Software Improvement Announcement
Our newest software release was completed on April 10th. This release included many behind-the-scenes updates for continued performance and reliability. Also, our major feature update is the introduction of the Operations Center - your Online Office command center. For more information about this release please visit our Recent Updates page.
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Point2 Out and About
Point2 makes an appearance at quite a few conferences and events throughout the year meeting various agents, brokers, and industry experts.
Recently, we attended the National Association of Realtors® 2008 Association Executives Institute conference in Boston March 29-April 2, 2008 where Point2 representatives Linda Jame, Director of Enterprise Solutions, and CEO Saul Klein mingled with MLS executives. Saul Klein was a presenter on the topic of "Identifying and Fulfilling Member Expectations in the Age of Wikinomics and the Long Tail" on Sunday, March 30th. With Point2 expanding to accomodate large MLS Boards and Associations we were thrilled to attend this event.
Later in April, Linda Jame was privileged to attend the 2nd Annual Really Awesome Women in Real Estate conference in Albuquerque, NM from April 21-23. As part of the conference Linda participated in the Panel: Technology Trends. Point2 recognizes the importance of women in business and are happy to make a donation to KIVA, an organization that provides business loans to women in developing countries.
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Special Promotion with ExpressCopy
Point2 has arranged for a special Point2 member promotion at Expresscopy, the simplest, fastest way to build your direct mail campaigns. Point2 members now get 100 free jumbo postcards, or an equivalent alternative of their choice! Click here for more information.
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Featured Listings of the Month
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Unique custom family home in a tropical setting. This property boasts detailed finishing using imported materials from exotic Bali. The listing photos showcase the property beautifully.
Listing Agent: Rachel Nack - Re/Max Island Surf |
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Remarkable home and outbuildings make this a dream property for horse lovers. With lots of detailed information and photos this listing is sure to grab the attention of visitors.
Listing Agent: Tonya Donaldson - REALM Real Estate Professionals |
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Taking the Perfect Shot - Part 2
In our last article we discussed using the correct zoom to take excellent listing photos. In this article we will consider how to Show the House at its Best.
When company is coming over for dinner, people will rarely welcome guests to a messy home. Great lengths may be taken to ensure that a home appears tidy, cozy, and well kept. The fact of the matter is: a tidy home just looks better. The same should be considered when taking photos of your listings. Highlight the home in the best way possible by ensuring it looks like it has received the same care and attention as if the viewer was a special guest invited for dinner.
The sample image below illustrates an example of showing how just a bit of decluttering and tidying can make a room look much more appealing to a prospective buyer.
This is just one of many great tips that home stagers use to showcase a property. Read a related article below with additional advice from professional home staging experts. Also, stay tuned for next month's third and final installment in our Taking the Perfect Shot mini-series
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Exposure Engine™ Partner of the Month - Google™ Base
Make it as easy as possible for people to find your real estate listings on Google™. Over 56% of all Internet searches on "real estate" and related terms are conducted on Google and its search partner sites, and the majority of those searchers are actively looking for listings or referrals to brokers and agents. Want to make sure all those people can find your listings? It's easy and free - just submit your listings to Google Base™, and from then on, they will be ready to be found by Google users.
View what a listing looks like on Google Base™
View a complete list of our syndication partners
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Vendor Spotlight
This month's Spotlight falls on Get A Grip Audio Solutions.
Get a Grip Audio Solutions gives you the flexibility of adding audio attachments to your website listings, points of interest, and more. Assisting with everything from copywriting, recording, and uploading, Get a Grip will help transform your visual listings into audio masterpieces. For more information, visit their website.
Enter to win: Standard members, when you take the free 14-day Professional Trial (activiated by clicking on the Point2 Agent Professional banner above the Operations Center in your Online Office), your name will be automatically entered into May's draw to win the customized website header graphic.
For all other members, your name will also be entered into the draw for every Coaching Session you register for and attend. Check out our complimentary sessions and register now.
