Instanet Blog

Interview with an MLS Executive,  Merri Jo Cowen

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:56:00 GMT

An Interview with an Merri Jo Cowen, My Florida Regional MLS

By John Peretz, Real Estate Technology Writer

Tell us a little about My Regional Florida MLS (MRFMLS)?

“Well, we’re Florida’s largest multiple listing service (MLS) with over 32,000 members now in 13 central and southwest Florida counties. We cover most of central Florida, about 300 miles in all. Membership wise, this is our lower part of the year. We’ll probably end the year with closer to 33,000 or 33,500 members.”

What's the real estate market been like in Central Florida?

“It's a hard to be too specific because our market area covers such a huge footprint, but overall we're definitely seeing the recovery, slow and steady as it may be. Sales are just slightly down for the same period last year, but we think we'll probably exceed those numbers by the end of this year. Market time is dropping, and we only have five months of inventory where before we had eight or nine. The best news is that we're seeing some really good increases in the average and median prices, so even though there may be fewer sales, the prices are starting to climb. But you have to remember, prices dropped significantly and no one expects them to go back to the high point, but now we're starting to see a recovery, a little bit at a time.”

When do you think your market hit bottom?

“It was probably in late 2010, or early 2011. That's when we saw the prices dip the most, but now they've been consistently climbing ever since then.”

There's been a lot of consolidation in the industry, hasn't there?

“You know, some, but not enough. There is a lot of buying power and savings to be recognized with larger organizations and resources to provide enhanced services. We strive to provide the best service to our members and shareholders. You have to make sure that everybody's comfortable with everything. There are challenges to consolidation – but when everyone is ready to come to the table, things happen. There needs to be more consolidation but it's a process. You know, we've been fortunate; we added two new shareholder associations about a year ago with about 6,000 new members, and a new customer earlier this year. We are very excited to grow and add to our current 15 shareholders and 3 customers – we are proud of what we have to offer and look forward to new opportunities. I definitely think we'll see more consolidation across the country.”

How do you think technology has affected the market?

“When I first started, there were no photos, everything was printed out on fax paper, listings were hand written, and we manually entered everything. Look where we are today, and who knows where we'll be in a few more years!

The Internet has totally changed the way real estate is being done. Electronic lock boxes, showing and scheduling from within the MLS, all of these technologies have really changed the way our members do business. A lot of the newer members don't really seethe drastic changes, they just expect technology and that's what we deliver.

Technology is a great partner for Realtors, and that's what my job is. But I think you have to careful not to get too wrapped up in the technology, and forget that it's still a personal face-to-face business. Take the technology, and maximize it. But if members get caught up in playing games with their iPad and downloading every app and forget to go out and meet their clients and customers technology can also be a problem.”

What are you seeing in terms of mobile devices? Are you seeing a lot of iPhones and iPads and Androids throughout the industry?

“Yes, smartphones, iPads and tablets are really taking off. With mobile, the future is now. Everything's going to be built that way, and also on flexible, web-based platforms that are extremely mobile. That's how consumers are going to be doing business and mobile opportunities for real estate professionals will help them work in tandem with the varying needs of potential buyers and sellers.”

So having an online forms product that is iPad compatible is beneficial?

“Absolutely, it's huge. Anything that members can do on their iPads or their tablets is great.”

What technology package do you include as your member benefit package?

“We provide the Instanet Solutions package that includes TransactionDesk^™, online forms, DocBox^™, DocBox2Go^™ and InstanetFax^™. We include everything except electronic signatures as part of their annual fee, and even then we've got a very good price for those that want to subscribe to that.”

What has your experience been with Instanet Solutions?

“"Excellent. They've been great partners. They've always been very responsive. They have the same vision as we do – making sure the product is really good and stable, and easy to use. They stand right up there as one of our best partner relationships."”

What are you seeing in the area of eSignatures?

“I see some growth there, and a need, and we provide those options to our members. I think what holds our members back from adapting it as much, is that some of the institutions that they deal with won't accept electronic signatures. So when more of the financial institutions catch up with the rest of us, I think that's when we're really going to see the adoption increase. It's not the buyers and sellers, or even the agents. It's that there are certain banks and mortgage firms that won't accept eSignatures yet. We're looking forward to that changing and making it easier for everyone.”

About Merri Jo Cowen:

“Merri Jo Cowen is the CEO of My Florida Regional MLS (MRFMLS) and was recently named one of the most 100 influential real estate leaders by Inman News. Ms. Cowen also serves on the "MLS Issues and Policy Committee" for the National Association of REALTORS,^® is the Past President of the Council of MLSs (CMLS) and is the President-Elect of the MLS Domains Association.”

An Interview with an Assn. Director: Buzz Steele, Director of Marketing and Research, Tennessee Association of REALTORS®

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:26:00 GMT

Buzz Steele, Director of Marketing and Research, Tennessee Association of REALTORS^®

By John Peretz, Real Estate Technology Writer

Real estate continues to evolve in the Volunteer State of Tennessee. Distinctly Southern, Tennessee has felt the effects of the real estate downturn, but perhaps not as much as other much publicized states such as Florida, Nevada and Arizona. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Buzz Steele, the Director of Marketing of the Tennessee Association of REALTORS^® (TAR), which services over 18,000 plus members in cooperation with over 20 local associations throughout the state.

So, can you tell me what’s happening in Tennessee from a real estate standpoint? How have you weathered the storm?

“Well, we certainly have some issues, but I think the South, with perhaps the exception of Florida, has weathered the downturn much better than the rest of the nation. In a sense, we’ve been pretty insulated from a lot of it.”

What do you attribute that to?

“I would say that in general, the cost of living in Tennessee is really good and we have a dynamic and diverse economy that’s not reliant on any one industry. So, I don’t think we took as big a hit as other states did. We’ve had our share of short sales and foreclosures, that’s for sure, but overall, it’s been pretty good here in Tennessee compared to the rest of the nation.”

What about membership numbers?

“We have a little over 18,000 members. At one time, before the real estate market turned, we had about 30,000 members. That was about four years ago.”

