Text-to-speech is a process through which text is rendered as digital audio and then “spoken”.

AccelerAgent^TM Websites allow agents to select the voice that their visitors hear when they land on the site. There are several voices to choose from. In addition, agents may opt for a male or female speaker.

“With Web 2.0, the audio helps communicate the agent’s value to his or her target audience. While competing websites only play pre-recorded audio messages, PropertyMinder’s super reliable AccelerAgent^TM Websites can now play unlimited content, read listing descriptions, talk about you and your value proposition, make special offers, talk about neighborhood attractions and more,” said Aric Kazarnovsky, Executive Vice President of PropertyMinder, Inc.

The speaking AccelerAgent^TM Websites can increase the number of captured buyers by making each guest’s experience more interactive.

AccelerAgent^TM Websites stand out from the crowd and communicate the agent’s marketing message with an impact.

PropertyMinder’s iMARKETING System successfully blends truly encompassing and highly reliable technology with innovative Internet Marketing. PropertyMinder has helped thousands of Real Estate agents and brokers adjust to the post-Internet reality and take advantage of tremendous opportunities to secure success in Real Estate.

For more information, visit www.PropertyMinder.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com

Working in unison, both companies, says Tascon, keep her up-to-date and front of mind with past clients.

“The Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® keeps me in front of my clients and works very well with the Keller Williams system to help bring me referrals from past clients as well,” explains Tascon. “The coupons, gift cards and other items are great ways to offer my clients something of true value.”

The Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® includes free, customized direct mail and e-mail pieces with 10% off coupons, 5% off discounts on gift cards, helpful tips, e-mails and videos from HGTV, and Inside Out, a personalized, monthly e-newsletter with information on buying, selling and moving tips.

A Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® member for approximately two years, Tascon says she’s come to rely on the program’s 10% off coupons, specifically those included in the New Homeowner direct-mail piece.

“I always work to make sure that we get them into the listing system because once we do, Lowe’s will send them their 10% off coupons,” she explains. That said, Tascon adds that she uses the sellers coupons as well. What’s more, Tascon says that especially as of late, she’s been taking advantage of the 5% discount on gift card purchases, often using them as closing gifts.

“Between the coupons, information and gift card discounts, the Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® really helps you differentiate yourself,” Tascon says. “After closing, a lot of REALTORS® disappear from people’s lives. Offering something like a gift card or discount coupon is so useful. When you move into a new house, whether you need to buy appliances or just some paint, especially now, every little bit of savings helps.

“Lowe’s is always trying to stay on top of things and offer its program members more services,” she concludes. “The end result is that it helps us save money and time.”

The Lowe’s Program for Realtors is free for Realtors and offers personal marketing tools from Lowe’s and the National Association of REALTORS®. To schedule a presentation about the Lowe’s REALTOR® Benefits program with one of Lowe’s specialists please call 888-913-6060.

For more information, please visit www.lowesrealtorbenefits.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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“In today’s mortgage and housing environment, this joint venture with Bank of America Home Loans is more important than ever for us in order to continue delivering a best-in-class customer experience for our clients and agents,” said J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate. “Response Mortgage will offer our agents and clients the convenience of not having to travel to multiple locations to get what they need to close transactions. This joint venture with Bank of America optimizes our mortgage operations and will help our business grow.”

“We are very pleased to enter into this formal strategic alliance with John L. Scott Real Estate, one of the most dynamic regional real estate companies in the nation,” said Blair Allan, national strategic business alliances executive for Bank of America Home Loans. “By joining forces to create this new mortgage company, we can provide customers with a home loan experience that is based on responsible lending and clear home financing options. And, together, we can fulfill the realty firm’s commitment to serving as a one-stop real estate resource for home buyers.”

Prior to forming the joint venture, Response Mortgage Services was a mortgage lender through which John L. Scott Real Estate offered in-house home financing products and services to home buyers and home owners. The new Response Mortgage, LLC, will continue the proud tradition of reputable, reliable, and responsive service set by its predecessor.

“Our alliance is based on our shared commitment to guarantee an easy-to-understand and hassle-free mortgage process. We are thrilled to join forces with this regional powerhouse that closed more than 32,000 transactions in 2008,” said Al Miller, western region business development executive for Bank of America Home Loans.

The joint venture will offer conforming and government fixed-rate, first-lien mortgages, as well as fixed-rate agency jumbo loans. Consumer information for contacting Response Mortgage at one of its many locations is forthcoming.

For more information on all of the strategic business alliance options offered by Bank of America, real estate professionals and brokers can call 1.800.243.0717.

For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com and www.johnlscott.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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Author Tammy Lynch shares her more than 20 years of sales experience and provides practical strategies for not only engaging customers, but for overcoming internal roadblocks to success. Think Sold! Creating Home Sales in Any Market is a practical, how-to guide for developing the self-awareness, knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the competitive field of new home sales. This book teaches readers how to:

- Approach sales and life, from a position of optimism that will create successful outcomes
- Better understand the buying and selling processes
- Improve upon potential customer prospecting and follow-up skills
- Communicate effectively with various types of buyers and learn how to adjust communication strategies to increase rapport and alignment with buyers’ motives

“Particularly in a slower market, builders and sales professionals can really benefit from the skills taught in this book,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “Readers will come away with a better understanding of how to reach consumers and improve upon their own sales and marketing practices to make sales in any market.”

The book covers everything from the home buying process and new home financing to strategies for making better sales presentations and sizing up the competition. Tammy Lynch explains how to overcome customers’ concerns and provides specific examples of how to explain the benefits of new home features in customer-friendly language. Think Sold! includes tools to help new home sales professionals practice and polish their presentations and demonstrations.

Tammy Lynch, CSP, CMP, MIRM, is a real estate broker, consultant, and owner of Lynch Consulting Inc./Results Source. A certified principal instructor for the NAHB University of Housing, she has won many awards for her achievements in the home building industry. The author has donated her royalties from first-year sales to Future Builders of America®, a nonprofit workforce development and student leadership program.

For more information, visit www.BuilderBooks.com or call 800-223-2665.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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The move to the ProPower program has been very successful, offering agents more touches for the same cost as their previous program, according to Sheryl Grider, development and operations coordinator for Traders Realty. “Our program only gave them one touch a year, maybe a moving anniversary card or calendar,” says Grider; “by changing to TPMCO, we now offer them 23 touches over five years. That’s a huge jump.”

In March of this year, Traders looked to TPMCO for a Just Listed and Sold postcard program. In keeping with their desire for a one-stop marketing solution for their agents; adding these postcards was a natural fit. The company places Just Listed and Sold orders for every property.

Perhaps the solution with the greatest impact is that of My Personal AdvantageSM, a contact management and e-marketing system. In about 10 minutes a day, an agent can easily keep track of their contacts and set up automated campaigns. Thus far, the proof seems to be in the pudding: “One of our agents recently sent me an e-mail about My Personal Advantage and especially the use of recipe cards, saying that she thought the idea was ‘brilliant.’ It was definitely a positive response.

“We have a company tech lab, which encourages agents to enroll their clients in the various campaigns,” she says. “The statistics say it all: the majority of leads that come in are from past clients, coming directly from their sphere of influence. So, the more we can help our agents get up to speed and comfortable with the platform, the more leads will begin to come in.”

To Grider’s credit, she and her group seem to be very involved in hands-on training with agents, which leads to more discussion and brainstorming on new ways to use TPMCO’s system.

Adds Grider: “I’m looking forward to getting our agents to be more proactive and less reactive with this program. That was one of the reasons we made this choice. These agents have to go after business, and the Personal Advantage system helps them do that.”

For more information, please visit www.tpmco.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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“Our MLS is contracted with Listingbook and the basic service is free,” says Crissie Cudd, branch manager for Watson Realty Corp. and author of Sell Your Home in a Tough Market – Now!!! Armed to help agents succeed in any market on any budget, Listingbook also provides agents the upgraded service to try free for 30 days. “It’s such a universal application for anyone in this business to use, whether they’re brand new or have a lot of experience.”

Listingbook is an MLS-wide online service that connects agents and their clients through an integrated platform of client management, sales productivity and direct marketing tools. Agents simply input their clients into Listingbook and the system takes care of the rest.

“I’ve been using Listingbook for over a year-and-a-half now and liked it from the start,” says Jay LaGace, an agent with RE/MAX Realty Team. “As someone who procures my own leads-whether they come from my website, advertising, etc.-I just plug them into the system. Once you plug in their information, it automatically sends home buyers listings that fit their criteria.”

The system is designed to enable a constant flow of communication between the agent and clients. In addition to sending out personalized, up-to-the-minute properties that match a buyer’s criteria, it also allows the client to leave notes or ask questions directly to the agent.

“I can also see what they’re looking at on a daily basis,” says LaGace. “So, if they’re looking at 100 properties each day, I can see what they’re looking at to help me better search for them. It’s all personalized with my contact information, photo, telephone number, etc.”

Considering the challenges of today’s market, Listingbook is a suitable tool for those buyers who may be on the fence. Simple to use, clients can easily change their search criteria, price points, view maps, change features and just keep looking.

“Listingbook eliminates a lot of the work for me because the system stays in their face every single day,” he says. “A lot of people who are sitting on the fence will look and look until the right property comes along. And then it will have come from me.”

