Real Estate Zealot

New Instanet Enhancements for MLS Users

Instanet, an online real estate forms solution, has added some enhancements to the system for Metrolist users

Interviewer: Today we are talking with Cindy Sheehan she is an account manager with Metrolist and welcome to the show.

Cindy: Hi, thank you, thanks for having me.

Interviewer: Well we are talking about a topic that is kind of near and dear to your heart this is kind of where you spend a lot time and that's Instanet documents?

Cindy: Yes.

Interviewer: And recently there has been some enhancements to the program so tell us about that?

Cindy: Yes we've just recently made some enhancements. One of them is that you can save the document to Microsoft Word, which means that you can save it off site, off the Instanet system and work on it separately. And fill-able fields, that was a big one that everyone was asking for, so now the forms have fields that are fill-able; as much as you need to write in there, you can and they expand to take all the information that you need to put in there.

Interviewer: What types of fields are fill-able?

Cindy: Just about all of them! Additional provisions and the names of the buyers and when you save them in Instanet, you can view them in Microsoft word. You can save it that way, you can save them as PDF and see all the information that you have saved and you can click on the print preview button now and see what the information looks like before you print it.

Interviewer: Yeah that's good. So is this the same as expandable form fields?

Cindy: Yes.

Interviewer: You know its fill-able is just another word for it?

Cindy: Right, right they are expandable so they, they expand to take the information that you enter.

Interviewer: And I imagine some of the feed back you had been getting from consumers is well we could really like a print preview of this and this functionality and how that works before we go ahead and send it.

Cindy: Right so Instanet made these changes for us.

Interviewer: All right now I know one change that you are excited about is and realtors in general would be as glad is that there is an easier way now to upload documents into your MLS listing is that right?

Cindy: Yes, we have made it very, very simple all you need to do is go to your listing, open it up on the screen under the change listing tab and just click on upload documents. You can put in anything that you have. If you've got HOA documents or a roofing certification, a seller's disclosure, mold disclosure, really anything a buyer might ask you for, you can go ahead and upload it.

Interviewer: Will that appear under the disclosures link, in your listing or will it be a separate link?

Cindy: You can do it either way you can either upload everything all together and call it disclosures or documents for, you know, "1, 2, 3 main street" or you can upload them each separately it's up to you.

Interviewer: But it will be that little blue link right at the top of the listings that we have got to click on.

Cindy: Right it will be in the Instanet box between the photo and the map on every listing detail sheet and it will save your documents.

Interviewer: Does it have to be a PDF can it be a word doc, Excel or does it or PDF is it?

Cindy: There are a lot of different formats that can be uploaded. So, it's pretty open.

Interviewer: that gives us some options. So, a little bit more and more people I imagine are using this?

Cindy: Yes

Interviewer: And this is some of the feed back you got about changes to make and so forth?

Cindy: Right, right.

Interviewer: And so how has this been received?

Cindy: Very well I think the document upload has been hugely well received its really easy to use now the fill-able fields was a real concern, people were asking for that to be changed and so there it is its changed. Being able to save things in Word is a nice thing too because you can work off-site you can save it to your computer and the fields are again expandable in word as well.

Interviewer: Well at least my transaction manager will be happy.

Cindy: Oh good

Interviewer: Thanks, good information! Thanks for being here.

Cindy: Sure, you're welcome. Thanks for having me.

At Inman Connect it's Brian Boero's Top 50 Sites For Productivity in 2008

Here is a link to the 50 tools-items-sites to make you more productive and successful in 2008

Brian Boero Is a Co-Founder of 1000 Watt Consulting.

50 Tools and Technologies to Help You Win in a Slow Housing Market (give us a post, we will send you the list)

BrokerIPTV  : We are at Inman Connect, New York city, 2008 and I am with Brain Boero. I am talking to Brain just stop giving the one on the key note speeches on 50 things you can do to increase your business, be more productive in 2008 for Real estate brokers, now it is just really concerned or my big question Brian that I want to our viewers is really it comes the 50 items, you went over... mostly were web related and so that is really a crux of it, what can brokers do in 2008 and 2009, really bring to stay in the business to survive?