In a recent interview, I spoke with Ms. Karen Kage, the CEO of Michigan’s largest REALTOR-owned MLS, and she said they’re starting to see people who left the business come back. Are you seeing any of that in Tennessee?

“Well, not so much yet. I think they will, that’s just part of it. The ones who are professional are obviously the ones that are going to stay. The ones that are doing this to do two or three sales a year, the first thing to go is going to be their membership and we understand that. So, when the market gets better we know it’s going to go up, but I don’t know if it’s ever going to go up to 30,000 again. I do see us slowly increasing down the road, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon. I think maybe we’re bottoming out right now, in my opinion. And so from here I think we’re going to go up, but I don’t think it’s going to be a huge transition like it was going down. It’s going to take some time to build those numbers up, but I don’t think that we’re going to be where we were, with 30,000 members.”

What are the trends you’re starting to see in Tennessee from a technology standpoint?

“We’re continuing to see a lot of Web 2.0 stuff, and a lot of social interaction outside of our sites. So we’re looking at how to tap into that by using all sorts of social channels. And then how to basically integrate all that back into one service area. That’s one of the challenges that I see for all of the REALTOR associations in general.”

What about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and social networks like that?

“Oh, it’s just exploded. You see a lot of groups that create their own pages and they go to those areas because they’re already online with their friends, networks, and spheres of influence. I’ve already had times where I’m actually answering tech support in Facebook. The mobility of services has also been going on for a few years now. You know, mobile apps on phones, tablets and mobile sites … these channels are there and you have to identify them and take advantage of those as an opportunity to reach your members.”

Do you see any correlation between the use of technology and increased agent production?

“I certainly hope so. In the world that we’re in now, people want it fast and convenient. Technology is certainly the way to go if you want to provide that type of service. I’d like to see more of our older members take advantage of the technology, because we certainly see the younger ones using it. Sooner or later, I believe that if you don’t embrace technology, you’re just going to weed yourself out.”

What do you see from an eSigning standpoint in Tennessee?

“We’ve had it for a couple of years through TransactionDesk^™ but it’s been a slow process for our members to take it on. Still, we’re doing some things at TAR that are making a difference. We’re running a promotion right now for the eSignatures, and it includes a lot more, like document storage and faxing, and the price point seems to be really working for our members. From what I’ve heard, they’re eating it up because it’s so economical.”

Tell me a little bit about your technology training.

“We’ve created some train-the-trainer courses where we give trainers across the state the ability to provide CE credits on a local basis, rather than just having one or two experts answer a phone or whatever else. And we provide that to the local associations for a very, very small cost. That way the local associations can provide their own training if they want to. All they have to do is supply us with their instructors. So what I’ve tried to do is basically duplicate myself. We have given the instructors the ability to go out with courses and a kit we provided. One is called the Basic Course and one is called the Advanced Course and they get 3 hours of CE credit and they can put that on. We don’t charge any royalty fees to the local associations, so it’s embraced a lot easier. And the local associations can charge what they want.”

“We’re also planning on doing a bunch of screen casting, tutorials, quick tips and things like that. So, we’re hoping to provide as much support as we can through media and through ourselves if we can. Also, the webinars work out great. Instanet Solutions also has been placing their training videos on YouTube.”

“So our members really like the service and we have some that are just really die-hard disciples.”

What would you tell someone who is first coming into the industry? What advice would you give them?

“First of all, take advantage of everything that is already out there that is provided free to you from your associations. Because they’ve already done the hard work and they’ve already compared them with other materials. The other thing I tell them to do is to embrace the technology as you’re coming in, and use those tools a lot. You can put yourself in an advantageous spot if you just go ahead and use as much of the technology as you can, especially if it’s provided as a member service. Jump right in.”

You work with Instanet Solutions to provide online forms and TransactionDesk^™. What can you tell me about them?

“Wonderful. The first time we had them down here we actually looked at several different vendors. While they weren’t the cheapest, they were the most impressive, and so we chose them for that reason.”

“And now with their full TransactionDesk^™, that includes online forms, document storage, faxing, mobile access and unlimited eSigning, you put that up against Docusign^™, Silanis^™ or anyone else, it’s the best gig going.”

“I love working with the Instanet team. Anytime I give them a call, I feel like I’m getting special attention. So that’s a one-on-one thing that we have, and I can’t remember any issues that I’ve ever run into that they haven’t really solved for me.”

About Mr. Buzz Steele:

Mr. Steele has been with the Tennessee Association of REALTORS for over 15 years, after a stint in production management. His current roles within the TAR organization include marketing, training, technology and research.

Interview with an MLS Executive,  Karen Kage

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:20:00 GMT

An Interview with an MLS Executive Karen Kage, Michigan's largest REALTOR^®-owned MLS

By John Peretz, Real Estate Technology Writer

Glimmers of light and hope are beginning to show their way through a gritty and determined Detroit metro area and its surrounding areas. For anyone who watched the Super Bowl this year, the Clint Eastwood TV commercial for Chrysler that talked about comebacks was the talk of the town. And for those of us in real estate, that's good news. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Ms. Karen Kage, the CEO of Realcomp II, Ltd., Michigan's largest REALTOR^®-owned MLS to talk about real estate and technology.

Tell me what's happening in Detroit from a real estate standpoint?

“You know, it's interesting – we were just looking at some recent article about how the trend is still somewhat downward on a national level, except for Detroit.

We've been able to report an increase in the number of units sold, a decrease in number of days on market and a slight but steady increase in the median sales price in some areas.”

What do you attribute that to?

“Well, I think what we're seeing is that Michigan was one of the first states to get hit by the economic downturn, so it stands to reason that we'd be one of the first ones to climb out. You know, the Big Three automakers are all profitable again. Ford, Chrysler and GM just announced bonuses, and every day you're seeing new technology companies pop up.”

So, how bad was it?

“It was bad. I've been in this business for 33 years, and I don't think I've ever seen anything remotely close to what happened in the 4 to 5 years during the brunt of the recession. But things are definitely looking up.”