Also a great tool for sellers, Cudd says, it helps to overcome the common challenge of pricing.

Once you have a listing, you can set the homeowners up to receive reports-whether it’s comparable units for sale or price reductions, showing feedback, etc. “Sellers can use Listingbook to see what’s going on in their area and see when competing homes have a price reduction,” she says. “We then get a call saying, ‘Hey we need to drop our price.’ It helps them to be proactive, and it reinforces the idea that there’s a partnership between the seller and the agent.”

“I can tell you that I have sold between 20 and 30 homes just because of Listingbook. It keeps you in front of the client every day and you don’t have to call buyers frequently-it does it all automatically,” says LaGace.

“By being able to see what customers are doing, you’re able to keep up with their criteria, and when you speak with them, you know what they’re looking for,” says Cudd. “It’s a matter of having a system that works without having to put a lot of effort in saving time and keeping clients satisfied.”

For more information, please visit www.listingbook.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

“With our new calculator, consumers can visualize housing opportunities and be just a click away from a local affiliate’s website for more information,” said Earl Lee, president, Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services, Inc., a Prudential Financial, Inc. business.

The calculator, powered by Dapper, is accessible on the company’s website, prudentialrealestate.com. Consumers simply key in their current rent payment and zip code and receive the mortgage-payment equivalent of that rent and several like-priced Prudential Real Estate listings in that zip code.

“Housing affordability stands near all-time highs thanks to declining home prices and historically low mortgage rates,” Lee said. “Now is the time to find out what you can buy.”

The company launched an innovative digital advertising campaign to support the tool, connect with consumers and ultimately drive traffic to prudentialrealestate.com and to affiliates’ websites. Dynamic advertisements target renters and first-time home buyers on high-traffic websites such as ApartmentGuide.com, Hotpads.com, ApartmentFinder.com, Realtor.com, Rentals.com, Trulia.com, Yelp.com, and several lifestyle sites appealing to these consumers. “In today’s market, opportunity abounds for many consumers,” Lee said. “Our calculator will boost their confidence and give them the right information to make smart buying decisions.”

Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services, Inc. is Prudential’s integrated real estate brokerage franchise and relocation services business. The company’s real estate network is one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise networks in North America, with nearly 1,940 independently owned and operated franchise offices and approximately 62,000 sales professionals in the franchise Network as of March 31, 2009. The relocation division provides comprehensive global relocation services to Fortune 500 corporations worldwide. With locations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China, the company offers a broad menu of services critical to the relocation of clients’ employees. For more information, visit www.prudentialrealestate.com.

With Dapper, advertisers can deliver contextually sensitive display ads dynamically assembled from creative elements pulled from their own Web site, from product inventory data or from any database of marketing offers without client or agency IT department involvement. For more information, visit www.dapper.net.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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“We’re so excited GreenPlus has been positively received over the past year. At this point, selling thousands of these options has surpassed our expectations,” says Marc Roth, CEO and President of HWA.

GreenPlus covers the refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer, heating system and water heater for an additional $6.25 a month or $75 a year. When homeowners with GreenPlus encounter a covered piece of equipment that cannot be repaired, they receive an ENERGY STAR qualified replacement, which is typically a higher end model than their existing one.

“We wanted to create a product that allowed our customers to reduce their energy consumption and save money while helping the planet at the same time. We know Realtors and homeowners want innovation from us in our products and are increasingly interested in being able to choose environmentally friendlier options,” added Marc Roth.

HWA said they are looking to develop more innovative options in the near future.

For more information visit www.hwahomewarranty.com or call 1-888-492-7359

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Read more timely real estate tips and topics on RISMedia.com:

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A national study of U.S. broadband consumers by RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting, released this week, shows that 82% of those buyers who have had broadband service over fiber all the way to the home rank it as the leading real estate development amenity. Four other key prospective features ranked lower among buyers shopping for a new home.

Even among broadband customers who cannot get fiber, nearly 70% want “very high-speed Internet from a direct fiber-optic line” at the next home they buy, the study showed. The percentages in each case were of customers giving advanced broadband either a 5 or 4 on a five-point scale for rating the importance of amenities.

A national random survey of more than 600 fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) consumer users was conducted in April, and a national random survey of more than 600 other broadband consumer users was conducted in May. Respondents were asked a series of perceptual questions and also were asked to test and report their current Internet speeds. Both surveys were done for the Fiber-to-the-Home Council.

“The message to the real estate market is to put a sign on the lawn and a line in your ad saying, ‘This place has fiber,’” said Joe Savage, president of the Fiber-to-the-Home Council. “When end-to-end fiber broadband service tops green space, a security patrol, a community pool, a park or a fitness center among sought-after amenities-and this survey shows that it does-then it’s a real factor.”

