• hoa_dues
  
• id
  
• image_link
• link
  
• listing_status
  
• listing_type
  
• location
  
• lot_size
  
• mls_listing_id
  
• mls_name
  
• open_house_date_range
  
• price
  
• price_type
  
• property_type
  
• provider_class
  
• publish_date
  
• school
  
• school_district
  
• year
  
• zoning

You can also create custom fields for other information like:

• links to video
• blog site
• brochure download

Step 3 - Under each header, fill in your information.  Note:  Where a URL is specified, you have to use the actual URL as opposed to a hyperlink.  If there is missing information or information in an incorrect format, you will receive a Google Base summarizing all required changes.

Step 4 - Save the file as a tab delimited text file (.txt).

Step 5 - Register your data feed.  Go to http://base.google.com/base/bulkuploads.  Click on New Data Feed.  Select the target country (United States) and type of feed (Housing) and type in the name of the file created above (PREAHousingFeed.txt).  Click on Save Changes.

Step 6 - Go to your Google Base Dashboard.  Locate the feed you just registered and click on Manual Upload.  Click on Browse to locate the file.  Click on Upload and Process this File.

Step 7 - Google Base will process your listing feed.  Depending on the size of the file, it will take between 30 minutes and 2 hours.  If there are errors in the file content, you will receive an errors or exception report via e-mail.  Simply, correct the errors and reload the file using the steps above.

Step 8 - Go to Google Maps.  Search for your listings.  Click on your files to verify that the information is correct.

Step 9 - Repeat by uploading new file every 14 days (preferred is to upload daily).

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR GOOGLE BASE LISTING FEED

From the Google Base Dashboard, you can see each of the feeds submitted to Google Base.

You can also click on Active Items to see each item by title included in the feed.  You can also see the expiration date for each item and can track the # of impressions and clicks.

By clicking on the item, you can also see the individual item as displayed on Google Base.

CONFLICTING FEEDS

The first step for eliminating conflicting feeds is to control where you send your information.  For example, the MLS often allows you to opt-out of their feed (not advisable).  However, even if there are more than one feed sent to Google Base, Google Base manages the conflicts process.  When it receives the same listing from two or more sources, it automatically groups the separate listings into a single search result and then orders the search result by recency (ie. latest update has higher priority) and completeness (ie. update with the most data gets priority).

HOW GOOGLE BASE DISPLAYS YOUR LISTINGS

By creating a listing base feed, you expose your listings to consumers in four primary ways:

• Google Search Results
• Google Base Search Results
• Google Map Results
• Third Party Sites (e.g. RealBird.com)

However, it is important when creating your Google Base listing feed that you remember what will be seen on sites like Google Maps.  Often, it is only the lead image and the first part of your marketing comments so plan out your comments and photos with this in mind.

GOOGLE BASE STRATEGIES

Google Base gets you on Google Maps.  Now, the key is to then drive consumers to your website or blog.  One strategy is to use the link in Google Base to direct people to a blog post on your ActiveRain blog.  In the blog post, you can integrate such information as:

• General Listing Information
• Embedded Photo Slideshow
• Embedded Video
• Mortgage Information (including monthly payment information)
• Tax/HOA Fee Information
• Insurance/Utility/Service Information
• Downloadable Brochures and Other Forms
• Request for Showing Button
• Lead Capture Forms 
• Google Call Me Button
• Links to Your Other Listings in Area
• Links to Your Market Reports
• Links to Your Local Neighborhood Reports
• Embeddable Real Estate Search Engine

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO USE GOOGLE TOOLS IN THE MARKETING AND SALE OF REAL ESTATE? Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or send an e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.

 

 

We will soon see a wave (pun intended) of Google Wave extensions, applications and gadgets.  Google Wave is an open source platform that will result in companies (e.g. SaleForce.com) and many others rolling out extensions and even platforms duplicating Google Wave.  Here are a few extensions being tested by Google and others:

• Bloggy:  Bloggy is an extension that allows wave users to embed a wave live into a website or blog.  Replies to the wave appear in the wave as well as on the website or blog.  Here are screenshots with my test comment in a wave which then automatically appears on the blog.