“In the middle of 2007 we had 93,000 total properties on the market and that's compared to 28,000 now, so it's a big difference. So we are seeing a turnaround in the economy here and in the overall housing market.”

What about subscriber counts?

“Well, there are fewer subscribers now than we've had in the past, but we're starting to see those numbers stabilize. In March 2006 we had 14,600 subscribers; today, we have 10,300. We are pretty fortunate that throughout those years we never had a time when we lost 10% all at once. I just had a conversation with a manager who keeps track of subscribership and participation and she said she is seeing people coming back who left the industry in 2005-2006.”

How long have you been in the real estate business?

“It's been 33 years. I answered an ad for a statistical typist at an MLS. I walked in and a woman looked at me and said 'Hello, nice to meet you, this is what you'll be doing next week.’ My first job was typing the data sheets on a typewriter. We actually typed them on a typewriter, printed them four to a page, cut them out, made copies and counted them out for as many as each office needed, and drove around to each office every day and dropped them off.”

“Six months later, the lady that hired me decided to go on vacation. She called me from California and said, ’I'm not coming back’. So the EO of the board at the time gave me her job, and I started working my way through the ranks.”

“My first 'Oh, oh story' was when Roger Smith was the Chairman of GM, and he put his house up for sale
with a big note on the documents that said 'Do not multi-list' and I didn't know what that meant. And I put it out there for the world to see. I only made that mistake once because that was a big one.”

So going from typewriters to today's technology, you've seen it all. How has technology changed the RE market?

“Interestingly, real estate used to be a much more of a part-time job or second career. But now we're seeing more and more people choose real estate as their career, at an early age, so I think we're going to see the average age of the REALTOR drop. And these are people who do their business, communicate and live with technology. We actually formed a technology committee so when someone calls up and says ’here's a really good idea’, we say bring it to the committee and look at it. It's absolutely imperative that we stay up with what's available out there.”

What are your seeing in terms of eSignatures?

“Well, I think people are still getting used to the idea. The younger people coming in are the drivers because they don't want to come to the office and sign documents or have you go to their home. I think adaption is going to be slow and steady. We're hearing a lot of times from people who say they never met the buyer until the closing, or the seller for that matter. They do everything online.”

So, technology should make the whole real estate process easier, but how can it help to protect an office in case of an audit?

“Our MLS uses TransactionDesk^™ and there is a module inside called DocBox^™. We offer it all to all our subscribers at no cost to them, so we can say you can store all your documents, you can make a copy of a transaction that you can put on a CD and store it that way, you can give it to your buyer and seller, etc. We actually made a rule that all the disclosure documents had to be attached online through DocBox on every listing that's on the MLS. So we feel that this piece is extremely important and I think that for the brokers to have one easy place to go to get all of those documents, and each transaction having its own set of documents, has made it really easy on them.”

If there were a brand new person starting in the industry, what would you tell them are the keys of success and how technology fits into the mix?

“Well, I think almost every survey you get today will say the majority of people searching for a home will start on the Internet. So I think that tells you that the consumer is pretty computer savvy and familiar with technology. Chances are you will be communicating in that way. Technology and social media are tools that you need to master.”

“The one thing that I believe firmly in is that no matter how much technology is available, real estate is and always will be a relationship business, because I believe their best way of advertising a REALTOR'S abilities is through word of mouth. So the technology is great and it can make their job so much easier and quicker, but they still have to be able to communicate with the people.”

What about iPads and smart phones?

“iPads are the rage around here. When we teach classes on how to use the iPad, we teach them how to use the MLS on the iPad, how to use the online forms, and even how to use DocBox2Go^™, the mobile phone version of DocBox so they can access their records from any smart phone if they need them.”

Instanet Solutions was the first major player to make their forms available on the iPad. Is that helpful?

“It is. We actually teach that as part of using the MLS on the iPad. It's all wrapped up together, to be able to say, ’here you can use the forms, you can use the MLS, your document storage, it's all integrated together’. So it's extremely important.”

What about how mobile real estate has become?

“It has become incredibly mobile. That's why DocBox itself has become so critical to that. A lot of the offices have cut back on their weekend and nighttime staff. That's one of the reasons we said you must attach your documents online. Because if it's 9 o'clock on a Thursday night, and you're trying to schedule something for the next day, you can simply log into the system and pull the documents down without calling an office and waiting. It's has been just a tremendous benefit. And if you're out on the road with someone and you want to schedule something you can pull it down through your smart phone and it gets you the information you need and it all works very well together.”

Do you include certain technology products in subscriber fees?

“We include online forms and TransactionDesk (including DocBox document storage), in addition to Showing Time. We have some others that we have partnered with but we don't pay for it on behalf of our customers, like some CMA programs that we negotiate discounts on.”

What could you tell us about Instanet Solutions?

“I honestly have to say that they are one of the best companies if not THE best company that I have ever worked with. They are always true to their word, which to me is critical. I am a 'do what you say, and say what you mean' type of person, and if I ever have a problem that I think I need to step in and move it up the chain a little bit and reach out, I can be assured that I'll have a response immediately. And that happens so rarely I probably couldn't even tell you the last time.”

Interview with an Assn. Executive,  Laura Lafayette

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:59:00 GMT

An Interview with Laura Lafayette, Richmond Association of REALTORS^®

By John Peretz, Real Estate Technology Writer

Becoming the CEO of a REALTOR^® organization can sometimes take a strange path. It’s not like you’re with a group of friends in grade school, where everyone wants to be a teacher, astronaut, fireman, sports star or President.

Laura Lafayette’s start with the Richmond Association of REALTORS^® had a very interesting prequel. Freshly out of college, Ms. Lafayette was working on the political campaign of L. Douglas Wilder, who was attempting to become the first elected black governor of Virginia (and in the nation). During his successful bid for office, Mr. Wilder asked Ms. Lafayette to become his first press secretary as governor and she agreed, at the ripe old age of 23.

Ms. Lafayette eventually left the world of politics, and joined the Richmond Association of REALTORS^® in 1993. She worked her way up through the ranks and took the reins as CEO in 2009 after the retirement of 11-year CEO Mr. Ralph Cantrell.

