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Real Estate Bloggers Participate In Blog Action Day

By: NikNik · Posted on September 30, 2007 · 4 Comments

If you have been thinking about ways in which you can make a positive environmental impact, then I have a simple suggestion for you….participate in Blog Action Day.

What is Blog Action Day?
On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite by publishing posts which call attention to our environment. Major blogs have signed up to participate, including Lifehacker, Dumb Little Man, and Lifehack.org. Real Estate blog friends include: RE Revealed, Agent Solutions and Every Kid Deserves a Yard.

How can I get involved in Blog Action Day?
The best way to participate is to publish a post on your blog which relates to an aspect of our environment that you are passionate about. For example, if your blog focuses on real estate technology then write about a new technology which makes real estate more environmentally friendly, or perhaps sustainable real estate practices. There are numerous articles on the web about real estate going green. Or check out the following ideas:

  1. Smart Home Improvement
  2. Products and services for an eco-friendly household
  3. Realtors Go Green (businesses making a difference in their local area)
  4. Homeowners Go Green: tips real people can do to make a difference everyday
  5. Green architecture and changes made in housing developments
  6. The Green Commute: lessening your fuel impact on the environment
  7. The Green Roof: Urban dwellings establish green roof system
  8. Solar Powered Credit for Homeowners offered by PG&E
  9. Local Threatened or Endangered Species
  10. Developers face eco-friendly rules for building

Register your blog
Before writing your post I urge you to visit BlogActionDay.org to learn more about this environmental call to action, as well as register your blog. The site is keeping track of all the blogs that have committed to participating. Visit http://blogactionday.org/commit to register.

Other things you can do
You can also participate in Blog Action Day by posting a banner on your site or by donating your day’s blog earnings to an environmental charity of your choice.

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Why Ubertor For Your Next Real Estate Website?

By: Reggie · Posted on September 27, 2007 · 2 Comments

Occasionally here at MyTechOpinion – Technology for Real Estate we will invite a guest writer from a top real estate technology company. This week I am pleased to announce that Stephen Jagger from Ubertor has the spotlight. (By the way…Ubertor also provides SingleProperty websites that allow you to keep all the data within your original site, while having a domain go directly to your single property site.)

Reggie asked me to write a post about what makes Ubertor real estate agent websites so different from our competitors. Here are a few points that make us different. To really get a feel for it, feel free to order a website on our system and you will get the first 30 days free. What a great way to try us out.

1. Google Webmaster Guidelines
We have built our real estate agent websites to follow Google’s http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35769
http://www.brianbecker.ca/
http://www.sellwithstratton.com
http://www.loftsvancouver.com
http://www.jameswarren.ca

3. Integration
Our system has the ability of being integrated into Google Sitemaps, Google Maps, Feedburner.com plus you can post any widget that you like into your website. It is quick and easy to manage.

4. IDX Compatibility
We have created the system so that any agent anywhere can use it. Want to have your areas property search built in? No problem, you can use our MLS tab within the control panel to add your MLS property search or the IDX feed of your choice. Here are some examples:
http://www.sandiegocastles.com/ – San Diego, CA
http://www.jeffandsteve.com/ – Palo Alto, CA
http://www.moveuputah.com/ – Draper, UT
http://www.historicmodern.com/ – Okeechobee, FL

5. Flexibility
Without using CSS you can add pages, delete pages, change page names, add banner images, remove the banner completely, flip the template colors, plus much more. The system is built to give you as much flexibility as possible so that you can have a unique look and feel for your website.

There is so much that can be done with an Ubertor website and so many reasons why you should have one. From a dollar point of view we are so confident that you will love our product we will give you the first 30 days free. Plus there is NO Setup Fee, No Contract and No Obligation. Check us our here http://www.ubertor.com/

Here is an interview I did with the Real Estate Channel that answers some more questions about Ubertor:

Here are some testimonials about our product:

“This is just a little note to let you know how pleased I am that I made the move to Ubertor. As you know I had a website designed, built and marketed professionally some years ago. This site was and is a great source of business for me so I was really nervous about changing anything. I wondered, why mess with something that is working? However the site was hard to work with and I had to pay people to do changes to the site, upload photos, etc. etc. I was not skilled enough to do my own work on it. My new Ubertor site is great! It doesn’t take much training to be really good at managing my own site! I am really happy with it.
I still stay up were I was in the search engines too.”
Trish Anderson, RE/MAX All Points
Burnaby, BC

“Ubertor is a small Real Estate software provider based out of Vancouver, Canada that is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking a simple, all-in-one solution to get your real estate business on the Internet.”
Joel Burslem – FutureOfRealEstateMarketing.com
Portland, Oregon

“Ubertor’s product was the first I found that offers the flexibility I desired. The sites are simple enough for the novice yet offer the more sophisticated user the tools required for full content control, such as access to code and the ability to add and edit pages and site navigation. Of course, your featured homes presentation software is among the best I have encountered.”
Kris Berg, Prudential California Realty
San Diego, California

“This has become the best RE sales tool that I have ever invested in! I have referred other fellow agents within my office to their services & they all have been equally impressed. I must say I LOVE my website & the results it gets! Ubertor was so easy to work with in tweaking my site & their support is super! Their excellence continues to exceed my expectations. Use them they are GREAT!!!”
Steve Church, The Muljat Group
Bellingham, Washington

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Zipform (Winforms) Is Fully Windows Vista and Apple Compatible

By: Chad A. Johnson · Posted on September 26, 2007 · 5 Comments

Zipform, one of the leading technologies for simplifying real estate contracts, is now accessible to an even larger group of real estate agents. This is thanks to the release of both Zipform Mac-Connect and a fully Windows Vista compatible version (4.0.2) of Zipforms Online.

