Ubertor Real Estate Blog

Get expert advice from an Ubertor specialist on how to use the basics of the system. This is a great start for all new Ubertor users eager to learn how to begin maximizing their website for the most return. This is a live guided tour of Ubertor’s control panel – so if you’re on the fences about Ubertor’s software, click in and join the tour. See how easy it is to get a website up and running.

Join in 2 easy steps (Live Tour is FREE):

1. Register for the Live Tour on August 17th, 2010 @ 10:00 AM PST.

Simply click on this LINK at the time of the LIVE TOUR and JOIN!

2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) – a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1-702-473-3463
Access Code: 823727

The live tour will go over the following topics:

1. Logging into your control panel (1 minute)

2. The Dashboard – Overview of cool tools to get your site running (9 minutes)

* Google Maps – Map your listings with 3 different views
* Google XML SiteMaps – Get found on Google faster than others
* Feedburner – Get your blog going with Feedburner
* Google Analytics – Start tracking the number of people coming to your site
* Favicon – Change your favorites icon

3. Crafting your own page (15 minutes)

* Adding content
* Adding photos
* Adding videos

4. Power marketing your listings (15 minutes)

* Display your photos
* Adding files, like floor plans and strata docs to your listings
* Mapping your listing on Google
* Giving your listing its own domain (URL)
* Adding music to your listing
* Have an open house? Advertise the listing as an open house
* Virtual Tours
* Get your listing on Craigslist – and looking good!
* Adding your own filmed video to the listing

5. Unveil the power of CSS and how it can help you mastercraft your website (5 minutes)

6. What is Twitter? How to use it with your website (5 minutes)

7. Q & A (10 minutes)

**1 LUCKY attendee will win $57.00, just for taking the tour!**

We founded the Vancouver Real Estate Technology Meetup on October 27, 2006 and have held 37 meetups focused on educating Realtors on technology in the real estate space. We normally take a few months off in the summer but will be back in September with our next event. Be sure to join our meetup group to get the details of upcoming meetups.

Not in Vancouver? Here are some other real estate technology meetups that you could attend:

Vancouver Real Estate Technology Meetup
Organizer: Steve Jagger
Next Meetup: TBA

Fraser Valley Real Estate Technology Meetup
Organizer: Gary Jones
Next Meetup: August 23rd 2010

Toronto Real Estate Technology Meetup
Organizer: George O’Neill
Next Meetup: September 13th 2010

Modesto Real Estate Technology Meetup
Organizer: Sarah Fields
Next Meetup: TBA

A while ago we added Twitter integration into your Ubertor realtor website, this gives you the ability to have your website “tweet” some of your activity as well as gives you the option to show your Twitter feed on your home page (or any page). Check out how Calgary Realtor Kelley Skar has done it on his home page.

A request by one of our Ubertor Approved Vendors was rolled out today. Now a listing search module can be added to any Ubertor website. This search module allows users to search all of the listings within a clients website. This works fantastic for clients that have tons of listings for sale or properties for rent. Interested in having this module added to your Ubertor website, just click on the live help button in your control panel and our team would be pleased to help.

Sad news, Joe Ferrara has died.

From Inman News story a few days ago:
“Many real estate professionals around the country are in mourning today after Joseph Ferrara, a trailblazer for blogging and social media in the industry, died from a malignant brain tumor. He was 55.” complete story on Inman News

Over the years I have had lots of interactions with Joe. Always a great time and he will be missed.

Here is a picture of us from Joe and Rudy’s cross country drive to Inman SF in 2007:

(L – R) – Rudy of Sellsius, myself and Joe Ferrara of Sellsius – July 2007 in Seattle

Arizona Realtor Jennifer Sanchez and her team have setup an Ubertor website to showcase their listings, allow clients and non clients to search properties for sale in Arizona and to showcase their video blog. Take a moment to check out their website and their videos.

The Key Marketing is a Vancouver based condo marketing company. They do work with many of Vancouver’s real estate developers, helping them market and sell their real estate projects. The Key uses Ubertor to power their website and showcase the projects, videos, listings and services. It is another unique use of the Ubertor website system.

From their website:

“Based in Vancouver, The Key is a real estate marketing group that thinks differently. Whether you’re looking to market a residential development, sell or buy a luxury condo or home, rent or rent-out a condo or home, market a single family development or find an exceptional deal for your client – The Key offers a complete set of services that helps homebuyers, realtors, and the very best developers get to exactly where they want to be. Ultimately, we’re here to help real people find the homes that they truly love.”

It has been a few months since we have featured some clients websites on this blog so I figured I would showcase a few Ubertor websites that are doing some unique things over the next few days.

I came across this Ubertor website today through our live chat customer support team, it is a great looking website for Regina Realtor Craig Adam. It has been customized on our platform so that it has a unique look and feel from the standard templates. Take a moment to check out what Craig has done. (Craig Adam’s Website, still under construction)

If you are interested in customizing your Ubertor website, feel free to contact an Ubertor Approved Vendor as the possibilities are endless.

My co-author of Sociable!, Shane Gibson, wrote a blog post the other day that is quite relevant to the Ubertor audience.

From Shane’s post:

“I saw this great example of how a customer owns your brand in social media. While some Realtors may blog and tweet the links, or others build Facebook page shrines in their likeness, Jack Bernard has been branded by his customers online. You obviously want both, but this creative list as to why he’s the best Realtor in the world is a great example of how a raving fan can use their social influence to promote your business.” (see the whole post and images over on Shane’s blog)

Here is a great video interview with Jason Fried, the founder of 37Signals.com, a Chicago based software and design company that has changed the way people think about business, products, software and much more.

Myself and Ubertor co-founder Mike Stephenson flew to Chicago in late 2004 to meet with Jason Fried and his team to learn more about how 37Signals worked, how they design software and brought some of those lesson back to the Ubertor world.

In this video Jason talks about their move from PHP to Ruby (programming languages), a move we followed shortly after meeting Jason and his partner David Heinemeier Hansson. You can read more about that transition here and our Whistler Retreat in November 2004.

Check out this interview with Jason, there is lots to learn from him: