November 4th, 2009

Onboard Informatics’ Localized Real Estate Content Makes Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate iPhone Application ‘One-of-a-Kind’

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

Licensing Deal Helps Real Estate Brand to Better Meet Home Buyers’ Needs

NEW YORK, November 4, 2009 — Onboard Informatics, the premier data services and technology company for top-tier organizations in real estate, media and technology, is the provider of robust community information for a new iPhone application, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Home Selection Assistant.

Onboard’s unique products and services help strengthen broker and consumer relationships, streamline the information gathering process, and better enable real estate buyers and sellers to make informed decisions.  As with many Onboard clients,  Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is using these highly regarded products to provide home buying consumers and real estate agents with the vital community and school information they desire  all from one source.

This new iPhone application ensures that homebuyers now have on-the-go access to  community populations, average income levels, housing trends, education and school information, crime statistics, localized weather, church locations, recreational amenities, recent home sales, nearby restaurants, and more.

Now, a buyer can stand on the sidewalk outside of any home and immediately figure out, not only if the schools are within walking distance, but also receive the closest locations of the grocery store, bank and park.

“Onboard is delighted to bring its services directly to the end consumer through this accessible and useful iPhone application,” said Marc Siden, CEO of Onboard. “Our content has consistently been a natural fit with the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand, which is focused on consumers’ lifestyles.  This new application is just one more step in our continuing effort to partner with clients and respond to specific consumer needs through carefully designed and flexible programs.”

The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate iPhone app exemplifies the versatility of Onboard’s products and opens up  new areas of potential growth for both companies.

“We sought to provide homebuyers across the country with an application that could seamlessly fit into their home buying process and provide them with the tools they need to make the research-to-purchase process simpler,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. “We are confident Onboard’s exclusive community information will help us to achieve this strategy.”

The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate iPhone application, Home Selection Assistant, is available for free on www.bhgrealestate.com/iphone.

Below are a few screenshots of the iphone app

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 the real estate, media and technology industries.  Onboard combines its expertise in data aggregation, standardization, and integration with expert consulting, transforming the complexity of data into meaningful solutions to support their clients in achieving business objectives.  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 http://onboardinformatics.com/.

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a residential real estate company with a growing network of local brokerage offices.  Its real estate agents and brokers offer professional, knowledgeable advice and services for home buyers and sellers.  The company’s Web site offers real estate search, including MLS listings for selected locations.  You can also find in-depth articles about buying, selling and owning real estate at http://www.bhgrealestate.com/.

Tags: Better Homes and Gardens, community data, iphone, iPhone apps, Onboard Informatics, phone apps, Real Estate, school data.

September 29th, 2009

Introducing MLS OneSource – The One Stop Shop for Today’s MLSs and REALTORS

By Megan Murphy, Marketing Manager

From shopping for clothes, to cars, to homes, online purchases have been growing at an exponetial rate over the past 10 years.  The Nielsen Company did a survey, which suggests that around 85% of online surfers have used the internet for shopping.  Out of those, 94% of all buyers aged 25 to 44 years used the internet to search for a home - NAR Annual Study 2008.  

With that kind of percentage of people (and climbing) utilizing the web for home search, I’d say it’s pretty important for agents to have access to the most accurate local content and innovative technology possible.

 They need engaging information on their websites and in their reports and presentations that goes beyond bed, bath, and square feet. They need access to tools that give invaluable insight into their local communities with just a few clicks. The flexibility to customize, brand and tailor their websites and sales materials to meet each of their customer/prospect’s needs. The content that increases their search engine placement and costumer engagement. They need to be a local expert, a resource, an authority on  local stats and ‘in the know’ information in order to attract, retain and drive quality lead generation.

Technology-driven tools for agents and the need for outsourced data and content used to be something that only the most tech savvy and prosperous companies were involved in. Now, especially with the economic state, it’s a ‘must have’ ‘gotta do’ business move not only to get onboard but to find the highest quality, most efficient, and most cost effective solutions possible.

