Real estate's new world: Mobile marketing

Article originally posted by: Jack Maher. 9News

KUSA - Forget those brochures stuffed into a box on the For Sale sign on the front lawn; the new world of homehunting is here where buyers and sellers are connecting through cell phone multimedia.

A company called Access U2 Global Property Info is behind the new technology. We talked to founder and CEO, Kenneth O'Hanlon on 9News 6 a.m.He says details of homes that are up for sale are transmitted to an interested home buyer's phone or mobile device who keys in a toll-free number and the property's code.

A message is also sent directly to the listing realtor's cell phone with the prospect's contact info.

An experience trying to view home properties convinced O'Hanlon there had to be a better way to get property information. Missing, or dirt-encrusted brochures, calls to realtor offices that were closed or waiting days for a realtor to return his calls were frustrating to him.

Observing his daughter sending and receiving text messaging with friends, O'Hanlon realized the benefits of trying the same approach with real estate.

O'Hanlon developed a powerful, hosted platform to deliver instant multimedia content and interactive messaging services to mobile handsets. He quickly discovered that voice takes precedent over data in delivery, so he based development on a voice recognition system, or IVR.

Along the way, O'Hanlon wrote the industry short code with major cell phone providers, beta testing and refining the product with realtors around the country and filing the patent pending process he created.

AccessU2 Property Info is accessible 24/7. O'Hanlon says it is the only available instant property information service that can communicate with the consumer in both English and Spanish.

For more information:

www.propertybyphone.com

View Original Post: http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=88864

(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)

Listings-On The Go

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, Dec. 30, 2008-In this tough real estate market, Realtors that want continued success have to work smarter and find ways to be more productive and efficient. Today’s tech-savvy customers demand a Realtor that is highly responsive and will often work with the agent that is first to respond.

The obvious tools to increase productivity are smartphones. Products like the BlackBerry and iPhone have redefined our idea of a traditional office, giving access to information 24/7 and virtually anywhere.

You’ve got a Bluetooth. You have a smartphone. What other tools are out there?

Mobile property listings are relatively new in the real estate industry. Instead of brochure boxes, an interested buyer calls a number on a sign rider or texts into a number for more information on the property.

One of the leaders in this technology is PropertyByPhone.com. The company offers English- and Spanish-language options, a text description, 10 photos, video delivered instantly, and the opportunity to speak to a live operator to schedule a showing.

“Brochure boxes are almost always empty,” explains Todd Crosbie of Coldwell Banker Devonshire in Illinois. “The service allows me to create a relationship with someone while they are outside the property, and brochure boxes never let me do that. There’s no tracking ability with brochures, either-just that the box is empty.”

Not all the benefits are on the customer’s end. When subscribing, the Realtor creates their property description and uploads their photos and videos online. Realtors receive a text message capture of the cell number at the same time the buyer is getting the property information. Activity reports on the Realtor’s portal track all leads received and can be shared with home sellers.

The green aspect is also important. “Our agents like the fact that they can cut costs by not having to print so many brochures, hence going green for 2009,” says Leeann Iacino, CEO of Denver-based Prestige Real Estate Group.

Not all homes are matches for the customers, but with PropertyByPhone.com, inquiries can actually be turned into leads for other properties, as Jack O’Connor, also from Prestige, notes: “We follow up on every call within minutes to see if the customer needs any additional information. Of course, if the home is priced right, the people want to see it. If the home is outside their price range, we have been able to convert some of those inquiries to leads for other properties.”

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Pioneers New AccessU2 Property by Phone Technology

RISMEDIA, February 16, 2009-Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a leading Colorado real estate company, is pioneering the AccessU2 Property by Phone technology developed by Denver-based AccessU2 Mobile Solutions, LLC a pioneer in mobile communications, the company has announced.According to the company, the AccessU2 Property by Phone service is a powerful marketing platform that delivers property information - text descriptions, photos and video - instantly to cell phones and mobile devices. It is a lead generating machine for real estate, providing the easiest, most complete mobile property sales tool for Realtors and those interested in buying or selling a home.

