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Submitted by John Blogger on August 11, 2008 - 3:04pm.

Well I guess an obvious candidate for the list would be Zillow (www.zillow.com). Inman News made it an almost household name before it was launched, Zestimates and word of mouth did the rest. Now they are chasing Realtor.com to become the leader of listings. Who knows who will win?

 
Submitted by mark langowski on August 12, 2008 - 10:26am.

I am biased because I am the CEO of http://www.beatyouthere.com , but I believe that we are ON OUR WAY to being a trend for real estate.
We are the first search portal to offer an open platform that allows users to post comments on property listings. These comments will even stay on the listing if the price changes, etc. We also offer a social network so that users can interact with each other and build a network that they can plug into for their real estate needs.
We are also the first search engine to really embrace the consumer. Before we launched, many sites such as Z and T, offered users only agent listings. It wasn't until after we announced our plans, that they then provided users with foreclosures. Our platform includes all types of residential real estate. Agent listings, fsbo, pre-foreclosures, bank owned, auctions, classifieds, etc.
Our "chit chat" platform allows users to post questions and answers as well as posting their real estate needs that they want met.
We hope that our easy to use interface will attract consumers and effectively draw more leads to agents.
I hope you like.
http://www.beatyouthere.com
mark@beatyouthere.com

 
Submitted by on August 12, 2008 - 11:00am.

John and Mark thanks for providing our first two nominations. Please do not be concerned to nominate a company or project you are involved with. Many times it may be something not too many people are aware of so we are excited to learn more about Beatyouthere.

 
Submitted by Chris Adams on August 12, 2008 - 11:27am.

Olympics?

Survivor may be more appropriate here.

1. Innovative Web 2.0 company or user of Web 2.0 technology.
2. The size, need and demand for the companies/services.
3. The quality or uniqueness of their services.
4. The potential impact of their services on the industry.

1.)In the current market for RE services, it seems possible a majority of vendors are not profitable as of this date. Free is taking the place of innovative.

2.)Current established 2.0 RE service vendors regardless of their size, the service they provide or demand for it (or other recent entries into the RE tech services market) are threatened by the disruption of the free/low cost web economy with web based apps.

3.)Quality or uniqueness is essential-but with free disruptors in a market creating more downward pressure on (commissions and) services, marketers are forced to market simply not to be overlooked.

4.) The potential impact of these disruptive services on the industry? More market fragmentation, constriction of services on line (example:many video hosts not taking UGC content) and confusion in general for the consumer.

My nominee: The Wisconsin Realtors Association and their current WIREX project to unify MLS distribution and snydication of listings in the state of Wisconsin.

We can only imagine what will happen when open/unified MLS and cloud computing come together.

Steven Stearns
262-325-8687
http://obeoman.blogspot.com

 
Submitted by Drew Izzo on August 12, 2008 - 3:57pm.

Roost.com (www.roost.com)
1. The Roost team has leveraged multiple web 2.0 technologies to enable consumers to access all the homes for sale in a given market in a extremely fast and intuitive way. Users on Roost benefit from AJAX to filter property searches down instantly and view all the pictures from the MLS right in-line on the search results page – without ever executing another web call. Roost also was a launch partner of SocialNotes a private conversations and sharing tool from Popularmedia. Paul Glazowski posted on Mashable that Roost.com “facilitates the shopping experience more than ever was possible before.” (http://mashable.com/2008/07/29/roost-socialnotes/ )
2. Roost.com is the innovator – at least according to Inman’s 2008 Innovator award for “best new technology” that the company received last month.(http://blog.roost.com/2008/07/25/roost-rocks-house-inman-%E2%80%93-wins-...) In a down real estate market brokers can’t stop marketing but, they absolutely need to become more effective with their marketing dollars. Roost.com is doing just that. (http://blog.roost.com/2008/07/30/successful-clients/ ) and (http://blog.roost.com/2008/08/06/prudential-sees-positive-roi-roostcom/ ) Roost is driving change in the online real estate space. Roost is driving traffic, qualifying users and introducing users to broker partners for about what the average broker is driving Google clicks to their homepage for. It’s a leveraged model. The Roost team is a set of experts at filling the top third of the sales funnel for broker partners. Brokers can’t be experts at everything – nor can the Roost team. However, dividing and conquering a part of the sales funnel is driving great value for broker partners.
3. Roost is incredibly unique in its approach. Roost.com is a search engine for homes that searches a network of broker IDX compliant websites.[built by Roost] By designing the business this way, Roost can offer consumers full access to all MLS [IDX] data in every local market covered as well as access to FSBO and New Construction listings. (and I’m guessing other types of listings are just around the corner.) Prospective home buyers are confused by some of the broker feed based models out there. It appears that they are seeing all the homes for sale but they’re not. They’re seeing a fragmented snapshot of what is available that is often outdated, inaccurate and incomplete. If I’m a broker, I wouldn’t want my brand associated with a listing that is inaccurate or off the market because it was syndicated somewhere and not updated. After all, inaccurate and outdated listings can cause consumers frustration and inadvertently damage the reputation of real estate agents, who could lose possible customers and ultimately be thought of as unreliable – exactly the opposite reputation they want to have in a trust-based business.
4. The impact. You tell me. Ask a consumer who’s looking for their dream home – or trying to downsize now that the kids are out of the house. If they’re looking on other real estate sites they’re not getting the whole picture. Could we speed up the sales process if we didn’t make our time starved consumers sift through so much noise?

