John Hall & Associates - Phoenix Real Estate Brokerage

The ARMLS listing database that is.  Nobody is going to be able to change/update/add/delete any listing information from July 25th to the 27th.  Freezing the database allows flexmls® Web to convert the last of the data from Tempo to their system.  Staples and OfficeMax have stocked up on notepads expecting a heavy run from real estate agents needing to write down listing edits so they don’t forget.  

On Monday the 28th, if all goes as planned, you will begin changing/updating/adding/deleting listing information in the new flexmls system.  As you may know, Tempo will never thaw out.  It will remain frozen and will no longer have updated listing information.  You will be able to access Tempo for about a month to give you a chance to get all your saved searches transferred over. 

We know you won’t panic on July 25th, but we’re worried about the thousands of ARMLS members that don’t read our blog.  They might be surprised to find their MLS shutting off this vital feature.  So help us spread the word and encourage others to sign-up for a flexmls class.

After playing with flexmls for about a week, we need to re-emphasize the importance of signing up for some flexmls training sessions. Being that this is a new system with many more bells and whistles than Marketlinx, our fear is that you may get frustrated attempting to do some basic functions. That’s why it is our recommendation to attend training classes as soon as possible. Your login is suppose to go live next week, and so is the training done by LandAmerica.

After speaking with Cynthia Lujan, we learned that LandAmerica is teaching a 100-minute beginners class (similar to ARMLS) repeatedly all around the valley starting on June 30th. Not only will they have access to the same handouts ARMLS has, they have made some of their own. For example, here is their Saved Search Worksheet. Each of their trainers will also be providing support for the new system starting June 30th. ARMLS support will begin July 15th.

Follow the links for the schedules and online sign-up forms.

Flexmls training in Chandler

Flexmls training in Glendale

Flexmls training in Mesa

Flexmls training in Scottsdale

Flexmls training in Surprise

Flexmls training in West Phoenix

Cynthia and her training partner Kathie have set up a blog dedicated to answering questions that come up in the class. Check it out - Flexin’ with LandAmerica.

pkitano @drubloomfield @irenehammond Hi! I’ll be in PHX Camelback Rd all Thursday afternoon, would love to meet up w/ you (thx to @phoenixreguy) 07:10 PM June 17, 2008 from twhirl in reply to drubloomfield

Earlier this week, I had the good fortune to receive an invitation (above) to attend a seminar by Pat Kitano on Social Media, how it’s changing the business of real estate, and why it’s important to participate.  One of the major points Pat made during his presentation was that a person’s online presence, in services like Twitter and FriendFeed, is the new resume. 

Phil Sexton and I have both posted here on Twitter before, but FriendFeed may be new to you.  FriendFeed  allows you to merge feeds from your blog, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and the many other social media sources into one area.  Some of the benefits of FriendFeed include: 

1. You can follow a conversation, even over a span of time, because comments can be grouped.
2. Blog feeds and other network sites can be set up to feed into FriendFeed automatically.
3. The room concept creates a room (either public or private) to gather a group of friends to discuss topics has a lot of potential.

Pat has posted the two following slide shows on Social Media, and why it’s important to utilize.  Both are highly recommended!

Explaining the Impact of Twitter and FriendFeed

How Mass Media is Embracing Social Media

Thanks to Diane Scherer (our newest contributing author!) we got word that Palm is offering a FREE vehicle charger and carrying pouch when you purchase their Palm Centro from At&T or Sprint. This offer is only for …straight from the flyer…

Real estate agents or real estate associates subscribing to GE Security services in the United States.

That means us real estate agents or associates here in Phoenix - if you are a Supra subscriber. So, if you have bought the Centro between May 15th and December 31st of 2008 fill-out the form, send it in and return the car charger you probably already purchased. ;)

Jim and Phil Sexton got an opportunity to attend a “Train the Trainer” webinar hosted at ARMLS Tuesday afternoon for flexmls®.  This was session 1 of 2 for third party vendors (such as title companies, lenders, or local brokers) who plan to help teach the flexmls® sytem to agents in the coming months.  Barbara Hoffman (ARMLS) hosted a webinar by Melissa Brown (FBS) for the 75-80 attendees.  Some of the golden nuggets from the session include the critical dates of the conversion and a few flexmls® highlights. Read the rest of this entry »

After listening to the recording of “New Standards of Performance for the Modern Real Estate Professional” by Amy Chorew at the 2007 NAR conference, I learned many cellphone carriers give discounts to NAR members….so I called Verizon.  Sure enough! 

They emailed me a form that I filled out and faxed back to them with a copy of my membership card.  So for all you Verizon members, here’s the form.  For all the non-Verizon members, give your carrier a call and let us know if the answer is Yay or Nay. 

