Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® Selects Point2 to Power Consumer Real Estate Portal
  The Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® (JAAR) recently launched JacksonMIHomes.com, a consumer real estate search portal powered by Point2. The new website uses data from the local multiple listing service (MLS) to provide consumers with current real estate listing information in the Jackson, Mich., area. The site is a Point2 MLS & Association Consumer Portal that has been specifically developed for JAAR. Website visitors can use the portal to search for Jackson properties for sale or rent. Homes can be filtered by neighborhood, price and other features, including property type, number of bedrooms, and more. Listing detail pages provide supplementary photos and descriptions, as well as neighborhood demographics and comprehensive maps. The website is mobile-friendly to provide more convenient access to all users. On-the-go homebuyers can quickly utilize the open house search feature to find properties that are open for viewing. "The Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® is excited to offer a powerful, consumer website that makes searching for your new home fun and enjoyable," commented JAAR Executive Vice President Melissa Tee. "Point2 made the experience seamless and simple. Their up-to-date technological features and support are phenomenal. They were very responsive to our needs as well." JacksonMIHomes.com also fosters the connection between agents and home buyers and sellers. The listing agent's contact information is prominently featured next to each property on the site, and a "Find a REALTOR®" tool appears at the top of every page. "Now is the time for real estate associations and MLSs to use their strengths to secure their position for the future. Consumer search portals for real estate are a step in the right direction as certain aspects of syndication lose their appeal," said Saul Klein, industry principal at Point2 and longtime industry expert. "Congratulations to the leadership and members of the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® for leading the way in a movement that will change the face of advertising real estate on the Internet." About the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® The Jackson Area Association of REALTORS® is the advocate of private property ownership in our community, promoting professionalism, ethics, education, diversity and cooperation among all of our members. The Jackson Multiple Listing Service exists to provide up-to-date, accurate real estate information to its users in the most cost-effective manner through technology and continues to encourage cooperation between its members and other MLSs. Visit JacksonMIHomes.com for more information. About Point2 Founded in 1996, Point2 provides online marketing solutions for real estate agents worldwide and real estate organizations in North America. Point2 also owns and operates the consumer real estate search portal, Point2 Homes. Point2 is a member of the Yardi® family of companies. For more information, visit Point2.com.

Supra eKey Now Available on iPhone and iPod Touch
After months of anticipation, Supra released it's eKEY Basic for iPhone and iTouches everywhere. With eKEY software, real estate agents can use their iPhone or iTouch as their lockbox key. eKEY updates wirelessly so real estate professionals can do business anywhere. There are two service levels available: eKEY Basic which provides basic keybox functions. eKEY Professional (coming late this year)adds MLS data saved to your phone, links Google maps to the listings, and delivers showing details to your phone.   eKEY Basic Features: (device shown to the right) Wireless Updates and Alerts Obtain Listing Keys Keep track of all the agent's key boxes right from their phone Manage and Program all keyboxes Easily place and remove keyboxes from listings using a phone Change shackle codes Supra eKEY Adapter (device shown to the right) They have created a Supra iPhone Adapter which plugs into the 30 pin dock connector.  It adds Infrared to the iPhone.  It is designed to hang from a key chain when not in use.  When an agent is ready to show a house, they can just slide it out of its cover, and plug it into their iPhone. When will eKEY for iPhone be available? eKEY Basic for iPhone is available now!  eKEY Professional for iPhone will be available in December of 2010. Will the Supra iPhone Adapter require batteries?   No!  The Adapter gets its power from the iPhone, thus no batteries to change and it will never need to be charged.  It only uses power when a box is opened, thus it has very little impact on the iPhone's battery. Will eKEY for iPhone work with the eKEY Fob (the one that works with the BlackBerry)? The eKEY fob used for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices will not work with the iPhone.  It was necessary to design an accessory specifically for the iPhone.  They decided to create an adapter that would plug directly into the phone.  In this way the eKEY for iPhone is a fully integrated solution. How do I get eKEY for iPhone? eKEY for iPhone is issued just like the other eKEYs.  The Supra iPhone Adapter is available for purchase directly from Supra and from most Boards and MLSs.  After an agent has their adapter, they can download the software from the App Store, and get an eKEY serial number and authorization code from their Board or MLS.  Once the authorization code is entered into the software, they are ready to open lock boxes with their iPhone. Moving from DisplayKEY or ActiveKEY is a very simple process.  It will only take a few minutes at an agent's local Board or MLS (whoever issued their current key), and they will be opening lock boxes with their iPhone. What models of iPhones will be supported? eKEY for iPhone will run on all current models of iPhone (2G, 3G, 3Gs).  It will also run on the new iPhone 4.  Note that for 2G, 3G, and 3Gs devices, you must have iPhone OS 3.1.3 or above. How do I get the software on my iPhone? The eKEY for iPhone app is on Apple App Store.  The download is free.  While the software itself is downloaded free, there will be an ongoing monthly charge for the key service. Download it now to check out the demo mode. Is there a way to see how eKEY for iPhone works before I buy it? Yes.  There is a demo version of the software.  It is on the App Store and it will let you check out all the eKEY Basic features.  To start using it to open lock boxes an agent will just need to speak to his/her Board or MLS and get an authorization code (once the Supra eKEY Adapter is available). If you would like to learn more about Supra's eKEY for iPhone and iTouch, please click here. If you would like to view a demo of the eKEY software, please click here.