We started meeting this demand roughly a decade ago when it all started, fine tuning and perfecting the art of data aggregation. Over the years we’ve made it our goal to produce the most accurate and trusted localized content to some of the most established information resources in the country; Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation, Century 21, NRT, Realtor.com, Long & Foster, The New York Times, WashingtonPost.com, CNN Money Magazine, and many more.

MLSs and REALTORS®  also have a major responsibility to provide their agents with easy to use tools and accurate local information and have shown an increased interest, over the the past year or so, in the solutions and services we can provide.

We decided to answer the call with our new solution, MLS OneSource.

“Creating the MLS OneSource platform was a natural progression for us. “With an influx of calls and interest stemming from the increase in pressure on agents to enhance their value proposition to consumers, it just made sense for us to formalize a platform. MLS OneSource is specifically designed to help MLSs and REALTORS® engage their consumers by providing relevant and insightful local content and easily integrated solutions that fit their individual business models.” – Marc Siden, CEO, Onboard Informatic

We are excited to launch and introduce MLS OneSource at the CMLS 2009 event this week in Lake Tahoe, California. The platform contains a suite of cutting edge products and services giving full access to our localized content for both agent portals as well as consumer-facing websites. Content categories include detailed information such as home sales, trends, school profiles with GreatSchools.net ratings, demographics, local amenities, and neighborhood boundaries.

The suite of products and solutions offered in the platform range from customizable reports and presentations, easily integrated plug and play neighborhood search tools, standardized web services, to fully tailored delivery of all Onboard’s data, providing complete control over design, development and integration. These tools play a major role in adding value to real estate websites through increasing search engine placement and customer engagement all while building credibility and quality lead generation.

Now is the time for not only real estate but all industries to realize the importance and value in innovative  web and technology solutions. The number of buyers using the internet to do their own research is only growing by the day.

Online shopping trends are showing a consistent rise due to the great response from people. In the coming years, the numbers suggesting the development of the online shopping trends are expected to rise alarmingly.

Kim Cipriano Prior, Onboard’s National Sales Director, is solely devoted to understanding and addressing the MLS sector’s unique set of needs. Kim has over 15 years in strategic business development and sales and marketing experience with 10 years specifically dedicated to the real estate industry and working with MLSs.

If you are interested in learning more about Onboard’s MLS OneSource platform, please email Kim Cipriano Prior at kprior@onboardinformatics or call 646-747-4396.

Tags: CMLS 2009, community reports, data, MLS, neighborhood data, Real Estate, realtors, school profiles, technology tools.

September 2nd, 2009

FAQ: The Industry’s Only Property Listings IDX Delivered Through A Web Service

By Scott Petronis, Senior Director of Product Management

We have been receiving a lot of questions regarding our new Listings Web Service and are excited to answer.  I’ve put together the following FAQ but please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or our sales team if you have further questions.

What is Onboard’s Listings/IDX offering?
Onboard provides access to listings (IDX content) via a  Listings Search Web Service for use by agents and brokers who participate in and have credentials for the respective MLS they are accessing.  This is NOT an offering to allow those without MLS approval to access listings content.  Clients must still have appropriate MLS credentials and must still follow all MLS compliance rules in order to access, use and display the respective MLS content.

What does Onboard’s Listings/IDX product currently do?
Onboard Informatics builds direct relationships with each MLS to gain access to IDX data on behalf of our clients. We organize and clean the data and enhance it with various standardized search parameters, tagged with Onboard content and make it available for searching on our customers’ websites while ensuring compliance with MLS rules and regulations.

Why should I use Onboard’s Listings/IDX (Internet Data Exchange) solution?
• Quality. Dependability. Support. And the simplicity of accessing the data from a single interface no matter how many feeds needed
• Integration of Onboard’s additional product offerings
• Minimize technology & licensing costs
• No hidden fees for photos and other services
• Minimize internal maintenance costs
• The benefit of additional features to the product, as they are developed

How is Onboard’s Listings/IDX product offered?
There are two ways a client may access this content:

1) We provide a web service that allows search across all MLS feeds through one consistent interface.
2) We provide individual bulk data feeds that allow clients who are MLS approved participants, to load the data into their own databases for search and other purposes. Clients can choose what works best for them.