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Point2 Customer Service Tip: Participate in the Referral Network
Want to be able to send or receive referrals from agents all over the world? Referrals have the potential to be an extremely profitable revenue source for many real estate agents. Networking with other agents allows you to grow your referral database and therefore increase revenue possibilities. Point2 offers a global Referral Network where you can expand your client services beyond your local selling area!
To participate in the Referral Network, simply follow the steps outlined in our User Manual and Training Videos. Set up your profile today and start connecting!
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Set the Stage for Buyers
The Value of Home Staging
Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to selling to be aesthetically pleasing to prospective buyers.
While the concept of home staging is not a new one, it has become increasingly popluar and in some markets very essential to the successful sale of a home for a desirable price.
I had the opportunity to chat with Carrie Ann Basso of Bliss ReDesigns, a leading home staging expert in the busy Okanagan BC real estate market, to find out more about home staging, the benefits, and for some advice.
Q: As a home stager, are the majority of clients comprised of sellers themselves or real estate agents on behalf of their sellers? A: The majority of inquires and actual Staging jobs have come from the sellers themselves. I feel confident that once the Realtors start implementing our services to merchandise their properties they clearly will see faster, more profitable sales. It is a win win situation for both the Realtor and Seller. Staging has prospered in the larger cities throughout Canada and we now see the popularity of our service in Kelowna, B.C.
Q: What areas do you spend the majority of your focus when staging a home? A: Home Staging is all about high impact presentation. We are all about the 1st Impression. Statistics say that people buy on emotion and it only takes 90 seconds in making a decision when purchasing a home. Generally we focus on creating "a lifestyle". We portray lifestyles so that the potential buyers start to envision themselves wanting to live in this environment. Decluttering, depersonalizing, and cleaning are all important factors as well as they allow the potential buyer to see the walls and floor space, the storage capacity and give the feeling of "move in ready".
Q: What are considered the most common 'trouble areas' that require attention? A: Staging is enhancing your homes potential and diminishing its flaws so if there are troubled areas in a home before Staging they are not a concern after Staging has been completed. The most troubled areas that require attention are bathrooms and kitchens. Even though the seller understands the concept of Staging, they find it difficult to upgrade these rooms when they will not be living there anymore.
Q: How does home staging benefit real estate professionals today? A: Realtors can benefit by utilizing Staging as it is a very effective marketing tool. Here are some reasons below:
- By offering Staging as a complimentary service, your clients view you as someone who looking out for their best interests and as a leader and trend setter in their field.
- By offering Staging, we get your clients home to be "show home" ready. This provides great MLS pictures. If your listings show well then it makes the potential buyers "must see list".
- In a buyers market it helps enhance the homes potential, making it stand out from the competition. In a sellers market a professionally staged house can create an even higher demand for your property.
Easy Ways to Stage on a Budget
- Paint Those Walls - Without a doubt, painting a room is one of your best and most versatile design tools.
- Hang Prints or Mirrors - Prints and other artwork add character to your home. Mirrors can effectively make a room appear larger. Try to place a mirror where it can reflect an attractive view, whether it be be an outdoor garden or an architectural element.
- Decorate With Plants - Take advantage of having live plants, if you have a green thumb. Otherwise there are beautiful varieties of imitation arrangements that can fool the eye.
- Display Keepsakes in Groups - Display your items in groups of three's or five's. This captivates the eye and adds drama to a room. Do not over-accessorize as it will start to become cluttered.
- Lower the Lights - A great option is to have your lighting on dimmer switches which allows for 'mood lighting'.
- Try the Unexpected - Think outside the box. Use furniture for different functions to create a unique piece. For example, take cast iron planter urns, add a glass top and use it as a bedside table.
Carrie Basso works in partnership with Debbie Tolpinrud of By Inspired Design to tackle all sorts of home staging projects.
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The Buzz Around the Point2 Community
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always a hot topic on our Message Board. An excellent thread about Blogging for SEO has some relevant advice and tips for any blogger and those interested in SEO. Read the entire post here and join in the discussion .
