I had a chance to review a new product recently that takes a more strategized approach to finding listing leads for real estate agents.  Rebogateway (R.E.B.O. being an acronym for Real Estate Back Office) is a product that focuses on which homeowners are most likely…

Realtor.com just went through a major design overhaul and I thought it would be interesting to see the reaction of the tech crowd. It looks to me like it’s a move in the direction of most of the larger internet-based companies: simplify, streamline, and create…

I was recently introduced to the founders of Closing Time, a collaborative online service for real estate agents, lenders, and home buyers who are navigating the purchase process.  The founders, Jonathan Aizen and Paul Knegten, come from a mix of technology and marketing/advertising backgrounds, and…

Realtor.com released their new agent-branded mobile real estate app on the Apple iPhone and iPad this week (Android can’t be far off).  With their previous version of the mobile app already being the most accurate nationwide real estate app (direct MLS listing data) and having…

In case you haven’t read it yet, Realtor.com is planning to release a new version of its mobile app that is branded for the individual agent–and it’s going to be free.  You can read Inman’s review of the upcoming product but, to put it simply,…

I wrote a previous piece on the five things that Realtor.com could learn from Zillow including the newer, fast-paced marketing techniques that they have been using to catch up to Realtor.com in terms of consumer traffic online. While “shiny and new” always generates attention, it’s…

Zillow and Realtor.com are at the top of the list for the most popular real estate destinations online.   While Realtor.com has been the leader for years, Zillow’s skyrocketing success has recently had it matching or beating Realtor.com’s traffic numbers, and its current trajectory certainly points…

If This, Then That is a new company with a plethora of tools designed to automate, simplify, and organize your online world.  They have broken down the code and APIs of online services including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and many others, and created services that automate…

[Pre-emption of syndication flack:  I syndicate.  Most brokers do.  Many value the additional exposure in the current situation.  This isn’t a blanket condemnation of syndication.  It’s merely an analysis of the SEO byproduct of that action.] The real estate industry is buzzing about Edina Realty…

After the latest attempt at publishing MLS sales statistics for real estate agents in a public forum went down in an inglorious blaze, many people inside and outside the industry are still interested in the possibility of a second try.  It may be an outside 3rd…