Mike Render, CEO of RVA LLC, said: “Broadband has become so much a part of home life that the best, fastest and most reliable service is what’s in demand. From our research, it appears that this desire relates to current needs for fast Internet, the anticipation of even more online services in the future, and an appreciation that this amenity will add value to the home for future resale.”

Studies show that home broadband bandwidth requirements have grown at a rate of about 10 times every six years as access to more complex files and interactive services has increased. Multiple devices in the home doing more downloading and uploading will mean even greater demand for bandwidth, which fiber-based facilities are well-positioned to meet.

In another RVA study, very high-speed Internet-such as over fiber-ranked second only to landscaping and setting on a list of 23 amenities, ahead of features such as pools, home automation, shops, a fitness center, a dog park, a golf course, Wi-Fi at the pool area, day care or concierge services.

“The indication is that the personal space and connectivity really matter to the home buyer now, compared with public facilities; it’s where home owners actually spend their time, and broadband is an increasing part of that time, so they want the best,” Render said.

Realtors are discovering the same thing.

“Having ready and reliable broadband service is very important to potential home buyers because it contributes to making a move as seamless and hassle-free as possible,” said John Tunny, a sales associate at Weichert, Realtors in Chatham, N.J. “Having a home with high-quality broadband capability is extremely desirable to potential home buyers because they want to be able to have secure Internet service without having to compromise on speed.”

According to Bill Heilig, Verizon vice president of corporate marketing, social trends also affect the quest for fiber-based service. “Teleworking is on the rise again, and nothing beats a 25 or 50 megabit-per-second downstream link for just-like-at-work service,” he said.

From a home-sales perspective, census data indicate families generally stay put for at least 5.2 years, on average. With the pace of change in both technology and in broadband services, moving into a home that is already wired for the future is a distinct advantage.

Verizon’s FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services are provided over an all-fiber network straight to the home. The capacity of glass fibers is enormous, so the FiOS network is perfectly positioned to meet the demands of the Internet age.

Increasingly, consumers are downloading movies and videos rather than viewing hard media at home, and experts say the era of the home publisher, pushing multimedia out to the world, is just beginning.

Verizon’s Stu Elby, vice president-technology, said that as a society, we’ve “turned a corner and are headed toward being a information publishing society more than an information consuming society, so faster upload service speeds will be an advantage.”

According to the company, Verizon last week increased the upstream speeds of its most popular bundled FiOS Internet services. The former offer of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) downstream and 2 Mbps upstream now includes upstream service at 5 Mbps, and the previous 20/5 Mbps service now comes with 15 Mbps upstream.

“Home shoppers used to scan the prospect for a Jacuzzi or an intercom,” Heilig said. “Now, not so much. They look for the Verizon Optical Network Terminal and the Verizon broadband home router so they know they’ll have the best Internet and TV service over the best home network available today.

“Those who are lucky enough to have the fiber to the home can leverage it to get 21st century service ahead of everyone else,” he said.

Verizon also offers a range of fast, affordable DSL-enabled High Speed Internet service with speeds of up to 1 megabits per second (Mbps)/384 kilobits per second (Kbps), 3 Mbps/768 Kbps and 7.1 Mbps/ 768Kbps* available, as well as wireline voice and all-digital-quality DIRECTV service. For more information on High Speed Internet and Verizon bundled services, visit http://www22.verizon.com/residential/highspeedInternet/.

* Internet speeds refer to the connection speed between the user’s location and Verizon’s central office. Actual surfing speeds will vary based on many factors and be lower than connection speed.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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Real Estate by Smarter Agent is a free application on the Android.

According to the company, Smarter Agent’s Real Estate application is one of the most robust uses of the Android operating system within the real estate vertical. It’s a power tool for anyone interested in accurate, up to date, and comprehensive real estate information.

According to the company, Real Estate by Smarter Agent features three location-aware (including GPS-triggered) real estate searches in one easy-to-use application.

Search options include:

- Homes for Sale
- Recently Sold Homes
- Apartments for Rent
- Homes for Sale lets users search every public MLS listing in over 300 markets, more than any other real estate application on the market. With Recently Sold Homes, consumers can see the prices of homes sold within the last three years, and Apartments for Rent offers a growing list of apartments from top Web sites like apartments.com.

All three search options use Smarter Agent’s patented property search technology to pinpoint the user’s location and find available apartments and property listings in the immediate area with the touch of a button. Consumers can also search by address, community name, city or zip code.