 
Submitted by John Tuccillo on August 13, 2008 - 7:08am.

I guess I'm just old fashioned. I believe the best work in changing the real estate model is being done by the large independent firms. Among these, I nominate as the best Hanna Holdings (Pittsburgh PA) and John L. Scott (Seattle WA).

 
Submitted by on August 13, 2008 - 7:20am.

I also posted the same question to my real estate trends friends on LinkedIn. Following are the replies I received.

From: Lindsay Richardson

REAL ESTATE RADIO USA is a multi-faceted real estate media company. We have the #1 real estate talk radio show, a power packed and highly visited real estate blog. We want to educate you, inform you and entertain you about how to use your blog successfully and profit in the real estate market. So we invite you to listen to our provocative and opinionated real estate radio show and read our real estate blog. It is free to listen to Real Estate Radio USA and our real estate blog is free as well.

Links:
http://www.realestateradiousa.com/blog

 
Submitted by on August 13, 2008 - 7:22am.

And from Bill Woods came:

Keller Williams Realty. No company is even close in discerning trends and formulating successful tactics to deal with them.

http://www.kw.com

 
Submitted by on August 13, 2008 - 7:24am.

And from Dan Cheadle came the following:

Take a look at ERI excell realty... http://www.excellinvestors.com
going virtual, and franchising real estate is the future...getting rid of overhead..

then take a look at http://www.AdvantageML.com a national mls connecting communities..
something really badly needed in realestate...

 
Submitted by on August 13, 2008 - 7:26am.

And from a good friend and industry leader, Ed Krafchow came the following nomination:

Believe it or not I would notice Century 21 and Tom Kunz. After a period of so many new companies taking the leading edge I can where some of the more traditional organizations could re-establish themselves. Tom is thinking globally and sees a new world of real estate. In an impacted market few are taking the time to rethink their positions. Tom is the exception and I very much respect his commitment to the industry.

Ed Krafchow
President and CEO
Prudential California Realty

 
Submitted by Lyndia Bills on August 13, 2008 - 7:34am.

I've been doing this a loooooong, long time.
I've been with all the big companies - C21, Coldwell Banker and Re/Max.

I am now with Keller Williams and my whole business changed when I joined Keller Williams. I wish I had that opportunity 20 years ago.

By far, they are the BEST in giving you a busines worth owning and a life worth living.

 
Submitted by Jason Graves on August 13, 2008 - 7:58am.

I am a huge fan of www.HAR.com. It's by far the most complete and cutting edge offering for consumers on the 'net today. I hope to see more MLS's build on their open concept.

_________________________________________________

With regard to the comment from Drew Izzo and www.Roost.com:

4. The impact. You tell me. Ask a consumer who’s looking for their dream home – or trying to downsize now that the kids are out of the house. If they’re looking on other real estate sites they’re not getting the whole picture. Could we speed up the sales process if we didn’t make our time starved consumers sift through so much noise?

I looked at roost and you don't yet serve the Raleigh, NC market. I did search through Atlanta, though and I found myself looking at IDX listings on Prudential Georgia's website. yet you proclaim a consumer is not getting the whole picture. I don't see roost as a great consumer offering, just another site targeting market share to sell to a brokerage

Jason Graves
Graves Realty Associates
Raleigh, NC
www.RaleighRealEstateNews.com

 
Submitted by Karen Ramsey on August 13, 2008 - 8:09am.

Newcomer is more than just another networking site - - I too am biased and would like to vote for my new website, www.Quimsey.com, the complete networking and resource link for industry professionals.

Quimsey is a one stop shop, so to speak, in that it has everything Realtors and industry professionals need to network and find one another. There are several social networking platforms and a very well organized index of industry related professionals with a direct link to those members' websites. We also offer news links, advertising for listings, podcasts, classifieds, free virtual tour listings, and so much more.

Quimsey.com has been described by one industry professional as the "newcomer to make an impact in real estate."

 
Submitted by Gene Urban -- The Urban Team on August 13, 2008 - 9:03am.

My brother and I were recruited by many brokers and we chose Realty Executives. In the Arizona market this firm dominates and excels.

John Foltz, our DB and President, is a forward thinking man with great insight and optimism. The firm provides an excellent opportunity to build a real estate practice that is both strong and eventually marketable. As most know, our founder, Dale Rector, invented the 100% commission plan.

We have great marketing, training and a core group of agents who are the top in the Greater Phoenix market.

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777
www.UrbanTeamAZ.com
www.UrbanLifeBlog.com

 
Submitted by Verl Workman on August 13, 2008 - 9:16am.

What a great topic! I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics and seeing the determination and drive that so many of these great athletes demonstrate from around the world.

I see companies come and go and most don't begin to understand what buyers really want in their search for finding homes online. I am blown away by the poor visual experience agent and brokers provide the buyer on homes they so desperately need to sell. So many real estate brokers and brands leave it up to the agents to decide how to demonstrate their listings on the web. The problem is in this difficult market more and more agents are moving away from professional photography, and high quality virtual tours to do it yourself, cheap or poor photos of homes. The agent then brands their poor visual content with the high quality brand of their company and sends the message that "our company does not really understand what you the buyers really want”

Buyers today want high quality photos of everything in and around the home, they want both still pictures and moving panoramas, and they want the option to see everything about the home even if it is a short sale or REO property. Agents and brokers seem to cutting their budgets in the wrong places. If they really want to sell their listings, they need to give the buyers the best experience.