Stewart Renews eSignature Contract
March 29, 2010—Silanis Technology, Inc., today announced that Stewart Information Services Corp. will extend the use of Silanis’ ApproveIt electronic signature platform for its internal operational processes. The real estate information and transaction management company expects its internal processes to benefit from significant time and cost reductions, as has its settlement and title services since integrating Silanis’ solutions in 2004. “Early results from a cross-section of Stewart offices have demonstrated that a closing can be conducted in as few as 15 minutes when the consumer has had access to SureClose® and the eSignature solution,” said Travis Wright, president and director of business development for Stewart Transaction Solutions. “Stewart’s decision to standardize on Silanis’ electronic signature solutions demonstrates our ongoing commitment to investing in technology that will increase our own productivity and effectiveness, and thus improve customer service.” In 2004, Stewart Title Co. and Silanis co-developed the patent-pending eClosingRoomTM, which is integrated with the SureClose® online transaction management system, becoming the first and only system to handle all real estate closing documents electronically. Prior to the closing meeting, homebuyers electronically review all closing documents and electronically sign all non-notarized documents. The remaining documents can then be electronically signed in the presence of a notary using the system’s eNotary capability. The electronically signed documents are also made available to participating county recorders, where permitted by law. Homebuyers benefit because they can take the time they need to review the documents in advance of the closing meeting, thereby reducing their time at the closing. Settlement agents benefit because they can process closings faster and therefore accommodate a larger volume of closings at the end of each month. And lenders will benefit because they will receive a QA’d eMortgage package within minutes after closing and eliminate paper-related, processing costs. In 2006, Stewart plans to use Silanis’ enterprise signing platform for a variety of internal processes, including employee hiring and on-boarding processes. The platform will enable Stewart to increase its productivity and operational efficiency, while maximizing its investment in other IT applications by ensuring that processes requiring signature approvals remain electronically connected and do not fall back to paper. Stewart can also expect to decrease its cost of doing business as paper, shipping, handling, data verification, scanning and data re-keying will be reduced, and in many instances eliminated entirely. Stewart chose Silanis as its preferred electronic signature partner because of the success of the eClosingRoom, as well as for the flexibility and scalability provided by Silanis’ solutions. The Silanis ApproveIt platform is designed to integrate with enterprise and vertical business applications, business portals, and content management systems. ApproveIt Desktop integrates seamlessly with common native formats, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDFTM, and IBM WorkplaceTM forms, while the ApproveIt Web Server is an enterprise business application server solution for external applications with legally enforceable records and audit logs. In addition, the ApproveIt Transferable Records Manager provides a solution for controlling the access, transfers, and ownership of high-value, eNote transactional records. “At the end of the day, whether widespread paperless transactions are three, five or eight years down the road, when we get a seamless transaction it’s better for all the participants,” said Wright in an interview with Real Estate Technology News (February 8, 2006). About Silanis Founded in 1992, Silanis Technology, Inc., is the largest and most experienced provider of electronic signature solutions. More than 1,100 government and commercial organizations, representing two million users, depend on Silanis' solutions to accelerate operations, improve service, and reduce costs. The company’s solutions not only eliminate the inefficiencies of paper, they provide reliable and auditable business records needed to demonstrate compliance with applicable laws, standards, regulations and policies. http://www.silanis.com. About Stewart Stewart Title Co. and Stewart Transaction Solutions are wholly owned subsidiaries of Stewart Information Services Corp. (Stewart) (NYSE-STC), a technology-driven, strategically competitive, real estate information and transaction management company. Stewart provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries through more than 8,500 policy-issuing offices and agencies in the United States and international markets. Stewart also provides post-closing lender services, default management solutions, automated county clerk land records, property ownership mapping, geographic information systems, property information reports, flood certificates, document preparation, background checks and expertise in tax-deferred exchanges. More information can be found at http://www.stewart.com.  

