BUYER'S GUIDE: Net-based solutions


BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK

Take it online

Just as the World Wide Web has broadened your marketing reach, it promises to revolutionize how you access computer resources. Web-based applications, accessible through a standard Web browser, offer an increasingly attractive alternative to installing programs on your PC to power your business. Why are more and more applications going Web?

• Web-based software and services give users anywhere-anytime access to information resources.
• Vendors, not you, bear the burden of troubleshooting and installing upgrades to ensure that you have the latest versions and features of their applications.
• Anything you’ve traditionally kept on your computer, such as calendar and contact-management resources, is or can be accessible via the Web and can be shared with buyers, sellers, and peers.
  
  There are already examples of the practical advantages of Web-based applications. For instance, Myer’s Websuite offers the tools you need to build a better site without learning Web-design software or mastering HTML. Turnkey options such as Connecting Neighborhoods help you create a Web presence that serves the community as it promotes your services.
  
  Other options help you exploit the marketing potential of your Web site. The IDXdirect Pro Package will retrieve MLS data, reformat it in the way you want your listings featured, and track and alert you to visitors interested in that property. The REALTOR.com Marketing System offers modules to manage your site, build tours, and promote your listings with e-mail marketing campaigns.
  
  Some Web-based applications offer an online alternative to the functions you perform on your computer. Top Producer 7i is an Internet-based contact- and sales-management system. For the broker or sales manager, products such as Top Broker and Adigida Solutions’ RealFuture Realty Suite enable you to manage and track your operation—sales, performance, and financials—over the Internet.
  
  For all that these Web-based applications offer, many vendors still face a formidable challenge in attracting a critical mass of subscribers. Practitioners may balk, for now, at entrusting their vital contact and calendar information to a remote server.
  
  Plus there’s the psychological barrier: You don’t enter, install, or back up the data yourself. But that can be overcome by playing with a sample version. If it’s a Web site-building service, visit and navigate sites that have been developed using the product to gauge the ease with which you can add, update, or download resources. Cost is another factor: Nearly all Web-based services are offered on a subscription basis rather than a one-time purchase price. And you can expect to pay an initial setup fee.
  
  When you consider all you get in terms of access, upgrades, and features, making a shift to Web-based software can be worth the expense. At a minimum, online applications warrant a closer look before you make your next software purchase or redo your Web site.

Do vendors deserve your business?

That’s an important determination, since you’ll essentially be entering into a long-term partnership and entrusting your online resources to a vendor’s servers and technology. Here’s what to consider.

Company history. Some Web solution providers are new. If the company doesn’t have a proven track record, it may be prudent to step back until other subscribers iron out the kinks.

Number of subscribers. This is one of the best indicators of the staying power of the vendor and the support you can expect.

Security. Password-protected access for authorized users guarantees that only you and those you choose will be able to view or revise sensitive information. Accept nothing less.

Redundancy. You know from experience the wisdom of making backup copies of files on your PC. You want the same assurance that the information resources you entrust to a Web-based service are stored in more than one location.

Data ownership. Make sure you’ll be able to take with you the valuable content and data you enter and update if you ever decide to switch to another provider.

Device support. If you access the Web from both a PC and a PDA, make sure program features you need most will be accessible.

ONLINE SOFTWARE AND SERVICES

BrokerOffice
Flat or annual license fee based on transaction volume
Fidelity National Information Systems, www.FNIS.com, 800/996-6547.
Core modules include company intranet; calendar, scheduling, and messaging; and links to general real estate information resources. Store your company forms and documents on FNIS’ server and download for printing. Optional add-ons for managing contact information, leads, listings, and marketing activity.

Connecting Neighbors $399 setup fee; $39.95 per month
Real Estate on the Web Inc., www.connectingneighbors.com, 866/607-1414.
Company sets up neighborhood site with dedicated URL using real estate professional’s name. Base price allows for up to 14 pages, including community news, classifieds, residents’ hobbies and interests, info on new residents, and real estate. Sponsoring practitioner or neighborhood residents can submit content and photos. Each page features sponsor’s contact information and photo.

HomeLog $149 setup fee; $29.95 per month
eNeighborhoods, www.eneighborhoods.com/realtorVIP , 800/975-9742.
HomeLog can be used as an independent Web site or as an enhancement to an established site. Includes information on local area: demographics, schools, churches, and housing values and trends. Subscribers receive a CD-ROM each month with updated demographic data that can be rendered as reports or used as Web site content. Automatically e-mails bimonthly newsletter with your contact information and list of recent sales in neighborhood to clients and prospects registered with site.