Just like the Olympics, is about strength, determination, preparation, and perseverance, Selling homes today requires us as agents and brokers to win the price war and the beauty contest on and off line!

My nomination for the best company to help us accomplish our Gold medal run is Obeo. www.obeo.com They provide the highest quality experience for buyers and sellers and add elements that are so difficult no other competitor can play in their pool. (My Phelps analogy: ) Imagine a buyer looking at a home on line and having the ability to emotionally move in by moving their furniture in, changing the color of the kitchen cabinets, changing the floors from carpet to hardwood and even redecorating the living room by changing the color of the paint on the walls. This is a good medal performance that should be done on every listing that you actually want to sell.
Real results is how I measure a good company from a Real competitor. On of my coaching clients in Dallas sent an email last week stating that so many sellers are comming to her because of she markets other homes using Obeo. Her closing in July are over 2 million dollars and she attributes much of that to the way she markets her properties with Obeo.

There are a lot of good companies out there with cool web 2.0 experiences, however I have not experienced the extreme positive feedback from actual buyers and sellers and real results for agents that I have from Obeo. So here is my nomination.

V

 
Submitted by Verl Workman on August 13, 2008 - 9:16am.

What a great topic! I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics and seeing the determination and drive that so many of these great athletes demonstrate from around the world.

I see companies come and go and most don't begin to understand what buyers really want in their search for finding homes online. I am blown away by the poor visual experience agent and brokers provide the buyer on homes they so desperately need to sell. So many real estate brokers and brands leave it up to the agents to decide how to demonstrate their listings on the web. The problem is in this difficult market more and more agents are moving away from professional photography, and high quality virtual tours to do it yourself, cheap or poor photos of homes. The agent then brands their poor visual content with the high quality brand of their company and sends the message that "our company does not really understand what you the buyers really want”

Buyers today want high quality photos of everything in and around the home, they want both still pictures and moving panoramas, and they want the option to see everything about the home even if it is a short sale or REO property. Agents and brokers seem to cutting their budgets in the wrong places. If they really want to sell their listings, they need to give the buyers the best experience.

Just like the Olympics, is about strength, determination, preparation, and perseverance, Selling homes today requires us as agents and brokers to win the price war and the beauty contest on and off line!

My nomination for the best company to help us accomplish our Gold medal run is Obeo. www.obeo.com They provide the highest quality experience for buyers and sellers and add elements that are so difficult no other competitor can play in their pool. (My Phelps analogy: ) Imagine a buyer looking at a home on line and having the ability to emotionally move in by moving their furniture in, changing the color of the kitchen cabinets, changing the floors from carpet to hardwood and even redecorating the living room by changing the color of the paint on the walls. This is a good medal performance that should be done on every listing that you actually want to sell.
Real results is how I measure a good company from a Real competitor. On of my coaching clients in Dallas sent an email last week stating that so many sellers are comming to her because of she markets other homes using Obeo. Her closing in July are over 2 million dollars and she attributes much of that to the way she markets her properties with Obeo.

There are a lot of good companies out there with cool web 2.0 experiences, however I have not experienced the extreme positive feedback from actual buyers and sellers and real results for agents that I have from Obeo. So here is my nomination.

V

 
Submitted by Lu Doan on August 13, 2008 - 9:46am.

I would like to nominate Agent Shield. Agent Shield is a FREE, patent pending, Web 2.0 technology that allows REALTORS to use a new development's website as a marketing and sales tool while enabling the REALTOR to maintain and retain control of their leads . It essentially makes it easy for all REALTORS to sell and earn revenue from new construction properties.

1) Innovation & Web 2.0: Agent Shield utilizes widgets (we currently have 3). It takes about 10 minutes for a REALTOR to sign up for a FREE account, create and add a widget with new construction properties to their website, blog, etc.

2) Size and Need: Let's start with some quick stats:

- REALTORS, on a national average, account for 51% of new construction sales.
- Less than 1% of REALTORS actively sell new construction.
 
The majority of REALTORS do not benefit from selling new construction because of the following barriers:

1. Lack of access: New construction properties/developments are typically not in the MLS.
2. New Construction was difficult to market: REALTORS did not have access to promotional material that was easy to distribute.
3. High risk of being cut out of the transaction: There were no mechanism to provide a level of compensation protection.
 
The other 99% of REALTORS are not making sales of new construction.  Why are they missing out on these sales?  That’s essentially what AS solves.  Agent Shield knocks down the barriers of selling new construction and makes it accessible to all REALTORS.

3) Uniqueness of service: Agent Shield is internationally patent pending and will revolutionize the way new construction properties are marketed by REALTORS on the internet.

4) Potential Impact on the Industry: Every REALTOR can now easily expand their inventory offerings and benefit from selling new construction. Agent Shield's developments are worldwide, thus opening the 2nd home market for all REALTORS.

I compare websites to fishing. You set out some lines with bait (MLS listings, video, etc) into the water and wait for something to bite. Think of the Agent Shield widget with new construction properties as a setting out a new line with bait. It FREE and takes no time to set up. When there's a bite, reel them in.

Agent Shield is FREE for REALTORS. More information and a 80 second video of how Agent Shield works can be found at www.AgentShield.com. If you are a REALTOR, please sign up for a FREE account.