Brian Boero: Well, you know to Inman Connect this still that largely stand I would say that the trust is that every thing you spend money on right now, in terms of marketing or technology, there is probably a cheaper or free solution out there and you ought to spend the time researching that. Second of all, I did mention some tools were cutting cost as a business person or people, we all know that we can market ourselves of a down market, we cant wish it away, but we do control our cost structure and brokers know this but, they often don't know how to make that happen. So the reality is the paperless transaction this year, there is no reason have a cubicle form office, there is no reason to have a paper based business and there are technologies out there in order to make that happen. So know thats really kind of the bottom line find cost take outs, cut cost. I also mention some blogs that I thought were great and if you do nothing else, you read thats sort of the first step to awareness, just jump in, probably going to understand, thinks it first, but you got to get your mind around this stuff.

BrokerIPTV  : Great Brian. And your company again? Brian Boero: 1000Wattconsulting.com .

BrokerIPTV  : Super, we appreciate your input. Brian Boero: Thank you Mark.

Travis Wright-SureClose is Transparency At Inman Connect NYC 2008

 

BrokerIPTV: We are on the floor here at Inman Connect in New York 2008 and I am with Travis Wright. Travis Wright is in charge of Stewart Transactions Solutions and Travis why don't you tells us a little bit about, how your SureClose product can really help say make the year 2008 a little bit better for transactions for brokers?

Travis Wright: I would be happy to, thank you Mark. Yesterday Brad Inman opening the conference was talking about the importance of transparency, the real estate transaction and we have a lot of title companies and certainly Stewart Title, but lot of real estate brokers too that are actually using SureClose to bring transparency to the transaction. SureClose is a web-based software application that allows the process of the real estate transaction and the indexing of the documents, digital documents that are required in transaction to be available password of secure availability to buyers and sellers and all the parties to the transaction. So Stewart has had transaction, I am sorry, Stewart has had the SureClose application for five years now and we have been using it internally in all of our Stewart Title offices, now we make it available real estate brokers nationally.

BrokerIPTV: Great how many brokers you think are involved with the SureClose product?

Travis Wright: Today we have approximately 200 real estate companies through out the United States are using SureClose, brokers of all size from offices of 35, 40 offices down the single office operations, we have over 800 Stewart Title offices that are using SureClose every day and in the title network process, we recently partnered with the Arizona Association of Realtors, who have a grand vision of implementing SureClose but all 5400 other brokers over the next three to four years, so yeah very exciting.

BrokerIPTV: Couple of other things Brad talked about video, he talked about social network, he talked about transparency of course, he also talked about the market. So if this was the Travis Wright show, what do you think you would be concerned or want brokers to know about in the future?

Travis Wright: Well, you know the market conditions are what they are, none of us can control the market conditions, but we can certainly control, how we conduct our business, both with our partners, our vendors and most importantly, I think with our prospects and customers. Next day business is real important to everybody right now and so with the decline in the market situation and my advice would be, make the most out of every opportunity you have with any customer, any prospect and any business partner you work with.

BrokerIPTV: Excellent Travis, thank you very much for your time.

Travis Wright: With pleasure, thank you.

Greg Geller Says There Will Be A Big Shake Out In The Industry

   

Greg Geller Says There Will Be A Big Shake Out  In The Industry

BrokerIPTV  : We are talking with Greg Geller, Managing Broker for Vision Real Estate. Greg thanks to be with us. This is our gen X gen Y segment where we want to talk to, younger people in the business since the demo is that 50 something real estate agents, do you feel it has been advantage being a younger generation x or Generation y person?

Greg: Absolutely, I have dealt with people that I know them went to high school with, that I went to college with them and sell homes to them. Since I've been in the business. I have found that often times the younger people want to deal with younger agents and they do trust me, they like me, they seem to know that I understand what they might be going through and what they might be looking for. It might be common knowledge that younger people have a better idea of what is up in coming? Where the hot neighborhoods are?

BrokerIPTV  : How are the mentors, when you get started?

Greg Geller: I had of course my father who has been practicing not residential real estate in terms of brokerage, since he has been in Denver his whole life, but he has been major buyer and player of downtown real estate. I have always looked up to him as a mentor and somebody who understood the real estate business and there has been some people along the way. Alanna Kimmel who is very very important general board realtors she has taught me a lot about integrity, educations, being good agents and not to mentioned some of the others COs that have been Denver realtors.

BrokerIPTV : When you were getting going and you were getting the business going, what methods did you use to really pull in business?

Greg Geller: I used method I advertise to people who wanted new fix up and I started so much fixed up properties right away and fix up as I was trying to find to people who were not yet on MLS and if there were on the MLS I would try to find them my buyers within hours I would be quite on the MLS. What that means is, that my office were in first and I was trying find people a way to make money by buying and selling fix up properties.

BrokerIPTV  : What do you think this industry is gone?

Greg Geller: This industry is going towards a internet base, buying and selling pool. Really buying and selling houses off the internet, I do foresee so many contracts on the net or electronically. You might look at a house on the net, a picture in it, listing agent or even an owner has. He might make sure offer, people you look at on the internet. It is all very possible. This industry is going to shake out a lot of agents who have not been successful. Where they go down from a pool of roughly 27,000 agents, maybe Under 20, 000 and it going electronically, its going towards a very select group of agents who understand how to properly market and sell properly in their default area.

BrokerIPTV  : We are becoming a paperless world?

Greg Geller: In many ways I have been doing a lot of emailing in contracts. I text message with my clients now, even though they don't like it. Some of my older clients don't like it, but it is still text message with them. Email has become a very popular method of getting contracts to people and had so much transactions this year were the contract would email to me, email back and the money was electronically sent to title company and never saw the buyer or seller until closing and sometimes many have happened when they were out of states, never saw the buyer or the seller.

BrokerIPTV  : How about goal or plans for Vision Real Estate in a way?

Greg Geller: Goals visions for Vision, buy 100 houses try to remove some of the inventory that I still have from my retail clients and go to company. I have got four agents now like to bring on two more agents, that want to learn the fix up business and know how to make money selling in their own state.

BrokerIPTV  : Greg Geller, fascinating stuff.

Greg Geller: Thanks a lot.

BrokerIPTV  : Thanks to be with us.

Greg Geller: My pleasure.

Inman's Real Estate Connect 2008

Broker IPTV and Real Estate Zealot at this year's Inman's Real Estate Connect 2008

Here it is New Years Eve and I am just itching to get to New York at the fantastic  New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.  I'm very excited to report that the Real Estate Zealot and Broker IPTV will be at this year's Inman Real Estate Connect conference this January 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th.  The quote below is out of context, but I feel it applies to the happenings at Inman.  Many of the people, concepts, ideas that are presented this year will trickle down to the uniformed masses at the National Association Conventions 2 to 3 years later!!!!

    "It happens every year, one way or another, and every year it gets weirder.  And wilder and darker         and more intense."

    Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

And so it goes at Inman Connect. So Just What is Inman Real Estate Connect?    

Well Inman Conncect  comes from the founder, Brad Inman. The show is about  education, exhibits, demonstrations and a trade hall within a intimate setting.  More importantly, no jewelry sales in the trade hall and most of the exhibitors are more progressive than typical Real Estate trade shows. While some critical bloggers claim to be too good to go and that it' about gimmicks and real estate suckers,   I feel the most important part are the people and the speakers. The brightest and sharpest in the industry.  Up to date and current topic-driven panels with real world hands on workshops will provide anyone who attends with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a rapidly changing real estate industry.

Why Should A Real Estate Business Person Attend Inman Connect?

 
Well, "birds of a feather flock together".  This is not your Dad's Realtor Convention!   I find that the caliber of attendees falls into the higher level of producers as well as top level leadership CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, etc.  New York Connect 2008 should  draw  1,200 to 1,400 real estate agents, top brokers, mortgage professionals, vendors,technology company CEOs, directors and managers, entrepreneurs, press, bloggers, analysts and investors from throughout the U.S. and around the globe. Broker IPTV will be there getting all the information, interviews and bleeding edge ideas.