Who are the target clients for Onboard’s Listings/IDX offering?
There are two main audiences that will benefit from Onboard’s offering:

1) Real estate brokerages that provide services in multiple geographies (typically regional or national brands)
2) Real estate application developers who build websites, CRM solutions and other systems for agents and brokers that require IDX content

What makes Onboard’s offering unique?
There are three primary differentiators of Onboard’s offering:

1) Onboard is the only company that provides access to IDX listings via a web service
2) We undergo a rigorous process to ensure the data associtate with these listings, is cleansed and mormalized to ensure it is consistent, acurate, and searchable.
3) We optomize the listings with our own content to enable unique search based on parameters that are currently not offered in the marketplace.

How long will it take to implement Onboard’s Listings/IDX offering?
Once approval from the MLS to use IDX on a client’s website is completed, which can take several days, the technical integration of the search web service can be accomplished in a few weeks time, depending on the technical abilities of the development team. If a client chooses bulk feeds, the integration to the client’s database may be completed in even less time.

What is the pricing model for Onboard’s Listings/IDX offering?
There are pricing models designed to fit both the needs of value-added reseller partners and direct clients. We also offer discounts for current customers and multi-year commitments.

For more information on our Listings Web Service or for how our solutions can best fit your needs contact us at 646.747.3899 or info@onboardinformatics.com.

Tags: IDX, listings, Real Estate, web service.

August 5th, 2009

Onboard Informatics Launches Value Added ReSeller (VAR) Program

By Megan Murphy, Marketing Manager

New York, NY. August 4, 2009 – Onboard Informatics, the premier data services & technology company for top tier organizations in real estate, media and technology, announced their Value Added ReSeller (VAR) program during the 2009 Inman Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco.

The new VAR program provides qualified real estate web developers, brokers, financial institutions and other public sectors with full access to the highest quality data sets and technology on the market. The program is focused on developing viable partnerships, which begins with an assessment of their needs and product offerings in order to develop a custom solutions package with specified training programs.

“The VAR program is a true partnership with minimal investment to get started and is designed to maximize our partners’ value proposition,” said Marc Siden, CEO of Onboard Informatics. “As a qualified Onboard VAR partner, you are free to focus on creativity and development, while we provide easily-integrated content, hands on training and marketing support to increase ROI.”

Premium content available to VAR partners through single interface listings web service, covers up to 8 geographic levels. Over 90% of U.S. household property values are available. Local content services include 400,000 GreatSchool ratings and reviews and over 4 million local amenities listings including Yelp ratings and reviews.

Onboard’s product enhancement tools are designed to boost revenue and provide mutually beneficial growth. Customized solutions packages are supported by flexible development cycles and dedicated resources throughout the lifetime of the partnership. VAR partners benefit from supportive training programs and co-operative marketing opportunities to ensure they obtain the most out of their investment.

“It was more beneficial in every aspect to partner with Onboard,” said Jason Besench, Director of Technology for Real Estate Tomato and ListingPress.com. “With Onboard handling our listings integration, there was no need for multiple outsourced resources, and they saved us years in development time and expenses. This allowed ListingPress.com to concentrate on the front end of our product and easily integrate Onboard’s web service to the backend.”

Onboard Informatics’ existing VAR partners include organizations such as Real Estate Webmasters, ListingPress.com, Z57, and Top Producer among other top companies.

For more information on becoming a VAR partner, contact (646) 747-4273 or sales@onboardinformatics.com.

# # #
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, media, and technology industries.  Onboard combines its expertise in data aggregation, standardization, and integration with expert consulting, transforming the complexity of data into meaningful solutions to support their clients in achieving business objectives.  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.

