Latest Posts
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Cities
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Q2 2008 Mdn $
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Q2 2007 Mdn $
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Q2 2008-Q2 2007 Mdn $
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Mdn(%)
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Tulsa
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$116,000
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$112,000
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$4,000
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3.57
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Broken Arrow
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$144,000
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$144,000
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$0
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0
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Bartlesville
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$120,700
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$119,350
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$1,350
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1.13
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Owasso
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$168,200
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$170,000
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($1,800)
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-1.06
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Claremore
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$133,200
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$134,900
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($1,700)
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-1.26
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Bixby
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$175,000
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$189,900
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($14,900)
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-7.85
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Jenks
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$201,000
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$173,500
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$27,500
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15.85
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Sand Springs
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$98,500
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$117,000
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($18,500)
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-15.81
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Sapulpa
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$100,075
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$98,450
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$1,625
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1.65
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Collinsville
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$135,700
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$143,000
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($7,300)
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-5.1
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The top 10 Tulsa real estate and surrounding markets in the NORES MLS ranked by the 2nd quarter 2008 median price of homes sold compared to the 2nd quarter 2007, as defined by the total number of sales.
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Cities
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Q2 2008 $
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Q2 2007 $
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Q2 2008-Q2 2007
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$(%)
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Tulsa
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$230,528,553
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$278,722,349
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($48,193,796)
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-17.29
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Broken Arrow
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$90,209,009
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$108,716,953
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($18,507,944)
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-17.02
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Bartlesville
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$27,239,915
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$38,129,564
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($10,889,649)
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-28.56
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Owasso
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$37,238,920
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$43,117,755
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($5,878,835)
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-13.63
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Claremore
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$18,468,772
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$26,608,532
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($8,139,760)
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-30.59
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Bixby
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$25,788,452
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$32,771,663
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($6,983,211)
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-21.31
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Jenks
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$24,875,286
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$25,812,221
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($936,935)
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-3.63
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Sand Springs
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$12,182,027
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$15,083,172
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($2,901,145)
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-19.23
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Sapulpa
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$11,415,910
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$15,861,430
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($4,445,520)
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-28.03
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Collinsville
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$12,473,444
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$16,830,366
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($4,356,922)
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-25.89
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Total dollar volume of sales in the top 10 Tulsa real estate and surrounding markets for 2nd quarter 2007 and 2008, as defined by the total number of sales in the NORES MLS for 2nd quarter 2008.
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Cities
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Q2 2008 #
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Q2 2007 #
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Q2 2008-Q2 2007 #
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#(%)
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Tulsa
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1,407
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1,782
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-375
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-21.04
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Broken Arrow
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561
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669
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-108
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-16.14
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Bartlesville
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197
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267
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-70
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-26.22
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Owasso
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190
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216
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-26
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-12.04
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Claremore
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125
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181
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-56
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-30.94
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Bixby
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121
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127
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-6
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-4.72
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Jenks
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107
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120
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-13
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-10.83
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Sand Springs
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101
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117
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-16
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-13.68
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Sapulpa
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94
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130
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-36
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-27.69
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Collinsville
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84
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113
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-29
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-25.66
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The top 10 Tulsa real estate and surrounding markets in the NORES MLS ranked by the 2nd quarter 2008 total number of sales compared to the 2nd quarter 2007.
I have to wonder what is next for the future of technology in real estate? Is it mobile, mapping, imaging, audio, or all of the above. I have to believe that all of the above is the answer. Technology is constantly changing, it is impossible to keep up with all of the latest tools and gadgets available to agents today.
As an agent I would think one has to find what works for their market as well as themselves. What are you comfortable with? Choose products that will benefit your business and streamline your processes in order to save you more time during your work day, which will make you more productive.
Let’s start with mobile technology; cell phones have now become the main contact phone for most agents in today’s market. Smart phones have become the norm for top producing agents. These phones can be used for lock box keys, calendaring, text messaging, phones as mentioned above, GPS units, web browsers, voice recorders and the list goes on and on. All geared to make the agent more productive.
Mapping-When will mapping catch up with technology. Google has Google Earth, Microsoft has Virtual Earth, both of which we use in our MLS. But when will agents be able to select 10 homes from a search, map them, get driving directions to each property, and finally get that to a GPS unit so that while in the car with clients finding the properties is not the main focus of the conversation, rather the buying process questions and answers is the focus of the conversation.
Imaging-get higher pixels cameras!!!! Oh-wait let’s get all agents to post images of their listings first. I may sound a little sarcastic but it is true. Low quality (pixels) cameras can be found for less than $20. Most cell phones have cameras that are at least 1.5 pixels. If I were a seller and I found out that my agent didn’t even bother to post photos of my property but still wanted a high commission I would be demanding a release from my contract. If it were not granted I would withdraw the property from the market and not sell. That is how upset it makes me to see listings that are 3 months old in the MLS with no photos. Whether the property needs to be bulldozed or is a cover home for Better Homes & Gardens there should be photos. No excuse other than laziness. As an experienced agent I would wait until I had the professional photos before I ever entered the property into the MLS. Simple reasons are as follows, prospecting and public websites. I don’t want someone seeing my listing for the first time without being able to see the images of that property. Why take the chance on not getting buyers to view your listing? Wait until the images can be put into the MLS at the same time as the house data.
