5 Secrets to Better Search with Google

By Reggie · May 11, 2008 · 1 Comment 

“Google it”…that’s what we do when we need more information? Whether we’re looking for directions or real estate property; Google is often the first place we start.  But are you searching effectively? I love having the power to find exactly what I need-when I need it! So I thought I would pass along a few of my favorite search tips.

1. Site Search
Having a tough time finding what you are looking for on a particular site? If they don’t have a search you can use Google. Try searching for a keyword only on that domain. See example:

Use this format: Phrase or Keyword site:domain

Here is an example search:

Paperless site:MyTechOpinion.com

[Hint: If you are still having trouble finding the phase you searched on a particular site? Try using Google Cached version. It will highlight your search phrase or keyword.]

2. File Types

Outside of standard web documents, Google searches many other popular file formats. To restrict your next Google search to a specific file type, try this format. Start by searching your brand or name. You may find other people talking about your business in PDF, PS, PPT, etc..?

Use this format: “Search Phrase” filetype:extension

Here is an example search:

“Marketing Tips” filetype:pdf

Here are the file formats Google provides. Try running your search against:

• Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf)
• Adobe PostScript (ps)
• Lotus 1-2-3 (wk1, wk2, wk3, wk4, wk5, wki, wks, wku)
• Lotus WordPro (lwp)
• MacWrite (mw)
• Microsoft Excel (xls)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt)
• Microsoft Word (doc)
• Microsoft Works (wks, wps, wdb)
• Microsoft Write (wri)
• Rich Text Format (rtf)
• Shockwave Flash (swf)
• Text (ans, txt)

3. Search by Number
Waiting for your new sign rider to be delivered? Do you have a tracking number? Let’s head to Google. Yes, Google will let us Read more

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The Trick To Adding Local Search To Your Website or Blog

By Reggie · May 4, 2008 · 7 Comments 

Last week I talked about how mapping can help market your sales history (or any data for the matter) on your website or blog using Google Maps. This week I will use maps to showcase local attractions for home seekers on your website. As you know, many buyers care just as much about the neighborhood /community as the home itself! Why not add a page to your website or blog that facilitates buyer neighborhood research without leaving your site. Search ideas are limitless, but to start buyers could search local shopping, restaurants, parks, schools, recreation centers etc.  

To accomplish my goal, I will cover two different methods. The first method will be for real estate agents using WordPress, and the second method is for all other platforms or traditional Websites.

For both examples Read more

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How Mapping Can Market Your Sales History

By Reggie · April 20, 2008 · 8 Comments 

This is the first of a series of posts I’m writing about creative ways to utilize mapping in real estate.  I will show how a real estate agent can display their total history of home sales (or any other data for that matter) and showcase it on a WordPress blog using Google Maps. This unique approach to transparency may prove helpful for those agents that have a thriving sales history in a particular county, city or even neighborhood. Possibly rounding out the about me page.

I will not be using Google MyMaps to accomplish this goal because it does not have an import feature. You would need to plot each sale, one by one.  So those of you that have vast sales histories would have a labor intensive process. Also when done hand plotting the addresses, you would not be able to use that data again. (It’s not in a raw data file such as text delimited, csv or spreadsheet etc.)

So I will have you start by compiling a complete list of your sold properties in a spreadsheet.  You may already have this created, if so great! If you don’t have your complete sales history, try your MLS system as they may Read more

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FreeMobile411 – New Mobile Search Technology

By Reggie · April 6, 2008 · 5 Comments 

If you don’t already have a free mobile option for directory search you may enjoy a new service from Free411 called FreeMobile411.com.  This new WAP enabled technology is optimized for mobile browsers and lets you search business name, business type, & person’s name. Once you’ve located the desired result, users will see the corresponding address, phone number, map, directions and nearby places as available. You will see a few ads, but they do not seem to get in the way too much.

Other useful free directory searches include Google Mobile Maps, Goog-411, and Microsoft’s Tell-Me service. Google-411 and Microsoft are both call in systems. [via CNET]

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RealBird Integrates with Street View API

By Reggie · March 29, 2008 · 9 Comments 

Zoltan of RealBird clued me in to Google’s release of their new Street View API Thursday.  Meaning developers can now integrate street view maps with ease. You can bet this API’s popularity will surely explode in real estate websites as buyers will appreciate the convenience of previewing neighborhoods from remote locations.   