Tags: Inman Connect, onboard, Onboard Informatics, partner, press release, Real Estate, VAR.

June 30th, 2009

Top 5 Places where you’ll be subject to Murphy’s Laws

By John Paul Murphy, Content Services Manager

It seems that Murphy’s are sprouting up everywhere which is making it very hard to determine which one is best. However, using our proven method that clients such as US News, CNN/Money,  Business Week, and many others employ, Onboard Informatics was able to rank and determine the best cities in this country where Murphy’s Laws do exist.

Top 5 Places named Murphy in the United States:

1) Murphy, Texas (Collin County)

Area: 5.25

Population: 9,866

Median Household Income: $105,884 (State Median Household Income: $51,056)

Total Crime Index: 45

Median Home Sale Value: $280,000

2) Murphy, California (Calaveras County)

Area: 10.30

Population: 2,679

Median Household Income: $43,624 (State Median Household Income: $59,386)

Total Crime Index: 35

Median Home Sale Value: $315,446

3) Murphy, Missouri (Jefferson County)

Area: 3.96

Population: 9,684

Median Household Income: $55,073 (State Median Household Income: $47,532)

Total Crime Index: 31

Median Home Sale Value: $113,492

4) Murphys Estates, South Carolina (Edgefield County)

Area: 2.00

Population: 1,670

Median Household Income: $31,723 (State Median Household Income: $47,075)

Total Crime Index: 63

Median Home Sale Value: $72,740

5) Murphy, North Carolina (Cherokee County)

Area: 2.28

Population: 1,730

Median Household Income: $31,573 (State Median Household Income: $49,466)

Total Crime Index: 248

Median Home Sale Value: $103,000

Methodology:

Population,  Median Household Income, Total Crime Index, and the Median Home Sale Value were the  variables used to determine this list. The community data points (i.e. the variables) were indexed, weighted, and ranked for each place.  Certain data fields were assigned a higher rank in order to focus attention on more important variables, the following weights were assigned to the corresponding data fields after being indexed:

• Population: 20
• Place-to-State Income Index**: 30
• Total Crime Index***: 50 
• Median Home Sale Value: 40

The places with the top five highest scores made the list.  

**The Place-to-State Income index compared the place’s median household income to the state’s median household income. This is done so places/regions with lower or higher income are not unfairly compared to the rest of the country; simply put, it keeps things fair.  Just because a salary is high, doesn’t mean its relatively high for that state/region.

***The national crime index is 100, i.e., places with an index score of 200 have twice as much crime as the National Average, places with an index score of 50 have half as much crime as the National Average.

Our experience working with various publications has allowed us to become the premier content provider. Our niche in this market allows us to provide the best content suited for your needs. If you’re interested in doing a real estate-based editorial or would like to gain access to our content to help become a local expert, please reach out to us. Together we can formulate a transparent methodology that will suit your needs and provide you with the best content available.

Tags: best places article, content provider, data, Real Estate.

June 24th, 2009

Onboard Informatics is Hiring

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

The role:  Marketing Manager

As the Marketing Manager, you will bring the brand vision to life with your creativity. The candidate will be responsible for supporting and executing creative concepts for integrated marketing campaigns, while ensuring brand integrity and consistency. You will support and execute Onboard Informatics’ corporate goals, from sales to client services to brand management.  As a member of a small, tight-knit team, your responsibilities will range from updating website content to designing proposals, with a key emphasis on sales support.

Staying current with industry trends, developing thought leadership, and communicating with clients, prospects, and the real estate industry will all be part of your day to day activities.

You’re an excellent communicator and true team player who knows how to work hard and play hard.  You are creative, have an eye for design, and are willing to roll-up your sleeves to solve problems effectively.  You can think analytically, stay ahead of the curve, and know how to put yourself in the client’s shoes.  You also bring excellent customer-service skills, and have demonstrated experience managing multiple simultaneous projects and bring an entrepreneurial spirit to this role.