Audio technology has hardly reached it potential in the real estate industry. We have talking houses, however I believe you tube, pod casting, and text to voice technologies are in the near future for agents. Anyone with a video camera can make a video of a property, use Windows movie maker and edit, add audio with a $5 microphone from Radio Shack and have a guided tour through their listing. Agents can use that same $5 mic to record pod casts about the house, neighborhood, schools, shopping and local market for no charge. Simply using the technology already on their computer.
SEO or search engine optimization is a key factor in web site commerce. Whether you are selling a product online or service online, SEO can assure your success and guarantee you the best return on your investment.
Depending on which search engine you are using, Google and Yahoo being the 2 most noteable search engines in the world will not necessarily rank your site the same. The results will be similar, for example tulsarealtors.com will be at the top of Google's organic search. Listings in Tulsa will be on the bottom of page 1, real estate listings in Tulsa will be on page 4. IF you do a search for Tulsa home search we are #1.
On Yahoo, tulsarealtors.com is #1 just as google. listings in Tulsa produced no results for yahoo search. real estate listings in Tulsa is no where to be found.
Special attention should be paid to each search engine that you want to target. Some questions to ask yourself may be; What is your target market? What search engine does your target market prefer? What key words do you want to find your site? Once these questions are answered you can begin your SEO quest. SEO is a constant game, your site will require frequent updates, new refreshed data, and generally a spider friendly site doesn't hurt.
Tulsa Business Staff
6/25/2008
Two of Tulsa’s largest residential real estate firms will merge, combining 13 offices and 490 agents.
Coldwell Banker Rader Group and Terry Gartside Realtors will become Coldwell Banker Select with 13 offices across the Tulsa metro area. The company’s two southern Oklahoma offices, in Durant and Kingston, will operate as Coldwell Banker VanMeter/ Rader Group.
Sam Rader, owner of CB Rader Group, and Terry Gartside say joining forces will allow them to broaden their services to buyers and sellers and increase their market share in the area.
“Terry and I have followed each other for years. We both started our real estate careers in the late '70s, we’ve both been very active in our markets, served together on state and national real estate association boards and committees, I think this will be a good fit for both companies,” said Rader, Coldwell Banker Select chairman. “I like the professionalism of his company, the production per agent, the quality of his operation. We both see this as an opportunity to grow in this market.”
Gartside, who will be vice chairman of the merged entity, has 70 real estate agents and offices in Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Jenks and Glenpool. CB Rader Group has 420 sales agents and a staff of 50 with three offices in Tulsa, offices in Broken Arrow, Claremore, Owasso, Skiatook and Sand Springs, as well as agents specializing in the Oolagah, North Tulsa and downtown Tulsa markets.
Gartside says his company had $115 million in closed sales in 2007 on 1,000 transactions. Rader Group had $860 million in closed sales in 2007 on 5,600 transactions in the same period.
Rader and Gartside are both past presidents of the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors and the Oklahoma Association of Realtors. Both have also been honored by the OAR as the "Realtor of the Year" for their contributions to the industry.
TBJ Article
Lybarger Makes Another Pitch: Business Owners Hear about Ballpark
Ray Tuttle
7/8/2008
About 50 business owners listened to Tulsa Metro Chamber Chair Stan Lybarger make the pitch for the proposed $60 million ballpark Monday afternoon at the Chamber in the Williams Center Towers.
Lybarger, stressing how critical an ingredient the ballpark is for igniting a downtown revival, called the 6.5 cent per square foot business improvement assessment an investment.
The assessment was the only way to raise the public funds, Lybarger said. City leaders knew a citywide vote was unlikely to pass. They knew raising the lodging tax would be unpopular, too. The baseball team is exempt from sales tax, so tax increment financing would not apply. Since, downtown business and property owners were seen to benefit the most, they should be made to pay the assessment, he said.
"The donors wanted to see them with a skin in the game," Lybarger said.
The Tulsa City Council is expected to vote on the proposed assessment Thursday, July 10. Up to $25 million in public funds would be raised for the downtown baseball stadium for the Tulsa Drillers. Another $30 million in private donations has nearly been raised.
Lybarger told the story of one donor, who once she called Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor, donated $2 million and only asked for a parking spot next to the stadium.
While it made for a good story, Lybarger said the project will not include parking.
"There will be no new parking. There is plenty of parking within a 5-minute walk," Lybarger said. The new City Hall parking garage alone has 1,200 slots a half-block away, for example.
"We do not want people parking in a garage to any great extent," he said. "We've learned that when they do come to an event, they tend to return to the garage, get in their cars and go home.
"We want them walking on the street," he said.
Anyone who donates to the project will receive some recognition, he said. It could be bricks with peoples' names on them, but "we are open to ideas."