 
Submitted by Matthew Gosselin on August 13, 2008 - 11:25am.

Xpressdocs provides easy-to-use technology that allows real estate professionals to create high-quality, green friendly, and completely customizable marketing materials like postcards, flyers, brochures, rack cards, business cards and more.

The best part? Order by 5pm EST and you will get your materials the next morning. Or you can choose to upload a mailing list and Xpressdocs will direct mail your pieces.

Xpressdocs will be launching a new email marketing platform as well so stay tuned.

 
Submitted by Mark Owens on August 13, 2008 - 12:38pm.

Little Known Micro Site Generates an Avalanche of Inquiries.

If there is a medal for unique, consumer-centric website that will most likely drive its founder crazy...I nominate www.RealEstateQuestions.com

There is no SEO, no pay per click, no link exchange, no key word registrations. I challenge anyone to find this site using any search engine. You won't find it. This site is completely invisible, except to consumers with an insatiable appetite for answers to their real estate questions.

How are they finding the site? They are GUESSING the URL and typing it into the address bar. Yes, they just guess that the site exists...The "Kreskin" search technique.

Their questions come in from all over the country.

Today's questions are from New York, Wisconsin, Texas, South Dakota...Some are easy, some are complicated, some are better suited for lawyers to answer, and many are outlandish. The big challenge is they just keep coming, and coming , and coming....and the bigger challenge is answering the high volume of questions!

Here is just a small sample of today's questions.

QUESTION
---------------------
How can my girlfriend who is just coming out of a divorce from her previous husband have her name removed from the title of the house that they shared while married? The ex has taken sole responsibility of the house and all mortgage payments and property taxes herein, however; if they were to try to sell the property at this time, my girlfriend would have to pay $75,000. my girlfriend has no responsibility towards the house, but since the house can not be sold or refinanced at this time her name will remain on the home with the ex husband until who knows when? what can we do to enforce that her name be removed from the property without selling or refinancing the home which can't be done yet without losing a great deal of money in the process.

QUESTION
---------------------
I have found out that work was done on my septic that was not on my seller disclosure we have lived here for 18 months but have problems all along but just found out they had work done?

QUESTION
---------------------
I WANT TO PURCHASE A HOME BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THE 20% DOWN PAYMENT. CAN WE MAKE A HIGHER OFFER AND REQUEST THE SELLER TO PAY $10000.00 TOWARD CLOSING COSTS AND DOWN PAYMENTS?

QUESTION
---------------------
Can a realtor list "special financing" without your ok? If the realtor has done this,
what are our options?

QUESTION
---------------------
I am interested in purchasing a business and on the second floor it is set up for living. My questions is if I can get a home loan for the business since I am going to be living there.

QUESTION
---------------------
I purchased a property in 1997. My downpayment was made to the seller in monthly payments. I refinanced a year later and paid off the seller. I have refinanced the property again in 2004 and 2006 with no problem. I am now trying to sell the property and the title company noticed the seller is on my title and I cannot sell. The HUD shows the seller was paid but I do not have the original document. What can I do? especially since I cannot find the seller?

The real estate questions keep coming and coming and coming....When we originally designed the site we were hoping for these type of real estate questions... "Where can I find a good agent to list my home?" or perhaps "I am looking to buy a home for each of my 8 children, and was wondering if you can refer me a good agent?" Unfortunately those type questions are few and far between!

Instead we get questions mostly like this next one we got from a seller from Indiana this morning...

QUESTION
---------------------
Where is it written that a bedroom has to have a closet? I am selling a 100+-yr-old home, they didn't make closets back then!

www.RealEstateQuestions.com is going for the gold!

PS
Where is Cliff Claven when you need him? I'm sure he know the answers to some of these questions...

 
Submitted by The Realtor on August 13, 2008 - 1:08pm.

How about

Zoopla
Zolve
Zilpy
Zoomf
Zadzoo
Zipvo
Zeesource

and yes, they are all real and in real estate!!!!!!!!

Other cool real estate sites are

Agentgenius
Realseekr
Terabitz
Activerain
Frontdoor

This is growing to be a great list. Can't wait to see the finals next week.

 
Submitted by Dave Gooden on August 13, 2008 - 1:40pm.

LakePlace.com (http://www.lakeplace.com)

Hi all, I am the co-founder of LakePlace.com - the Midwest's leading vacation home website. Although we never win anything and we normally fly way under the radar - I thought I would throw our hat into the ring.

LakePlace.com is a specialty brokerage and a member of 19 MLS boards (virtually every MLS in Minnesota & Wisconsin). Every night we go into these 19 databases and pull out all of the lake property listings (and only the lake property listings) to display on our site - resulting in a true overview of the lake property market in the country's largest lake states (30,000+ lake listings). In short, we created an easy-to-use 2 state MLS database for vacation properties - which has helped LakePlace.com become the most visited vacation property/home website in the Midwest.

We launched LakePlace.com in 2003 and have been operating with a relocation company model (referral) since 2005.

We work exclusively with the leading agents/brokers in each and every vacation/resort area within the two states...and I'm not just saying that - we really do have only top producing agents and brokers as our members and there is a very deep waiting list to join the LakePlace.com network.

In 2007, LakePlace.com generated more than 19,000 email inquiries for our 50+ members. As of today (08/13/08), our closings are up 48% over 2007 - which was our record year.