IDXdirect Pro Package $195 setup fee for established Web site; $39.95 monthly
IDX Products, www.idxdirect.com, 310/242-5621.
This enhancement for Web sites retrieves and manipulates MLS data to post listings on your site in the format you specify. Visitors can create search profiles that automatically search MLSs and e-mail them relevant new listings. Site owner receives e-mail when visitors save listings or request more information on property. Subscribers can also upload contact information for e-mail promotions.

LiveOffice Suite
Module prices vary, starting at $25 per month
LiveOffice Corp., www.liveoffice.com, 800/251-3863.
Suite of integrated business management and communications modules can be combined as needed: LiveContactManager for contact management; LiveCalendar for scheduling and activity planning; LivePresentation for posting PowerPoint presentations to Web site; LiveSiteManager for traffic monitoring, with chat feature; LiveLockbox for document storage; LiveBackup for a virtual hard drive. Company also offers Web site hosting and development services. Some setup fees may apply.

LoopNet $39.95 monthly for premium membership
LoopNet Inc., www.loopnet.com, 888/567-7442.
Integrated modules assist you with listing, locating, marketing, and financing commercial transactions online. Free basic membership provides limited access to site tools and search. With premium fee-paid membership, users enjoy unlimited searches and modules for promoting and marketing property. Generate commercial market and property reports and area maps.

MLXchange Professional $29.95 per month
Interealty Corp., www.interealty.com, 866/397-3286.
Integrated MLS, sales, and marketing package for distribution through MLS boards and associations that support Interealty services. Combines MLXchange, an IDX-based MLS system, with salesperson productivity and sales management features, contact- and customer-relationship management, listing management, and lead capture. Includes tools for Web-based marketing and promotions.

The REALTOR.com Marketing System
Price varies by market and product
Homestore Inc., www.realtor.com/imarketing, 888/466-3786.
Customizable, unbundled suite of online marketing and management tools for promoting listings and generating leads through REALTOR.com portal. Modules for contact management, building and managing a Web site, prospecting, virtual tours, e-mail marketing campaigns, and promoting listings.

RealFuture Realty Suite $9.95 to $39.95
monthly for various modules
Adigida, www.adigida.com, 866/234-4432.
Modules for managing different aspects of real estate business, offered separately or as suite. ClientConnect contact management option and HomeHub Connect (sold together) help you manage your listings. OfficeConnect provides a company intranet. ManagementConnect offers transaction management, lead tracking, and follow-up features.

Top Producer 7i $34.95 monthly
Top Producer Systems, www.topproducer.com, 800/444-8570.
Web-based version of sales and marketing productivity software. Lead-management component captures client information from e-mail or online forms and adds it to contact database. Connects to REALTOR.com to download leads from your REALTOR.com personal Web page. Key modules available through Web-enabled cell phones and Top Producer 7i for Palm systems. Top Producer’s Top Broker Suite, www.topbroker.net, 800/241-5721, offers modules for managing all aspects of real estate business. $699 for all modules.

TransactionPoint
Flat or annual license fee based on transaction volume
Fidelity National Information Systems, www.FNIS.com, 866/780-0195.
Integrates with FNIS’ AgentOffice contact management software to build comprehensive real estate management system. Includes tools for contact management, activity scheduling and tracking, and document preparation. Password-protected Web page tracks transactions.

Websuite Individual Web site, $199 set up
$39 monthly; custom company site, call for pricing Myers Internet Inc., www.websuite.com, 800/693-7730. Build and manage an individual or company Web site and maintain and update property listings. Offers dedicated URL and e-mail address. Includes customizable forms for collecting buyer and seller information. Tracks site traffic and activity. Adds listings to search engines. Offers password-protected virtual office in which to access contact and listing management, e-mail marketing, and Web design functions.

Prices are the manufacturers’ suggested retail prices and are subject to change. This list isn’t comprehensive; NAR doesn’t evaluate or endorse these products and isn’t responsible for changes in company info.

FACTOID:
More than 60 percent of REALTORS^® have a personal Web site—either their own or through their brokerage.
Source: NAR’s Technology and the REALTOR^®Survey, 2003

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