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Lafayette about the technology landscape and the role of technology in an MLS as well as for individual agents and brokers.

As an MLS, what are some of the things you’re doing from a technology standpoint to help your members?

“We’re always looking at technology products for our member clients. We want to accomplish three things, primarily. First, we want to select tools that will make our members more efficient in their daily business practices.

“Second, we look for tools that will enable our members to position themselves as market experts.”

“And third, we see our role as separating the wheat from the chafe. There is so much information coming at our members, so many technology-related tools… We want to say to our members, ‘These are the tools that if you utilize them, you can be a far more efficient REALTOR^®, you can see cost savings in your daily business practices, and you can deliver exceptional customer service to your clients if you utilize these tools.’” Ms. Lafayette explained.

As an MLS, how do you price technology products to your members?

“Well, as an MLS you want to provide the best suites of products at a great price,” Ms. Lafayette continued. “And within the MLS, there are really two trains of thought. The first is to identify and then make available the best technology products on an a la carte basis to your members.

“The second approach is to identify the best technology products and then negotiate enterprise pricing and include that as part of their membership. In the case of the Richmond Association of REALTORS^®, they chose the latter.”

A few years ago, eSignatures were a luxury, but now it seems like they are a necessity. What’s changed in the market?

“The rise of eSignatures is a client-driven phenomenon. As the client base moves younger, more buyers and sellers are comfortable with executing documents remotely,” Ms. Lafayette said. “This is the future and you have to adapt. It’s not difficult. It’s intuitive and the prompts make it simple.”

How can technology help your members with buyers and sellers?

“Our goal is to help our members articulate their value proposition to their client,” Ms. Lafayette said. “It’s not all about listings and showings. It’s also the ability to navigate their client through a very complex process, and technology can help a lot with that. It’s not about the macro but it’s about the micro. “Home buyers and sellers now have the ability to see their entire transaction online, in one place. Technology makes it a whole lot simpler.”

If you were talking to a new agent, what are some of the things you would tell them from a technology standpoint?

“You can’t chase all of the technology that’s out there. You have to farm, give listing presentations, and do all of the things that make a real estate agent successful,” Ms. Lafayette advised. “Technology is a really important element, but it can’t be all encompassing. Besides, good real estate agents are rarely genetically predisposed to sit behind a desk. There would be too much technology to learn that would take them away from doing the things they need to do to become successful.”

The Richmond Association of REALTORS^® provides TransactionDesk™, Instanet Forms™, DocBox™, InstanetFax™ and Authentisign™ as a member-benefit. What would you tell someone about Instanet Solutions?

“Well, I’ve been in this line of work for 18 years. Instanet has been one of the very best technology vendors to do business with. They do what they say without reminding them, they deliver their promises on time, and they look for ways to add even more value to their partnership. They’ve been marvelous to work with.”

2012 Preview: The 7 Biggest Trends in Real Estate Technology

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:24:00 GMT

The Adoption of eSignatures. The federal ESIGN law was enacted in 2000, but REALTOR® adoption of eSignings was the biggest technology trend coming into 2012. Much like life before the ATM, SmartPhones and laptops, we may look back at the inconvenience of running all over town for traditional signatures as a thing of the past. Now FHA-approved and ESIGN-compliant, eSignatures will become mainstream. Authentisign reached the 150,000-REALTOR® mark by the start of 2012, thanks in part to enterprise relationships with MLSs and REALTOR® Associations offering it as a member-benefit. And 2012 looks even stronger.

The rise of the iPad and other Tablet Devices. Surely one of the most innovative technology products since personal computers and cell phones, iPad sales likely surpassed the 50 million mark by the beginning of 2012. More and more agents are using the iPad in their listing presentations and using them while showing homes. Instanet was the very first forms company to come out with online forms that work on the iPad and other tablet devices.

QR Codes. There's a lot of talk about QR Codes, and more and more real estate offices are including them on business cards, print ads and yard signs, but the adoption by home buyers is still very low. Unlike Asia and Europe where QR codes are popular, North Americans have been slow to adapt to this new technology. New product launches in 2012 using QR codes to automate the forms, document management and electronic signing process are coming.

Language Diversity. If all real estate is local, shouldn't real estate software reflect the language preferences? Real estate services companies have been slow to adopt language-specific software to their business. But if you're selling in a predominantly Hispanic area, wouldn't it be nice to have software options for Spanish? Instanet Forms rolled out fully translated Spanish and French software that is now available to its subscribers in 2012.

The Bundling of Real Estate Technology Services as a Member-Benefit. Bringing members improved technology tools as a bundled member-benefit not only puts high-value services in the hands of members, but it also allows Associations & MLSs to offer more services for less.

Covering the Audit Trail Through Technology. As real estate technology improves, so should the ability to "red flag" missing items at the end of a real estate transaction. Powerful Broker Document Verification & Compliance Tools help to identify the missing parts that could prove troublesome in the event of a real estate audit. The use of Broker Compliance Tools integrated with their forms and document management system has increased substantially at the start of 2012.

Seamless Integration Between Technology Tools is Improving. Yes, there are a lot of individual technology tools that improve productivity. The challenge in 2012 is to seamlessly integrate these items in a way that saved the user time. One area within online forms was repetitively placing eSigning blocks each time a new transaction was ready to be signed. By 2012, Instanet completely "templatized" all of the real estate forms making the agent's job easier by just assigning buyers and sellers names once to all of the appropriate pre-positioned blocks.

As we continue through 2012, many of these trends will continue, and there will be certainly new ones to watch. We'll keep you posted on the latest real estate trends.

Accessing Real Estate Files on your Smartphone with DocBox2Go

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:18:00 GMT

If you've been in real estate for any length of time, you know the dreaded call "Can you send me the document right away," usually when you're headed out of town or aren't anywhere near the office. Well, if you had DocBox2Go, you could pull over, find and send that archived document in just a matter of minutes.

