Real Estate Gets Wiki

RISMEDIA, Dec. 21, 2007-Technology these days moves so fast; how do we keep up? How do we update our resources to ensure that consumers and industry practitioners alike are getting the most up-to-date data? How about a resource where anyone can log on and offer up the newest information? That’s where RealEstateWiki.com comes in.

RealEstateWiki.com

RealEstateWiki.com is the combined effort of more than 20 people who have worked on creating quality content over a very broad spectrum for almost 15 months.

The culmination of this effort has produced more than 3,000 definitions and terms, almost 1,000 answers to home buying, selling and financing questions, hundreds and hundreds of industry used acronyms, bios of prominent real estate leaders, authors, more than 1,000 brokers and top producing agents, details of real estate associations, institutes, councils, designations, courses, blogs, social networks, publications…the list just goes on and on.

So, What is a Wiki?

A wiki enables documents to be created and then changed and updated through collaboration by anyone using a Web browser. A defining characteristic of a wiki is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted and most wikis are open to the public.

One of the most well-known wikis is of course Wikipedia, the largest multilingual, free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. It already provides over 7 million articles in more than 200 languages, and it is growing daily.

What is Included?

Although information can be contributed, viewed, and changed by anyone, it requires a simple login process to acquire a “wiki-signature.” However, changes will be made in real time and appear almost instantaneously online. Contributions, on the other hand, will be constantly monitored and reviewed where necessary by a national review board to ensure that the quality of the content is maintained.

RealEstateWiki.com will initially carry thousands of articles, statistics and information on items such as:

- Glossary & General Information
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Types of Real Estate
- Homes & Lifestyles
- Marketing & Advertising
- Who’s Who in Real Estate
- Settlement & Other Service Providers
- Government and Local Authorities
- Associations, Institutes and Council
- History of Real Estate
- Real Estate Media
- Real Estate Research
- Real Estate Education
- Real Estate Brokerage Companies
- Technology & Internet

History of Wiki

WikiWikiWeb was the first site to be called a wiki. It was started by Ward Cunningham in 1994 and was based on the name of the Honolulu International Airport shuttle called “Wiki-Wiki,” which in Hawaiian means “fast.”

In the early 2000s, wikis were increasingly adopted in enterprise as collaborative software. Common uses included project communication, intranets and documentation; initially for technical users. In March 2007, the word wiki was even added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Next Step

Next to your bookmark for Wikipedia.com, add RealEstate-Wiki.com. Use RealEstateWiki as much as you like-it’s free. Also, point your consumers to it so they can get clarification on real estate terms, get neutral third-party validation to standard everyday questions about the home-buying process.

But don’t just take-remember to also give back to the industry. Sign on and help build the largest, quality, free real estate encyclopedia on the Internet. Let’s for the first time stand on each others shoulders and not keep on reinventing the wheel.

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source: rismedia.com

Internet Expert Lands at Move, Inc.

RISMEDIA, Dec. 21, 2007-Move, Inc., a leader in online real estate, continues to attract talent with the appointment of Gilbert FitzGerald as vice president of analytics. FitzGerald, who brings a 20-year track record of success to Move in evidence-based data analysis management and optimization of business outcomes and eCommerce, will lead site-wide analysis projects to further enhance the consumer and advertiser experience on the Move network of sites.

Throughout FitzGerald’s career, he has held a variety of senior-level positions and has been responsible for optimizing eBay’s search capabilities and enhancing the consumer’s experience. At eBay, FitzGerald is credited with successfully delivering statistical targeting for online advertising. FitzGerald was also responsible for leading eBay’s systematic experimentation efforts resulting in improved methodologies to confirm improvements in user site experiences.

“Move is pleased to welcome Gilbert to our expanding team of industry leaders,” said Lorna Borenstein, president of Move, Inc. “Gilbert’s arrival at this point in our company’s expansion will greatly enhance our efforts to improve the consumer and advertiser experience on our sites. As the leader in online real estate, Move is committed to helping consumers pursue the American dream of homeownership. We’re confident Move will continue to attract the industry’s top talent to support our vision.”

Prior to eBay, FitzGerald directed the Demand Analysis Group at Sun Microsystems where he designed the statistical analysis processes that forecasted demand volume for the company’s network systems. Prior to that, FitzGerald served as group manager — quantitative analysis & market planning at Sun Microelectronics, a division of Sun Microsystems. While in this leadership role, FitzGerald was responsible for pricing and market research of the company’s semi-conductor business. FitzGerald also served as a senior level executive at Insightful Inc., the market leader for high-stakes, commercial and academic statistical computing and data programming, where he evangelized the product capabilities of S-PLUS and contributed to multiple software releases, including the first Windows native mode implementation.

FitzGerald holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mathematical Sciences from University College Cork, a constituent college of the National University of Ireland, and has completed graduate course work towards a PhD in Social Research Methodology (Applied Statistics) at the University of California, Los Angeles. FitzGerald will be based out of Move’s Campbell office.

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source: rismedia.com

Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

RISMEDIA, Dec. 21, 2007-The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 14, 2007. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 653.8, a decrease of 19.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis from 811.8 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 21.3% compared with the previous week and was up 1.7% compared with the same week one year earlier.