It’s like found money!

7/1/08 UPDATE:  We have not heard of anyone being successful in getting this Verizon discount.  However, real estate agents with John Hall & Associates can get a 4% discount using the same form.  

We got the opportunity to send a few self-proclaimed computer-challenged real estate agents to a test training session of the new ARMLS provider, FlexMLS.  Here is what one of the agents posted on our intranet…

I went to a training class on the flexmls which is scheduled to go live for us July 28th.
I can actually say that the system IS NOT DIFFICULT. Everything is laid out on the dashboard and is easy to find. The mapping system is fantastic. You can even program the flexmls to search for listings on a set day or time for a particular client and you will get a copy of what is sent. This computer system does it automatically for you. Your client will send back to you one of three faces: He’ll click on the HAPPY FACE if he wants to see it, click on the bland face if it’s a so-so or maybe listing, and click on the frowning face if he has no interest in that property. (Now this is the kind of computer language I can understand!)

I asked to go to the training class because I don’t catch on to technology easily, and each office got to send a few agents to classes early. There is also a TABLE OF CONTENTS that can be clicked on at any time for whatever feature you are looking up. This is set up TEXT BOOK STYLE so those of us who started Real Estate before computers will have a familiar tool! This computer system will make Real Estate easier…Finally I can say this!

Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Bass CRS, GRI
Broker Associate

There has been a pdf circulated by ARMLS and various title companies about the upcoming training.  Just in case you missed it.

The stereotype that kids are the only ones sending text messages is not correct! Many agents, lenders, escrow officers, etc. are communicating with text messages. Some of them even instruct callers on their voicemail message to send them a text instead of leaving a message. But, we’re not here to sell the fact text messages are a good way to communicate, the consumer is doing that. We’re just here to help those that have not figured it out yet. This post will cover the most important thing to check before you send a message, the 44-666-9-#-8-666 (how to) concept, some popular acronyms, and the way to send a text message without typing anything.

Text messages are not free. You have to look at your cellphone contract to understand how much you are going to be charged for them before you start sending or requesting to receive them. If you plan on diving right into this way of communicating, there are unlimited text plans from pretty much every carrier. Once you get that squared away, let the games begin!

How to type? If your phone has a full keyboard it’s self explanatory. For those with phones that look more like this…

It’s simple really. Just press a number multiple times to get the desired letter. (The keyboard pictured is an easy one to use because it has the words SHIFT and SPACE. Others may use symbols to show these same functions.) Here is an example: If you would like to respond “Thx”. First press shift (*), then push the number 8 once (T), 4 twice (h) and 9 twice (x). On the screen “Thx” should be displayed. Push “send/talk” and you’re done. The more you practice the faster you’ll become. After you send a few messages and get the hang of it, sign up for the National Texting Championship and test your skills!

To shorten your messages use acronyms. Some popular ones are LOL: Laugh out loud, TTYL: Talk to you later, BTW: By the way, and MTG: Meeting. Be sure you know your audience, these might not work for your clients. Judge their text etiquette/comprehension by the way they write to you.

Last but not least (and the reason this whole post started) is to talk about a cheater service, Jott.com. They are a company that allows you to speak the messages you would like to send as a text. It uses voice recognition software to automatically convert your spoken messages into a written one. Not only does the company send your contact a text message, they also send them an email with the audio file! This is the perfect option for those not wanting to learn how to type on their miniature keypad. Also, in many states including right here in Arizona there is a push to make texting illegal while driving. Jott.com is the solution.

Like all things, you have to take the pros with the cons. Many people send text messages when they are unable to speak on the phone, such as from a noisy concert/sporting event or covertly from a meeting. You won’t be able to do that with Jott.com due to the background noise or your potentially disruptive voice. However, Jott.com is still well worth the cost, $FREE.99! Check it out.

(More advanced users should make note that Jott.com now allows you to post updates to your twitter account as well!)

Jay Thompson, Dru Bloomfield, Steve Belt, and Keith Garner spoke about blogging at the Scottsdale Association’s Technology Symposium at the end of April.  The reason I bring it up…there was a video of the entire session posted on SAAR’s website.  Check out the blogging rock stars!

This is an excellent video for those who are considering entering the wonderful world of weblogging.  They answer many basic questions, including; How/Where do I get started?  How much time does it take?  How often do you post articles?  And get into some more advanced questions like - Should I keep my blog separate from my brokerage site?  How do you handle inappropriate comments?  To host or not to host the blog yourself?

Enjoy.

Are you in real estate?  Can you be in Scottsdale on Friday?  If the answer is yes to both questions, you should plan on attending SAAR’s Technology Symposium.