Once the BOk Center is open, there will be an army of volunteers helping with parking, said Suzann Stewart, senior vice president and executive director of the Tulsa Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We have done an analyisis of parking and produced maps with all downtown parking," she said. "We are training volunteers for the first three months of the BOk Center's opening. And eventually, when the baseball stadium is open, we will have people helping to direct people find their way around downtown before and after events."
Lybarger also stressed how property values will increase once the ballpark is open. He used Oklahoma City as a reference. Since Bricktown has become so successful, property values are rising throughout the core downtown.
"Now, the area developing is the Uptown, on the north edge — an area that was once blighted is now a mix of businesss and residential," he said.
Neighbor Newspapers
7/10/2008
What exactly is Broken Arrow's population?
The answer depends on who you talk to.
Figures being released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau show Broken Arrow's population was 90,714 as of July 2007, an increase of 2,781 from the prior year.
City officials, however, contend 95,000 is a more accurate figure and say they fully expect the number to be more than 100,000 by the time the next census rolls around.
Whatever the correct number may be, BA's growth continues a trend that shows area suburbs to outpacing Tulsa.
Broken Arrow's population increased 3.2 percent from 2006 to 2007. Tulsa's growth for the period was slightly less than 0.4 percent. Jenks' population rose 5.5 percent, Owasso was up 4.9 percent and Coweta grew by 3.9 percent.
Broken Arrow remains officially the fifth-largest city in the state, but that ranking is disputed by city leaders who point out Norman's population includes students at the University of Oklahoma and Lawton includes the unstable population of a major militry base.
And with only about half of the city urbanized, Mayor Wade McCaleb said Broken Arrow still has "plenty of room to grow."
Construction is about to begin on about five large subdivisions in the city, he said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2008
Contact: Mike Cotrill, RCE
Chief Operating Officer
(918) 663-7500
mcotrill@tulsarealtors.com
Tulsarealtors.com Public Website Enhanced
TULSA, OK (June 27, 2008) – The Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS®’ (GTAR) public website, tulsarealtors.com has just been updated with significant new changes. The new version includes:
1. Open house search feature, including up to 16 photos, virtual tours, Google mapping (including aerial imagery) , and driving directions to the property; there are currently over 300 open houses listed each week.
2. Residential search feature includes custom searches, saved searches, saved listings, printable property detail sheets, 16 photos, virtual tours, Google mapping (including aerial imagery) , and driving directions to the property.
3. “REALTOR® benefit” section highlighting the services REALTORS® provide for consumers.
4. Estimate Your Home’s Value feature that allows consumers to get an estimated price for their home. For a more accurate value estimate it is always best to contact a REALTOR® . They evaluate the neighborhood features, surroundings, comparable home information, and analyze them to determine an estimated price for your home.
5. Parade of Homes link; the Parade of Homes is presented by the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa.
6. Demographic link on each home listing detail page; this is GTAR’s new eNeighborhoods product that gives agents and consumers demographic data based on the address they select.
Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS®
PR – Tulsarealtors.com Public Website Enhanced
Page 2
According to the NAR 2007 survey on home buyers and sellers, 91% of home buyers between the ages of 25 and 44 used the Internet in their home search; 80% of all buyers started their home search online. Internet buyers spent 2.2 weeks looking for the home they purchased, compared to 7.1 weeks for the traditional buyer who did not go online. “With today’s gas prices, that is a significant amount of savings for home buyers,” commented NORES President Doug Horton. Typical buyers spend time driving around looking for “For Sale”
signs in neighborhoods; now they can go online to tulsarealtors.com and view homes based on their criteria, which includes, price range, subdivision, school district, ZIP code, and more. The website uses the same database as the MLS system the REALTORS® use to search for homes, so each listing’s details on the website are the most up-to-date in the market. Other websites, such as realtor.com, are only updated once a day. The problem with websites such as realtor.com is that not all of the properties show all of the details or photos— agents must pay for enhanced listings in order to have all the photos viewable, which can be very costly. At tulsarealtors.com, all properties that are available in the MLS system are listed in real-time; currently, there are around 6,632 single family homes for sale on the website.
The tulsarealtors.com website averages 1.5 million total hits, 37,000 total visitors, and over 60,000 property searches per month. The Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS® has leveraged its technical expertise and embraced technology in order to meet the demands of today’s tech-savvy consumers.
MSN ranks Tulsa as the 9th best bargain real estate market. According to the report, Tulsa ranks 9th as the most affordable housing market among the 100 largest U.S. metro areas. Bert Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places, evaluated the markets based on unemployment, commute times, and there’s enough interesting entertainment or recreation to keep most people busy. They defined affordability by the ration of median income to median home price.
Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS®
PR – Tulsarealtors.com Public Website Enhanced
Page 3
The average price of homes in the Tulsa MSA has increased 3.8% year-to-date compared to this same time last year. The average price in May 2008 compared to May 2007 decreased 2%. The median price for May 2008 increased 3.6% compared to May 2007. Consumers can find more statistics by going to tulsarealtors.com and selecting the “Good Thing You’re in Tulsa” logo in the upper right hand side of the page. The Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS® is a real estate organization whose members are united to provide services; to promote education, professionalism, and ethical standards in order to assist members in better serving the public and protecting the free enterprise system and private property rights.
Statistics on Internet Presence
o 92% of Internet Buyers found their agent on a web site: 63% found the agent through an Internet Search Engine; 0% claimed to find their agent through brochures, flyers, yard signs or mailers to their home. (Doesn’t this tell you to spend more on Internet Marketing and less on print?)
o In 2000, 28% of people surveyed said that they used the Internet as an important part of their home-buying and selection process. According to NAR by 2010 100% will use the Internet as a part of their home-buying and selection process.
o 86% of Home Buyers started using the Internet as part of their process BEFORE they started looking for a specific home; the other 14% did after they started looking, but BEFORE they contacted a real estate agent. That means that 100% of Buyers surveyed started looking at homes first, agents second. When you combine that finding with the already existing one that fully 81% of Internet Buyers stay with the first real estate agent they choose to contact, you can see a powerful case for being able to have e-Consumers find you first.
o Internet Buyers spent an average of 4.8 weeks doing research before contacting an agent; Traditional Buyers only 1.7 weeks. That means an Internet Buyer is better prepared and twice as likely to not waste your time.
o Internet Buyers bought a home after spending on average 2.2 weeks looking for a home with an agent; Traditional Buyers spent an average of 7.1 weeks. How high would your productivity be if you could spend 2/3 of the time you now spend previewing homes with clients dedicated to writing contracts and marketing instead?
o Internet Buyers previewed an average of 6.7 homes with their agent (they had already eliminated ones they did not wish to see); Traditional Buyers previewed 15.4 homes; an average of just under nine fewer wasted showings per customer.
o The approximate distance between previous residence and new residence for traditional buyers was 25 miles; for Internet buyers, it was 242 miles (you can sell anywhere compared to traditional ways).
o Number of agents an Internet Buyer interviewed: 1; Traditional buyers: 3. (How would you like fewer auditions and more certain retentions?)
o 69% of Internet Buyers said response time was extremely important. 83% of those Buyers chose email as their favored communication method with their agent. 0% of the surveyed chose "in person." There are no current stats for how many internet buyers favor text messaging as their first choice. (The Internet is the new "office visit.")
o Internet Buyers were more satisfied with their agents ranking them 4.3 on a scale of 5 being “surpassed expectations” compared to a ranking of 3.3 from Traditional Buyers.
o Internet Buyers were far more satisfied in every important researched category than Traditional Buyers were. When asked the number one reason for satisfaction with their agent, 91% of Internet Buyers said that satisfaction was because their agent "was always quick to respond". 62% of Traditional Buyers said their number one reason was that their agent "worked hard on my behalf".
o 97% of Internet Buyers said they would use the same agent again; only 50% of Traditional Buyers said they would.
o Realtors want to be the first point of contact, but it is no longer a question of who the consumer will call but rather where the consumer will first go for information. The Internet is quickly gaining as the first point of contact for consumers because they can perform a number of searches using the same medium.
Information was taken from the 2077 NAR Technology Survey, Realty Times Online Magazine and an analysis of the 2006 California Real Estate Market by Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist and Vice President of the California Association of Realtors® (CAR®).
A system update occurred Thursday, May 26th. Below is an outline of the changes:
- New Login Screen – you can continue going to TulsaMLS.net (or, go to TulsaRealtors.com). You’ll be taken to this screen:
Enter your Username and Password in the right hand column under “Login”. (Username and password are the same that you have been using.)
Once you successfully login, the screens will be the same as what you have seen in the past (the blue “IMS’ screen, etc.).
- Email signature (in MarketLinx) – now accepts html.
- Year built source is a required field.
- Withdrawn properties no longer calculate Days on Market.
- Old “County Tax Records” tab/search has been removed. All counties that were under this tab are in Realist.
- Some values in the financials have been updated.
- “# Garages” field renamed to “Garage Capacity”.
- Pending Notices (Anticipated Closing Date – “ACD”) – if you have a Pending listing that goes 7 days past the ACD – you will receive an email notification that the listing needs to be updated.
- Report names have been changed:
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Old Value
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New Value
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Property Full Details
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Agent Only Full
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Property Quarter Details
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Agent Only Quarter
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No Photo Full Details
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Agent Only No Photo Full
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No Photo Quarter Details
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Agent Only No Photo Quarter
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Archive Report
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Agent Only Archive Report
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Buyer Full Details
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Public Full
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Buyer Quarter Details
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Public Quarter
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Buyer No Photo Quarter
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Public No Photo Quarter
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CMA Report
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Public Custom CMA
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CMA Buyer Report
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Public CMA
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Line Item Report
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Public Line Item
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- eNeighborhoods (“NORES Neighborhoods”) link available on the Agent Only Full (formerly Property Full Details):
This feature will provide you will information such as:
- Detailed school data, including contact information, enrollment statistics, school names and locations, etc.