DocBox, from technology leader Instanet Solutions, is a remarkable archiving system that stores your most important real estate documents in the cloud. It's particularly effective for archiving real estate records by transaction, or date and can be easily retrieved in a matter of moments.

DocBox2Go is free for all users of DocBox. And it's really easy to use because there's no apps or downloads to install. Just access www.DocBox2Go.com from your Smartphone and you're ready to go to work.

DocBox2Go works with all the latest Smartphones, including iPhone, Android-based devices, Blackberrys and more. All you need is Internet access in a coverage area, which is expanding all the time.

Just because you're on the move, doesn't mean your business has to stop moving forward. It's like having all of your office files in your purse or pocket.

To use DocBox2Go, you simply need to have a DocBox or TransactionDesk account from Instanet Solutions.

Never lose another deal because you're away from the office or on vacation. With DocBox2Go, you'll have immediate access to your most important documents and records.

To find out more, please contact InstantSolutions.com/docbox2go, or call 1-800-668-8768.

Real Estate Transaction Management

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:55:00 GMT

Transaction Management in a real estate office should be a top priority on several fronts. That's because transaction management is at the forefront of almost all misunderstandings and litigation. And it's why having a top-notch transaction management system in place is paramount.

Instanet Solutions, a leading real estate technology company, has one of the very best transaction management platforms available. The Company calls the service TransactionDesk.

With TransactionDesk, your transaction management tasks just got a whole lot easier. There are many robust features, including:

Reporting and File Management
View and access all the listing, sales and lease files in your office.

File Review Compliance Manager
You can define what documents you require for each transaction type. Brokerage staff can quickly and easily review files online, from any computer with web access.

Includes FREE "cloud storage" with DocBox and DocBox2Go
Access and manage your files from any computer with Internet access, 24/7. DocBox2Go includes Smartphone access. Don't wreck another vacation by not having the documents you need. Now you can have complete access to ALL your files, no matter where you are, as long as you can get on the Internet.

Task Management
A virtual checklist lets you manage all your transaction-related tasks and to-dos.

Custom Client Portal
Give your clients the ability to review files online, with their own online access. You control the setting of what you allow them to see.

Personal Branding
All emails, faxes and documents can be set up to include your logo, photo and personal branding.

This transaction management process is true 21st century, best of breed technology for your real estate practice. If you're ever audited, make sure you have all your ducks in a row, and all the necessary paperwork completed properly, archived, and easily available for review.

For more information, go to InstanetSolutions.com/TransactionDesk or call 800-668-8768.

eSigning for Real Estate with Authentisign

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:43:00 GMT

The Future of real estate eSigning is Here
You know the story, you need to get real estate documents signed and distributed, but first you have to coordinate everyone's schedule and run all over town. But not anymore, with esigning from Authentisign. With simple "drag and drop" signing box technology, you can add esigning to just about any document, and then email or fax to get the job done.

Authentisign is FHA-approved and ESIGN compliant
Authentisign's esigning technology is the way of the future and it's available now. And its completely FHA-approved and ESIGN compliant. Once you start to use it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. This is game-changing technology. Your clients want the ease and simplicity of esigning. And it's a real schedule time saver. No one wants to have to rearrange their schedule to sign documents. Do it the easy way with Authentisign.

Fast and Simple - Any Real Estate Professional Can Do It!
Simple always makes for the best real estate technologies. Authentisign uses fast and easy "drag and drop" technology for individual e-signature blocks and "add initials" for multiple pages of sale contracts and listing forms. Authentisign provides the real estate technology solution to prepare any online document for secure online signing.

Low Cost for Unlimited Usage
In keeping with the simple approach, Instanet Solutions offers Authentisign with unlimited usage for one low cost annual (or monthly) subscription. There are no page counts or limits on the number of online esignings that an account holder can create. Additionally, Instanet Solutions offers free real estate training services for Authentisign as well as their other online real estate technology tools. Other companies have charged a "per use" cost that gets expensive fast.

One Platform Technology
Authentisign works well by itself, or as part of the suite of services offered under the One Platform technology from Instanet Solutions.

There is a saying that "actions speak louder than words." Bring your real estate practice into the 21st century with Authentisign. Like ATM machines, cell phones and laptop computers, you'll wonder how you ever got along without this technology. So stop running all over town to get signatures. For more information, click here.

The Evolution of Real Estate Faxing Solutions

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:23:00 GMT

The Evolution of Real Estate Faxing Solutions

If your real estate practice is still using the same old faxing solution, there's something you should know. Faxing has evolved, and the latest version of InstanetFax brings some of the best real estate technology features to faxing.

Those that say faxing is dead haven't been in a bustling real estate office lately. Title companies, loan brokers, escrow offices and attorneys all use faxing on a regular basis.

But what if you could change HOW you fax? That's the new evolution of faxing and it starts with InstanetFax.

The InstanetFax service has five different faxing services all bundled into one for one ridiculously low cost.

Email to Fax:
That's right. Now you can use your own email and send it to regular fax machine. InstanetFax includes the technology to compose an email message and send to a traditional fax machine. All you have to do is compose an email message, type the recipient’s fax number in the subject line, attach any document (like a pdf or doc) and click send. How's that for convenience. You don't even need a fax machine in your home office anymore.

Fax to an Email:
Do you ever have paper contract pages and a fax machine, but really need to send your client, another agent, or service provider the fax but they don't have immediate access to a fax machine? Mostly everyone, though, has access to email. With InstanetFax, you can use a traditional fax machine to email message the contents of the fax. InstanetFax will covert a paper fax into a PDF document then deliver that PDF document to any email address. Here’s another valuable tip: create an InstanetFax cover for your own email account and use the same InstanetFax cover sheet time and again to email docs to yourself.

Inbound Faxing is another feature of InstanetFax. You can have your own personal fax number or even include toll-free fax-back cover sheets. You receive inbound faxes online, can store them, and you get an email notification with the received fax attached as a PDF. You can create very specific fax-back cover sheets when receiving specific documents or use a generic cover sheet to first receive, review then re-name and save received fax documents online for the required state retention periods.