Search results reveal:

• Price
• Square footage
• Estimated mortgage
• Taxes
• Interior and exterior features
• Interactive map
• Beds/baths
• Pictures

Smarter Agent says that it is also the only developer that brands its application to agents and brokers via its revolutionary mobile platform the result of over $15 million in R&D. A branded application displays the broker’s or agent’s name and logo and can be distributed to an unlimited number of clients. Via MLS IDX feeds, consumers search all listings in the MLS, not just their agent’s listings. The “Call to See” button within the application will connect the user to the agent who provided the branded app, regardless of who listed the property.

The real estate industry is getting behind Smarter Agent, says the company. Already, Smarter Agent has 500,000 agents under its affinity agreements with Prudential, Keller Williams, CENTURY 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate and Realty Executives. Several MLS’s also are beginning to partner with Smarter Agent in order to extend their reach into mobile.

Android download instructions: Go to Android Market, select Search and enter Smarter Agent. Select ‘Real Estate by Smarter Agent’ and then select Install at the bottom of the screen. You can also text G1 to 87778 for download instructions.

Smarter Agent can also be downloaded from:

- www.SmarterAgent.com.
- A consumer’s cell phone via the carrier’s application store, or from application stores maintained by iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.
- A broker’s or agent’s website if they subscribe to Smarter Agent and have a branded application.

For more information, visit www.smarteragent.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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Key findings show 76% of multi-family professionals use social media networks, with more than 60% stating social networks help increase resident retention, increase referrals and improve communication with their residents.

Comparatively, 80% of residents use social networks, and with more frequency and intensity than people at management companies. Citing these important behaviors, NCI today announces at the National Apartment Association Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada a suite of new turn-key social media marketing services and features to improve search results, increase referrals, enhance resident retention and deliver measurable results for its customers.

These innovations include:

CommunitySherpa: a fixed-cost monthly subscription service that provides property managers with a custom-branded blog, Facebook and Twitter presence for their community, with content-creation and network administration support, as well as detailed reporting and analytics;

Apartment Finder Facebook Applications and Facebook Connect: features that make it easy for renters to find and share information about a customer’s community and that give advertisers the ability to flow their community information from NCI’s Advertising Management System directly into Facebook Fan pages and personal pages;

Say It! Forum: a new interactive feature on ApartmentFinder.com collects user-generated data on neighborhood favorites: date spots, restaurants, salons, shopping and more; distributes recommendations through Twitter and local Facebook pages; increases search-engine rankings and connections with prospects and tenants.

Dan McCarthy, NCI’s chairman and CEO, an early adopter of social media in marketing, says, “We believe that the core of a powerful social media program is content. But, we also recognize the challenges that social media marketing presents for many multi-family professionals, as well as all other local marketers. They clearly understand the importance of adopting a social media strategy for their business, but the idea of creating a blog or social identities across multiple platforms like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace for their apartment communities, and keeping those channels fresh with content, is daunting. At NCI, we have taken our content-driven process and skills that are already in place for our more than 25,000 customers, and have developed a way to help them execute their social media marketing…simply, affordably and effectively.”

Marcia Bollinger, Apartment Finder’s president, states, “The explosion of social media tools and networks creates a unique opportunity for apartment communities to get active on the social web by providing interesting content relevant to their residents and getting involved in creating a vibrant and engaged community. We are so excited to be able to help our customers improve their visibility on the Google web, increase their web traffic, enhance retention, and turbo-charge their marketing programs. It’s a natural extension of the services we provide on land, online, and now in their community.”

According to the company, Apartment Finder, like all NCI brands, is social media certified. Every member of the Apartment Finder team has gone through a detailed training program with Domus Consulting to educate them about the power of social media networking best practices, as well as to give them insight and experience in developing effective and influential networks.

In addition, NCI commissioned an exclusive White Paper examining the potential of social media marketing in the multi-family industry. Written by a noted social media expert, the paper, At the Tipping Point: Social Media in the Multi-Family Industry, uses the company’s exclusive, proprietary research on social media habits and attitudes of residents and property managers.

Dan McCarthy concludes, “Social media marketing requires expertise, management and focus. CommunitySherpa is the first service that we are rolling out from the dedicated DigitalSherpa operations team in our company. Our mission is to do the heavy lifting associated with building content and managing community. This work doesn’t remove your marketing from the process: it enhances it. At NCI, every person at our company has the unique skills in content development and management, as well as knowledge of social media networks to deliver on our mission and help our clients create highly engaging and successful programs.”

To find out more about CommunitySherpa as well as download the White Paper, visit http://community-sherpa.com

For more information, visit blog.ApartmentFinder.com or www.Facebook.com/Apartment-Finder.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

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Lowen’s testing facility is approved as a 3M Graphics Authorized Testing Facility and will give students the opportunity to test for Lowen Certification and the opportunity to apply to become 3M Certified Graphics Installers. Lowen’s state-of-the-art testing center is currently one of the two 3M Graphics Authorized Application Testing Facilities in the U.S. The other center is located on 3M’s corporate campus in St. Paul, MN.

