August 27th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Michael Groysman, Marketing Intern

• Online ad spending reaches an all time high (via inman News):

“Businesses may boost spending on all forms of advertising by just 5 percent next year, but online advertising is expected to post double-digit growth, thanks to a surge in local and targeted advertising, analytics and consulting firm Borrell Associates projects.”

• The ease at which your information can be stolen (via Gawker):

“Though it seems like the inventor’s “Farraday Cage Sleeve” may work to protect your card, there’s no indication as to whether the sleeve might just irreparably harm it. All I know is if someone can just walk by me pointing a beam at my wallet and go on a shopping spree, I’ll keep my boring old swiping cards thank you very much.”

• A simple and smart way for real estate brokers to attract an audience (via Future of Real Estate Marketing):

“They understand people require something deeper than sexy images of domiciles to stimulate decision making. So they taped market trends printed from their MLS right on their storefront window for everyone to read.”

• An interesting look at niche markets (via AgentGenius):

“The age of niche marketing in real estate continuing to spread is no surprise. What challenges me is that as someone who has consistently had success in price points across a township or a county, how would I stay competitive with those passing out donuts to 14 chosen condo owners in one development? The answer was actually simple. I had to find more efficient ways to serve those niches and maintain a brand in the areas I want to do business.”

• A personal look at how CEOs should react to political questions (via Redfin):

“It’s a good ethic for building an organization. But it also turns you into a sheep. History is filled with folks who never spoke out against discrimination, genocide, slavery, totalitarianism or environmental degradation because they didn’t want to lose their job or upset their neighbors. Our ethical obligations to our organization won’t always square with our moral obligations as a person. This is why each of us has a separate moral life.”

Tags: home sales data, online ad spending, real estate data, real estate niche marketing, using real estate data.

August 13th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Michael Groysman, Marketing Intern

We had some server issues last week, and we were not able to bring you any interesting articles – so here is a double dose of the Weekly Roundup.

Enjoy.

• Happy 50th Birthday to the space shuttle Echo-1, the father of all modern satellite communications (via Gizmodo):

“Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Echo 1, history’s first passive satellite. NASA’s Echo mission began rather poorly. A test launch had exploded so brightly, so spectacularly, that it prompted frightened calls up and down the entire eastern seaboard.”

• Problems with legalizing jailbroken iPhones (via CNET):

“The jailbreak for the iPhone released over the weekend may have exposed a flaw in the iPhone’s mobile Safari browser. Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the iPhone to be connected to a computer to run the software update, the latest jailbreak, posted by the iPhone Dev Team at Jailbreakme.com, is accomplished via the Safari browser loaded on the device.”

• Teleconferencing and its impact on businesses travel (via Chicago Tribune):

“Technology has made many things easy. We record TV shows and fast-forward through commercials. We listen to far-flung radio broadcasts live on our telephones. And we meet face to face with clients and staff members from thousands of miles away.”

• A look at why fewer new homes are being built (via Bubble Meter):

“It is a long and slow decline. Housing prices were simply unsustainable. National housing bubble coverage, with special attention to the Washington, DC area housing bubble.”

• How can we bring quality jobs back to the United States (via Redfin Blog):

“Grove argues that Silicon Valley can’t create jobs because we out-source most of our manufacturing abroad. His startling political opinion is that the goal of our government’s economic policy should be to maximize profitable employment, not just total corporate profit.”

• Another depressing, but important mortgage story (via Bloodhound Blog):

“Unfortunately, even Congress — that bastion of liberalism and home of the bailout — is tiring of pouring good money after bad into the two mortgage giants that have been sucking up all the mortgages — good and bad — that private industry is willing to create. To paraphrase one-time third party Presidential candidate, Ross Perot: That giant sucking sound you hear is taxpayer money subsidizing home mortgages.”

• Sales from Realogy Corp and its franchisees lead transactions in the rankings (via RISMedia):

“Sales professionals affiliated with Realogy Corporation or its franchisees represent 41% of the nation’s Top 400 residential real estate agents and teams based on sales volume and transaction sides, according to the fifth annual rankings report published by The Wall Street Journal/REAL Trends.”

Tags: construction, jailbroken iPhones, mortgage woes, Realogy, Redfin.

August 6th, 2010

Where is the Real Estate Market Going?

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

With conflicting recovery vs. recession headlines flooding the media on the daily, it’s not surprising that even the most confident analysts butt heads on what’s coming down the pike. Onboard is often called on by spectators of real estate to speak about what’s in store for the market.

So I asked a [sort of] simple question of our staff: In 20 words or less, where is the real estate market going?

