Skip navigation

Realtors Choose
VARbuzz
The Real Show
Virginia Association of Realtors » »

Tech & web

VARbuzz: For content companies, the need for speed means the need for location

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Jun 12 2012 - 10:11am

You might think that this whole Internet thing has made the world smaller and removed geography from a lot of equations. If you have instant access to everything, so many people don’t need to be on location. Telecommuting means you can live in the middle of nowhere or in the heart of a city.

It turns out, though, that the same technologies that can render geography less important can also make location more important.

 You might think of the Net as virtually instant — send a message and moments later it’s received. You can easily video chat with someone on the other side of the world, or watch a movie streamed from YouTube or Netflix. Need a document while you’re in your hotel? You can pull it from your office computer lickety-split.

New: Commonwealth electronic edition

Posted by Andrew Kantor
May 23 2012 - 4:20pm

Check it out, yo! Now you can get Commonwealth on your tablet.

Check out our new mobile app for iPad and Android that let you read the magazine, search and browse back issues, bookmark and share content, and more.

Install it once, and new issues will be sent automatically as they’re published.

Five great exhibitors to see at NAR’s 2012 Midyear Trade Expo

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Apr 30 2012 - 12:01am

Chrysler Group LLC — REALTOR Benefits® Program partner offers REALTORS® exclusive discounts on select Chrysler Group vehicles.

Lowe’s Program for REALTORS® — Available exclusively to NAR members through the REALTOR Benefits® Program — provides free customizable marketing tools and coupons, plus discounts on gift cards.

REALTOR® University — Take your professional career to a new level with NAR’s new Master of Real Estate degree program.

VARbuzz: Mini Accessible Tech: Will you have Internet access on July 9?

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Apr 23 2012 - 8:24am

A quick visit to a government Web site could make sure you don’t lose your Internet connection in July.

The FBI says that hundreds of thousands of computers are infected with a virus, and those machines will lose Internet access on July 9.

Agency Preview Webinar: April 2, 2012

You must log in to view this resource

You're attempting to access a VAR members-only resource. To view it, please log in.

VARbuzz: Zestimate change causes wailing, hand-wringing

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Mar 30 2012 - 11:34am

Remember the hubbub a few weeks ago when NAR revised some of its home-sales data? It’s happening again — but this time it’s Zillow on the receiving end.

And people are not happy about the changes.

Quoth the Wall Street Journal story:

On June 14th, Bill Trumbo, a 68-year-old retired financial analyst in Phoenix, Ariz., logged onto his bank’s online personal financial management account and found that his house in Phoenix had lost nearly $100,000 in value overnight.

Oh noes!

Get VAR where you are

VAR wants to keep you in the loop wherever you want to be, whether that's on our website or somewhere else online. Check out all the places where you can find VAR products, services, and information designed to help you keep up with the Virginia real estate markets. Click on the icon to connect with us across the web.

FACEBOOK
Open to all members; just click the "Like" button to start receiving updates.

VARbuzz: Social media for Realtors: Mostly myth?

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Mar 1 2012 - 9:26am

Interesting post by Jeff Brown over at Bloodhound Blog on social media and the real estate business. His point: All talk, not a lot of action.

“My years online have shown me widgets and SM [social media] pretty much add sales every now and again,” he says. “Agents don’t need shiny toys and Facebook to do that.”

And: “For years now, agents from coast to coast have paid good money to hear about widgets and SM ‘how to’, only to learn they can’t find one example of anyone who’s added 25 sales a year to their production.

Finally, he offers a challenge to the social media cheerleaders:

VARbuzz: Love, hate, Trulia

Posted by Andrew Kantor
Feb 29 2012 - 3:53pm

I’m not sure what to make of these two stories.

Business Insider: “Zillow And Trulia Face Backlash From Real Estate Agents“

Among their complaints are that the sites allow any agent, for a fee, to have their name and photo appear prominently beside homes listed for sale in a given region, even if they aren’t the agent who represents the seller.

[snip]

Some realtors also claim that many listings on the largest sites are inaccurate. “The wrong photos often appeared with our listings,” says San Diego realtor Jim Abbott, whose firm no longer shares data with the national sites.

The Basics of Using LinkedIn for Real Estate

Date: 
August 24, 2011 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: 
Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS 5000 New Point Rd Ste 1101 Williamsburg, VA 23188 Office: 757.253.0028 www.WAARealtor.com

The Basics of Using LinkedIn for Real Estate

Over 85,000,000 professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, opportunities and network.  Advertise your properties, join groups to increase your knowledge and share ideas, meet new connections and more.  But where do you begin???