Roost.com Brings New Housing Data App to Facebook
 Company gives real estate brokers and agents a smarter, easier way to build business on the world’s largest social platform.   SAN FRANCISCO, March 4, 2010 — Roost, Inc. (www.roost.com), a real estate technology company that displays over four million real estate listings and provides advertising solutions to real estate agents and brokers, announced today that it has launched a beta version of its new Facebook application, Social Real Estate? The Roost application, which creates a “Real Estate” tab on the Facebook pages of real estate agents and brokers, displays city-specific housing, education and walkability data in a manner that creates engagement.   Roost, which won the Inman Innovator Award in 2008 for “Most Innovative New Technology,” views the Social Real Estate application as a natural extension of its existing solution.    "Facebook has passed 400 million users and is arguably second only to Google in mass consumer engagement, but most real estate brokers and agents struggle to use the platform effectively,” said Alex Chang, CEO of Roost. “Our application solves that problem by delivering content consumers want and engagement tools real estate agents need within Facebook itself.”   The beta version of Social Real Estate, which is free, features school data from Education.com , real estate market data from Altos Research and walkability scores from Walk Score™. MLS (Multiple Listing Service) real estate search plus lead generation and drip marketing tools for real estate agents and brokers will be included in a full version of the app slated for release in the coming months.   The Social Real Estate application enables real estate brokers and agents to:   Establish themselves as local experts within Facebook Generate real business by integrating information homebuyers and sellers have shown they want into their Facebook pages Save time and money by delivering killer content and engagement tools they would otherwise spend months finding, buying or building   "Altos Research is all about helping professionals communicate local real estate market data to their clients and prospects," said Michael Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research. "The new Roost app elegantly fits our vision because with it agents and brokers easily communicate powerful, valuable information to the vast Facebook audience."   Added Matt Lerner, CTO of Front Seat, “Living in a walkable neighborhood is a social experience, when people are out of their cars they interact with each other. Real Estate is also a social experience and we’re excited to partner with Roost to help people find a great place to live on Facebook.”   Continued Ronald Fortune, CEO of Education.com, “Having access to information about area schools is critical for families evaluating real estate options.  Social Real Estate brings this data to parents where they are, on Facebook, and we’re delighted to be working with Roost on this innovative application.”   Real estate professionals across the country have already deployed the Social Real Estate application.   “We all know the impact that social media, more specifically Facebook, is having on our real estate business,” said Brad Coy, REALTOR® with San Francisco Real Estate Services. “It’s great to have an application like the one from Roost that allows me to elevate that social media presence and provide useable data to the visitors of my page.”   “Facebook has been an important part of my business over the last several months,” said Joe Spake, REALTOR® with Revid Realty. “I’m so excited that Roost has developed an application that allows me to showcase relevant real estate data to fans of my Memphis Real Estate Page.”   Check out Joe’s Social Real Estate? Tab on his Memphis Real Estate Page .   About Roost, Inc. Founded in San Francisco, Calif. in 2007, Roost is a premier real estate technology company. To support its mission of making it simple for homebuyers to find the house of their dreams, Roost is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive, accurate real estate resource on the Web. By partnering with local Multiple Listing Services (MLS), real estate brokers, builders, and via a strategic relationship with iHomefinder, Inc (an industry leader in real estate data services and MLS compliance), Roost helps ensure home buyers access to current homes for sale and foreclosure information in more than 70 major metro areas across the US. For example, some of the top homes for sale and foreclosure searches at Roost include Boston Homes for Sale , Denver Homes for Sale , Miami Foreclosures , Orlando Foreclosures , Philadelphia Homes for Sale , Phoenix Foreclosures and San Francisco Homes for Sale . In 2008, Roost earned the Innovator Award for Most Innovative Technology from Inman News, the leading source of independent real estate news and opinion for the industry. To start your home search, visit www.roost.com . To visit our Facebook Social Real Estate App Page, click here.   About Altos Research   Altos Research pioneered real-time real estate market data. Founded in 2005, the Mountain View, CA, company’s products serve financial institutions, home buyers and sellers, and thousands of real estate professionals in 15,000 zip codes around the country. Because everyone wants to know, “How’s the market?” agents and brokers use AltosReports, AltosCharts, and the Altos Intelligence Marketing System to be the expert resource on local conditions for their clients and prospects – in person, on the web, via email and social media.  Learn more here about Altos Research real-time real estate data .  About Education.com   More than two million parents a month come to Education.com to get the information they need to support their children’s unique educational and developmental needs, and to find ideas for how to make learning more fun. From kindergarten readiness to college prep, Education.com is the leading destination for involved parents. Often called “The WebMD of education,” the company has teamed up with leading universities, nonprofits, and research organizations to offer highly credible parenting, developmental, and educational information. The site also offers printable activities, community resources, access to best-of-breed educational services, and SchoolFinder – a tool that gives parents comprehensive data on the nation’s 125,000 public, private and charter schools. Education.com was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Redwood City, CA. The company is backed by leading venture capital firms, Azure Capital Partners, TeleSoft Partners, and California Technology Ventures. For more information, please visit www.education.com .   