Here are a couple of answers from our office where all eyes are on this hot button – analyzing foreclosure indexes, taking the pulse of national brokerages, and also the occasional few who are just smart alecs. Leave a comment and let us know: what are your 20 words?

Tags: future of real estate, real estate market, where is the real estate market going.

August 4th, 2010

A Sad Goodbye

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

It’s a sad time for many people in the real estate world. Yesterday, Joseph Ferrara, passed away from cancer, and although we were not close, it is never easy to see anyone, especially someone so well respected and genuinely liked, leave us.

Whether or not you had the opportunity to meet Joe, he really was “one of the good ones.” Thoughtful, creative, ambitious and smart, he always had a moment to say hi, give you a big hug hello and spend a few minutes with you.

On behalf of Onboard Informatics, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and the real estate community.

http://www.joe-ferrara.com/rest-in-peace-joe/

Tags: Joseph Ferrara.

July 21st, 2010

Active Web Partners with Onboard Informatics

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

Onboard Informatics, the premier data services provider to top-tier real estate, media and technology companies, and Active Website, the  interactive technology firm being The Active Enterprise Network, has partnered to provide customizable market and neighborhood data for each of The Enterprise Network’s valued members.

The Enterprise Network is one of Onboard’s Value Added Resellers, which gives members access to the highest quality data sets and technology on the market. The partnership is focused on developing customizable products to fit the exact needs of the members, enabling them to stay ahead of consumer expectations.

Onboard’s data will be implemented directly into each Network member’s community and property details pages, while adhering to their individual branding guidelines. Network members have the option to choose from a robust combination of four packages, which include School and Community Data, Great Schools Ratings and Review, Points of Interest Data, and Recent Homes Sales/Valuation and Property Trending. Onboard’s highly sought after data, combined with Active Website’s web design expertise, provides end users with the critical market information and tools needed to make an informed decision when purchasing a home.

“We’re very excited about releasing this product to our clients as an added benefit of membership. Utilizing Onboard’s market data and providing customers relevant information about their area of interest is an important step for improving the user experience. By increasing the stickiness of our sites with rich community content, the broker will become the authoritative source and a trusted point of reference for area expertise,” states Ori Staub, Managing Partner at Active Website.

“We are thrilled to have The Active Enterprise Network as part of our Value-Added Reseller Program; a  network that clearly understands the value of providing industry leading content for their end users,” states Marc Siden, CEO of Onboard Informatics. “Implementation of data points such as school information and points of interest can significantly separate Network members from others in this highly competitive marketplace.”

About Onboard Informatics
Since 2001, Onboard Informatics has provided comprehensive local, regional and national real estate data solutions, powerful web tools and web services to some of the most innovative companies in real estate, publishing, and technology.  Onboard delivers seamless integration of real estate property listings, community, school, neighborhood, geographic and demographic information and, transforms the complexity of data into meaningful solutions; supporting clients in achieving business objectives on web and mobile platforms.  Privately held since its founding, Onboard is located in the heart of the world’s financial center in the Wall Street area of New York City.  For more information about Onboard Informatics or to request a demo, visit www.onboardinformatics.com.

About Active Website
Active Website is a Colorado-based company specializing in web design and development. Founded in 1998, the company has rapidly become an industry leader with major clients including Ebby Halliday Realtors, The Group, Inc., Helen Adams Realty, The Kentwood Companies, LandVest, Inc., Milestone Realty Consultants, N.T. Callaway Real Estate Brokers, LLC, Windermere Tri-Cities Real Estate, Wright Kingdom Real Estate, Residential Properties Ltd., Charles Reinhart Company Realtors, Smith & Associates Real Estate, The Danberry Company, Skogman Realty, Turpin Real Estate, Santa Fe Realty Partners, as well as several new members to be announced soon.

About The Enterprise Network
The Active Enterprise Network is a union of independent real estate companies across the nation that share information and strategy, as well as a unified technology platform that is revolutionizing the industry.  The Enterprise Network does not accept national brands, but each company that joins The Enterprise Network gains the tools and buying power of a larger corporation, without sacrificing their independence and personal voice Because The Network works with only one company per marketplace, this exclusivity allows for open collaboration and sharing of information within The Network, free from any conflict of interest. The goal for members under The Enterprise Network umbrella is to address the technology demands that are emerging in today’s changing real estate market. Together, Enterprise Network members can make the best decisions concerning implementation of systems and solutions, ultimately leveraging everyone to higher levels of business.