Outbound Faxing is super easy when combined with DocBox. You don't need to be within a thousand miles of a fax machine to send an outbound fax. With Internet access, deliver documents as outbound faxes to a recipient’s fax machine. And with DocBox2Go, you'll have additional mobile access for online document faxing since you can do it from your Smartphone. With DocBox, any saved digital document can be faxed outbound.

Use the DocBox Print Driver to virtually ‘Print’ any document to fax, email or account upload. Install the DocBox Driver along with the other Printers on your desktop, laptop, office workstation or on all of your computers. You can then fax or email that document to anyone, anytime, as long as you have an Internet connection.

So there you have it -- the evolution of faxing. It can be a huge advantage to your real estate office in terms of convenience, accessibility and ease-of-use. You don't have to have access to a fax machine to fax -- how cool is that?

For more information on InstanetFax, please visit www.InstanetSolutions.com/instanet-fax.htm or call 1-800-668-8768.

Best Real Estate Technology Tools

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:18:00 GMT

Best Real Estate Technology Tools

If you're a real estate broker or agent looking for the best technology tools, you can find them under one platform. Instanet Solutions actually has six of the best real estate technology tools to help you with your real estate practice. And learning to use the new technology is made a lot easier with their unique one interface approach that contains one, or all six of the best real estate technology tools. Here is summary of the best real estate technology tools:

TransactionDesk
If you bring all of the elements of a transaction or sales folder together online, what do you get? You get one of the best real estate technology tools on the market today. With TransactionDesk, you can manage all of your listings, sales and lease files online. It's the complete online transaction management solution. Feel free to replace those old manila folders filled with paper pages with online transaction files filled with digital forms and documents. TransactionDesk has a complete and robust file history, and visibility from virtually any Internet-enabled device. TransactionDesk also includes task, contact and calendar management features.

Instanet Forms
The first real estate forms service available for your iPad or other tablet device, Instanet Forms is a complete online and editable forms product. Use form fields with no restrictions. Instanet Forms also has easy copy and paste functionality, and a clause library for easy access to standard provisions and contract language. Instanet Forms are printable, emailable and faxable. You can even be notified, when forms are accessed and signed. What's more, Instanet Forms are also available for esigning via our ESIGN service, Authentisign.

Authentisign
Now you don't have to run all over town getting signatures and arranging everyone's busy schedules. Authentisign's eSignature technology is ESIGN-compliant and FHA-approved. Use easy drag and drop signing blocks. Authentisign's digital signatures trump ink signatures from a convenience and efficiency standpoint. Plus, Authentisign is incredibly affordable, and can be accessed on an unlimited basis for one low yearly subscription price. Adding esignatures is one of the smartest things you can do for your real estate practice.

DocBox
More than just unlimited online storage, DocBox is document management. Access your most important documents from any Internet connection, 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Meet local and state file retention requirements, and save on paper and traditional storage costs. Plus, you get a very unique printer driver which lets you print documents, web pages, and virtually anything from your PC directly to any fax in the continental United States or Canada. The printer driver also has a built-in PDF maker and integrated email feature so you can easily convert and protect documents before emailing them to your clients.

DocBox2Go
Now harness the incredible power of DocBox from any Internet-enabled Smartphone. DocBox2Go is one of the best real estate technology tools because you don't even have to lug around your laptop or paper files. Go on vacation with just your suitcase and your Smartphone!

InstanetFax
Four distinct faxing services are included with InstanetFax. They include outbound electronic faxing, direct receipt of inbound faxes, fax to an email and email to fax. Choose from unlimited toll-free cover sheet faxing or unlimited faxing with a personalized fax number. Receive and store faxes online and receive email notifications when you receive new faxes.

So there you have it, six of the best real estate technology tools. You can choose the technology tools that best fit your business. Get everything you want, and nothing you don't. But together they represent one of the most powerful suites of the best real estate technology tools. Please visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 800-668-8768 today.

5 reasons to move your real estate files to the cloud with DocBox

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:58:00 GMT

As a real estate professional, do you find that the busiest time for buying and selling is when you are trying to take a vacation or are simply away from the office? How many times have you been on the way out of town or at a personal event only to get a call from a client, cooperating agent, lender or closing officer requesting a document? When your files and documents are stored in the cloud with DocBox™, it can be easy to find and forward any documents they need. You can even leave the laptop at home and access your files from your Smartphone with DocBox2Go™.

Here are the top 5 reasons to move your files to online storage with DocBox and DocBox2Go:

Accessibility
You can have 24/7/365 access to your most important documents through any Internet-enabled device. You can use a computer, SmartPhone or even your iPad or other notebook device.
Flexibility
With DocBox, you have delivery options of email, fax and e-signing. DocBox supports multiple document formats including PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, image files and even photos.
Sharing/Participating
Offer access to your online transaction file content to clients, cooperating agents, lenders, title attorneys or anyone else that want to grant access to your file details. This saves you time, energy and cell phone minutes.
Longevity
There's a saying that the internet is forever. In this case, that’s a good thing. Documents stored online are retained and available in the same place year after year after year. No more back up files or searching "deep storage." Simply login, do a keyword search and the file from five years ago is recalled immediately. You can view your transaction history, actions taken, time and date stamps as well as who and what actions took place.
Differentiation
Lots of real estate people talk about it, but only the most professional do something about it. Now you can deliver the online access and support that clients and customers want. Even when you're not available, your online content is. You can even add branding to your account with personal photos and company logos to differentiate and distinguish yourself on all communication.

It is time to put the power of DocBox and DocBox2Go in the palm of your hand. The internet and cloud computing has changed the dynamics of filling out forms, getting signatures and retaining required documents.

So go ahead, plan that vacation knowing that you can access, review, deliver and manage the sale process all online and remotely with DocBox. To The Cloud!

DocBox is one of the most powerful technology tools an office, broker or agent can have. To learn more, visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 1-800-668-8768.

Real Estate Forms for your iPad or other Tablet Device

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:34:00 GMT

Did you know that you can now access all of your real estate forms and contracts directly from your iPad or other popular tablet devices such as the Xoom, PlayBook or any other Android-based tablet device?

