Tag Archives: US
tweetmehomes.com Lists on Twitter
One of the big debates surrounding the use of Twitter in real estate is whether listings should be broadcast through the social networking tool. Some argue that Twitter should be all about relationship building, while others say the occasional listing is perfectly ok to include. Still others are in favour of Twitter accounts that only tweet listings, maintaining they will only reach those who are truly interested.
tweetmehomes.com is a new US-based Twitter service that comes down firmly on the “listings only” side of the debate.
Two New Options for US Agents
Two new options have recently surfaced for US-based real estate professionals: an embeddable map-based search engine from realbird.com and a new social network for agents as well as investors and vendors.
New Mapping Product Launched
US company Digital Map Products, which lists redfin.com, zillow.com, and trulia.com amongst its clients, has released a new mapping tool that visualises how home prices change over time.
The product, dubbed SpatialStream, animates property price fluctuations as colours on a map, changing from green to red as prices fluctuate. The company says this is an easy way to show what would otherwise be thousands of separate data points on a spreadsheet.
realtown.com Reaches 150,000 Users
realtown.com, a US online community that aims to cover all things real estate, has now passed the 150,000 registered users mark. Its current total is 153,858 member, which puts it slightly short of activerain.com’s total of 168,099 members.
realtytrac.com Goes Social
US foreclosure marketplace realtytrac.com has introduced a social media element to encourage discussion amongst users.
RealtyTrac Community, which is free to join, covers topics such as buying, selling, home values, investing, and realtytrac.com features.
realtytrac.com says visitors can seek out local real estate experts and ask questions on neighbourhoods, schools, market conditions, financing, and foreclosure activity.
Big Changes at zillow.com
We knew something was up at zillow.com when it posted a “site down temporarily” note on its blog on Monday.
The next post confirmed our suspicions: zillow.com was adding the option to list rental properties on its US-based real estate marketplace. By the next morning, zillow.com was already touting the first ten listings to take advantage of the new option, and dealing with a wave of questioning regarding its new pricing strategy: US$9.95 for a 180 day listing.
The comments were relatively quiet on zillow.com’s own blog, but over at 1000watt blog and agentgenius.com things were different, prompting zillow.com’s spokespeople to respond.
Rental Search Data from rentbits.com
US rental property search engine rentbits.com has released its first whitepaper: Maximizing the Effectiveness of Marketing in the Single and Multifamily Rental Industry.
The whitepaper covers a range of information on the rental housing market including what type of housing renters are looking for, which marketing sources renters are using, and how rental search varies across demographics.
NAR: Buyers Relying on Referrals
The US National Association of Realtors recently released its 2009 Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers and the results show an even heavier reliance on the Internet to find homes than in 2008.
The often-quoted statistic from the 2008 NAR report had 87 percent of US home buyers looking online for their next home. According to figures posted by Sara Bonert, zillow.com’s director of broker relations, that figure has now risen to 90 percent.
Bonert’s blog post also shows that looking online for properties was the first step taken by both first time and repeat buyers, rather than contacting an agent. Buyers spent an average of two weeks on this initial property search before they decided to find an agent to help them with the buying process.
fizber.com, realtybid.com Offer Deals
US property search engine fizber.com is offering free registration to real estate agents and brokers who sign up before the end of December.
US online auctions website realtybid.com also has a Christmas offer for agents, discounting its US$150 listing fee to $25 until 31 December.
New Premium Ads and Listing Tips at trulia.com
US property search engine trulia.com has released a new paid listings package for companies that it says will make it easier for consumers to connect with brokers and agents.
According to the trulia.com blog, these premium listings place advertisements at the top of search results and include an optimised and company branded home buyer contact form along with detailed listing and lead reporting.
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