We will never be the size of Zillow, Trulia, Roost, RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, etc...but we have some very big and bold plans for the future - and I hope you will take a look at what LakePlace.com, and most importantly it's members, have been able to accomplish.

If you would like to learn more about us - feel free to contact me - and best of luck to everyone else out here!

Dave Gooden
Co-founder
LakePlace.com
http://www.lakeplace.com

 
Submitted by Jason Graves on August 13, 2008 - 1:53pm.

Dave Gooden-
I am very impressed with your site and your responsible model of business- not just selling to any dope that wants to by a zip code. You have a wonderful niche and there's no reason why you would ever want be a Zillow or Trulia or whatever.

I quickly found it informative, easy to read and graphically pleasant as well as filled with focused property information.

Thanks for sharing!

Jason Graves
www.RaleighRealEstateNews.com

 
Submitted by on August 13, 2008 - 1:58pm.

I agree:-) LakePlace.com (http://www.lakeplace.com) is a great site and brings a lot of value. I bet it is very sticky!

Jeff Manson
American Dream Realty
Hawaii real estate search | Kauai real estate

 
Submitted by Dave Gooden on August 13, 2008 - 2:10pm.

Jason - thanks so much for the kind words...they are very much appreciated!

 
Submitted by Dave Gooden on August 13, 2008 - 2:31pm.

Jeff - thanks! And yes, LakePlace.com is pretty sticky. Our average visitor spends about 24 minutes on the site and we get 3 million + page views per month.

 
Submitted by Brian-Logan Reid on August 13, 2008 - 3:01pm.

We here at CondoDomain.com (http://condodomain.com – Boston is currently live @ http://boston.condodomain.com) believe we are not only at the cutting edge of the transformation that is occurring in real estate, we are also helping to reshape the entire industry. Headquartered in Boston, we operate as a web-based buyer’s brokerage company and offer full, buy-side services for a flat fee. After all, why should a buyer’s broker be compensated more if their buyer spends more? That’s backwards in our opinion!

I believe we are at the commencement of the decoupling of the 'traditional' real estate model. The old model of full, 'bundled' services of showings, negotiating, listing, etc. etc. etc. are beginning to be offered in an a la carte fashion to provide the ever increasingly web-savvy real estate consumer with CHOICES. While I do not believe the full service brokerage model will ever fully go away, I do believe that within the next 2-5 years, brokerages will begin to offer buyers a wide array of options in order to accommodate the various demographic and generational behavior patterns that are already emerging in the marketplace.

1. As an innovative and forward thinking company, CondoDomain.com continually implements the latest technologies. For instance, within a week of Google releasing their ‘Street View’, we implemented it into our site and our buyers and fans love it. One of the main components of our platform is to bring all data, without exception, to the surface so our clients can get a transparent and complete view of each property.

We are also finding and engaging customers through the various social aspects of web 2.0 - Facebook, LinkedIn, Trulia among several others - and we communicate with everyone through all means: IMing, Emailing, Video conferencing, Txting, mobile phoning (of course!) and yes even, believe or not, regular mailing! We make ourselves accessible however our buyers want us to be accessible.

2. As a web-based (virtual office) business, CondoDomain.com targets high-density cities because they attract a high population of young savvy professionals, middle-aged single and/ or divorced buyers, and empty nesters. We focus on these individuals because, on average, they make more money, they move more frequently, they are heavy Internet users, they are more educated and they are one of the fastest growing and highest spending groups in the industry. Focusing on this vertical, CondoDomain.com taps into the new construction condominium market, which has a much higher profit margin than the traditional re-sale market.

One of the biggest advantages of our company’s business model is the timing. With a rising inventory, condominium developers are now (finally!) marketing to the real estate brokerage community. The need to access buyers has become more important than ever. Evidence of this is shown by the increase of cash bonus incentives and commission structures marketed towards the local brokerage communities and their agents.

In 2006, there were over 1,000,000 sales of condominiums and co-ops. Many developers saw opportunity in the surge and began large-scale projects. Since then, the market has slowed, with pre-construction sales dropping in numbers and inventory increasing.

Experts expect buyers to take advantage of the over-saturated market, which developers are desperate to dispose of. Large condominium developers & marketing firms, like Florida’s largest private real estate firm, Fortune International, have created accelerated marketing programs with cash bonuses and commission fees up to 10%. Many of CondoDomain.com’s other clients - The Carlyle Group, MCZ/Centrum Properties, Draper & Kramer, Inc. and Crescent Heights - have all initiated incentive marketing programs to increase sales, which will supplement our company’s gross revenues.

The current economic conditions support our business model even further. What buyer is going to walk away from a $13,000 check at closing (our average client refund)? Refunds this size or more pay for years of condo fees, new furniture or closing and moving costs - it is a lot of money! The demand for our service is steadily growing because buyers realize that they can save a ton of money doing a lot of the initial research themselves; this is, of course, work that they are ALREADY doing.

3. Quality and uniqueness is at the core of our business model. Our website, which is our #1 sales agent, is one of the most up-to-date pieces of web technology in our industry and we know it is one of the best for condominiums and for real estate in general. We are a niche player and we only work with buyers making us just that much better at it. We know urban markets, we know condos!