• Tweety:  Tweety is an extension that allows you to embed a Twitter feed into a wave.  Tweety includes a search box that allows you to include the Twitter user name and receive a streaming feed of Tweets by the specified Twitter user.  Here is a screenshot of the extension with my streaming Tweets:

• 6Rounds:  6Rounds has developed an interesting application that allows users to communicate via live webcams.  This isn't necessarily unusual, except you can embed the video conference in a wave, watch a video or view a website together, and allow others to then replay it.  Here is a screenshot:

If you want to stay ahead of the curve and see Google Wave extensions before they are launched by Google or others, apply for Google Wave Sandbox account.  Click here for the Google Wave API - Developer Page.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO USE GOOGLE TOOLS IN THE MARKETING AND SALE OF REAL ESTATE? Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or send an e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.

 

GOOGLE TOOLS FOR REALTORS SERIES

In this Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will cover, review and provide how-to tips and strategies for Google's suite of productivity tools including such tools as:

• Google Calendar
• Google Alerts
• Google Wave
• Google Documents
  
• Google Maps
  
• Google Earth
  
• Google Local Business Center
  
• Google Adwords / G-Mail Ads
  
• Google Blogger
  
• FeedBurner
  
• Google Analytics
  
• Google Groups
  
• Google Sites
  
• G-Mail
  
• Picassa
  
• YouTube
  
• Google Talk
  
• Google Voice
  
• Google Search
  
• Google Toolbar
  

GOOGLE WAVE

In the third installment of the Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will take a look at how Realtors can effectively use Google Wave in their real estate practice including such topics as:

• What is Google Wave
• Google Wave 101 - Terminology
• Google Wave 102 - Basic Features
• Suggested Uses for Google Wave
• Google Wave Tools

WHAT IS GOOGLE WAVE?

Google Wave is currently available by invitation only.  It is an interesting tool for communication, collaboration and the transfer and sharing of media.  It is a hybrid product that looks and feels like e-mail, text messaging, forum threads, wikis, social media and more.  However, the best may be yet to come.  Google Wave is built on an open source platform which means that there will be competing products and a large amount of extensions/tools/applications built around this new platform.

GOOGLE WAVE 101 - TERMINOLOGY

What is a "wave"? A "wave" can best be described as a hybrid between conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with text, photos, videos, maps and more. A "wave" is shared. meaning that any invited participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. The playback feature creates accountability and lets anyone rewind the wave to see who contributed what and when. A wave is live. As a live document, can have faster conversations, see edits and interact in real-time.

GOOGLE WAVE 102 - BASIC FEATURES

Google Wave has some interesting features as a communication and collaboration tool.  Here are some of the highlights:

• SPLIT CONVERSATION INTO THREADS:  E-mails are static and linear.  That is, you send an e-mail.  You then receive a reply.  When you are "replying" to a wave (e.g. message), you can reply in the message itself creating a thread within the message or after the message similar to e-mail.  For example, someone sends an agenda.  Instead of replying at the end, you can actually interlineate your comments within the agenda itself.  The arrows below show where new threads can be inserted.  It is similar to when you include the original e-mail and interlineate in the original e-mail questions, comments or responses.
  

• INSTANTANEOUS/SIMULTANEOUS CONVERSATIONS:  Communication via Google Wave is in real-time.  Althought it looks and feels like e-mail in some respects, it is more like text messaging.  Two or more people can reply to the wave at the same time.  The communication is live and can change even as your are reading the screen.
  
• HIDE REPLIES:  When the "wave" or replies generated by the "wave" are done, you can hide and/or delete replies to clean-up the conversation.  You can also copy the completed "wave" into a new wave. 

• INVITE OTHERS TO THE COMMUNICATION:  Communication via Google Wave can be 1-on-1 or you can invite a group to participate.  Even after the conversation has started, you can add additional parties to the conversation.  For example, the comments drift into another person's area of expertise or responsibility.  You can add the additional person to the conversation by simply clicking a button or by dragging and dropping from the contact section of the Google Wave platform.
  