“Adding the mobile marketing capability of the Property by Phone platform to the strength of Coldwell Banker real estate services makes sense,” said Chris Mygatt, President of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Colorado. “It’s the easiest way for people looking at properties to get text messages, photos and video information when they want it, right to their cell phones. It’s the leading edge of real estate marketing and we like to lead the way.”

AccessU2 Property by Phone works like this: Dial the toll-free number; enter the property code; choose English, French or Spanish to receive text property descriptions, photos and videos of the property interior. The system replaces old-fashioned brochure boxes. Realtors get an instant, exclusive lead from someone standing in front of their listing, and the technology’s property activity report makes it easy for Realtors to demonstrate real-time property activity and sales action to sellers. AccessU2 Property by Phone was beta-tested in Denver, and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is pioneering the technology along the Front Range.

“We eliminate expensive, brochure boxes forever while capturing every lead instantly” said Kenneth O’Hanlon, Founder and CEO of AccessU2 Mobile Solutions, LLC. “Property by Phone delivers the property information that was previously only available on the web instantly to buyer’s and sellers on their cell phone. A message is sent directly to the listing Realtor’s cell phone with the prospect’s number. Its instant, exclusive call-capture and it gives prospects the information when they want it…now!”

AccessU2 Property by Phone was developed for use by real estate agents, builders, developers, brokers, commercial real estate professionals, and lender and title service companies. For more information, visit the company online at www.PropertyByPhone.com.

Read more: "Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Pioneers New AccessU2 Property by Phone Technology | RISMedia" - http://rismedia.com/2009-02-13/coldwell-banker-residential-brokerage-pioneers-new-accessu2-property-by-phone-technology/#ixzz0GjbIiHHw&A

The Ultimate Green Partnership

Article from RISMedia's Real Estate May 2009 Issue:

Looking to help real estate professionals get an edge in today's tumultuous market, mobile marketing provider AccessU2 Mobile Solutions LLC and its patent pending product, Property By Phone, is partnering with EcoBroker, a premier "green" designation for real estate professionals.

The partnership is a natural fit, according to EcoBroker's CEO John Beldock, Ph.D. EcoBroker's membership is comprised of thousands of tech-savvy real estate agents who are seeking environmentally sensitive options for their clients and for their own businesses. Property By Phone provides a solution that is smart for both business and the environment - a custom fit for EcoBrokers and Ecosociates.
"Property By Phone brings cutting edge technological advancements affordability within reach of our members from coast to coast and internationally," says Beldock. "Today's real estate professional derives tremendous benefit from the Property By Phone technology and platform. Our EcoBroker membership is really making a difference with consumers, communities and the environment. EcoBrokers and Ecosociates are redefining the quality of service the consumer has come to expect from any kind of real estate industry professional. Through our work with AccessU2, our membership is able to make even more of a difference. This economy and the environment need all the difference we can provide."
Property By Phone instructs the prospective buyer to call a toll-free number, and the property information, video and photos are delivered by text message instantly. The company's platform delivers the same type of experience to a buyer's cell phone that virtual tours have delivered to websites, and the Realtor also receives a call capture text message and e-mail as soon as the consumer receives the information. Using the "Your Front Office" service, consumers can also set an appointment on the listing agent's calendar.
Setting up service is simple, say many users. A Realtor subscribes to the service at www.PropertyByPhone.com and receives a sign rider with a toll-free number and a property code. When subscribing, the Realtor creates their property description and uploads their photos and can create virtual tour videos instantly. Realtors can also review and share the activity report with home sellers.
"This is the ultimate green partnership, as we eliminate expensive, messy, time-consuming, and environmentally unfriendly brochure boxes forever," says Property By Phone CEO Kenneth O'Hanlon. "EcoBroker has built a foundation of environmental education and outreach helping consumers and communities take advantage of energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive design in real estate properties."
Through EcoBroker's unique and award-winning energy and environmental curriculum, real estate professionals acquire the knowledge to become EcoBroker certified and assist clients in their pursuit of greener homes.

For more information on Property By Phone, please visit www.PropertyByPhone.com.