The release of Zipform Mac-Connect marks the first time that an Apple computer is able to use the Zipform program (also known as Winforms) without the use of a Windows emulator, such as Parallels Desktop, or by using Boot Camp to load Windows. If more real estate technology companies following suit and go Mac-compatible, my next laptop might be an Apple MacBook Pro.

Zipform Desktop has been fully compatible with Windows Vista for several months (Zipform Desktop Is Now Vista Compatible). However, Zipform Online has had issues with Windows Vista that has forced using to configure their Windows Vista systems to appear like a Windows XP machine. With Zipform Online 4.0.2, you can run Windows Vista as it should be, with Windows Aero making the windows look like stained glass

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JIBJAB…Just Plain Laughs

By: NikNik · Posted on September 22, 2007 · 5 Comments

Well, it’s raining out here in California at the moment. And my big plans for the weekend are now waterlogged. Fortunately, my sense of humor is in check thanks to my friend Sarah. She sent me a hilarious “Starring You!” movie from JibJab. Who doesn’t want to see themselves shakin’ it like Carmen Miranda?! I love this site, and spent some serious time on it creating “Starring You!” movies with all my friends and family!

These short custom movies are great for any special event or “just for fun”! Creating is a fast and easy process. And then you have the choice to email or embed your movie on your blog, Facebook, etc. Besides movies, JibJab has an array of funny material guaranteed for laughs. You can also upload your own jokes and view others. Now you may not want to use this service for your next listing presentation, but you never know when you’ll be called upon to brighter someone’s damp day. Check out my JibJab movie below. (Special thanks to Todd Carpenter, Joe Ferrara, and Jim Kimmons….you boys have some sweet moves!)

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Google’s New Presentation Technology for Real Estate

By: NikNik · Posted on September 18, 2007 · 7 Comments
Look out Microsoft, Google has made another major move to offer similar office technology…for FREE! (Thanks for sharing Jeff Turner) Now with Google Docs new presentation software, real estate agents can make a simple presentation online. Where Google presentation technology seems to shine most is in the collaboration. Simply publish your presentation and share via a public URL. Take a peek at a quick example we worked up.

Watch a short video about Google Docs Technology:

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17 Single Property Website Solutions for Real Estate

By: Reggie · Posted on September 18, 2007 · 16 Comments

With real estate agents looking for more exposure online, the single property website technology has exploded. I have listed 17 Single Property Websites Solutions for your real estate business.

  1. Agencylogic
  2. Classified Flyer Ads
  3. Individual Listings
  4. iPropertyWebsites
  5. ListingDomains
  6. Listing Producer
  7. Listing Producer Pro
  8. MyMarketWare *Post Updated.
  9. PropBlogs
  10. Property Address Website
  11. RealBird
  12. Realivent
  13. RealtyGear
  14. Single Property Sites
  15. Single Property Website
  16. Spotlight Single Property Websites
  17. Ubertor *Post Updated.
  18. UniqueHomeSites
  19. vFlyer

Do you know of any single property website technologies not listed? Please let us know.

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PSD2HTML for Coding Your Real Estate Blog Design

By: Reggie · Posted on September 15, 2007 · 4 Comments

Do you have a design for your real estate website but need someone to code it? Of course you don’t want just anyone; you need someone that truly understands markup languages and search engine optimization (SEO) technology. If so, PSD2HTML might be a good answer for your needs. They will take your website design and create markup that looks exactly the same. With PSD2HTML you can ask them to pay special attention to site compatibility, dynamic HTML, CSS, and markup options. You can also specify your blog or content manager platform such as Blogger, Drupal, Movable Type, Joomla, Pligg, Typo3, and WordPress. PSD2HTML promotes an “8 working hour turnaround for the first page of the order”. Take a look at a few of their examples here.

If you don’t have a design, you could try their designing service Outline2Design. First look at pricing as custom work comes at a cost. However their designs are gorgeous and might just help you establish your real estate brand.
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Real Estate Bloggers: Increase Your RSS Subscribers with Facebook

By: NikNik · Posted on September 12, 2007 · 10 Comments

If you are a member of Facebook, you have most likely been hugged, poked, or even superpoked by now. With over 2000 applications available on Facebook, it can be a daunting task to uncover the ones actually worthy of installing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for fun and interesting…and covet my iLike Music Expert status. But recently I’ve taken advantage of a fairly new application that real estate bloggers may enjoy and benefit from. The Blog Friends application allows you to share your blog and feed with your Facebook friends, and your friends’ friends.

With Blog Friends, you can:

  1. Track blog posts made by friends—on topics that interest you
  2. Display those blog posts on your profile page
  3. Increase your network of friends with additional blog exposure
  4. Increase your RSS feed count with RSS feed icons on Facebook

So real estate agents, if you are already on Facebook, this seems like a win-win application to take advantage of now! Viral marketing techniques are often criticized and the word “viral” alone calls out for hand sanitizer. That’s why I prefer the term “spiral”. Spiders work quickly and efficiently when making their webs, so why shouldn’t bloggers do the same. If a spider can utilize the wind to effectively to carry its adhesive thread…then its only fitting to make Facebook’s technology work for real estate bloggers. So consider installing the Blog Friends application and let the wind carry your thread.