People, Speakers, Concepts, Ideas and Strategies at Inman Connect:

So, safe to say you will be with the sharpest minds in the industry as they discuss current and conversational topics: real estate market conditions, real estate trends, market forecasts, interactive marketing, social media, Web 2.0, MLS, mapping technology, lead generation, blogging, user generated content, search engine marketing and search engine optimization, online video, paperless technology and more.

Topic Panelists include the top Bloggers and WEB 2.0 Social Misfits:

Rudy Bachraty, Co-Founder, Sellsius & Founder, Kiosk Realty

Kris Berg, Broker Associate, Prudential California Realty

Jeff Corbett, Author, The XBroker Blog

Dan Green, Chief Blogging Officer, Bring the Blog

Douglas Heddings, Senior Vice President, Prudential Douglas Elliman

Rachel Natalie Klein,  Founder, IntoTheBox.tv

Daniel Rothamel, Realtor, Strong Team REALTORS;  Blogger, RealEstateZebra.com

Mike Price, President, ML Broadcast

Lockhart Steele, Founder and Publisher, Curbed.com

Erik Hersman, Principal, Zungu LLC

Drew Meyers, Community  Relations Specialist, Zillow.com

Reggie Nicolay,  Regional Technology Director, Fidelity National & Author, MyTechOpinion.com

Brian Rothenberg, Product  Manager, Yahoo! Real Estate

Teresa Boardman, Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams Integrity Realty

Jay Thompson, Designated Broker, Thompson’s Realty

Brian Brady, Managing Director, Worldwide Credit Corporation

Dustin Luther, Founder, 4realz.net Consulting

If the above speakers are not enough to get you going in 2008, take a look at the list that Bard Inman has put together this year in New York.

Speakers-Moderators-Important Attendees

Rudy Bachraty, Co-Founder, Sellsius &  Founder, Kiosk Realty

Simon  Baker, CEO & Managing Director, REA Group

Jeffrey Bastress, President, Startpoint Realty

Kris Berg, Broker Associate, Prudential  California Realty

Teresa Boardman, Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams Integrity Realty

Kevin  Boer, Founder, 3 Oceans Real Estate Blog

Brian Brady, Managing Director, Worldwide Credit  Corporation

Joleen Brannigan, Chief Operating Officer, Grace  Hill

Frank Breithaupt, VP of Marketing, Affiliates  and Operations, Homescape

Chris Brown, Vice President Product Development,  Apartments.com

Joel  Burslem, Social Media Manager, Inman News

Jonathan Butler, Founder, Brownstoner Media, LLC

Louis Cammarosano, General Manager, HomeGain

David Cardwell, VP of Capital Markets &  Technology, National Multi Housing Council

Martin Carpenter, Broker, RE/MAX Realty Plus;  Chairperson, MLS PAG

David Charron, President & CEO, MRIS, Inc.

Shari Chase, CEO, President  & Founder, Chase International

Sherry  Chris, President & CEO, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Walt  Clark, Sr.  Vice President, Transaction Management Solutions, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

Renwick Congdon, Chief Executive Officer, IMPREV

Jeff Corbett, Author, The XBroker Blog

Matt Corgan, Director of Technology, HotPads

Marc  Davison, Partner, 1000Watt Consulting

Jason Doyle, Division Vice President, Homes.com

Jim Duncan, Realtor/Real  Estate Consultant, Real Central VA

Thomas  Evans, President & CEO, Bankrate, Inc.

Robert  Eychner, President, Eychner Associates; 2007 President, Manhattan MLS

Richard Ferrari, Senior Vice President,  Prudential Douglas Elliman

Dr. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist, First  American CoreLogic

Pete Flint, Co-Founder & CEO, Trulia

Wendy Forsythe, VP Broker Services & Product  Development, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

Michael Fortinberry, President, CrossFire Sales  & Marketing Systems

Marty  Frame, Chief Information Officer, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

Lloyd  Frink, President, Zillow

Hector Gavilla, President, DiamondHomeVideos.com

Jamie Glenn, Vice President, Product Management, Trulia

Ilyce Glink, President, ThinkGlink, Inc., Syndicated Columnist

Matthew Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer,  LifeAt

Kate Good, Marketing Solutions Expert,  KateGood.com

Dan Green, Chief Blogging Officer, Bring the  Blog

Matthew  Haines, Founder & Chairman, PropertyShark.com

Bob Hale, President & CEO, Houston  Association of Realtors

Matt Heaton, Chief Executive Officer, ActiveRain

Douglas Heddings, Senior Vice President,  Prudential Douglas Elliman

Marc Helm, Chief Operating Officer, Reverse  Mortgage Solutions, Inc.