Responsibilities:

• Handle design and production of a wide range of projects including campaign e-mails, banner ads, websites and online graphics
• Manage concept development and creative of advertising, including product, promotional and client communications materials
• Update website content and design, including blog updates and analysis of web traffic
• Manage design, distribution and success of electronic communications and campaigns
• Develop sales presentations, demos, brochures & various collateral
• Manager vendor relationships and determine best partners for project at hand
• Assist with copy writing for print materials, website & sales communications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications
• 3-5 years experience in marketing and/or sales communications
• Basic understanding of HTML, Photoshop and WordPress
• Knowledge of real estate industry a plus
• Ability to pay persistent attention to detail, while maintaining an overall view of the goal
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• High standards of professionalism, integrity, and team collaboration
• Follow creative work through from concept to finalization
• A strong visual and aesthetic sense with the ability to design as directed
• Juggle various projects and handle tight deadlines

If you are a motivated and enthusiastic Marketing Manager looking for an opportunity to grow, please forward your cover letter, resume and salary requirements to hr@onboardinformatics.com for immediate consideration.

If you do not include your salary requirements, please do not apply.

Tags: manager, marketing, Real Estate.

March 11th, 2009

All the Best Places to Live, Work, Eat, Procreate, and Kiss Life Goodbye

By Megan Murphy, Marketing Manager

I’m a huge believer in quality of life and the idea of ‘work to live’ not ‘live to work’ which is hard to believe considering I live in the roughest city in the U.S. but I guess that would fall under work hard, play hard. 

Anways, I know this is not a new way of thinking and I understand in times like these many don’t have the luxury or time to focus on maintaining a high quality of  life…. but life goes on.  Regardless of the economy people are still having  kids, getting married, relocating for work, moving closer to their elderly parents, etc. and all of them want to find a home that fits their needs and lifestyle. 

Lifestyle, whether you’re a young professional, a mother with three kids, or a retiree, it’s important to find that perfect place to fit that phase and time in your life. 

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t enjoy a “Best Places to…” story, so I’ve taken some of my favorites from this year and last to share a variety of places that one can fulfill a person’s lifestyle and hopefully get us all thinking more about how and where we want to live and not merely survive.

Best Places to Live

CNNMoney.com, Best Places to Live 2008

And the winners are…

Plentiful jobs, excellent schools, affordable housing – America’s best small cities have all that and more. See the top 100 best places to live – including detailed city profiles, homes for sale and million-dollar homes. More

1. Plymouth, MN

2. Fort Collins, CO

3. Naperville, IL

4. Irvine, CA

5. Franklin Township, NJ

• See the top 100

6. Norman, OK

7. Round Rock, TX

8. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

9. Overland Park, KS

10. Fishers, IN

Best Places to Work

FORTUNE, 100 Best Companies to Work For 2009

And the winners are…

Even in this economy, some companies are going out of their way to please employees. This year, there’s a new no. 1, as Google slips to no. 4. See detailed profiles of the top 100 employers, including interactive maps, key perks, contact information, and more.

• See the top 100

 

Best Places to Eat

Gayot.com, The Restaurant Issue, TOP 40 Restaurants in the U.S.

These restaurants have influenced the dining scene in big cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco with daring, elegant, exciting and soothe-the-soul concepts. Smaller towns, too, whether on secluded Atlantic shores or California’s golden hills, have benefited by having one of these top-rated restaurants in their midst. The top restaurants not only share their spirit, but ignite our intelligence, imagination, and desire for more truly exceptional dining experiences.

Best Places to Have Kids

BusinessWeek, The Best Place to Raise your Kids 2009

Kid-Friendly and Cost-Friendly

A Chicago suburb beats out thousands of other communities around the U.S. as the best, most affordable place to raise kids

Mount Prospect, Ill., is a quiet Chicago suburb with a population of just over 56,000. It is a tight-knit town where over the past eight years Prospect High School’s football team won three state championships, its Marching Knights picked up their 26th straight grand champion title at the annual state marching band festival, and just last month the school itself ranked 12th among all state high schools. Now the town is also the winner of Businessweek‘s second annual roundup of the Best Places in America to Raise Kids.