“Lowen Certified is a demanding testing program in the vehicle wrap market today,” according to Sergio DeSoto, Lowen VP of Sales and Marketing, Wraps and Media.

“Each installer can select from any of our four designations: Vehicle Wraps, Fleet, Rough Wall and On Premise signage installation.” Passing all four skill sets earns installers the elite designation of Lowen Expert Installer.

Other benefits for Lowen Certified installers include discounts on products and services offered by Lowen and discounts on Mac Tools and other installation tools and supplies. Unlike other certification programs, Lowen does not require installers to purchase any products or services in return for Lowen Certified status.

“We are raising the bar as it relates to quality installation services in this country,” DeSoto said. “We take the business of professional installation very seriously and want to associate ourselves with only the best installers in the country. Installers will have to prove themselves and earn the right to carry this certification. After months of preparation, we’re excited to open the center on June 15.”

This commitment to the installation industry was recently demonstrated when Lowen produced the first annual Lowen Certified Wrap-Off in conjunction with the International Sign Association’s Sign Expo in Las Vegas. The wrap-off was held throughout the course of the three-day show and gave show attendees the opportunity to watch 48 professional vehicle wrap installers compete to win many prizes, including a fully-equipped Ford F-250 truck for the winner, a $5,000 cash prize and fees waived for Lowen Certification for 2nd place and a free vehicle wrap designed by Brad Adamic, art director at West Coast Customs, and fees waived for Lowen Certification for 3rd place.

For more information visit www.lowencertified.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

The one-on-one coaching program focuses on integrating business with life plans and implementing the fundamental systems of business every successful agent or broker truly needs and wants – finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, lead generation and time management – in order to take real estate businesses to the next level while still keeping life balanced.

“I believe Leaders 1 On 1 will be a great addition to the Mark Leader Courses real estate sales training offerings,” Leader said. “Also, Ron is a strong real estate coach and has a lot to offer those who invest in Leaders 1 On 1. He deserves many accolades and I look forward to a long relationship with him.”

According to the company, new program leader and coach Ron Alpert brings almost a decade of business coaching experience to the team and is also a practicing real estate agent and lender.

Prior to launching Leaders 1 On 1 with Leader, Alpert coached for By Referral Only^TM and Corcoran Consulting and Coaching, where he was instrumental in helping clients achieve significant returns on investment for their coaching dollar. In addition, Alpert provided life coaching work while completing his ‘Curriculum for Living’ program at Landmark Education.

A native of Colorado, Alpert began his real estate and lending career in 1979 and residential business in 2001, serving clients in California and Colorado. He has been an adjunct professor at National University, University of Phoenix and Redlands, instructing graduate and undergraduate students in Business, International Business and Marketing. He earned an M.B.A. from Thunderbird/American Graduate School of International Management and has a B.A. in Fine Arts from Evergreen State College.

For more information, visit http://www.markleadercourses.com/.

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“The House Game” is part of the newly-formed joint venture partnership between RealtyBid.com, one of the nation’s leaders in online home auctions, and ValCom, Inc., a leader in media technology, facilities and production content for television programming and related services. Through this partnership, ValCom will be handling the ongoing production, promotion, and implementation of distressed real estate inventory to be sold via RealtyBid.com’s online auction platform.

RealtyBid.com CEO/President Tony Isbell said his team is thrilled to be working with ValCom to give away a home within a different state each month. “This promotion-giving away homes-is really in the true spirit of the RealtyBid.com/ValCom partnership,” he said.

“Each month through RealtyBid.com, ValCom will be auctioning dozens of post-foreclosure homes at unbelievable prices to home buyers and investors around the country. These will be absolute, no-reserve auctions; all properties with bids will be sold. ‘The House Game’ is really symbolic of what we will be doing each month with ValCom-giving away houses!”

Isbell emphasized that anyone is able to play “The House Game” and can become eligible to win a house by answering a few online trivia questions. Entrants do not have to answer the questions correctly in order to be eligible or win. ‘”Click A Mouse, Win A House” is our slogan for this promotion, and it really is that easy,” he said.

According to Vince Vellardita, president & CEO of ValCom, “The House Game” will be supported by a national television and print media ad campaign. “Having been involved with thousands of episodes of television and having produced and promoted over 100 events from presidential campaigns to Super Bowl to Broadway, I am excited to be part of a movement that can help make a difference. With the power of television, promotion and the Internet, I truly believe we will make a difference in providing some extraordinary values to the home buying public, not to mention the lucky monthly winner who will win a home for free!” Vellardita said.