4. Being an urban player, we play a significant role in the future of real estate. Most innovation and concepts start in city centers - in high density populations and then they spread out. In the not too distant future, we anticipate seeing suburban players taking our successful model and replicating it in their local markets.

We look forward to your feedback and brokers/agents interested in joining us in the next revolution of real estate should get in touch immediately!!

Brian-Logan Reid
National Director of Real Estate
http://boston.condodomain.com

 
Submitted by Debbie Ferrari on August 13, 2008 - 6:10pm.

Hey Dave Gooden:

What a truly comprehensive site. I can just imagine the vision and hard work it took to build such a great site. And considering the fabulous return on your investment...... (You said: "As of today (08/13/08), our closings are up 48% over 2007 - which was our record year.")
......I bet you are dancing all the way to the bank...even in a market like THIS one...so more power to you. A big WAY TO GO! to you.

Debbie Ferrari, "The Internet Broker"
****For South Orange County, CA****
http://www.debbieferrari.com
Play my video: http://tinyurl.com/6f82ng

 
Submitted by Missy Caulk on August 13, 2008 - 6:19pm.

I love Tiger Leads out of LA, been using there site for over a year, and over 38% of all my closings are from it. My Search Ann Arbor Houses is linked below. Their site is http://TigerLead.com

Missy Caulk
Ann Arbor, MI
Missy@MissyCaulk.com

www.AnnArborRealEstateTalk.com
www.SearchAnnArborHouses.com

 
Submitted by Thomas Perot on August 14, 2008 - 1:14am.

Bonjour!

I am buyer's agent in Paris.

I read all your comments with interrest.

I talk about your Real Estate Olympics on my blog : http://www.services-immo.over-blog.com .

Debbie, I don't think you want a medal but I Like your website.

Thomas Perot, Paris, France
Services-Immo
http://www.services-immo.net

 
Submitted by on August 14, 2008 - 3:20am.

Amy Chorew
Matthew Ferrara & Company
(tel) 800.253.2350 x303
(fax & vmx) 203-548-9151
(cell) 860.919.6512
(web) www.matthewferrara.com
(blog) www.amychorew.com
(Linked in) http://www.linkedin.com/in/achorew

 
Submitted by on August 14, 2008 - 3:23am.

Hi all, love this thread. A product that I think deserves a vote in the lead generation and management system of www.kinderreese.com
Jay Kinder from Oklahoma developed this program with his associate. It starts with websites, aa great elead follow up system. They offer coaching weekly with their top producing tips. Students who have used this system say their business has gone to the next level.

Amy Chorew
Matthew Ferrara & Company
(tel) 800.253.2350 x303
(fax & vmx) 203-548-9151
(cell) 860.919.6512
(web) www.matthewferrara.com
(blog) www.amychorew.com
(Linked in) http://www.linkedin.com/in/achorew

 
Submitted by James Shiner on August 14, 2008 - 8:23am.

I nominate ZIPVO – http://www.zipvo.com

ZIPVO is revolutionizing real estate media. With a major focus on video as a tool to help sell real estate, we provide agents with a powerful resource to add to their repertoire, free of charge. To compliment the videos that agents upload or create, we offer a blogging platform, agent profiles, embeddable videos, IDX compliant links, real estate news, and a searchable directory of videos. If an agent does not have a video they can create one with ZIPVO PhotoVideo.

James Shiner
www.zipvo.com

 
Submitted by Sam Graham on August 14, 2008 - 12:18pm.

I’d like to offer a self-serving nomination for www.eshowings.com. Our service handles the Showing Appointment Process for Listing Agents across the country. We have been in business since 1999, and we are constantly expanding the services that we offer.

Beyond scheduling appointments for our Members’ listings 80 hours each week, we are able to gather a great deal of useful data in the process. We can show our Members what price ranges are hot, what neighborhoods are being shown most, what properties are not generating activity, etc.

We also provide time-saving communication tools. We automatically request feedback from the Showing Agent after each appointment. We allow our Members to provide their sellers with log-in access and/or a weekly email to inform them of Showing Activity, Feedback, etc. Additionally, Members can quickly email every agent who has shown a specific property to inform them of price reductions, renovations, buyer agent incentives…

We firmly believe that after taking the listing, the Showing Appointment process is arguably the most important step in achieving a sale. After all, no one buys a home before walking through it first. We recognize that Easy to Show = Easy to Sell!

Our service is highly customizable. Rather than taking a “cookie-cutter” approach, we wrap our arms around the business model of our Members. Reports, emails, and the website itself can all be customized with the Listing Office’s logo and the Listing Agent’s photo.

Most importantly, and in the spirit of the Olympics, we have an outstanding team. Every department works in a cohesive manner, with a spirit of service. We understand the ever evolving industry and we use state-of-the-art technology to keep up. We couple this technology with a personal touch, and a passionate commitment to excellent service.

If nothing else, thanks for the opportunity for this shameless plug!

Sam Graham
Director of Member Services
eshowings.com

 
Submitted by on August 14, 2008 - 2:59pm.

This thread has really sparked a lot of interest.

Thanks for all the great nominations so far. One more day before we close off (Friday 6PM Pacific) and create the short list of semi-finalists (to be announced on Monday August 18th).

Stefan

 
Submitted by Jed Lane on August 14, 2008 - 4:00pm.

