SEVRAR / BlueRoof360.com Technology Conference - January 27, 2009!

Hi everyone…

I wanted to let you know about the SEVRAR / BlueRoof360.com Technology Conference on the 27th of January 2009!

We’re holding it at the Mesa Convention Center in Building B and we have some FANTASTIC people lined up to speak!

Jack Peckham - Founder and CEO of the Real Estate Cyberspace Society (www.RECyber.com)
Greg Tracy - REALTOR and Founder of www.BlueRoof360.com
Joeann Fossland- GRI Technology Instructor and Business and Life Coach - www.Joeann.com
Chip Lambert- LinkedIn Master Instructor from www.IntegratedAlliance.com
Bill Austin- Social Media Guru & the 3rd most linked person in Phoenix on LinkedIn www.azhttp.com
Jay Thompson- Blogger Extraordinary - www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
Chris McKeever- NAR Center for REALTOR Technology - http://www.realtor.org/technology
Jeff Raskin - Microsoft Expert - http://technologyforrealestate.net/
Kathy Lunak- AAR Transaction Management - http://www.aaronline.com/TM/

In addition, ARMLS will be doing training all day long on the following topics

Custom Views and Q & A
Business Cards, Flyers and Q & A
Personal Preferences and Q & A
Wireless flexmls and Q & A

If that was not enough you will get the opportunity for one on one time with experts in:

Blogging
Twitter
LinkedIn & Other Social Media
Search Engine Optimization
Tablet Computers
Technology Tools
Transaction Management

Also be sure to stop by and see our very own Arizona rep Candace Robinson at the Diverse Solutions booth.  Diverse Solutions will be offering some training in conjunction with ARMLS.  For those seeking an outstanding SEARCH MLS page to diversify your online presence and make a better search experience for your consumers be sure to stop by and see the great offer that DS has for you!

SEVRAR Members and Non-Members planning on attending the Keynote Address should Sign up with this form so you can order lunch (the address is over the lunch hour 12:00-1:00).

As always, SEVRAR Members who don’t feel they need lunch can sign up at www.SEVRAR.com

Our Keynote Address by Jack Peckham is over the Lunch Break so please DON’T FORGET TO ORDER A LUNCH when registering!

Thanks to our sponsors for keeping this event FREE to EVERYONE!

www.BlueRoof360.com
www.SendOutCards.Com
www.REALTOR.org
www.ORHP.com
www.magnustitle.com
www.DiverseSolutions.com
www.Zillow.com
www.HWA.com
www.VisitMyLuxuryHome.com
www.mycomputerworks.com
www.ARMLS.com
www.Superlative.com
www.DynamicPageSolutions.com
American Title Agency

Bloggers - you have my permission and are encouraged to CUT AND PASTE this article into your own blog!

1ParkPlace or Diverse Solutions?

Mark Ryan, Broker, CRS, ABR just recently wrote a great question that is so detrimental to our business. Making decisions that will effect our online presence and ways to reach out to prospective clients using IDX solutions. As he is deciding what IDX platform to use he poses the quesiton below.  I thought I would share my response as I am a huge fan of Diverse Solutions.

If you find yourself in the corner and trying to decide which direction to go, do as Mark did and ask those that are using the products.

I, personally don’t promote spamming up someones comment section (Sorry Mark) and had no intent, but I write with a lot of passion when it comes to Diverse Solutions.  Not only do they provide great features, the consumers can do the following on your own site/s with so much ease!

* Unrestricted access to all properties

* Receive property updates for your searches via Email

* Save your favorite properties * Add your own notes to listings

* Create and save your personal searches

* Keep track of properties you’ve viewed

* Receive updates through a RSS reader

Via Mark Ryan, Broker, CRS, ABR:

WHAT TO DO???

Ok, it looks like they are both good but can anyone give me input after having used both?

How about the good and/or bad of each for the one  you use?

How was the set up if you were the FIRST in your MLS to set up?

What I LOVE about both is the ability for spiders to index the rss feeds… that is WHY I am looking to go with one of them… So, unless there are other IDX providers out there I know I want one of these… IF there are other options WITH the RSS feed and ability for spiders to INDEX the post… please let me know.

Thanks and looking forward to hearing a lot of great feedback!

Here is my response:

Mark - I personally can say many wonderful things about Diverse Solutions!! I, like you searched out several options with 1ParkPlace &; Diverse Solutions and others. After trying many and working with the customer service reps with several of the companies mentioned above, there is no question there is a huge difference in my opinion.

I went with Diverse Solutions for several reasons, the look, the ability to customize and the flexibility of the features was the highest priority.  Obviously I wanted ease of usability for my prospective clients too!

