Buyfolio is part of growing cadre of applications that leverage the sharing behaviors that web users have gotten used to in the large social networks to create smaller, more focused “micro networks”. Launched initially for New York City home buyers, Buyfolio is currently mulling over a national expansion of the service. Matt and Susan Daimler, co-founders, recently took some time out of their busy schedules to talk to me. Read »
We’re starting a new feature on the blog this week – 10 Questions – where we interview entrepreneurs and innovators in real estate. If you want to chat, drop me a line at joel@1000wattconsulting.com.
First up…
Open Home Pro first caught my eye a couple of years ago. I thought it was a real clear signal of things to come. The company had eschewed traditional platforms like the desktop and the web and, instead, focused its development efforts on a new device, the iPad.
Last year, I advocated for something I called the “Data Socket” – a single source for MLS data into which developers could plug to create more and better software products for brokers and agents.
Turns out that while I was talking about it, the team at FBS, a leading MLS software provider, we’re planning to build it.
And today, they’ve announced its alpha release. It’s called the Spark Platform, and it’s a very big deal.
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This was Matthew Lynn, writing for Bloomberg, back in 2007:
The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks. In terms of its impact on the industry, the iPhone is less relevant.
and:
Apple will sell a few to its fans, but the iPhone won’t make a long-term mark on the industry.
Oops.
It’s easy to look back at statements like these and laugh.
Nudge, the friendly, beautiful web app that moves clients and prospects to action is now live!
Go ahead and check it out now.
Nudge was born from the notion that agents could use something to cut through the noise and connect with consumers viscerally, almost emotionally, in their marketing.
We wanted to create something different, clear and beautiful.
Zillow released a new homepage design this week.
It’s bold. It’s clear. There’s zero kruft.
A couple of things strike me here:
WellcomeMat signed a big deal with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World this week.
Companies within the network of about 550 brokerages each get a video channel for their website and some seed videos to begin to populate them. WellcomeMat gets its own “channel” where it can begin to connect its network of videographers to broker clients.
This is a big win for all parties.
As someone who has been banging the real estate video drum for years, I’m encouraged by this development. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think this year will be a big one for real estate video.
I’ll go out on a limb and speculate a bit, but here’s why I think we’ve finally arrived at a tipping point.
I have broker friends that rib me about being something like a “Redfin-loving xxxx” because of the frequency with which the company is mentioned on this blog.
But here’s the thing: love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s a lot to learn from their technology efforts. Redfin has the money and high-dollar talent to do things their competitors, who excel at other things, would do well to emulate.
Today’s news: “Instant” email updates.
Rather than waiting a day to send an email listing alert, Redfin will now ping the user within “15 – 30 minutes after a real estate agent lists a home for sale.”
Not too long ago, most MLSs were still updating their brokers and IDX solution providers via behemoth FTP pushes. Now, almost all do this via RETS server.
So there’s no reason, technically, why any broker couldn’t do this.
If I were one of those “any brokers” I’d be on the phone now with my technology vendor asking why this wasn’t done yesterday.
I’ve always believed the email listing alert was the killer online real estate application of the past 15 years. It serves everyone well: the consumer gets exactly what they want, pushed to them; the broker gets distribution and user data; the agent gets leads.
The trouble is, most alert implementations are poor. They get lost amid the “draw a map search, <company name> home hunter, advanced power search” mess most sites sport.
It would be better to clear the decks and focus on the things we know users want.
Flutter is a neat little app for your Mac. It’s in Alpha, so don’t expect too much.
Basically, it lets you control your Spotify or iTunes music player with a single, simple gesture. Wave your hand in front of your notebook’s camera and your music starts playing. Wave it again and the music stops.
Not much to it, right? But, really, it’s pretty eye-opening.
Zillow has hired Jay Thompson.
Jay’s an Arizona broker and a prolific, smart and well-respected blogger. But you probably knew that.
Congrats to Jay, and to Zillow. It’s a good match.
The bigger picture here is that in the face of industry angst toward the “big 3″ online real estate sites, there’s a bit of a talent war going on. Expect to see more moves like this in the coming months.
Zillow has won the first battle in this war. Combined with the hiring of former ARMLS CEO Bob Bemis last month, they now have two of the most well-known – and, from and industry relations perspective, reasonable - people in the business in their corner.
It’s a good thing, really. If we’re going to settle into a place where the industry and the online players feel their relationship is win-win – and I think we must – then having more folks like Jay and Bob invested in making that happen is a good thing.