Realbird has already begun taking advantage. You may remember we talked about manually embedding these maps. Well not anymore, Zoltan has integrated the new API in with RealBird’s Listing Websites.  

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Adobe Photoshop Express Goes Live

By Reggie · March 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Real Estate is very much a photo-dependant business. That’s why I’m excited to share the news about Adobe Systems launching their beta Adobe Photoshop Express. This new addition strengthens Adobe’s online offerings by adding a photo editing tool for the “average user”-not the professional designer. Adobe is also taking advantage of the growing popularity of social networks and communities with ability to connect and share photos from Facebook, Photobucket & Picasa.  They also built in public galleries for you to showcase these photos. Perfect for real estate agents looking to store listing photos online and present them in animated slideshows. Adobe will give users 2 gigs of photo storage; and all albums will have a direct link and embed code supplied.

I must say that I was impressed with the features available in this beta. It’s nothing like Photoshop but it does have some useful features for real estate agents looking to quickly edit a photo on the fly. Users can apply sketch effects, remove red eye, touch-up, sharpen, and re-color with a single click of the mouse. Don’t like what you just applied, revert back to the original. Users can also download their edited photos in Read more

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Free Flash Charts for Your Real Estate Blog or PowerPoint

By Reggie · March 22, 2008 · 6 Comments 

I thought that might get your attention.  It’s true; FusionCharts Free is now available for you to download. This free version is an amazing entry level flash charting component for your real estate website, blog or PowerPoint.  Easily create high impact, visually appealing graphs on Local Market Indicators, Average Sales Prices, Building Starts, Vacancy Rates, Mortgage Originations, Neighborhood Sales, and tons of other compelling data for your audience.

FusionCharts Free supports popular chart types including bar, column, line, pie and more. Also note that FusionCharts is a cross-browser and cross-platform solution that can be used with PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, ColdFusion, HTML and even PowerPoint Presentations. Read more

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Mobile Agent Tip: Sync Microsoft Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar

By Reggie · March 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Many real estate agents love the simplicity of Microsoft Outlook. Yet real estate is very much an active, fast moving business. It’s likely that when you need your calendar most is when you are in the field. Does this sound familiar? If so you’re in luck, introducing Google’s new Calendar Sync Tool. Now sync your primary calendar’s events between Microsoft Outlook’s Calendar and Google’s Calendar. Then use your Blackberry, iPhone, Treo to access.

Download the Google Calendar Sync

1. Click the download link above and then click “Save File.”
2. Click “OK”.
3. Read through the Google Calendar Sync Terms of Service, and click “I Agree.”
4. Continue to follow through the Installation Options and click “Install” to finish. 

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Viral Tools to Boost Your Real Estate Blog’s Readership

By Reggie · March 5, 2008 · 4 Comments 

Over the past few years we have all witnessed the explosive growth of social networking. One could argue this growth has been achieved with viral marketing tools. Think about it every time we sign up for a new network or add a new application we are given the option to spread the message (or application) to our network. By having the option to easily broadcast a message to your database, without having to retype your contacts email address, you are more likely to spread their word…right? Would that type of viral element work on your real estate website or blog?

Introducing Octazen Solutions a contacts importer and address grabber for PHP, .Net, Java, and Ruby. Octazen has built in support for all the major Webmail systems (Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, & AOL) also including Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Mozilla. For their complete list of supported services, click here to review. Are you wondering if your server is compatible with the address book importer? Try this PHP test script? Try the contact importer demo.

Perhaps rather than importing contacts from an address book, you’d like to spread your message through a social network. With Octazen’s Invite Sender Script, your visitors can message their friend list in Friendster, MySpace, Hi5, Facebook, Orkut, Xing, BlackPlanet and Bebo. Your visitors with enter their login information and the Invite Sender script will compile a list of contacts to invite. Once the message is sent it will arrive as a social network email. Try the Social Network Friends finder

These scripts could be placed before the download of an eBook or other value added item. It would allow those interested parties to also help spread the word with other that share similar interest…easy!

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Is eSignature Technology Right for Your Real Estate Business?

By Reggie · February 17, 2008 · 7 Comments 

As a real estate agent you probably have some basic understanding of how digital signature technology can help your real estate business. Maybe you could reduce the risk involved in holding and storing documents, gain time efficiencies by signing documents on the spot or even overcome geographical restrictions. Yet from my experiences many agents are sitting on the sidelines, not ready to jump in. Maybe it’s the result of not understanding how accessible the technology has become. Or is it the issue of legality?