What I've realized from reading the posts on this thread is that it is like watching the olympics on TV. NBC is showing all the old tried and true events and trying to put some sizzle witht he beach vollyball flesh but basically it is same old same old. Very much like lots of the real estate marketing and companies trying to add some sizzle to the same old.

Then we see the new and innovative trying to grab for attention, syncronized diving? Looks good, sounds interesting, but . . .

Then there are all the events that are going on that we won't be shown. Shooting events, bike races, running and shooting, archery etc. Much of it is very interesting and the participants swear it's important and good. That's like some of the out of the box companies that have been mentioned in this forum.

NBC is the bigs telling us what we want. Syncronized diving, the ribbon waving gymnastics and now ballroom dancing are the new real estate companies that think they have the right idea and we should all do it their way. The thousands of other events being competed in are all the agents out there that like what they do and they do it well.

Jed Lane GRI
Broker, Sales Manager
Star Real Estate Brokerage
http://www.FogCityGuide.com
415.425.9810

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 12:46am.

I'd like to nominate Diamond Dwellings Realty.
http://www.diamonddwellings.com

Diamond Dwellings is a new brokerage franchise operation.
They are launching all over the US with 100s of multi-user blogs focused
on different local niche markets. It's the first "2.0 brokerage franchise"
Imagine, a brokerage franchise model that actually drives internet marketing!

Susie Blackmon
http://www.BuckingtheRealEstateTrend.com

 
Submitted by Toby Boyce on August 15, 2008 - 1:49am.

I'll second Jed's comment.

Lots of interesting "toys" out there but most of them are simply putting a new dress on the same old date.

Which of the true innovators will be the one that makes it? That's where the fun of this comes in.

 
Submitted by Trish Schaefer on August 15, 2008 - 10:24am.

An obvious contender for "breaking the mold" and rising above the competition would be Prudential Real Estate.
More than 5 years ago or so, Prudential purchased the company eRealty, which helped set Prudential apart technologically. Shortly thereafter, Yahoo embarked on a their mission to exclusively partner with a real estate firm--Prudential was chosen for this honor. This was completely unprecidented as there has not been a search engine in an exclusive relationship with a real estate company prior. Prudential further developed some really awesome techy tools, one of which is called OSA. OSA (online seller advantage)allows the Pru agent to enter basic perameters about a subject property and receive a print out of real time home buyers that are looking for a property just like it. Pretty cool for a seller who may want to "dip his toes in the water" before listing and determine general interest level on a world-wide level. Once a seller lists with Pru, they will receive detailed reports with graphs about online "cyber showings" (not a hit-counter) but info about how many times you are returned in searches vs viewed as well as varying levels of interest such as photos and virtual tours viewed--this also interfaces with the local MLS's to provide daily auto updates to Pru sellers about their competition--cool stuff, our sellers and agents love our tech tools at Pru!
One of the big news this year is that Pru will be the exclusive real estate provider for RealtyTrac.com (the nations leading foreclosure website) Pru will be powering the re-sale/MLS button beginning later this year.
Prudential is in fact "Rock Solid in Real Estate" and this is further evidenced by Pru receiving the JD Power & Associates highest ranking for seller satisfaction (7/23/08) and the "Most Admired Company in the World" nomination by Fortune Magazine (March 2008) for the SECOND YEAR in a row. Pru is truly "Clicks Ahead of the Competition"!
To view EDR environmental reports on your property or estimate value your home or even run a basic title search go to: www.prudential.com and click on real estate.
Thank you for your consideration Mr. Inman--we are big fans of yours!
Trish
Prudential Community Realty
Madison, WI

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 1:56pm.

I recommend Premier Estate Properties Inc. in South Florida as a leading contender in the luxury real estate market. Premier Estate Properties per capita produces more results than companies far larger. Premier Estate Properties is affiliated with Southeby's, Who's Who In Real Estate,Luxury Portfolio, Christie's, Board of Regents, Mayfair International Realty, Fiaboi International Real Estate Federation, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. In addition,Premier Estate Properties is linked with over 300 Internet sites globally. Presenting properties exclusively in excess of $1 Million dollars, Premier Estate Properties leads the field in South Florida.

Julie Jones
Broker Associate
Premier Estate Properties Inc.

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 2:19pm.

Another LinkedIn contribution from Kevin Seney this time who wrote:

If any company is leading the real estate industry toward change it’s Bug! Realty. Call me biased, but as the CEO and founder of Bug! Realty I know firsthand the measures we have taken to provide a radically different and modern approach to this industry. Currently, we have franchises in Colorado, San Diego, Danville, Santa Cruz and our first regional franchise is in San Francisco. Launching the San Francisco region at Real Estate Connect last month showed us just how hungry the industry is for this type of refreshing change.

By being a “brickless-business” franchise, Bug! Realty offers an alternative for agents who want to serve their markets while balancing business and family. We’re out to provide an approach to real estate that isn’t locked into tired traditions and we challenge the industry to do the same. Our agents, or “Bug Guides”, work from company-issued iPhones and company branded Volkswagen Beetles – thus, eliminating overhead and self-promotion costs (usually assumed by the agent) and allowing our Guides to market themselves 24/7/365! By embracing technology, we’re more efficient, cutting costs and saving time. Our Guides are united under the brand and the brand works FOR them. It’s that simple. Through this organic marketing platform Bug! Guides are able to eliminate the time and energy that is typically exhausted as they continually promote themselves. With Bug! Realty, the Guide has more time to focus on what matters most: their clients. It’s a win/win situation for both parties. Work/life balance for the Bug Guide, and accessibility for the client. Inman is looking for a Real Estate Pacesetter leading the industry toward change? Well, I can’t think of a better example of that than Bug! Realty. Bug us at: 888-4000BUG

Kevin Seney, Founder & CEO
Bug! Realty USA, Inc.