Instanet Solutions announced the availability of a zero-footprint version of Instanet Forms™.

“As more real estate professionals migrate to tablet technologies, we saw the need to empower our users to be able to work with their forms and contracts using tablet devices,” stated Martin Scrocchi, President and CEO of Instanet Solutions. “Instanet Forms was originally released in 1998 and was the first web-based contract and forms management service, and is now the first service of its kind to enable users to be truly mobile when it comes to managing their forms.”

The zero-footprint version of Instanet Forms is available to all existing Instanet Forms and TransactionDesk™ users at no additional cost. Users simply login to their existing TransactionDesk or Instanet Forms account through their tablet browser and they will automatically be able to access the new version.

To learn more, visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 1-800-668-8768.

Trends in Real Estate Technology: Going Paperless

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:14:00 GMT

Now there's a big trend in real estate that occurring. It's office and agents that are going paperless. In addition to helping to save the environment, offices and agents can save real money, too.

Instanet Solutions has come up with an innovative Paperless Savings Calculator which shows just how much a real estate office can save. And it's really easy to use.

Users can simply put in their average transaction sides and the approximate number of pages per transaction (rough estimates are fine).

The calculator guides you through estimated printing, storage, staff time and other costs such as express mailing, paper shredding, etc.

When you're finished, you'll be able to see the total estimated amount of money you'll save in a year by going paperless, or at least reducing the amount of paper that travels through your office.

The reality is that most people don't want to print, file and store lots of paper files, and real estate transactions are known for sheer size of the paper trail.

Instead of all that paper, Instanet Solutions has a complete paperless solution that keeps documents electronic, and allows you to print things out if and when you need to. It's an electronic storage solution, DocBox™, allows you to store your most important documents "in the cloud" and retrieve them anywhere, anytime from any computer or Smartphone with Internet access.

Instanet Solutions also offers Authentisign™, a complete eSigning solution that is FHA-approved and ESIGN compliant, so in addition to paper, you can save money on gas and time trying to run all over town and coordinate schedules to get important documents signed.

So go paperless with Instanet Solutions. You'll not only be helping to save the planet, but you'll save money and your sanity as well.

To learn more, visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 1-800-668-8768.

Top 10 Tips for using TransactionDesk™ from Instanet Solutions

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:43:00 GMT

This is a list of the top 10 tips for using TransactionDesk in your real estate practice, from our lead trainer Gregg Driscoll.

Work with online Transaction Files
When you are ready to write a purchase contract or listing agreement, start a new transaction. A transaction is similar to the paper file you use today. It will save you a considerable amount of time because all the forms and contracts you add to the transaction file will be auto‐populated with the data you import or type into the transaction.
Create a Transaction Template
To start online files faster and more consistently, create transaction templates. Go to the Settings tab and then click on Transaction Templates. Templates offer the feature to pre-determine which forms, documents and tasks are associated to specific file types. When files are started from Templates, the detail is quickly and automatically added.
Brand your Account with Company Logos and a Personal Photo
Upload photos and logos to brand yourself or your company with all outbound correspondence, such as Fax Back and InstanetFax cover sheets, as well as email messages and agent/office websites. Your logos and photos with be branded in the “header” position of all email messages and fax cover sheets.
Create Quick Start Groups for Commonly Used Forms and Contracts
You can create a Quick Start Group in just a minute or two. Go to the Settings tab and then click on Quick Start Groups. You will be able to create custom groups of forms and quickly add groups of forms to existing files. You can even automatically attach a group of forms to a specific transaction type.
Create a Share Group to share your Transaction Files with Others
If you want to share access to common transaction files, simply share the transaction when you are setting up a file in the Transaction Wizard. You can also share a file later, by clicking on the Sharing link in the transaction overview screen. To set up sharing, just go to Settings»Sharing and create the "shares" for people with whom you’ll want to share transactions.
Create Clauses and input Standard Provisions into your Account
The Clause Editor allows you to paste commonly used verbiage into your Contracts and Forms. If you have any verbiage you write often or type into contracts, there is a better way to do it. You can add personal clauses to TransactionDesk and Instanet Forms and then paste those clauses right into a form or contract. Go to Settings>Clauses and add the clauses there. Write the clause in a word processor such as Microsoft Word (or even your email program) so you can spell‐check the clauses first.
Grant Participant Access to your Online Files
TransactionDesk offers features to grant online access to your clients, service providers and other agents. When you create a new transaction and add contacts (buyers, sellers, etc.) to the transaction, you can choose to make that contact a transaction participant. You can then grant that person access to the specific items you want, such as certain forms, documents, contact information for certain parties, etc. Set expiration dates and receive notifications with the participant logs in to access your online file.
Download and install the DocBox™ Print Driver
Use the convenience of the DocBox Print Driver to quickly and easily access your online DocBox account and deliver or distribute received files and digital documents. Upload received documents to your online files without the need to go through the clicks and steps to get logged into your online account. The DocBox Print Driver will take care of that for you. All you need to do is "print" and deliver.
Use FaxBack Cover and InstanetFax Coversheets:
For every transaction you create, TransactionDesk will automatically add a fax back cover sheet to the transaction file. You can now email, fax or print (and then deliver) the faxback coversheet to anyone you expect to give you transaction-related documentation. When they fax back the documents, the received pages will be automatically filed in your TransactionDesk transaction file as an Adobe PDF. The document will also be emailed to you so you know the fax has been sent to you.
You Can Give Your Clients a PDF of all Transaction Documents
At the end of the transaction you can create a single PDF of all the transaction file documents. TransactionDesk can create a PDF "package," a single PDF file made up of multiple files that you can deliver to your client by email or burning to a CD. Simply go the transaction and from the "I would like to" drop down menu select "Package Forms/Document," then click go and follow the prompts.

TransactionDesk is one of the most powerful technology tools an office, broker or agent can have. Use these tips to make your real estate practice run even smoother. To learn more, visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 1-800-668-8768.