- Maps
- Census Data (population, employment, income, etc.)
- Climate, etc.
GTAR’s public website, tulsarealtors.com has been updated. Significant new updates include; “Find a REALTOR” link which now includes member photos as well as a biography, the prominent display of Open House search, and the ability to log in to Member Services to access your MarketLinx account, WebMail, etc. PLEASE NOTE: As of July 1, tulsamls.net will be redirected to tulsarealtors.com and all members will log in to the Member Services page from this site. Click Here to view a step by step online demonstration to update your photo and biography. Any questions contact support@tulsarealtors.com
on the agenda today we will be discussing several different topics,
1.Point2 demo
2.Flyer program
3.Classified ads
4.Blog
5.Communications T.F. recommendation
6.MarketLinx/Property Data Form Suggestions
We will see a demo of a new website program that NORES would like to offer to our membership.
I have an idea to create a flyer program so that agents can create flyers by entering an MLS #, importing serveral fields and images. The flyer can then be printed, emailed or distributed to other NORES members.
We have several associates that want to sell items such as office furniture, computers, etc. that often ask staff to help them. This classifieds site would allow them do just that within the Tulsa real estate community.
All users will have the ability to create a tulsarealtors.com blog just as this.
The communications task force is recommending that the data systems committee recommend to the BOD to redesign the Member Service Page to make it more user friendly.
Are you blogging or using a social networking site such as facebook.com, myspace.com or activerain.com? These are all examples of social networking. Facebook the 5th most trafficked website in the world according to comScore.com. wow. Agents all over the country are using this as a marketing tool to create conversations around any georaphic area and virtually endless topics. visit forums.tulsarealtors.com/ and sign up today.
GTAR/NORES has a user forum that can be used for similar activities. Members can post buyer needs/wants or ask for answers regarding specific questions. Social media also appeals to a younger generation of buyers and sellers. It shows them that you are tech saavy and able to communicate in ways that are more familar to them.
Here is a quick fact chart about e-newsletters that is very intersting for those of you that market via email. This page talks about ways an association can use them to communicate with their membership, however you can use these to market to you COI, farm areas, etc.
www.realtor.org/eomag.nsf/b09e6f92bc4f3bd8862569c50072bc0c/bb33ab22fb5e36d1862574480038baa8/$FILE/e-Newsletter%20Serivce%23F19D5F.pdf/e-Newsletter%20Serivce%20Comparison_Chart.pdf
Check out the videocast that our helpdesk has been putting together. These are 2-3 mintue videos that can be useful in the event you forget exactly how to do something within the MLS or email.
http:/www.tulsarealtors.com/videocast.aspx
I am putting together a list of data aggregator websites and the places their Partners. Ultimately I would like to have a heirarchy chart showing where the listings mix.
Example - homes.com has distribution agreements with Zillow.com Vast, Google Base, Oodle.com, HarmonHomes.com, Trulia.com, Propbot.com, Yahoo Real Estate and Bargain Network.
Trulia.com - Here is a comment from there site. I am still researching this one. "nowhere except basic search engines, i.e. google, yahoo"
Tulsaworld.com - none,
Homesrealestateguide.com - none
Obeo.com - sent to you
Homesandland.com -google and yahoo and msn
Okbyowner.com - yahoo, aol, netscape, excite, google, msn, lycos, altavista, askjeeves
Yahoo.com - allows anyone to list for a $49.95 21 day fee.
| Sell Your Home with the Help of Yahoo! Classifieds |
| New! - Post your ad nationwide and reach the Internet's largest classified audience. |
- Your ad runs for 21 days and is viewable when users search Classifieds on Yahoo! Real Estate.
- Generate leads quickly with placement in front of millions of Yahoo! users.
- You're guaranteed a safe, simple, and secure purchase.
- Listing Fees: Residential Real Estate-$49.95
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Apartments.com is a leading national online apartment Internet Listing Service (ILS) distinguished by more than three million rental listings. Its personalized searches, highly visual ads featuring 360-degree virtual tours, professional photography and comprehensive community listings, make it possible for renters to access rental listings from across town or across the country. Renters can search for apartments by city and state or narrow down searches by zip code or specific property name. With 29 different amenity options to choose from, renters will find their perfect apartment on Apartments.com. Leads from highly qualified prospects are delivered to Apartments.com customers, decreasing the average cost of leasing an apartment.
Launched in 2006, eppraisal.com is a consumer-focused real estate analysis company. eppraisal.com is your first step in understanding your home's value and the local real estate market. Whether you are interested in buying, selling or just "looking", eppraisal.com provides the data, tools and resources to help you value homes, schools, neighborhoods, and local market trends. eppraisal.com also provides a quick and easy way to connect with local real estate professionals who can assist in the real estate process.