• PLAYBACK FEATURE:  Since you can add a person at any time, the new participant can replay the entire communication sequence by sequence from the creation of the wave through each contribution.  You can see who wrote or added what and when.  Here is a simple example showing the progression .  There was an initial wave containing an invitation to speak.  The second action was to add Don Rogers as a participant.  The third action was Don Rogers' acceptance of the invitation.
  

• PRIVATE REPLIES:  Within a "wave", you can reply to the wave which is visible to all participants or can reply privately to one or more participants.  When you reply privately, the reply only appears on the "wave" of the parties to the private reply and not on the "wave" viewed by all participants.
  

• DRAG & DROP FEATURE:  You can drag and drop other waves, photos, videos, links etc. into the wave.
• ATTACHMENTS:  You can add attachments with a click of a button.

• DOWNLOAD IMAGES:  For photo sharing, Google Wave permits each participant to add photos, edit  titles, and download all of the photos.  It is a nice and easy way to share photos.  You no longer have to worry about e-mails being hung up or bounced back due to the size or resolution of the photos.
  

• GOOGLE SEARCH FEATURE:  You can search within the Wave using Google and ad links.  Click on G+ icon.  Enter search terms.  Add to wave.  Here is an example including a resource link into the invite to Don Rogers.
  

• SMART FEATURES:  Google Wave has a series of built-in smart features.  For example, you include a video link in the wave.  It shows a light bulb.  By clicking on the light bulb, you will then be given options such as show the video as a link or embed.

• LIVE CONCURRENT ONLINE EDITING:  Google Wave allows users to edit each others messages, contents and even replies.  This allows for online editing and collaboration.
• GADGETS:  You can use Google Wave's gadgets or import gadgets into your wave.  Here are a few examples:
  
  • You can insert a Yes/No/Maybe feature for approvals, RSVPs, votes, etc.
  • You can insert a map.  You can place pins for locations and can draw on the map.

 

SUGGESTED USES FOR GOOGLE WAVE

Google Wave has great potential.  However, converting the potential to actual use will require an expansion in the number of users, the addition of more extensions or applications and a learning curve as users adopt this tool for communication and collaboration.  Here are just a few anticipated uses:

• SINGLE COMMUNICATION:  Consolidate information into a single living document.  Use with customers to define housing criteria, map tours, transmit and store documents, provide instructions, review closing documents and more.  Instead of searching through dozens of e-mails, you have a single communication thread which can be accessed by all members of your team - agent, transaction coordinator and clients.  
• TEAM COLLABORATION/EDITING:  For teams, groups and organizations, you can take a single document and allow multiple parties to collaborate on a project in real-time.  You can draft content, discuss items and solicit feedback all in one place.  It eliminates the need for creating multiple copies that get out of sync.  For example in the context of an organization, you could set a meeting and outline the agenda.  Each participant could then add additional information, action items or documents to the agenda such as place, map to location, parking instructions, documents to be reviewed prior to the meeting and more.  After the meeting, meeting notes or action items can be added and tasks disseminated to others.
• SHARE PHOTOS:  Instead of e-mail photos back and forth, each participant can upload and share the photos.  Each participant can then download all of the photos.  You can create a photo album easily online.
• BRAINSTORMING:  You can present an idea, concept or problem to a group.  You can use Google Wave to brainstorm ideas.  You can add rich content like video, images, URLs, etc. to provide examples or to clarify ideas and concepts.  Google Wave can be used a virtual white board.

GOOGLE WAVE TOOLS

Google Wave has great potential as a collaboration tool and as a communication tool.  However, the gadgets and applications developed using the platform offer an interesting glimpse  as its possible use as an integration tool.  Although Google previewed a number of extensions, gadgets and applications (see video below), the most intriguing use of Google Wave is the ability to embed a wave in your website or blog.  After a wave is embedded, people can communicate with you in real time within the embedded in a blog - but directly to you via the Google Wave.  That is, a post could be included in a wave and posted on multiple sites.  The replies or comments received would then be aggregated.  This tool would give you a single access point to engage others in discussions.  Here is an example from Google using their Bloggy prototype application showing a wave and then the embedded wave in a blog post:

 

 

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO USE GOOGLE TOOLS IN THE MARKETING AND SALE OF REAL ESTATE? Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or send an e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.