Real Estate Technology Tools: Learn One Platform instead of Six

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:45:00 GMT

If you're ramping up your real estate technology tools to make your practice run smoother, you should know about the single interface from Instanet Solutions.

With Instanet Solutions, you simply log into one dashboard from any internet connection, and you can start using any of the technology services that you subscribe to.

There's Instanet Forms, which offers online access to virtually any form you'll need in a real estate transaction in your state. It is also the first online real estate form that can be used on the iPad or other tablet device, including Xoom and Android devices.

TransactionDesk™ is a complete transaction management solution, that allows you to access and manage all your real estate forms, contracts, documents, calendars and contacts from any computer with Internet access, anywhere in the world.

Doc Box™ and DocBox2Go™ offers electronic storage and retrieval of your most important archived electronic files from any computer or Smartphone. It also includes Broker Compliance Manager, to make sure you have all of the completed forms and documents in one place, in the event of an audit.

Authentisign™ is the FHA-approved and ESIGN-compliant esigning solution that allows you to send important documents for eSignatures via the Internet. Now you don't have to travel across town and work around impossible schedules to get your critical documents signed.

With InstanetFax, you can email documents to a regular fax machine, or fax to an email account.

These technology tools put you at the cutting edge of real estate.

Best of all, because of Instanet Solutions' one interface design, you can access all of these services from one log-in screen, so you only have to learn one program once. And it's so easy to use that you'll be up and running in no time.

So why spend more time learning program after program when you can have it all with Instanet Solutions?

To learn more, visit www.InstanetSolutions.com or call 1-800-668-8768.

Instanet Blog

Interview with an MLS Executive, Merri Jo Cowen

An Interview with an Merri Jo Cowen, My Florida Regional MLS

Tell us a little about My Regional Florida MLS (MRFMLS)?

What's the real estate market been like in Central Florida?

When do you think your market hit bottom?

There's been a lot of consolidation in the industry, hasn't there?

How do you think technology has affected the market?

What are you seeing in terms of mobile devices? Are you seeing a lot of iPhones and iPads and Androids throughout the industry?

So having an online forms product that is iPad compatible is beneficial?

What technology package do you include as your member benefit package?

What has your experience been with Instanet Solutions?

What are you seeing in the area of eSignatures?

About Merri Jo Cowen:

An Interview with an Assn. Director: Buzz Steele, Director of Marketing and Research, Tennessee Association of REALTORS®

Buzz Steele, Director of Marketing and Research, Tennessee Association of REALTORS®

So, can you tell me what’s happening in Tennessee from a real estate standpoint? How have you weathered the storm?

What do you attribute that to?

What about membership numbers?

In a recent interview, I spoke with Ms. Karen Kage, the CEO of Michigan’s largest REALTOR-owned MLS, and she said they’re starting to see people who left the business come back. Are you seeing any of that in Tennessee?

What are the trends you’re starting to see in Tennessee from a technology standpoint?

What about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and social networks like that?

Do you see any correlation between the use of technology and increased agent production?

What do you see from an eSigning standpoint in Tennessee?

Tell me a little bit about your technology training.

What would you tell someone who is first coming into the industry? What advice would you give them?

You work with Instanet Solutions to provide online forms and TransactionDesk™. What can you tell me about them?

About Mr. Buzz Steele:

Interview with an MLS Executive, Karen Kage

An Interview with an MLS Executive Karen Kage, Michigan's largest REALTOR®-owned MLS

Tell me what's happening in Detroit from a real estate standpoint?

What do you attribute that to?

So, how bad was it?

What about subscriber counts?

How long have you been in the real estate business?

So going from typewriters to today's technology, you've seen it all. How has technology changed the RE market?

What are your seeing in terms of eSignatures?

So, technology should make the whole real estate process easier, but how can it help to protect an office in case of an audit?

If there were a brand new person starting in the industry, what would you tell them are the keys of success and how technology fits into the mix?

What about iPads and smart phones?

Instanet Solutions was the first major player to make their forms available on the iPad. Is that helpful?

What about how mobile real estate has become?

Do you include certain technology products in subscriber fees?

What could you tell us about Instanet Solutions?

Interview with an Assn. Executive, Laura Lafayette

An Interview with Laura Lafayette, Richmond Association of REALTORS®

As an MLS, what are some of the things you’re doing from a technology standpoint to help your members?

As an MLS, how do you price technology products to your members?

A few years ago, eSignatures were a luxury, but now it seems like they are a necessity. What’s changed in the market?

How can technology help your members with buyers and sellers?

If you were talking to a new agent, what are some of the things you would tell them from a technology standpoint?

The Richmond Association of REALTORS® provides TransactionDesk™, Instanet Forms™, DocBox™, InstanetFax™ and Authentisign™ as a member-benefit. What would you tell someone about Instanet Solutions?

2012 Preview: The 7 Biggest Trends in Real Estate Technology

Accessing Real Estate Files on your Smartphone with DocBox2Go

Real Estate Transaction Management

eSigning for Real Estate with Authentisign

The Evolution of Real Estate Faxing Solutions

Best Real Estate Technology Tools

Best Real Estate Technology Tools

5 reasons to move your real estate files to the cloud with DocBox

Real Estate Forms for your iPad or other Tablet Device

Trends in Real Estate Technology: Going Paperless

Top 10 Tips for using TransactionDesk™ from Instanet Solutions

Real Estate Technology Tools: Learn One Platform instead of Six

Interview with an MLS Executive,  Merri Jo Cowen

Buzz Steele, Director of Marketing and Research, Tennessee Association of REALTORS^®

You work with Instanet Solutions to provide online forms and TransactionDesk^™. What can you tell me about them?

Interview with an MLS Executive,  Karen Kage

An Interview with an MLS Executive Karen Kage, Michigan's largest REALTOR^®-owned MLS

Interview with an Assn. Executive,  Laura Lafayette

An Interview with Laura Lafayette, Richmond Association of REALTORS^®

The Richmond Association of REALTORS^® provides TransactionDesk™, Instanet Forms™, DocBox™, InstanetFax™ and Authentisign™ as a member-benefit. What would you tell someone about Instanet Solutions?