Best Places to Retire

CNNMoney.com, Best Places to Retire

Beaufort, SC is by far my favorite of this bunch.  I am partial due to my entire upbringing being in South Carolina, from beautiful horse country of Aiken, to the home of the Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, and my favorite, the beaches of Charleston.  Now living in New York (which I love and while I am mentally ready to retire, I am no where near financially) I can appreciate the slow pace and beauty of the coastline and quaint towns.

 6 Terrific towns, all on the water

Many baby boomers dream of retiring somewhere by the water. These half-dozen places are on a lake, a river or an ocean – yet won’t sink your retirement budget. More

• Dunedin, FL
• Sequim, WA
• St. Joseph, MI
• Beaufort, SC
• Durango, CO
• Marble Falls, TX

Onboard Informatics had the pleasure of working with many media companies to produce data-driven stories such as the ones above.  Of these, Onboard provided the data for CNNMoney’s Best Places to Liveand BusinessWeeks’s Best Places to Raise Kids.

Check out some of our other media client’s lifestyle stories… BusinessWeek’s  Best Affordable Suburbs in the U.S. 2009, Progressive Farmer, Five Safest Places to Live in Rural America and  Best Places to Raise Farm Kids.

For more information on how we partner with media and publishing companies please contact us at 646.747.4273 or info@onboardinformatics.com.

Tags: Best Places to Live, Business Week, CNNMoney, Fortune, Gayot, Lifestyle, Onboard Informatics, Real Estate.

January 28th, 2009

24 Ways to Splurge with $500 Essay Contest Cash Prize

By Megan Murphy, Marketing Manager

The topic:

Imagine the real estate search of the future and tell us about it.

One of the things we’re very interested in is what Lifestyle Search means, and what it enables for the industry.  We want to know your thoughts and your vision for what Lifestyle Search is.  So we want to have some fun, offer fabulous cash prizes [ED: Er, cash prize - singular - think of the economy man!], and see what the other minds in real estate think of the concept.

There’s no length requirement.  Either email us the link to your blog or website, or email us the essay (in Word or .txt format) to mmurphy@onboardinformatics.comand we’ll post it here on the OnBlog.

ESSAY ENTRY DEADLINE:   5:00 PM EST Friday, January 30th

JUDGING: Monday, Feb-9   to   Monday Feb-16 (We will let the readers of OnBlog do the judging and post their votes throughout the week)

THE PRIZE:   $500 American Express GIFTCARD

FORTUNE: What can you buy with $500? 24 Great Splurges

Look sharp. Get away from it all. Hang with Tony Soprano? $500 buys more than you think.

By Kate Bonamici, FORTUNE reporter

Tags: cash prize, Essay Contest, inman, Onboard Informatics, Real Estate, win $500.

October 21st, 2008

Successful Tradeshow Tips

By Stacey Ret, Director of Marketing

Onboard Informatics is pleased to announce its commitment as a Silver Sponsor for the Inman News Real Estate Connect Conference, being held January 7-9, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.

Real Estate Connect, developed by Inman News, attracts over 1,000 leaders in the real estate, technology, lending, title and financial industries. Onboard has participated as a sponsor for the last several years and has had great success in developing new business, meeting with clients and marketing its products and services.

Tradeshows and conferences are a key part of many business marketing strategies. At Onboard, we strategically analyze what we need from a particular event before committing thousands of dollars to attend. We formulate goals, develop a plan for achieving them and agree on measurements of success.

I have attended many tradeshows in all different industries and while by no means am I an expert, I have had many conversations with vendors regarding their ROI at events. What is amazing to me is that many of them simply don’t know. If we don’t know what our ROI is and/or how we succeed (or not) relative to our success measures, how can we decide to continue to attend another event?