About Front Seat and Walk Score   Walk Score (www.walkscore.com ) is a project of Front Seat (www.frontseat.org), a civic software company based in Seattle. Since its launch in July 2007, Walk Score has become the most popular worldwide measure of walkability. Over 700 real estate websites show Walk Score on their listings and over 2.5 million scores are distributed to partners each day. The Walk Score team is advised by a ten-person Advisory Board, which includes urban planning, environmental and technical experts.   For more information, please contact: Derek Overbey Roost.com 415.742-8059 [email protected]    

a la mode and iHomefinder Partner
ORLANDO, FL, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- From the floor of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Conference here, a la mode, a leading developer of desktop, mobile, and Web tools for real estate professionals, and iHomefinder, a leading developer of Web-based tools to enhance productivity and increase sales for real estate agents, announced that users of a la mode's Agent XSites will be able to implement iHomefinder's customized solution for displaying MLS active listings on their personal websites. By using iHomefinder's IDX solution, agents can provide their clients with robust features for conducting home searches. Clients can not only search for current active listings but can also request email notification when new listings meeting their custom search settings are available. Listing search results include property details, maps, school information, mortgag calculators and lead generation forms. Agent XSites users will be able to automatically display their personal listings as "featured listings" and large Broker/Agent offices can create individual agent bios for each company agent. Agents' personal listings are displayed and agents can monitor their own clients' search activities. "As we roll out a more vibrant, robust Agent XSites version here at the NAR show, we're very excited to be able to offer iHomefinder's customized IDX/MLS search capabilities and marketing tools for XSites users at a discounted rate from standard retail pricing," said Rusty Lindquist, Product Manager for a la mode. Flyers including the agents contact information can be printed for any listing and clients can request a showing for any property. Agents can create an "Open Homes" page that will display their open homes for the week. The iHomefinder IDX solution includes features not available to agents accessing their local MLS data directly. "Agents who have invested in an Agent XSite know the value of online marketing, and how to attract Internet-savvy home buyers and sellers," said Jim Humphrey, Sales Director of iHomefinder. "We are delighted to be able to offer significant enhancements in that area to Agent XSites users at special pricing. The partnership between a la mode and iHomefinder is natural," he said. About iHomefinder: iHomefinder's suite of website tools and services empowers local real estate offices and agents to increase sales, improve productivity, enhance customer service, and compete in the online real estate marketplace. All iHomefinder programs operate on a client's website using the client's branding and website design. iHomefinder uses Internet Data Exchange (IDX) as its core MLS search engine, tailored to the location of each client, and offers several other website tools to enable clients to capture leads. To learn more about iHomefinder's services, call 1.866.700.8855, or go to www.iHomefinder.com. About a la mode: a la mode, founded in 1985, develops desktop, mobile, and Web tools for real estate appraisers, agents, inspectors and mortgage lenders. Each year, over half of the nation's home appraisals are created with a la mode's WinTOTAL software and delivered electronically through its server network, which handles nearly a million and a half paperless mortgage transactions a month. a la mode XSites allow real estate professionals to deploy a professional Web presence that manages transactions and communications with their clients and provide an integrated platform for their own day-to-day processes. Learn more at www.alamode.com. Contact: Brett DeSchepperiHomefinder(866) [email protected] Matt Barra la mode(330) [email protected]

REST Mobile Companion
REST w/U lets you easily extend Real Estate Success Tracker beyond your desktop to mobile Agents and Teams by syncing with desktop- or server-based Real Estate Success Tracker.REST the mobile way. Sync your iPhone or iPod Touch with your desktop version of REST and you’ll have every important detail at your fingertips. Add, delete and edit items while on the road and when you return to the office just sync again. Keeping your real estate business up-to-the-minute organized is easy with REST. REST w/U lets you easily extend Real Estate Success Tracker beyond your desktop to mobile Agents and Teams by syncing with desktop- or server-based Real Estate Success Tracker. With its powerful viewing options, easy data entry features, and two-way synchronization, you’ll manage your information with ease and have instant access to details while on the go! REST w/U lets you easily extend Real Estate Success Tracker beyond your desktop to mobile Agents and Teams by syncing with desktop- or server-based Real Estate Success Tracker.View, modify, find, sort, add, and delete information on your iPhone or iPod Touch in an intuitive interface. Sort data by tapping a column heading. Browse and find in People, Properties, Activities, Notes and Transactions. Tap phone numbers to dial with your iPhone and tap email addresses to create and send new email messages. REST w/U lets you easily extend Real Estate Success Tracker beyond your desktop to mobile Agents and Teams by syncing with desktop- or server-based Real Estate Success Tracker. For more info go to REST. How To Turn Social Networking Into Paid Clients Tungle.me Upgrades! Expand Your Meeting Network with Tungle.me