The fact that Diverse Solutions is constantly working to improve it’s product is appealing to me as well. Most recently this week they have rolled out a new update and the newly added features are fantastic.  Staying in the front of the pack in the IDX industry is a high priority with DS and I’ve seen the progress they are making daily. Surely something to keep an eye on!!

You mention RSS Feeds, I use these to death, a great feature you don’t get with most other providers!!  I have them built into my blog pages, I send them out to my buyers, I place them within the body of my emails, posts and various posts within Activerain too!

The modules are awesome and I love the ease of use to pop one into a page. I have my Diverse Solutions Search IDX Page on two sites and pay one price!! I use the links everywhere, in fliers I create and the search results I get are picking up dramatically!

The Admin control panel is so user friendly and helps you keep all your contacts so organized. The Agent Chat is so awesome and it sends vistors comments to my cell phone (SMS) with a text if I’m not at my computer.

The card and newsletter program, email campaigns and all the added features are so amazing. All this in one place is fantastic.. The best part for me is that the support is above and beyond what most companies are willing to offer in the technology field. I am all about Diverse Solutions and if you need any questions answered personally please don’t hesitate to contact me direct …

I know several associates and brokers that use it and I believe I can speak on their behalf, that Diverse Solutions is on the cutting edge and leading the pack for IDX solutions for us Real Estate Professionals!  Best of luck in your decision! (sorry for the lengthy essay here, but I truly am a huge DS Fan)

Candace Robinson (comment response November 13, 2008)

If you have any questions regarding Diverse Solutions and would like some help setting up your blogs, websites or other sites, please don’t hesitate to contact me direct at 480.202.3558 or Candace@AZREBlogs.com

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Different FREE IDX Options - ARMLS Integration

Are you still framing the IDX feed that you get for free from ARMLS? Think that is your only option?  Think again…at the ARMLS Tech Fair I found two different options for FREE IDX integration.

First one is Diverse Solutions.  Their dsSearchAgent “Lite” product includes map search, Satellite and Terrain maps, and flash slide shows for the pictures from each listing.  They have a paid version that includes lots of other features including a text messaging widget that allows visitors to text you right from your website.  This is a good general search option.

For those who want to specialize in a particular area, visit CyberhomesPro.com and click on “Cyberhomes Smart Frame.”  This will take you to a search page for city, state or zip, then give you the embed code you need to add it to your website.  The company would like you to purchase ads on their main page, but it is not necessary to use the service. The reason it is free is because it is an ad based model, however no ads show up on your site.

If you use one of these solutions, let us know what you think!

Rob the Tech Guy

Diverse Solutions Comes to Arizona - ARMLS Tech Fair

For those of you that didn’t make it by the ARMLS Tech Fair on August 21-22 this past week, there is no doubt you missed some fantastic vendors that are moving and shaking in the real estate technology field.

If you haven’t put technology on your ‘to-do’  list to investigate for your real estate business then I’m here to tell you shouldn’t waste anymore time!

I personally am a gadget junkie and anyone that knows me personally will tell you that I love working on the Internet, love trying and testing new gadgets and can always find me on my computer!  I’m all about learning new technology that will help my real estate business. Fry’s Electronics in Tempe is a hot spot of mine along with www.newegg.com!

Jay, Jonathan and I were invited to be guests of Diverse Solutions a vendor that offers the dsSearchAgent IDX solutions for real estate professionals. I have nothing but good reports from my clients that find my Search Phoenix MLS page with the dsSearchAgent mapping system is a breeze to work with and very user friendly.

The added modules and upgrade features available for agents and brokers is pretty slick. If you haven’t take a stroll on Diverse Solutions website, I encourage you to do so! I think once you share this product with your clients, I am confident they won’t be looking anywhere else!

Some of the features you will enjoy are the instant, single page interface so that your visitors spend less time waiting and more time searching.  A complete custom RSS feeds that can be created by you, assistant or your visitor.  You will also find integrated Google Steet View in the property details of every single property (when available).  Built in flash slideshow with the option to view full size photos and not jumping off the page!  Complete color customization so the the IDX solution perfectly matches the colors of your websites.

One of my favorite features is the dsAgentChat® dialog chat boxes so visitors can chat live with you while actually searching the MLS.  If you aren’t near your computer then you get a SMS text message direct to your cell phone and able to text a response immediately!  Isn’t technology fantastic!!

The ARMLS Tech Fair turned out to be a blast hanging with Robert Luna and Corey Kozlowski with Diverse Solutions, Jay and Jonathan.

If you are interested in taking a test drive or want more information visit ARMLS site here.  If you have any questions or thoughts about how the dsSearchAgent IDX works or other features, send me an text/chat request and I will be happy to give you my testimonial personally!