Real Estate IDX Blog

Just added to the Tucson and Intermountain MLS systems yesterday.  TEXT to Voice on all listing details in Tucson and Residential only on IMLS and the ability to add links to your audio tours.  Now you can add links to your audio tours and add a custom message to each of your listings.  This audio will play once the button is clicked by the user and will play once.  The message can be heard while users view the photos or anything on that page.

The Text to speach is quite easy to do with a little programming knowledge.  The service is free from www.voxMe.com.  Here is an example of a listing in Arizona with...

Virtual Tour, PicLens, Lightbox Picture viewing, Custom Audio Message, and the Text to Voice. Granted the voice isn't the best but it does work and may come in handy for those who really don't want to read the page.

I added some extra text description in the master listing file to make the speach a little clearer but that won't help the listings with remarks input into the master MLS system from sounding strange.  There may be a downside in the future to using acronyms and abbriviations in descriptions.  As technology grows so does the little things that cause problems.

Check out the text to voice feature and let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.  If there is a better service out there please pass it along.  I forget which blog on Active Rain I saw the voxme.com idea but I will figure it out and get with them and see how they are doing on it.

Brian Blake  www.my-mlsonline.com

Here is the code...

<embed src="http://www.hollowellbonding.com/media/Lynard_Skynard_-_Sweet_Home_Alabama.mp3" height="45" width="125"></embed>

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

So it does Work.  This headline animator will show live inventory information and will update on it's own from the IDX Data Every Day.

Create your  account at www.Feedburner.com and use the Headline Animator to add live new listings to your site with your RSS feed of new listings.  This is an example of John Hurbons Current Listings in Arizona.  The link goes directly to the full details on that property.

It is things like this that will enable you to market yourself better with new technologies such as RSS. I have created the code for his feed.  http://www.my-mlsonline.com/feeds/arizona.php is the actual RSS XML file built custom for John.  This pulls his current listing inventory and places it in the RSS format.  From there people can subscribe to this feed and have it pushed to them on a regular basis. 

By tying it to the FeedBurner.com he can now have people subscribe to daily emails and add it to their google.com home pages and more.  Yahoo etc.

Let me know if you have any questions of how this will benefit you and your sellers and buyers.

If you want to know more about RSS and really get an understanding of it please watch this video on youtube.com  http://youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Who thinks Video Internet Marketing is a good idea?

I have just finished up integrating the Boise, Twin Falls, Nampa, McCall and the entire Intermountain MLS IDX to include videos on agent websites.

You can now add community type videos that show the public what your community or state has to offer.  Why not show what others have created and shared on your site if they show what there is to see and do.

Add Videos from Youtube, Metacafe, Google Video, iFilm and custom flash links from your server or Internet Location.

For an example go to http://my-mlsonline.com/idaho/Clean/?agent=6009&page=core/vids  Here is Willis Stone's Site in Southern Idaho that features recent commercials from National Association of Realtors

For community type videos you may see some examples of videos on this link. http://www.twinfallssubdivisions.com/videos.php?&agent=5021&userID=&wp_cat=video

Best feature is that you can pick and choose what you display on there.  Go to youtube and see what videos are available and are of quality content.  You may be amazed at what you find. 

Videos play in an animated window that hovers above your page and doesn't directly take the users to the actual site the video is from.  Add any video you want from youtube.com or video.google.com 

It really is a load of fun and a great way to promote your community and your real estate listings.

You will be able to add specific videos to specific listings soon.  Imagine adding a tv commercial to every listing.

Video is here.  Learn how to create your own at http://www.youtube.com/ or any other resource online.

 Brian Blake  http://www.my-mlsonline.com/

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What should you do?

Do you have a site now?  Is it not working for you?  Is it working for you but you want more?

My suggestion is to add another site if your current site is working for you.  This will increase your exposure and give you the ability to link up the new site to the other and give your web users the choice to use either system.

Each site will attract different buyers and people and more than likely get indexed in different search engines thus multiplying your efforts and web rankings.  Think about it as though you are opening a branch office on every corner of your city.

If your site isn't working for you then dump it and find something that does.  Many times sites suit a purpose for a price and without proper support and marketing don't do much.  But these small sites that are free or inexpensive can be a real benefit if you have had them for some time.  They are in the search engines and will allow people to link to your new search site.  I will give you the html you need to have your old site link to your new site and put search capabilities on your myspace page. http://www.myspace.com/brimultimedia  has an example of search capabilities for www.johnhurbon.com in Arizona. Links directly to the results on his site.  Let your customers and friends add the search to their sites too. Talk about social networking at it's finest.

Give your people options and ways to find you and you will succeed.  Add to your marketing presence online and build a real estate online empire that works while you sit by the pool with your Agent Live monitoring all traffic and requests.  The laptop just got usefull again.

Brian Blake www.my-mlsonline.com

Ever consider chatting live and interacting live with your web site visitors in real time?

Did you know this can be done?

Visit www.my-mlsonline.com and you will notice the graphic at the top right of the page that says Online Now.

You need to click on that to start the chat process.  Interact in real time with your web site clients.

This is the next big thing that will help you as an agent be productive while sitting at your desk doing nothing.  Or maybe you have a laptop and a pool and wireless Internet.  Login to the live help control panel we use and monitor all traffic and recieve instant chat requests from people on your site as they look for properties.

You can push web pages to their computers and actually show property while online in real time.

Your dream of selling real estate from poolside just became a reality with www.my-mlsonline.com

If you have a question please contact me via live help and we can chat instantly.

There are many more features to the live help software that you won't believe.

If you don't want to monitor it yourself... Hire your front desk to do it for you and take a message.  If they are licensed even better, they can lock down an appointment for you. This will make your personal assistant's even more productive and profitable. 

Brian Blake  www.my-mlsonline.com

Note This is an option only available to custom sites due to the complexity of the DIY search systems. 

The beauty of RSS and blogs can be found here.

http://my-mlsonline.com/tucson/Clean/?XMLFILE=http://activerain.com/blogs/bensonrealtor/rss&agent=148030746&userID=&page=myrss

Here is an example of John Hurbons rss feed from this site on www.activerain.com/johnhurbon

Now that the rss has been added to his IDX site...everything he posts on active rain will also be found and linked up on his IDX site.

Talk about the Power of RSS and words to build your Internet Marketing.

Brian Blake www.my-mlsonline.com

How valuable are RSS feeds in Real Estate.

Imagine if your site actually pushed real estate listings to your clients.  Each day they open their email and the new listings from your company appear in their email.

http://www.feedburner.com/ is a great resource for RSS feed distribution.  Unreal actually.

http://www.magicvalleyrealty.com/ is a great example of how RSS feeds can be used.

These feeds can also be customized to feed many other sites such as google base, trulia, and more.  Talk about automation with one set up fee. 

If you don't know what RSS is.  View this video to get a good grasp of how effective it can be used to market your listings.  Subscribe the the Magic Valley Realty website emails to see first hand how they look when they are mailed to you each morning.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Brian Blake www.my-mlsonline.com

Interested in a complete Agent IDX site solution for $24.99 a month?

Here is the deal.

Contact me.

We do the paperwork your MLS needs to get the IDX Feed Data started.

Your MLS gives me FTP access to the data.

I download set up the data. Then spend 3 days uploading all the images. lol

Set up your MLS system in my system.

I set up your site and profile.

If you like it. You can subscribe monthly via credit / debit card $24.99 a month

If you don't want to keep the site... You have no obligation to start and can cancel anytime prior to your renewal date.

No money up front.  I pick up all development costs of adding your MLS to the system.

I do take requests and ask for input for every system integrated because data on properties will vary from location to location.