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Point2 Academy - Food For Thought
 If you've ever had the pleasure of sitting and watching fish in an aquarium, you'll not only notice the peace and tranquility that can be experienced, but also the realization that living things commonly possess certain similar traits. Let's use the fish from the Point2 Marketing department for this example. In watching the three of them in their tank, they spend a lot of time digging around, looking for food (despite the fact that they are regularly fed). They will purposely go to an area of the tank and inhale what looks like a viable food item, only to spit it out immediately if it is not what they were hoping it to be. They repeat this process over and over until they find what they want, then sit and slowly nibble at it, enjoying the fruits of their labour.
I hear you asking, "What are you getting at?". Rest assured, I have not lost my mind...yet.
This continual foraging parallels the actions used by online visitors, looking for the information, products, or services they are hoping to find. Upon searching a term, the visitor "inhales" and takes in the list of possible sites, visits them, then immediately decides whether or not this is a viable option. They "spit out" the ones that are not immediately appealing or look like they hold the information that is relevant to them, but will stop and "nibble", or take in, the ones that appear to be solving their immediate needs. This means that your site, as much as you want it to be about you and the services you offer, needs to be attractive to the average visitor and must satisfy their needs.
What are people looking for when online? Information. Information. Information...and in an easy-to-read, attractive layout that doesn't require them to do a lot of further searching or reading. Keep things crisp, to-the-point, and accessible. If the key things that visitors want cannot be found on your site within thirty seconds, consider revising your page structure, the location of the information, or the delivery of that information. That will help keep visitors on your site, nibbling on the information they initially wanted, but still interested enough to forage a little further into other areas and topics. Giving them the information they want now also means that they will continually return to your site when wanting further nibbles on similar information. Some food for thought...
Quote (and pun) of the month: "No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise." - Lewis Carroll
Tanya Spilchak
Point2 Education Specialist
Point2 Academy: coach@point2.com
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Upcoming Coaching Sessions
Register and attend any or all session, and your name is automatically entered into our monthly draw to win 3 audio listing attachments from Get a Grip Audio Solutions (see "Vendor Spotlight" above for more details).
Sign up now to secure your seat in the sessions.
 Friday, May 2 - 12:00-1:00pm Eastern
"Introduction to the Capabilities of Outlook "
Desiree Savory - Big Mama Real Estate
In a previous session with Desiree, the subject of using Outlook was raised, along with the questions of what can be done with it to maximize efficiency and add benefit to a Real Estate business. Desiree will be discussing the various ways you can use Outlook to keep you in contact with key people, as well as increase productivity and revenue. Register.
 Thursday, May 8 - 1:00-2:00pm Eastern
"Turn Your Website into a Super Lead Generator "
Suzanne Stephens- Suzanne Stephens - Custom Design for Point2 Sites
Many of you know Suzanne through her involvement on the Message Board. Proficient in website design and marketing, Suzanne has shared a wealth of knowledge in that forum, and is now going to share it through the Point2 Academy! Join us for a discussion-based session with Suzanne and special guests, on how you can take your website and apply design and marketing principles to turn it into a super lead generator. Register.
 Friday, May 16 - 1:00-2:00pm Eastern
"Ways to Retain and Empower Your Employees "
Bob Corcoran- Corcoran Coaching and Consulting
The success of your Real Estate business relies not only on you, but also your support staff and those assisting with business needs. Join Bob as he examines ways to empower these individuals, so that everyone wins.
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Working With Email
Did you know that Point2 offers email services with all our packages? Having branded email is a very successful business tool which you can use to increase your exposure. Email hosting is included for all members. The size and type of email accounts provided is determined by your membership level.
Explore your email options by visiting our User Manual or Training Videos.
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Your Resources
As a Point2 member, there are a number of resources that are at your disposal at any given time:
 User Manual - contains textual instructions as to how to use, manage, and update components of your website and accompanying marketing aspects. Find it online at http://nls.point2.com/help
 Training Videos - visually goes through the instructions and information that is found in the User Manual, as many of us learn visually. Find the corresponding video on each page of the User Manual, or view the entire list
 Message Board - ask questions, provide responses, review information from moderators and others in the Point2 community. Find the Message Board here.
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