First let’s address the legality of an eSignature. In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a federal law titled Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) to “facilitate the use of electronic records and signatures in interstate and foreign commerce by ensuring the validity and legal effect of contracts entered into electronically”.

With the ESIGN Act stating clearly that “a transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.” It paved the way for companies to start creating today’s eSignature platforms. Today in real estate eSignatures can be accomplished with various technologies, such as VREO Real Estate Dashboard or DocuSign. However they both deal with the digital signature in different ways and both have distinct advantages.

VREO real estate dashboard is a software application installed to a tablet PC. VREO dashboard allows agents to sign contracts and documents with a stylus pen on the screen—without ever printing a piece of paper. Once you’ve collected the required signatures, simply send to the other party using your dashboards integrated email or fax options. This technology proves to be very convenient for the mobile real estate agent who wants to conduct business anywhere, anytime! Note: An Internet connection is not required to collect signatures.

• Free trial of VREO Real Estate Dashboard here
• Watch “The New Way”—A motivation mobile agent story

DocuSign on the other hand is an online solution enabling real estate agents to capture digital signatures via the web. As a result geographical distance between you and the recipient(s) is not an issue. In 2004, DocuSign integrated with Zipforms (Winforms) to provide online signature processing. As a result of the integration, real estate agents can print contracts into a “digital envelope” and then place “Stick-eTabs” wherever a recipient’s signature or initial is needed. This digital envelope is then encrypted and saved to a secure location. Your recipients will receive their invitation by email, and they will need to authenticate and sign the contracts. In the authentication phase the recipient must provide basic identification and pick a signature. Then it’s time for the recipient to review and sign. When complete, each of the parties is notified of the updated contracts.

• Watch the DocuSign Demo
• View DocuSign’s Special Brief on the Legality of Electronic Signatures
• Zipform eSign Details & Zipform/Docusign FAQ’s

Where are you with eSignatures in real estate business?

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Mapping Done The Right Way in Your Next Single Property Site

By Reggie · January 30, 2008 · 2 Comments 

According to the Internet vs. Traditional Buyers Survey conducted by California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.), mapping technology continues to be one of the highest-rated features used by Internet buyers. Yet when I look around, many real estate Websites are either not leveraging maps at all or using old mapping interfaces to display homes and community info. Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand that this technology can be expensive to deploy. But as a real estate agent you do have options. Why not include the latest mapping on your next single property Website? Check out these two killer features from RealBird and MyMarketWare.

RealBird
Is Google street view available in your area? If so you are going to enjoy the directions from Zoltan over at RealBird. He recently posted on a very simple way to manually embed Google’s street view into your next listing publisher design. This view will give home searchers an up close view of local streets and neighborhoods as if they were driving down the street. Potential buyers can visualize their drive to the freeway or downtown without leaving their chair.

MyMarketWare
Our own NikNik offers MarketSites to real estate agents utilizing the latest in satellite imagery called pictometry. These visually pleasing aerial photos come from Microsoft Live and the give your web audience a surprisingly clear view of the neighborhood. Click your mouse on the satellite image and drag to explore new areas. Zoom in to 20 meters for an extreme and detailed close up. Take a look at backyard conditions, as well as distances to schools and park–you can do it all.

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Clean Duplicates in your Real Estate Database with a Free Add-In Technology for Excel

By Reggie · January 27, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Do you have duplicate contacts in your real estate database? If so, you know that removing those duplicates can be a daunting project unless you are running the new Microsoft Excel 2007 or know visual basic. However there is a really cool add-in by Brett at VBA Express that will do the trick, and you don’t have to buy any new technology. Simply download the handy Excel Add-In titled “The Duplicate Master” for Excel 2000 and later. With this add-in you can filter out those duplicates by cells, entire rows or even multiple workbooks.

Use this Excel Add-In for your real estate business if you would like to:

• Highlight duplicate cells
• Delete duplicate cells
• Extract unique cells or rows
• Extract and count the number of duplicate cells or rows
• Run a row match on any number of columns

Instructions for installing the add-in:

1. Extract the “The Duplicate Master” for Excel.
2. Open Excel and select Tools, Add-In and then select Browse. Now locate the add-in file we have saved top the computer.
3. Select The Duplicate master.xla and select OK.
4. Check The Duplicate Master.
5. Now look for the new options in the Tools menu. You’ll see The Duplicate Master.

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