# # #

Onboard Informatics Contact:
Stacey Ret, Director, Marketing
Onboard Informatics
sret@onboardinformatics.com
646-747-4395

Active Website Media Contact:
Amanda Stephan, Marketing Coordinator
Active Website, LLC
amanda@activewebsite.com
303-396-0106

Tags: Active Website, Onboard Informatics and Active Web, press releases.

July 16th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Michael Groysman, Marketing Intern

• Group of high profile Google and Bing engineers embark to change the news (via TechCrunch):

“Delivering news digitally in a personalized manner is a nut many a startup – as well as many established Internet companies and publishers – are desperately trying to crack.”

• Tips to create personal wealth, 8 things that can help you (via Real Blogging):

“Affluence begins with an affluent state of mind. One of the best ways to stand out as a luxury real estate marketing professional is to hold the vision of a vibrant economic future, yours in particular. View the present marketplace as a place of opportunity rather than focus on the reality as presented to us by the media and other naysayers.  What is true is that some luxury homes are selling in most upper tier marketplaces.”

• Highlights from the San Fransisco Inman real estate convention (via Future Of Real Estate Marketing):

“by the way – these are just SOME of the highlights – there were WAY more speakers and great content than listed below!”

• Home sellers cutting prices (via Bubble Meter):

“That heady buzz from the home buyer tax credit is now turning into a grinding headache, as home sellers realize their very temporary, government-induced catbird seat has now fallen back to earth.”

July 1st, 2010

Onboard Client Speakers at Inman SF

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

We are just a few weeks away from Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2010 and are looking forward to the discussions that will bring together 2000 real estate and technology professionals. Here are just a few clients we will hear from next month:

• Curt Beardsley, VP of Product Marketing, Realtor.com
• Sherry Chris, President & CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate LLC
• Wendy Forsythe, VP of Network Services, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
• Matt Goyer, Director of Online Marketing, Redfin
• Glenn Kelman, CEO & President, Redfin
• David Marine, Director, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
• Errol Samuelson, President, Realtor.com

Click here to read bios of all of the speakers for this year’s conference.

We have a whole crew headed over to San Fran (dangerous, I know…) who are looking forward to these discussions. Onboard Informatics is yet again a proud sponsor of Inman Connect. If you are attending, be sure to stop by Booth #100 to get a sneak peak of what we’ve been working on over the summer.

Tags: Clients, Inman SF, Inman SF 2010, real estate conferences.

June 24th, 2010

Onboard Clients Honored for Technology Innovation

By Michael Groysman, Marketing Intern

We aren’t the only ones who believe our clients are meeting today’s consumer in the places and ways they expect to search for homes. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Realtor.com, Redfin, and ZipRealty were just named as finalists in the 2010 Inman News Innovator Awards in the ‘New Technology’ category.

Onboard Informatics would like to congratulate each of our clients for bringing such forward thinking ideas into our industry and for blazing trails in the midst of an ever changing market.

Other applications nominated for the ‘New Technology’ category are DocuSign ESIGNControl, NearBuy Real Estate Search, Roost Social Real Estate Platform (Facebook), Trulia, Walk Score, and Zillow’s iPad app.

Nearly every contender for most innovative new technology is in the mobile arena. In 2009′s Most Innovative New Technology category, there was only one mobile nominee.

The Inman Innovator Awards will also honor innovations in brokerages and franchises, web services, blogs, and media sites. Onboard will once again be present at the event rooting everyone on. Swing by booth #100 and say hello if you are coming to the show.

If you haven’t seen our clients’ applications, stop over to their sites to get a look before the show:

• Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Home Selection Assistant app
• Realtor.com app
• Redfin app
• ZipRealty HomeScan app

Best of luck to the nominees!

Tags: BHGRE, Inman Innovator Awards 2010, Inman SF, realtor.com, Redfin, ZipRealty.

June 18th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Michael Groysman, Marketing Intern

• Latest forecast on the revenue from magazine print advertisements (via Advertising Age):

“Print ad spending in U.S. consumer magazines is set to decline again in 2010, 2011 and 2012 before finally rebounding in 2013 and 2014, according to the outlook, which was released today.”

• The rise of the supercomputer (via Gizmodo):

“A computer that can have a conversation with you in real, human language is a hallmark of science fiction films, but has always seemed ludicrously unrealistic. Here’s the thing: IBM just built one.”