Dottie  Herman, President & CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman

Erik Hersman, Principal, Zungu LLC

Edward Herson, Vice President, Halstead  Property, LLC

Glenn Houck, Co-Founder, LeadQual LLC

Bradley  Inman, Publisher, Inman News

Kenneth Jenny, CEO & Managing Director, tranCen.com, Inc.

Pat Kitano, Managing Principal, Domus Consulting  Group

Rachel Natalie Klein,  Founder, IntoTheBox.tv

Saul Klein, President & CEO, InternetCrusade

Brendon Kraham, National Sales Manager  Classifieds, Google

Brian N. Larson, Attorney  at Law; President of Larson/Sobotka Business Advisors, LLC

Don Lawby, President, Century 21 Canada

Mark Lefanowicz, President, E-LOAN

Corey Leong, Founder & President, Real Estate Metaverse Association

Mark  Lesswing, Sr. Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, National  Association of REALTORS

Pamela  Liebman, President & CEO, The Corcoran Group

Dustin Luther,  Founder, 4realz.net Consulting

Dave  Marron, Chief Executive Officer, SphereBuilder, LLC

Rob Massey, Jr., CPM, Founder of RentalHouses.com & Vice  President of Industry Development, Rentals.com

Drew Meyers, Community  Relations Specialist, Zillow.com

David Michonski, Chief Executive Officer,  Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

Jonathan  Miller, EVP, Director of  Research, Radar Logic Inc., Co-Founder, Miller Samuel

Alex Montalenti, Co-founder & CMO,  SubmitYourListings.com

Heidi Mueller, Broker Associate, Prudential  California Realty

Oliver Muoto, Co-Founder & Vice President  Business Development, vFlyer

Carter Murdoch, Senior Vice President, Bank of  America

Vikki  Neil, Vice President, Real Estate, Frontdoor.com

Craig  Newmark, customer service rep & founder, craigslist.org

Reggie Nicolay, Regional Technology Director, Fidelity National &   Author, MyTechOpinion

Martin  Nisenholtz, Sr. VP, Digital Operations, The  New York Times Company

Cameron Paine, Chief Executive Officer,  Connecticut Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

Stan Ponte, President, Previews Marketing  Division, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

Mike Price, President, ML Broadcast

John Reinhardt, President & CEO, Fillmore  Real Estate

Barry  Ritholtz, Chief Market Strategist, Ritholtz Research & CEO; Director of  Equity Research, Fusion IQ

Greg Robertson, Executive Vice President, Sales  & Marketing, eNeighborhoods

Alison Rogers, Author & Inman News Columnist

Noah  Rosenblatt, Founder, UrbanDigs.com; Licensed RE Salesperson, Citi-Habitats

Laurence Rosenberg, President, Rent-Direct.com

Dan Rothamel, Realtor, Strong Team REALTORS; Blogger, RealEstateZebra.com

Brian Rothenberg, Product Manager, Yahoo! Real  Estate

Professor Nouriel Roubini, Co-Founder & Chairman of RGE  Monitor; Professor of Economics, New York University’s Stern School of Business

Kaira Sturdivant  Rouda, President, Real Living

Rupi Rupwani, Owner/Broker, Rupwani Associates; Director, Connecticut  MLS

Michael  Santoli, Associate Editor, Barron's, Dow Jones & Company

Sam Sebastian, Director, Classifieds and Local, Google, Inc.