Experian is a global leader in providing value-added information solutions to organizations and consumers. Experian provides information, analytics, decision-making solutions and processing services. Using its comprehensive understanding of individuals, markets and economies, it helps organizations to find, develop and manage customer relationships to make their businesses more profitable. Experian promotes greater financial health and opportunity among consumers by enabling them to understand, manage and protect their personal information.
GreatSchools is a national, independent nonprofit organization committed to helping parents choose schools, support their children's education and improve schools in their community. More than 33 million users visited GreatSchools.net in 2006.
HomeGain is a leading, online platform for connecting real estate professionals with homebuyers and sellers. HomeGain's online tools give consumers the ability to find and compare agents and brokers nationwide, to research the value of their home and to view homes for sale. Real estate agents and brokers may choose from four unique solutions to fit their marketing needs. Acquired by Classified Ventures in 2005, HomeGain averages over five million website visits per month.
Founded in 1973, Homes & Land is a leading real estate marketer in North America. The company annually prints more than 65 million of its flagship Homes & Land magazines. The magazines are distributed in 30 thousand communities across the United States and Canada, making Homes & Land one of the most recognized brand names in real estate. Homes & Land initiated online real estate in 1992 when it began posting listings on the Internet. Today, HomesAndLand.com generates over 34 million page views per month. The company also publishes Home Guide magazine, Estates & Homes magazine and Rental Guide magazine.
Inman News is the leading independent real estate website and media news service. Inman News features a variety of residential and commercial syndicated columnists. Additionally, Inman News produces a variety of annual conferences for the real estate, mortgage, title, and technology industries. Inman News' Connect Conferences are the premier real estate and technology industry networking events, uniting the real estate industry's most influential leaders, innovators, decision makers, executives, and experts.
LendingTree is the nation's number one online lending exchange, providing a marketplace that connects consumers with multiple lenders that compete for their business. Since inception, LendingTree has facilitated more than 20 million loan requests and $152 billion in closed loan transactions. LendingTree provides access to mortgages and refinance loans, home equity loans/lines of credit, auto loans, personal loans, and credit cards.
NewHomeSource.com is the Web's largest and most comprehensive source for new home listings. NewHomeSource allows new home shoppers to find and research new home communities, plans, spec homes and model homes. NewHomeSource is the flagship product of Builder Homesite Inc., a consortium of 38 of the nation's largest homebuilders. Builder Homesite, Inc. and its subsidiary, New Home Technologies, were both founded with the same mission - to bring homebuilding industry leaders together to develop world-class marketing and technology solutions.
Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. (PREA), a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc., operates a franchise network of nearly 2,000 residential real estate brokerage offices across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and has over 64,000 sales professionals, making it one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise networks in North America. PREA's industry leading online strategy, powered in part by its exclusive relationship with Yahoo!, involves a proprietary national lead generation and management solution that facilitates and streamlines the real estate transaction process. PREA franchisees also offer to home sellers the exclusive Online Seller Advantage program that includes a unique Web ID and daily email updates of activity on and around their listed property.
RealtyTrac publishes the largest, most comprehensive and most accurate database of foreclosure and bank-owned homes, with over 850,000 properties from nearly 2,500 counties across the country. RealtyTrac offers interactive map-based search and free comparable sales data designed to help investors and homebuyers successfully purchase properties.
With its commitment to "making life's big decisions easier(tm)" Reply.com has become a leading provider of online consumer services that uniquely address the needs of both consumers and local marketers. Since its founding in 2001, Reply! has led the way in providing consumers with free-of-charge access to valuable services and decision-making tools in two core industries-real estate and automotive-with continuing expansion into financial services and other industries. At the same time, Reply! provides advertisers with highly reliable and scalable locally targeted performance-based marketing solutions that offer local advertisers hassle-free and profitable access to online consumers.
Zillow.com is an online real estate service dedicated to giving consumers and real estate professionals an edge in real estate by providing data and Zestimate™ home valuations on every home in the U.S. for free. Zillow also provides anyone the ability to post any home in the U.S. for sale or set a Make Me Move™ price. Knowing a home's value and sharing information on homes for sale will help everyone make smarter real estate decisions.
AOL.com -
Where does the content originate from?
AOL Real Estate receives data and content from a variety of sources. Partner logos identify ownership of all information provided. Our largest provider is Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES). FNRES aggregates broker and MLS listings for the millions of monthly AOL Real Estate users and provide access to instant home evaluations through FNRES' Cyberhomes expert tool at AOL Real Estate.
Google - None
cyberhomes.com
Trulia.com
homescape.com - partners with several newspapers as well as homegain.com
Homescape is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by five leading media companies: Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). To execute on its objectives, Classified Ventures has four leading businesses - Apartments.com, Cars.com, HomeGain and Homescape
frontdoor.com -
Here is a quote from their website - Do you charge for listings to be posted on the site?
"We do not charge for any listings to be included on our site. Brokers may submit their listings free of charge. We will offer out the opportunity to purchase premium placements in the coming months but there will be no obligation to take part."
vast.com
myreatly.com
oodle.com
hotpads.com
The agent login for test.tulsarealtors.com site is now funtioning properly. Members will be able to log in from this screen directly to their member services screen where they can enter the MLS system, check email, obtain forms, access Zipform and see an association even calendar.