GOOGLE TOOLS FOR REALTORS SERIES

In this Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will cover, review and provide how-to tips and strategies for Google's suite of productivity tools including such tools as:

• Google Calendar
• Google Alerts
• Google Wave
• Google Documents
  
• Google Maps
  
• Google Earth
  
• Google Local Business Center
  
• Google Adwords / G-Mail Ads
  
• Google Blogger
  
• FeedBurner
  
• Google Analytics
  
• Google Groups
  
• Google Sites
  
• G-Mail
  
• Picassa
  
• YouTube
  
• Google Talk
  
• Google Voice
  
• Google Search
  
• Google Toolbar
  

GOOGLE ALERTS

In the second installment of the Google Tools for Realtors Series, we will take a look at how Realtors can effectively use Google Alerts in their real estate practice including such topics as:

• Why Use Google Alerts
• Setting Up Google Alerts
• Google Alert Success Stories
• Non-Google Reputation Management Tools

WHY USE GOOGLE ALERTS?

Google Alerts allows you to create automated searches of diverse media such as blogs, images, video, groups, news and the Internet based on simple keywords.  The tool has many benefits:

• Monitor Real Estate Trends (e.g. St. Louis Market Reports)
  
• Competitor Research (e.g. Name of Agent or Brokerage)
• Tracking Upcoming Real Estate Events (e.g St. Louis REBar Camp)
• Manage Online Reputation (e.g. Ryan Shaughnessy or PREA Signature Realty)
• Identify Misuse of Your Listings (1515 Lafayette or the Georgian)
• Monitor Past Clients (e.g. Client A)
• Use as Customer Service / Testimonial Tool (e.g. Ryan Shaughnessy or PREA Signature Realty)
• Track Technology (e.g. Google Tools)
• Track Government Information and Announcements (e.g. Missouri Real Estate Commission)
• SEO Management (e.g. www.LafayetteReport.com)
• Catch Copyright Infringement (e.g. Blog Titles)

HOW TO SET UP GOOGLE ALERTS

Step 1 - Log into Google account.  Go to:  www.google.com/alerts.

Step 2 - Enter the search information.

• Search Terms:  Use Narrow Keywords to Limit Search to Relevant Items
• Type:  Select the type of search - comprehensive, image, video, blog, groups, news, internet or comprehensive.
• How Often: Select period - immediate, daily, or weekly,
• E-Mail Length: # of returned search items - 20 mentions or 50 mentions.
• Deliver to:  Your preferred e-mail address.

Step 3 - Review e-mailed alerts.

Step 4 - Manage alerts.  If you are receiving too many or too few alerts, change your search terms for the alerts.

KEYWORD SEARCH OPERATORS

Use standard Google search operands to narrow or refine your search:

• Inclusive Search:  AND - "Real Estate" AND Technology
• Alternate Search:  OR - "Second Empire" or "Federal"
• Wild Card Search:  "* with a mountain view"
• Specific Site Search:  site:http://www.PREASignatureRealty.com
• Link:  link:http://activerain.com/blogsview/1507292/google-tools-for-realtors-series-google-calendar

GOOGLE ALERT SUCCESS STORIES

Over the past 18 months, Google Alerts has been an invaluable tool.  Here are some of the success stories:

• Identified Competitor Copying and Pasting Market Report.
• Discovered Long Forgotten Media Video Clip of One of Our Agents.
• Discovered Misuse of Craigslist Posting by Unlicensed Real Agent and by Rental Scam Artist.
• Discovered Problem with Trulia Feed Directing Leads to Competitor's Website.
• Found Article on Past Client regarding New Development Project.
• Identified Buyer for Commercial Property.
• Found Negative Comments regarding a Development in Area.
• Identified End-User Subscribing to RSS Blog Feed.

NON-GOOGLE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Oddly, different alert services focus on different media and yield different search results.  Here are some other services:

• www.Trackle.com
• www.SocialMention.com
• www.SocialOomph.com
• www.steprep.com

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO USE GOOGLE TOOLS IN THE MARKETING AND SALE OF REAL ESTATE? Contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or send an e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.