Rick Sharga, Vice President of Marketing, RealtyTrac

Dr.  Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher, Skeptic Magazine & Executive Director, Skeptics Society

John Sherrod, Director of SEO/Emerging Technologies, Rentals.com

Ryan Slack, Chief Executive Officer, PropertyShark.com

Lori Snider, Principal, Creativity for Rent

Andrew Ross Sorkin, Assistant Editor, Business &  Finance, Chief Mergers & Acquisitions Reporter, The New York Times

Steve Sorti, Senior Vice President of Marketing,  Fox & Roach/Trident

Steve  Spinola, President, Real Estate Board of New York

Celeste Starchild, Vice President Broker Sales,  ListHub: Broker Division  of Threewide

Anne St. Dennis, Manager, Industry Relations, Strategic Communications & Legal Affairs, Greater Montreal Real Estate Board

Lockhart  Steele, Founder & Publisher, Curbed.com

Christian Sterner, CEO & Founder,  Wellcomemat

Patrick F. Stone, Chairman, The Stone Group

Jessica Swesey, Vice President of Content, Inman  News

Jay Thompson, Designated Broker, Thompson’s  Realty

Frances Flynn Thorsen, Managing Editor, RealTown.com

Greg Tracy, Founder/Realtor, Blueroof.com

Lisa Trosien, President, Apartmentexpert.com

Carey Tufts, Director of Marketing, Point2

Jon Tull, President, Lead2Lease

Jeff Turner, President, RealEstateShows.com

John H. Vogel Jr., Permanent Adjunct Professor,  Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Becca Wilson, President, Spherexx.com

Brian Wilson, Founder, Zolve

Marilyn  Wilson, Founding Partner, WAV Group

Michael Wurzer, President & CEO, FBS Data  Systems

Michael  Yang, General Manager, Yahoo! Real Estate

Charlie  Young, Chief Operating Officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate

See ya there!

Lenders Hold Up The Paperless Transaction

BrokeripTV.com  : We are talking with Joe Hubert today from land title a sales manager here at Land title and what type of web interfaces are you getting involved and to make this more of a paperless transaction?

 
Joe Hubert: Well. Lenders Hold Up The Paperless Transaction. What we have tried to do is implement most everything that we have available on our webs. So that on our website agents have access to things like online orders, own use that they can request. They can do transaction management of the various transactions that they have. They can place marketing orders, things like that. So we are trying to do every thing that we have available on the phone or via email also on our website as well. Just so it is easy or accessed.

 
Displayed Question: IT IS POSSIBLE TO PERFORM ALL DIGITAL CLOSINGS?

 

BrokeripTV.com  : Has Land title completed in all digital closing end?

 
Joe Hubert: We have and at this point in time there is two requirements in the industry from lenders and county clerk and recorders offices where they still require paper copies to be signed. So it is not some of the industry is really allowed because of different elements.

 
Displayed Question: WHICH DO THE LENDERS PREFER?

 
BrokeripTV.com  : You and I were talking of camera we were saying that lenders in most parts still do not want electronic closing. They want a signature on a piece of paper would you say that’s all lenders, 99% of lenders?

 
Joe Hubert: Probably 99% of the lenders still require paper and that’s just because that area the industry hasn’t evolved yet in to electronic format. There is really five steps that they take place to in all digital kind of closing if you will a transaction. There is digital recordings, there is digital signatures, there is digital mortgage documents, there is  digital post closing documents and then digital recording. So there are many steps that have to take place in that format and we have come a long way, number of those things we are starting to do today. But in tell it, it all takes place you really can’t have an all digital closing.

Displayed Question: PAPER -VS- ELECTRONIC

 
BrokeripTV.com  : You guys taken a look at how much it costs you to do paper transactions versus electronic?

 
Joe Hubert: I don’t have the data on how much are paper costs or clearly there a reduction in paper cost will save some money. But there are things that we are doing day in and day out as I had mentioned before, a light link commitments that provide not only the commitment in an email format but also provide links to every recorded document related to that property. So things like deeds and releases and 24 month change the title in flat maps, in governance, and codes and restrictions, those kind of things we can provide to consumers, provide to agents, that we are going to put in to paper format and that’s really a large volume of paper that we have been able to reduce, so really excited about that step and looking forward to making more.

 
BrokeripTV.com  : Joe, thanks for being with us.

 
Joe Hubert: Thank you again.

 

BrokeripTV.com  : Good time.