Chuck says it best but it's worth repeating: I bought 3 homes before an agent took the time to explain the commission process, i.e. it's either all going to the Listing Agent or split between them and the Selling Agent. Either way, if I'd have known that, I would have used a Buyer's Agent much sooner.

Sure, I'm biased but click on this link and decide if you would know more about this property from our web site than any other.

1. Click on Visual Tour. This takes NO AGENT INPUT and is free, seamless and a great way to view properties.
2. Click on Microsoft's Bird's Eye View and you see it's proximity to the lake.
   
3. Click on Google's Map/Street View and then type in "Elementary Schools" on "Search the Map" in lower left corner.
   
   1. No other Broker Web Site I've seen has this feature
   2. If a consumer learns to use this, they won't want to be without it,
4. Login and you can save Favorites.
   1. View your Favorites on the map AND in a list.
   2. You can email your whole list of Favorites at once, an exclusive feature.
5. If a Consumer selects an "Agent-4-Me" that Agent is the only one they'll have to correspond with on any subsequent visits to 4114OpenHouses.com.
6. If the Consumer "Requests More Info" or "Schedules a Private Showing" a text message alert is sent to the Agent.
   1. We exclusively label that a "PRIVATE" showing, which test marketing shows makes a huge difference.
   2. A timer is set to measure how long it takes to respond to messages.
   3. The content of the inquiry and the response is also documented and stored for tracking purposes.

We're getting ready to launch and any delays have resulted in nothing less than better features as we move along.

Tell us what you think!

Help me with this: We're designing a web site and have a huge difference of opinions on how to handle these scenarios:

Scenario 1: One consumer asks for a Private Showing on 4 properties. Those 4 requests go to 4 different REALTORS®.

Scenario 2: That Consumer's requests go to one REALTOR® 4 times.

If M.I.T. is correct in their study last year, there's a 100 X greater chance of a favorable result if you get back to that customer within 5 minutes vs. even 30 minutes, let alone a day, etc.

98% of consumers say they'll work with the first REALTOR® to respond.

We're sending out an "Instant Agent Alert®" text message that tells you the clock is ticking and you should check your email for that lead.

2 part question: What's better for the Consumer? (Leading question; a quick response is better, isn't it?)

What's better for a REALTOR®? If the feeling is that 93% of all leads go nowhere, how many of those leads were followed up on in 5 minutes vs. 5 hours or 5 days?

It's About Service® Isn't it?

Senate Adds $15,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit to Stimulus

That was from February 5th. Would that have been nice or what? It would have sparked our website, I'm sure! I mean, AIG gets to hand out $130Million of our dollars, some of it to keep employess that weren't even still working there? And we don't get this? It would be nice to see this coming, even if it is half this amount.

The beginning and the end of a recession is in direct correlation to the housing market. I think a $900,000 home in Oakland isn't worth $900,000 and that's part of the problem. But that will continue as long as they have a grip on the Bigger Sucker Theory.

Here's a nice tool from Compete.com showing the new visitors for some of the top websites in Omaha. I can't get a break-down of nationals that have office here, like Keller Williams, etc. The growth for some, (way to go, PAOmaha!) and decline of others is interesting. Is there a correlation between this and advertising or Agents driving consumers to their own web sites? (I hear Prudential now has more agents in West Omaha than NPDodge.) We're working on our new "Agent-4-Me" program whereby a Buyer's Agent uses our web site in conjunction with the client to find a home. Cuts down on number of homes they have to drive to see and everybody's happy.