The work is now underway for the consumer log in portion of the site. This will allow consumers to save searches and properties they find while searching the tulsarealtors.com website. They will also have the ability to select a search and be emailed daily when new properties meet their criteria.
Today we have the test.tulsarealtors.com site up and running. We are changing a few of the caching times so that the speed of the search queries will be improved. We are also finishing up the log in ability for the members as well as beginning on the the public log in. Which will enable consumers to save searches and homes they like.
The TulsaOpenhouse.com database has now doubled in size thanks to one of our brokers who is now sending us their open house data on a daily basis.
Mobile
we are moving the search results to their own page so that they do not appear under the search criteria. There will be a revice search button on the results page that will take you back to the search page to revise your criteria.
Here is a bit of good news (for me). This is a press release from NAR which put a smile on my face. I have been working towards this designation since Summer 2005. It consists of a combination of on the job experience and education, thus the 3 years it took to earn.
MIKE COTRILL RECEIVES RCE DESIGNATION FROM NAR
TULSA, OK -- Mike Cotrill, Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS® is being honored by the National Association of REALTORS® with the REALTORÒ association Certified Executive (RCE) designation, which recognizes exceptional efforts made by the REALTORÒ association executives.
Cotrill is one of only 304 REALTOR® association executives nationwide who have achieved this mark of excellence. Local and state association executives who hold the RCE designation represent more than 700,000 REALTORS® in 47 states.
“This is truly an honor and I am very proud to be receiving this designation. It is a high point in my career as an association executive,” Cotrill said.
Prior to becoming a candidate for the RCE designation, applicants must document their association management and academic experiences. Once they have completed this first step, eligible candidates must successfully complete a multiple choice exam, which is based on a comprehensive understanding of association operations and management practices. Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of areas critical to REALTOR® association management, including association law, governance and issues related to member services. To retain the designation, RCEs must be recertified every four years.
Cotrill will receive an award plaque from representatives of the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS® during their October Education Conference and Trade Show.
Why do we have a Spam filter on tulsarealtors.com? Yesterday there were 444,426 reasons, (blocked spam). In all, tulsarealtors.com email received 666,279 total emails, only 21,304 were allowed. the other 221,853 were either blocked, viruses, or invalid email address. If a legitimate email is blocked, notify the helpdesk by emailing helpdesk@tulsarealtors.com and we can whitelist the email address for you. We appologize for the few legit emails that are blocked, however as you can see from above, without a filter 444,426 unwanted emails would have been received by our 4000 members. That is 111 emails per person if they were distributed evenly across our membership.
Any more questions?
March was a busy month for tulsarealtors.com. The site had over 1.1 million hits (1,196,567) to be exact. 34,000 total visitors and 10,000 unique IP addresses. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Even more impressive was the total number of leads that were sent back to NORES users at NO cost. 120 people sent emails to agents direct after viewing property details, 36 requested more info (via email, however a different link on the site), 328 visited agent websites, and 148 emails were sent to a "friend". 1928 affiliate searches were also done.
Here are some other stats you might find interesting for the month of March. 12,259 properties were mapped, 96,502 photos were viewed, 50,352 property searches, and 2919 virtual tours were viewed.
What does all of this mean?
Let's start at the top, if you don't check your email you should. If you have changed email addresses and not notified NORES of the change, chances are leads could be going to an email address you no longer use. Some people will tell you to check it at least 2 times/day. I disagree, check it constantly, no excuses. If you are in the office your inbox should be open at all times and if you use an email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express it should be set to check for new mail every minute. If you are out of the office, consider a smart phone that has email capabilities. If you don't want the extra expense of the phone and added data plan costs from your cell phone provider, check your email from home. If you use tulsarealtors.com email you can find the directions here.
Secondly if you do not have a website, get one. This is where many buyers will go before they even call you. According to the NAR home buyer 2007 survey 81% of buyers begin their search online before they ever contact an agent.
The same survey found 91% of buyers between the ages 25-44 used the internet in some way during the home search process. 35% of the buyers first learned about the home they purchased from their REALTOR. Internet buyers spen 2.2 weeks searching for a home, compared to 7.1 weeks for a non internet user. The best news is 9 out of 10 internet buyers used a REALTOR to assist with the transaction. Websites should not be viewed as competition, rather an effective marketing tool that you can use to lure in the tech savy buyer.
Third, if you are not adding 16 photos to your listings, shame on you. Above I showed you a statistic that stated over 96,000 photos were viewed on the tulsarealtors.com website. the number one question sent back to associates from the tulsarealtors.com website is, do you have any more pictures that you can send me? Pictures, Pictures, Pictures......The NORES MLS system now allows you to enter up to 16 photos per listing. This number has doubled since this time last year. I expect to increase it again in the fall to 20. Remember a picture is worth a thousand words.