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 3:38pm.

I'd like to make a last minute submission!

Our company, Goomzee.com, provides an at-property lead generation and mobile advertising solution that uses text (SMS/MMS) messaging technology. Goomzee Connect provides real estate professionals with an indispensable marketing tool for generating quality leads via today's most popular device, the mobile phone. We assist sellers in satisfying the demands of today's on-the-go consumers by allowing them to text-for-information about a property. They receive instant information on their mobile phone and agents receive alerts with contact for follow-up.

Statistically, our text message technology directly compliments the real estate market now and in the future. With over 250 million mobile subscribers in the US, 75% are text messagers, ranging from all ages. These are statistics from way back in 2006 for the percent of active text users for age groups! Those statistics have grown significantly in just the past two years.

* 18-24: 76%
* 25-34: 58%
* 35-44: 43%
* 45-54: 33%
* 55-64: 22%
* 65 +: 19%

Looking at the real estate consumer profile, 2009 predicts that 55% of real estate consumers will be between the ages of 21-43. The median age for a home buyer in 2006 was 38. The median age of the first-time home buyer in 2006 was 32.

"Gen X and Gen Y buyers don't want the hand-holding of the typical agent/home-buyer relationship. Many of these consumers prefer to do their own house hunting and research online, and some are skipping buyer agents all together to complete the entire home search and home purchase on their own." (The Globe)

Goomzee provides unobtrusive, opt-in to information about properties, at-the property. Our service can also be used in additional marketing materials to enhance brand recognition and measure reach.

A growing concern in the real estate industry is that as information continues to become more readily available to consumers, the less need they have for real estate agents.

At Goomzee, we don't want consumers to lose sight of the importance of using a professional in their home buying and selling process. Our goal is to connect buyers and sellers. Therefore, our service completes the process of providing consumers with information they need to make decisions their initial decisions about a property, and in addition provides sellers the ability to follow-up with those consumers. They aren't just taking the information and running. Providing leads for agents gives them the upper hand in following up with potential clients and the opportunity to turn them into their customer.

Agents today are facing the difficulty of tracking results. Goomzee provides real time reporting on campaigns listed by agents. We can measure the traffic listings are receiving by tracking the number of leads being received, when they are being received and upon follow-up, the quality of leads.

The real estate industry has been focused on encouraging agents to get in front of the Gen X and Gen Y consumers, as they are today and the future's buyers and sellers of real estate. What better way than communicate with them via their leading source for information; the mobile phone and text message marketing.

Thanks for your consideration!

Erika Beede
Director of Marketing
Goomzee.com

 
Submitted by Jay Groccia on August 15, 2008 - 4:09pm.

Allow me to introduce everyone to the OnlinePropertyShowcase(tm)

The term 'virtual tour' has a sullied reputation because so many services use un-skilled 'photographers' that are paid anywhere from $15 to $50 to photograph a house. They are usually int he home for 15 minutes to a half hour and as most of you know, produce uneven, if undesirable results.

The OnlinePropertyShowcase(tm) is a service comprised entirely of seasoned, architectural photographers and create absolutely stunning photographs that look like they came right out of fine magazines like Architectural Digest or Better Homes & Gardens.

Want proof?

Here are a couple of examples:

Luxury vacation home:
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com/showcase/10240

Open Concept Colonial:
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com/showcase/10249

Vintage Contemporary:
http://www.onlinepropertyshowcase.com/showcase/10230/

Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer
OnSite Studios
http://www.OnSiteStudios.com
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 4:15pm.

Ah, two last minute entries. Exciting.

Tick...tock. Less than 50 minutes remaining.

Stefan

 
Submitted by on August 15, 2008 - 5:00pm.

6:00PM. Time’s up and the names of some 40 “athletes”, representing the many different facets of real estate change, are in.

This weekend I will be assessing their “semi-finals” performances and reviewing their “history”. On Monday morning I will post the 8 companies that have made it through to the finals and will go head to head for the medals.

See you then.
Stefan

 
Submitted by Trish Schaefer on August 19, 2008 - 9:02am.

Wondering where to find the Real Estate Olympics results?

 
Submitted by on August 19, 2008 - 9:10am.

Trish, they top 8 are posted on this new blog!

Get your vote in! :)

http://www.inman.com/community/groups/alternative-business-models/2008/0...

 
Submitted by Anum Hafeez on August 24, 2008 - 7:03am.

I am a huge fan of http://pakistanhousing.pk/. It's by far the most complete and cutting edge Real Estate and Housing Related website offering for consumers on the 'net today. I hope to see more websites like this.

 
Submitted by Snowmass real estate on November 27, 2008 - 5:41pm.

Hi all, love this thread.
Which of the true innovators will be the one that makes it? That's where the fun of this comes in.

Aspen real estate

 
Submitted by Chris Adams on November 28, 2008 - 8:43am.

Alex,

...Fun is listening to the consumers. They are the ones that make it happen for you.

Steven Stearns
www.obeo.com
http://obeoman.blogspot.com
262-325-8687

Members