I had the pleasure of being invited on the RealEstateChannel.ca the other day. It is always weird to watch yourself on a video. Anyways, here is the interview:
Want more information about the RealEstateChannel.ca? - check out their site.
Vancouver Real Estate Tech March Meetup brings you 2 new speakers to the group. We are pleased to have Cameron McNeill and Cameron Good of MAC Marketing Solutions.
Cameron McNeill the founder of MAC Marketing Solutions and Cameron Good the Director of Sales for MAC Marketing Solutions will be presenting on their recent use of YouTube and Web Episodes to promote the upcoming Yaletown building called “Donovan”.
MAC created a made for web TV series about a woman’s life in Donovan, a downtown Vancouver condo development. A kind of “Sex and the City” meets “Will & Grace.” - (see all 5 episodes here)
MAC is one of Canada’s leading project marketing and sales organizations which assists developers to design, market and sell new residential developments. MAC boasts over 6000 sales valued at over $1.7 Billion of new homes in the last five years.
MAC has marketed over 160 residential developments and has worked along side some of Canada?s largest developers. Currently MAC is actively involved in real estate projects valued over $3 Billion throughout Greater Vancouver plus the BC Interior and Alberta. www.condosbymac.com
And, a new format, we will have a few of Ubertor’s client service team on hand from 6:10 PM to 8:30 PM ready to answer any questions you have about your website, search engines, Meebo, SEO, blogging, content, Google Analytics or whatever you can think of. If you have a question and want it answered this is a great opportunity to learn more.
***** To attend, please RSVP here*****
Here are some photos from past meetups?
From outside of Vancouver? don’t worry, you are welcome to attend… past Meetups have had agents from Whistler, Victoria, Seattle, Bellingham, Calgary, San Francisco and Gibsons. Would be great to see you, let us know if your coming from out of town as we would be pleased to answer any questions about hotels, driving directions, etc.
Many clients have asked for this feature and now it is part of the Ubertor real estate software. You can upload any PDF feature sheet to your listings quickly and easily and your PDF will replace the one that our system automatically generates.
If you have any questions about this new feature please feel free to contact our live help.
Now, within all Ubertor websites you can quickly and easily create a “mini-site” for an individual listing. Now when your doing your listing presentation you can tell the homeowner that you will have a specific domain name for their property that directs all visitors to their home within your website.
What a way to show the homeowner that you mean business!
Using the “mini-site” tab with any of your listings you can register a domain name and point it right to that specific listing.
For example, you could register 1388West6th.com and have it go directly to http://www.martyhomes.com/Properties.php/Details/208/details
Promote 1388West6th.com
- on flyers
- email newsletters
- top of For Sale signs
- on postcards
It is a great way to show the homeowner that you are focused on them and selling their home!
We continue in our campaign to get real estate agents blogging… many have stepped up, started blogging and have seen the results. CNN Money wrote an article in late January 2007 about the effects that blogging is having on the real estate industry.
Blog if you love real estate
Bloggers are changing the equation when it comes to buying a house or condo.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 19, 2006: 12:23 PM ESTNEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Blogging has hit the real-estate industry…and it just may upend a marketplace known for inefficiency and restricted information.
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of blogs covering real estate and they shine unfiltered lights on their subjects, reporting market gossip, innuendo, facts, opinion, virtually anything. . . .Complete Story Here
Want to learn more?
- Attend our Real Estate Technology Meetup
- Chat Live with our customer service team
- Signup for an Ubertor Website
(ok, so the title is a pushing it, but…) Nathan Justus, a real estate agent in Washington State who not only has an Ubertor website but takes his website to the next level using all of the widgets and tools that he can to ensure that he provides excellent real estate information to his website visitors. Nathan, forwarded this email to me from NOT a client of his, NOT a client of ours, but a potential real estate agent who liked what he was doing. Here is what he had to say:
Nathan,
I just wanted to comment on the wonderful layout of your website. I’m currently Active Duty Coast Guard, and working on my Real Estate license in my spare time. I’ve been soaking up all of the information I can get, and I’ve been looking at agent’s websites as part of my brainstorming for my future career.
Your website is very well laid out, and far better than almost all of the other websites I have looked at.
Best of luck to you and your career, sounds like you are doing very well for only having started in 2004!
Very Respectfully,
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
YN3 J. E. C.
USCG ISC Seattle
SPO Yeoman for:
USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717)
PACAREA ARMORY
Relevision Productions of Vancouver has produced a 5 part Comedy series; “sponsored” by Cressey Developments.
The 5 part mini-series distributed through YouTube is an interesting approach to marketing the Yaletown Donovan Condo Development.
This may be the biggest product placement ever!
Marketers proclaim that people buy benefits not features.
The Donovan series demonstrates in an entertaining manner the lifestyle of the urban fashionable, expresso sipping Yaletown Set.
Whatever you think of the video; admire this… they have targeted a specific market with laser focus.
Distribution of the video through YouTube with the tags “Sexy, blonde, condo, gay, hot, funny and vancouver” speaks volumes of whom they expect to buy condo’s within the Donovan.