So, I thought I would share a few, very key but easy strategies for ensuring a successful show, which are many times overlooked:

• Use your money wisely. Sounds simple enough but try to evaluate whether your giveaways really work. With the end of the year coming up, everyone should begin planning their needs for next year but they first need to evaluate their spending, so I ask: does passing out cheap pens that usually get jammed really promote your company in a positive light? Also, how high of a sponsorship level do you really need in order to achieve your goals? If all you need is booth space and the attendee list, is it necessary to buy that Diamond level sponsorship or can you get away with bronze?
• Watch your travel costs. How many staff members do you need and what are their responsibilities while at the show? Is it simply to staff the booth or do they have a speaking opportunity? Who can handle dual roles? Travel adds up and can bust a budget very quickly.
• Use your time wisely. Qualify those that come up to your booth. If real estate agents are not your target market, but brokers are, figure out how to get your message across in an efficient manner. If they like your product, they will probably relay the information.
• Obtain the attendee list whenever possible and setup meetings prior to the event. The key decision makers are usually not the ones parading up and down the tradeshow aisles. They are meeting with people like you.
• Hold a debrief meeting after the event. Discuss what you did right, what challenges you overcame and what you would change for the next event. Document the comments and refer to them often.

We hope you stop by our booth at the Real Estate Connect NY event - but don’t expect any giveaways!

Tags: corporate events, data, events, inman, Onboard Informatics, Real Estate, strategies for tradeshows, tradeshows.

October 6th, 2008

Onboard’s At It Again!

By Colleen Staunton, Product Manager

While the market might be in turmoil and most companies are cutting back, we are stepping forward and taking advantage of the opportunities being created.  Onboard Informatics recently partnered up with GreatSchools and is now the exclusive partner of GreatSchools in the real estate industry.

GreatSchools was founded in 1998 by Bill Jackson, in order to improve education in grades K-12 by inspiring parents to get involved.  They provide parents with school data, expert advice, articles, and community content, invite users to register on their site, so parents can publish, post, and connect with members of their online parent community.

GreatSchools.net profiles more than 90,000 public elementary, middle and high schools in the United States. Charter schools, magnet schools, year-round schools, and some continuation and alternative schools are included as well.

In addition, GreatSchools.net includes basic information on more than 30,000 private schools. This information is limited because private schools are not required to give tests or report results.

GreatSchools Ratings provide an overview of a school’s test performance by comparing the school’s state standardized test results to those of other schools in the state.  Ratings are given for each grade and student category (gender, ethnicity or other student group) for which test results are available, and are updated quarterly.

The ratings are derived by calculating ratings for each grade/subject combination; then averaging those ratings into the By Grade ratings.

The Exclusive Markets we’re now licensed to market, sell, and distribute GS Ratings to are:

• National Real Estate Broker websites – whether they are using the same website or different websites (example: Century 21)
• Regional Broker Websites (example: Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors
• Local Agent Websites (example: http://www.delawareliving.com/)
• Web Development agencies focused exclusively on creating broker/agent websites (example: Z57 Internet Solutions)
• Organizations that provide the regional MLS listings (example: San Francisco Multiple Listing Service)
• Alternative Sellers of residential homes (example: ForSaleByOwner.com)
• Companies whose primary focus is operating real estate only portals (example: HomePages.com)

Our clients will benifit from having comprehensive profiles, that go “beyond the numbers” to include a school’s culture and skill set, state test scores, teacher profiles, and even the physical condition of the school buildings. They will be able share what parents have to say about the school with their clients and give first hand parental testimonies, far better than any statistics.

We’re excited to be partnering with GreatSchools and to continue providing our clients with the information they need to be local experts and compete in their markets.  In a time of crisis and when it’s imperative to be at the top of your game, we hope these kind of partnerships and additions help our clients to overcome the struggles of a down market.

Tags: community information, greatschools, onboard, Real Estate, school ratings, schools.