• Richard MacManus predicts the peak of the social media era by 2012 (via Read Write Web):

“Social media is going to rule the Web until at least 2012 – according to a post by Justin Kistner, a Social Evangelist at web analytics company Webtrends. Kistner also claims that Facebook has become the king of social media. In a panel at a Portland event today called Lunch 2.0, Kistner said that the current era of the Web ‘is Facebook’s game to lose.‘”

• Brian Boero’s thoughts on the new Realtor.com beta site (via 1000Watt):

“The site now features recent solds from nearly 50 MLSs (that number will surely grow soon, public record data fills the gaps in the meantime). Sales histories, tax histories, neighborhood data, school data and oodles of data points also hang off every listing. This great for end users, but there will are some in the industry who will think participating MLSs crossed the line by feeding this data to a public site. I happen to disagree with that perspective, but this is going to raise a few hackles.”

• Upsetting report about the Home Affordable Mortgage Program (via Agent Genius):

“According to CNN, the Fitch report points to HAMP’s failure being that most applicants struggle with all of their debts, not just mortgage, and borrower behavior continues regardless of help. The report notes that ‘on average, HAMP-modified borrowers have 64% of their monthly pretax income spent before they even buy a quart of milk.’”

• Educating home buyers through HOW (Home Ownership Workshop) (via Transparent Real Estate):

“Real Estate and Lending industry has always been ridiculed for not doing enough towards educating the home buyers. In fact a lot of blame for the mortgage meltdown was placed on the fact that the buyers were not made aware of ‘what they were getting into.’ Now real estate professionals across 15 states have come together to put Home Ownership Workshops.”

Tags: Home Affordable Mortgage Program, Home Ownership Workshop, new Realtor.com site, print advertising, realtor.com, social media era, supercomputer.

June 7th, 2010

The Active Enterprise Network Partners with Onboard Informatics

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

To view the original release on ActiveWebsite.com, please click here.

The Active Enterprise Network has just announced their partnership with Onboard Informatics that will provide the means by which top companies in real estate, media and technology answer consumer questions about the communities in their region. Whether customers are new to the area or relocating to a different neighborhood, Onboard’s data provides the necessary market information to make an informed decision.

Since 2001, Onboard has provided comprehensive real estate data solutions to innovative companies within the industry. As a premier data and technology company, Onboard offers its expertise in data aggregation, standardization and integration in order to transform complex information into meaningful solutions to better meet the demands of today’s consumer. Because of this partnership, The Network is able to stay ahead of consumer expectations by further enhancing the usability of Enterprise sites.

Plans for integration are currently underway as Active Website customizes the product to fit the exact needs of The Active Enterprise Network. Based off the results of our recent usability studies, accurate and relevant data is more important to consumers than ever before. Because of this, the data will be implemented directly into each client’s website while adhering to their individual branding guidelines with the option to choose from a combination of the following data packages:

1. Basic School and Community Data: Provides market statistics including achievement data, teacher information, population density and demographics that allow customers to compare neighborhoods in their area.
2. GreatSchools Ratings and Reviews: Provides testimonials from others in the community regarding the quality of local schools and districts that go beyond just numbers and statistics.
3. Points of Interest (POI) Data: Provides customers the opportunity to view specific POI data in a desired community including local landmarks, parks and attractions, along with nearby shopping, restaurants and emergency services.
4. AVM and Property Trending: By entering the address of a property, customers are provided a list of recent home sales and a valuation estimate based on recent home prices and comparable properties. Property trending is a two year average value trending.

“We’re very excited about releasing this product to our clients as an added benefit of membership. Utilizing Onboard’s market data and providing customers relevant information about their area of interest is an important step for improving the user experience. By increasing the stickiness of our sites with rich community content, the broker will become the authoritative source and a trusted point of reference for area expertise,” states Ori Staub, Managing Partner at Active Website.

About The Enterprise Network
The Active Enterprise Network member base is by invitation only. Comprised solely of private real estate firms, The Enterprise Network does not accept national brands and only works with one company per marketplace. This exclusivity allows for open collaboration and sharing of information within The Network, free from any conflict of interest. The goal for members under The Enterprise Network umbrella is to address the technology demands that are emerging in today’s changing real estate market. Together, Enterprise Network members can make the best decisions concerning implementation of systems and solutions, ultimately leveraging everyone to higher levels of business.

About Active Website
Active Website is a Colorado-based company specializing in web design and development. Founded in 1998, the company has rapidly become an industry leader with major clients including Ebby Halliday Realtors, The Group, Inc., Helen Adams Realty, The Kentwood Companies, LandVest, Inc., Milestone Realty Consultants, N.T. Callaway Real Estate Brokers, LLC, Windermere Tri-Cities Real Estate, Wright Kingdom Real Estate, Residential Properties Ltd., Charles Reinhart Company Realtors, Smith & Associates Real Estate, The Danberry Company, Skogman Realty, Turpin Real Estate, Santa Fe Realty Partners, as well as several new members to be announced soon.