Some may ask what are “Tags”?; those some are not the target buyers of the Donovan.
Great success comes from getting out of the comfortable middle and pushing yourself to the edge; I give kudos to this initiative and think it may become the Scion of Condo Marketing.
Seth Godin proclaims the benefits of being a Purple Cow. I see one grazing on Richards.
Learn More:
Scion: Limited edition vehicles quickly sell out.
Tagging : Folksonomy for condo’s
Seth Godin: Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Michael Arrington over at techcrunch.com has done a great job of reviewing online photo editing software. I use snipshot.com and have written about it before. I know a bunch of our real estate agents use it, but it is worth taking a peek at what Michael Arrington has to say about snipshot.com and 5 other online photo editing websites.
Ok, these questions come up all the time…
What is craigslist.org? Who is this guy? How does he make money if the whole site is free?
This might help…
Since Craig Newmark founded the site in 1995 simply to “help out, in a very small way” he has resisted an onslaught of advertising offers, multi-million-dollar buy outs and even the courtship of national TV shows and Hollywood studios. Now for the first time, for a single, random twenty-four hour period, he has opened up the list to an underground film crew to go behind the scenes and come face to face with some of the posters on the world’s biggest “digital commons”. Here is the trailer for the movie:
More details here - www.24hoursoncraigslist.com
Did you know.. Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.org met with the Ubertor founders?
Next up in my blog interview series is Chris Tsakumis the Vice President and Director of EPTA Properties. Epta Properties is a family owned and operated firm based out of Richmond B.C. with assets throughout the Lower Mainland. www.eptaproperties.com
Q. How did you get into the real estate business?
A. As opposed to getting into the business as a personal pursuit, I have been fortunate to be raised in a real estate family. My father, a former restaurateur, first started in real estate by building the restaurants that he and his brothers ran throughout BC. He would learn that his true passion lay with acquiring and developing property and he followed his passion earnestly. That same passion was something that was instilled in all of our family and I knew from a very young age that my calling would lead me to the real estate industry at some point.
Q. What are your thoughts about the 2007 real estate market?
A. Although there has been much talk about a pending “bubble” in the local market, I feel strongly that the market will continue to stay strong. I think it’s fair to say however, that the days of “paper flipping” in the residential sector may be behind us for now. I believe the market will continue to creep upwards as we head towards the Olympics in 2010. As for the commercial sector, the strong economic conditions in the province and even the country will continue to drive investment into the region. In particular, port related commercial activity will increase the need for more value-added industrial facilities giving a further boost to an already hot commercial/industrial market.
Q. What do you think the real estate market will be like in 2012? (2 years after the Olympics)
A. I think that after Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is seen on a global stage, that many people will see the benefit of Pacific Northwest living and as a place to do business. As Asian trade has become of great importance to this region, it will be critical to capitalize on all of that great exposure the Olympics affords the host city. I think the market will benefit greatly in the years after the Olympics, but it will be up to the local industry to determine where that legacy goes and how we shape that future. As a desirable “Gateway” city, it’s fair to say that the market will continue to go upwards but you’ll learn quick that in real estate, nothing is for sure.
Q. The Environment and Energy Efficiency seem to be a big topics these days, is Epta doing anything unique in these areas? (ie. using rainwater within a building, etc)
A. LEEDS is really a hot topic in real-estate these days. No matter what seminar you attend, or conference you go to, LEEDS is always discussed in some capacity. Fortunately, we have a great research facility here at BCIT that is currently exploring new opportunities in Green roof technology, energy efficiency etc. Our company is currently researching the feasibility of green roof technology for an exciting industrial development we have on the horizon. Moreover, it continues to be important for use to build our projects near key transportation infrastructure similar to Keystone and Origin which are a stones throw away from the West Coast Express station in Pitt Meadows.
Q. What is your favorite source of real estate news? why?
A. The local community papers are great for grassroots news about local community real estate. Association conferences (NAIOP, BOMA, VBOT etc.) are always great sources for more general trend analysis.
Q. Do you read any real estate blogs? if so, who? why?
A. Only the Ubertor blog. Quite honestly because it’s the only one you hear about!
Q. Any new projects coming up that we should know about?
A. We are currently developing two exciting new residential condo projects in Pitt Meadows that we are genuinely excited about. The Keystone and Origin will be great additions to the Pitt Meadows area. This is one of the lower mainlands hottest growth areas and we are committed to the community there. We also are in the design phase of a variety of other projects throughout the lower mainland that will be coming online in 2008.
Q. What was your favorite project you worked on? why?
A. Nothing specific sticks out. I love working on every project we have. I take a lot of ownership and pride in our projects.
Q. What area within BC do you think is the next “hot” area? why?
A. The Fraser Valley in my opinion is a key area. As affordability of housing continues to be a concern, more and more of the younger population will be looking at the Fraser Valley for the purchase of their first home and will likely remain a resident of that community once they have established themselves there.
More Interviews:
Blog Interview: Colin Bosa, President of Bosa Properties Ltd.
Blog Interview: John Scott, Chief Executive Officer of the Scott Construction Group