The Refinance Index decreased 27.3% to 2093.6 from 2879.8 the previous week and the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 10.6% to 422.2 from 472.0 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Purchase Index decreased 13.1% to 317.1 from 364.8 the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Conventional Index decreased 20.3% to 932.8 from 1169.9 the previous week, and the seasonally adjusted Government Index decreased 12.2% to 188.7 from 214.9 the previous week.

The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is down 1.0% to 725.9 from 732.9. The four week moving average is down 0.1% to 440.4 from 440.9 for the Purchase Index, while this average is down 1.1% to 2456.9 from 2483.5 for the Refinance Index.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 53.2% of total applications from 57.6% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 9.9 from 9.4% of total applications from the previous week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 6.18% from 6.07%, with points decreasing to 1.12 from 1.17 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.78% from 5.72%, with points increasing to 1.10 from 1.01 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans.

The average contract interest rate for one-year ARMs increased to 6.48% from 6.31%, with points decreasing to 0.95 from 0.97 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans.

The survey covers approximately 50% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, and has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. Base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100.

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source: rismedia.com

Real Estate Search Technology Helps Users Find Relevant Real Estate

RISMEDIA, Dec. 21, 2007-Real estate Web site Zillow.com launched Zillow® Smart Search, a dynamic new version of its search system, along with enhanced Neighborhood Pages that make it easier than ever for consumers to zero-in on homes most relevant to them and become smarter about the characteristics of surrounding areas.

According to the company, Smart Search uses patent-pending search technology that tightly integrates Zillow’s vast amount of real estate data with its mapping technology to provide users meaningful results through an intuitive, dynamic display. The technology enables Zillow visitors to customize their searches and view results in real time across multiple regions, simplifying real estate search in ways not previously available. Specifically, Smart Search offers:

- Geographic boundaries. No need to scroll through pages and pages of data, Smart Search presents information at-a-glance through a map-based display that now includes boundaries at the state, county, city, ZIP code, and in many cases, neighborhood levels. Choose to view all homes, or those that are for sale, recently sold, or have a Make Me MoveTM price and further narrow searches with details such as number of bedrooms or price range. Results will identify the number of homes that match each search within the boundaries.
- Dynamic, real-time updates. Designed to handle complicated and simultaneous queries, Smart Search enables users to alter search parameters or zoom in or out on the map and see results update on the fly, without the need to refresh.
- Detailed Snapshots. See quick-read details of a specific area via a pop-up window. Based on the criteria, this could include population, median sale price and the Zindex® home value indicator. Unlike most real estate sites, Zillow tracks data on nearly all U.S. homes, not just those that are currently on the market or have recently sold, which is helpful to those looking for broader perspective on a particular market.
- Improved results for multi-unit buildings. It is now far easier for users to find details about condos or multi-unit buildings through the initial results page. A special icon denotes these types of homes so users can easily identify a specific type of home.

“Smart Search sets a new standard for online real estate search and solves one of the biggest challenges on the Internet today by taking an enormous amount of data and displaying it in a way that is easy to digest and meaningful to each of our users,” said David Beitel, chief technology officer at Zillow. “At Zillow, we recognize one size does not fit all when it comes to homes and we’ll continue to introduce cutting-edge technologies and resources like Smart Search and neighborhood pages to help users customize their experience and quickly locate relevant information in a simple and seamless way.”

Zillow also launched more than 7,000 re-designed neighborhood pages in more than 130 cities nationwide, incorporating valuable user feedback. These revamped pages provide an in-depth look at a neighborhood, integrating public demographic information as well as data that is unique to Zillow like the Zindex and home value trends across neighborhoods and other regions. These pages now include snapshots on Affordability, Homes & Real Estate, People, and Discussions, a popular forum Zillow introduced earlier this year to help community members ask questions and have conversations with current or potential neighbors.

The company says that the neighborhood pages are also now easier to find, accessible through the home page, through links embedded in Smart Search results, and on individual home detail pages, which Zillow provides for more than 70 million homes nationwide.

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source: rismedia.com

LeadingRE Syndicates Listings to HGTV

RISMEDIA, Dec. 21, 2007-Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) has announced a new marketing alliance with Scripps Networks’ HGTV to provide property listings to the popular cable network’s new FrontDoor.com Web site. According to the company, the relationship will provide valuable exposure with HGTV’s loyal broad-based consumer audience for the significant property inventory of LeadingRE’s 700 firms and 145,000 sales associates, who generate annual home sales of over $400 billion.

Consistent with LeadingRE’s menu-based business model, its affiliates will have the opportunity to opt out if they choose not to share their listings on FrontDoor.com.

“Unlike other Web sites, HGTV brings an established online audience that is predisposed to homeownership, rather than using our properties to build an audience to sell advertising,” comments Pam O’Connor, president and CEO of LeadingRE. “In addition, the relationship offers a number of other unique advantages to our affiliates that leverage HGTV’s high media profile with LeadingRE’s strength in local real estate communities across the country and the world.”

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: rismedia.com