The first seven-day auction of post-foreclosure, no-reserve properties from ValCom and RealtyBid.com will begin Saturday, June 20 at 8 a.m. Eastern/7 a.m. Central and run until Saturday, June 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Central and will include dozens of drastically reduced properties. Participants can register, watch the auction online and bid real-time against other bidders from anywhere in the world through http://www.RealtyBid.com.

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“The response to the Zillow app for iPhone and iPod touch has been phenomenal, with more than 400,000 people downloading and using the app for home shopping, comparing and simply taking an interesting walk around the block,” said Rich Barton, Zillow co-founder and CEO. “Now we’re improving that experience for both potential home buyers and real estate aficionados. Users can filter for only the types of homes they want to see and can save searches and favorite homes to revisit. And they can know instantly via push notifications when new homes come on the market in areas they’ve saved.”

Features in the new version of the app include:

- Filtering: Users can now filter their searches by price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and listing type (for sale, Make Me Move and recently sold homes).
- Saved Searches: Users of the app can save searches based on filters they’ve applied and the geography in which they are searching.
- Favorites Tab: This additional tab allows users to view their saved searches and favorite homes. Users can edit their favorite homes by tapping this tab.
- Push Notification: If there are new for sale, Make Me Move or recently-sold listings added to one of the user’s saved searches, a number badge will appear on the app’s icon, indicating new data – even if the app isn’t currently in use. New results are shown in the favorites tab.
- Saved Favorite Homes: Users can now save individual homes to their list of Zillow favorites and easily access them later on the app.

According to the company, the Zillow app for iPhone and iPod touch brings Zillow’s rich data on nearly 90 million U.S. homes into users’ hands. The app uses GPS technology to find and follow users as they move through neighborhoods, and displays Zestimate® values, for-sale and recently-sold homes, and Make Me Move® listings on the homes around them.

Search capabilities in the new version of the Zillow iPhone App will also work on the iPod touch, provided it is has been updated with iPhone OS 3.0.

The Zillow app is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

Zillow.com is one of the largest U.S real estate websites, and one of the fastest-growing real estate sites today. Zillow recorded more than 8.9 million monthly unique visitors in May 2009, up 72% year-over-year.

To view a video demonstrating the Zillow iPhone App, visit www.zillow.com/iPhone. You can also read additional information about the Zillow iPhone App, and Zillow.com, by visiting the Zillow Blog at www.zillow.com/blog.

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In order to meet the technological marketing needs of today’s real estate professionals, MRE and C.A.R., which together already offer a substantial discount on the monthly subscription rate for the MRE ID service, have gone above and beyond to make it more affordable than ever. According to the company, MRE’s Mobile ID technology allows home buyers to access property info, pictures, and an agent’s contact info all via text message. Simultaneously, it provides the Realtor with a real time lead that includes that buyer’s contact information. Realtors® can follow up immediately with all interested prospects. Currently, agents pay $49.99/month for unlimited access to the system. Now, through the C.A.R. Member Advantage Program, it will cost only $99.99/annually, a savings of $500.00 a year! Members who take advantage of the annual subscription also will have unlimited access, allowing them to use a Mobile ID on every property listing they have.

Both MRE and C.A.R. wanted to find a way to make this service more affordable for Realtors® who are already overwhelmed by monthly bills.

“By switching the pricing model from monthly to annually more of our members will be able to take advantage of a technology which is becoming increasingly popular with consumers,” said C.A.R. President James Liptak. When asked about the new partnership, Seth Kaplan, President of MRE commented “This subscription is a home run for everyone involved. C.A.R., as the largest Realtor organization in the country, understands that in order for Realtors® to remain competitive, they need to keep up with technology. This system gives them real time leads and is the quickest way to connect a buyer with a seller. The biggest hurdle for Realtors® was taking on another monthly bill. Now that we’ve eliminated that, there is no reason not to use this system.”

MRE and C.A.R. are offering this new subscription in early June so agents can take advantage of it throughout the busy real estate months of the summer.

For more information, call 914-909-6710 or visit www.MobileRealEstateID.com/car. To try MRE ID on your phone, text REALESTATE to 88500 (standard text messaging rates apply).

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According to the company, recent new groups sponsored on ProxioPro^TM, Proxio’s marketing and networking platform, include Unique Homes Luxury Media, a multi-media brand that encompasses high-quality print and online publications specialized in luxury real estate worldwide, and The International Real Estate Federation, U.S. Chapter (FIABCI-USA), one of the world’s largest real estate associations, operating in 65 countries.