Bottom line here is technology is here to stay, you cannot expect to remain in business and be a top producing agent or expect any type of productivity if you do not embrace technology. The consumer is empowered with more information about a particular home or neighborhood than the agent in most transactions because they have already researched the area.
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The Commission continues to receive calls from licensees asking the following: “If a seller has never lived in the
property, can they complete a disclaimer form instead of a disclosure form?” The question cannot be answered until
you ask two additional questions: 1) Does the seller know about the condition of the property; and 2) does the seller
have actual knowledge of any defect? If the seller has made a repair to the property, to include a “cosmetic” repair, then
the seller will be required to complete a disclosure form, even though the seller has never lived in the property.
The definition of “condition” is a state of being; something essential to the appearance of something; or a restricting
or modifying factor. The definition of “cosmetic” is done or made for the sake of appearance; correcting defects;
decorative; or visually appealing. A licensee should use caution when suggesting the appropriate form for the seller to complete. If a seller wants to complete the disclaimer form, the licensee needs to ask the
seller three questions: 1) have you ever occupied the property; 2) do you have knowledge about the condition of the
property (remember the definition of condition); and 3) do you have actual knowledge of any defect. If the seller truthfully
can say no to all three of these questions, the seller may qualify to complete a disclaimer form. If you have additional questions, please contact the Commission.
I have others to add, just do not have their graphics yet. Stay tuned.....
Today 04/14/2008 we are currently experiencing issues with DisplayKEY USB Syncing, and eKEY syncing, as well as www.supraekey.com. Currently we are in DR mode, which will allow any agent to receive an update code via Kim Voice, we are also providing update codes for any agent who calls into the Agent Support Line (1-877-699-6787). We are currently investigating the issue and do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We will send a notice when the issues have been resolved.
Have you tried out the tulsarealtors.com/mobile site? You can now search the MLS from your smartphone, including your Blackberry and Iphones.
Simply use your MarketLinx username and password to login to the site.
The latest updates include;
• Listing Status search
• House Number search
• Street Name search
• Subdivision search
Future updates will include
Agent/Office search
My listings
Tomorrow may be another rainy day, but a great day inside for our members favorite event:
Realtor Appreciation Day, at the UMAC, (6836 S. Mingo) in the Gymnasium 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
75+ Booths of FREE Food, Fun, and Great Door Prizes!
Don't miss the CE class available before the Trade show from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm also at the UMAC, eStrategies: How to Give Consumers What They Really Want with national instructor, Verl Workman.
Please don’t expect to just show up to the CE class unregistered because we may not have a seat for you! Register TODAY to ensure your spot for eStrategies: How to Give Consumers What They Really Want with national instructor, Verl Workman 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at UMAC in the Redskin room. Cost for GTAR members is $15 pre-registered and $20 the day of class (if it’s not sold out). For more information on the class and to register online with Visa or MC: Under Member Resources, click Education–Enroll in Classes, then click Register for Classes. The free Trade Show is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit more than 65 booths of information and services, while enjoying free food, and as usual, there will be tons of door prizes given away during the show. New this year: Look for the row of tech booths. For more information about REALTOR® Appreciation Day, including a list of participating affiliate members, read the April issue of the GTAR World Newsletter online now under the Messages/Information tab.
Have you ever wondered where your listings can be found on the internet? Here is a quick look at a few sites and where they send your listing content. Some sites are "agent friendly" and some are not.
By saying "agent friendly" I refer to the data aggregators that do not sell your listings to others once you post on their site. An example of an agent friendly site is Google, when a listing is found, a consumer can select the image or listing details and be sent directly back to the site that listed the home with Google. Here is an example.
Let's start with NORES. NORES does not sell MLS data, or any other data for that matter, to any vendors. We send your listings to tulsarealtors.com, google.com, REALTOR.com, and soon to be secondspace.com. All of these sites are carefully pre-screened to ensure they do not re-sell or re-distribute data.
Here are a few others. As more information becomes available I hope to have a list compiled to show where exactly the top real estate sites are sending their data.
turlia.com sends listings to and I quote "nowhere except basic search engines, i.e. google, yahoo" which "nowhere except ...." to me is a little scary. Shouldn't they be able to tell us exaclty where they go? Why are they telling consumers "nowhere except..."
Homesandland.com - "google and yahoo and msn, etc" I have seen their listings in other places as well, such as frontdoor.com. Frontdoor.com is powered by HGTV.
Where else do these listings go, what are they hiding? Are they profiting from your listings? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I do know that agents should be better informed of what is happening with their data, especially if you are plannning on buying leads from an online source.
Changes coming to tulsarealtors.com include a vacant land search as well as a commercial search area. These will occur with the next release, hopefully by May 1st. In the same update, all MLS users will login from the tulsarealtors.com site to a member only area where you can access you profile, enroll in education courses, log into Zipform, check your email as well as update your GTAR/NORES Blog.
In the near future all GTAR/NORES members as well as GTAR Affiliate members will be able to create their own blog. We are still working out the details, more information will come very soon.
First day of testing 4:49 04/08/2008.