“FIABCI-USA is excited about offering Proxio to our members because our missions and reach are in close alignment: like FIABCI, Proxio facilitates networking among real estate professionals around the world and seeks to expand business opportunities for them,” says Judy Shenefield, FIABCI-USA president. “Proxio’s 11 languages and 12 property categories fit our diverse membership, so all of our members involved in brokerage can benefit from Proxio. This is a perfect partnership for us.”

Groups can be set up and sponsored by any organization with a connection to the real estate industry, allowing organizations to establish a branded online presence as well as the opportunity to build strong connections with and amongst members. Group pages feature a group message board, member directory and group listings, providing an intranet platform for agents to connect with each other, share inventory and group-related information as well as create new referral opportunities on a more private level.

“Our next-generation networking technology has the capacity to enable referral connections as never before: selectively agent-to-agent, within specialized groups, and between agents across the globe who have some affinity, such as language or designation,” says Janet Case, CEO and co-founder of Proxio. “The ability to participate in these groups opens deeper channels for connecting, allowing agents to locate and network with people they feel comfortable sharing referrals with.”

For more information, visit www.proxio.com, twitter.com/ProxioPro or join the community on Facebook.

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Under the agreement, MarketLinx will offer its MLXchange, TEMPO and InnoVia customers Blue Dasher’s rich media solution that enables real estate professionals and consumers to virtually explore neighborhoods and visit prospective real estate listings.

“Blue Dasher sets a new standard in street-level imaging capabilities,” said Bryan Foreman, president of MarketLinx MLS Solutions. “Their cutting-edge viewing technology represents a major step forward in the evolution of Internet-based property research. We’re very excited to be able to offer Blue Dasher’s technology to our clients.”

Blue Dasher’s image-capture vehicles employ sophisticated proprietary software that records a panoramic image every 8 to 10 feet. The unique, high-density imagery system enables precise address matching so residential and commercial properties can be pinpointed accurately. When viewed online, the 360-degree images are seamless, creating an experience similar to driving down the street.

“Our solution allows home buyers and real estate agents to visit the street where a property is located and virtually drive by and explore the neighborhood from their computer,” said Michael Reidbord, chief executive officer of Blue Dasher Technologies. “The system provides a lifelike, vehicular tour of properties, points of interest and neighborhoods in major metropolitan areas of the country.”

With Blue Dasher, agents can post realistic-looking “for sale” signs in front of their virtual listings that show contact information and important property details. These image overlays are maintained in a central database and can be viewed by Blue Dasher users from other industries, greatly expanding broker and agent marketing opportunities. Blue Dasher also provides analytical tools that allow agents to gain a better understanding of client needs and behaviors, helping direct their sales initiatives and prioritize activities.

For more information, call (786) 363-4360 or visit www.marketlinx.com.

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“We are proud to announce that one of the Appraisal Institute’s world-class education programs can be customized to fit the unique needs of mortgage lenders,” said Jim Amorin, MAI, SRA, president of the Appraisal Institute. “By working with our instructors, lenders and their staff can learn the latest terminology, understand the changing regulations, and become familiar with proper procedures-and do so according to their specific needs.”

Developed for groups as an on-site or live online webinar program, the Commercial Appraisal Engagement and Review for Bankers seminar can be delivered as a four or seven-hour program. Discussions and explanations covered in the seminar include topics such as:

- How to interpret appraisal requirements (appraisals vs. “evaluations”)
- Appraisal compliance (managing approved lists, who can order and review appraisals within your institution)
- Appraisal options (the different types of appraisals and when they can be ordered)
- Understanding appraisal standards (the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice)
- Latest terminology and changing regulations
- What should go into your appraisal policies and procedures
- What to include on your review form
- What should be covered in an engagement letter

“Bank examiners and regulatory agencies are scrutinizing appraisal ordering and review procedures now more than ever while market conditions are exposing financial institutions to new risks that strong risk management practices can mitigate,” noted Amorin. “The Appraisal Institute can help lending institutions navigate through these concerns by offering customized appraisal training.”

For more information about Appraisal Institute education programs designed for lenders, visit www.appraisalinstitute.org/education/lenders.aspx or contact Fran Rosenstein at frosenstein@appraisalinstitute.org or 312-335-4228 to learn more about customizing the

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“PropertyMinder is working very hard to link our AccelerAgent Web tools with national Multiple Listing Services so more real estate agents and brokers can experience the convenience and price advantage of our technology,” said PropertyMinder Executive Vice President Aric Kazarnovsky.

Since 1999, PropertyMinder technology has been leading in innovative Internet marketing, reliability and data safety. According to the company, PropertyMinder has helped more than 30,000 real estate agents and brokers adjust quickly to the post-Internet revolution and take advantage of tremendous Internet marketing opportunities to secure success in real estate.

For more information, visit www.PropertyMinder.com.

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