Technology - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Is Your Smartphone’s Security Working?

Antitheft software is saving stolen smartphones everywhere. In San Francisco, phone-related robberies have dropped by 50 percent from 2013 to 2016 since the passage of the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act. This legislation makes it mandatory for manufacturers like Google and Apple to install theft-deterring software into their products. This includes activation locks and remote device erasure software.Ensure the built-in capabilities of your iPh

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REALTORS: Facebook unveils first ad product for real estate

A brokerage can now target past visitors to its site and present them with relevant Facebook adsFacebook has unveiled its first ad product designed specifically for the real estate industry.“Dynamic Ads for Real Estate” allows a brokerage to advertise relevant listings to Facebook and Instagram users who have previously searched for properties on the brokerage’s website.With a Facebook employee telling Inman that the online giant is “b

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What are the next big trends in real estate technology?

The biannual Imprev Thought Leader Study digs into where brokers are planning to invest resourcesKey Takeaways Mobile apps and social media will continue to be important outlets for real estate agents; portals and search advertising were considered less important by respondents. Respondents plan to invest in predictive analytics and big data; fewer planned to invest in artificial intelligence or virtual reality platforms.Mobile is still ultra-hot

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Builder Uses VR to Show Kitchen Design Options

Toll Brothers Inc., a luxury-home builder, is piloting a new tool in a few select markets that allows buyers to use virtual reality to better envision design selections in their new home’s kitchen. They can then easily swap out countertops or cabinet colors and then view the changes in virtual reality.Kitchen 360 offers a 3-D view and floor plan visualizer so that buyers can take a realistic tour through their new kitchen.“When I used the new

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Email Scam Surfaces Using Slain Agent’s Name

Real estate professionals in New York and Arizona say they have recently received an email from a real estate professional in Jacksonville, Fla., who was offering them a referral. The problem is that when they Googled the agent’s name, they discovered she had died a month ago.The email sender claims to be late real estate professional Mary Anne Rolnick, 76, who was murdered inside her home in June. Rolnick’s son, Scott Rolnick, has been charg

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REALTORS: How to Win Over More Instagram Followers

Instagram boasts more than 200 million active monthly users. It has quickly emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms. How can you use it to grow your own network? Forbes.com columnist Tom Ward recently offered a few tips, including:Create a theme for your page. Figure out what you are trying to promote on Instagram and stick to it, Ward writes. Have a separate account for your personal posts, if necessary. “You can’t expect

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Real Estate Needs Open Internet

Some of the biggest names in business, including Facebook, Amazon, and Walmart, are weighing in on net neutrality as the Federal Communications Commission reaches its deadline Monday to field comments on its plan to change the way the internet is regulated. Real estate brokers are also having their say; on their behalf, the National Association of REALTORS® is warning the FCC that a change to internet governance could cause unequal access to con

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First-Time Buyers Turn to Google for Advice

So far this year, Google searches related to buying a first home have surged to 44 percent of all homebuying-related search activity—up 11 percentage points compared to a year earlier, according to a new study by Chase Home Lending. This may mean you’ll want to increase content on your website geared toward first-time buyers.“I had assumed that we would start to see millennials come [into the market] in force in the next two years,” says

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REALTORS: Let homebuyers ‘place’ homes on empty lots with Clayton’s new augmented-reality app

Nation's largest homebuilder developed a 3-D home visualization tool for homebuyersKey Takeaways Augmented reality technology is quickly growing within real estate, providing buyers with new home shopping experiences. IPhone app lets users interact with new homes on empty lots.Have suggestions for products that you’d like to see reviewed by our real estate technology expert? Email Craig Rowe.Home Previewer by Clayton is an augmented reality-ba

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Realtor.com enhances school-based search

Homebuyers can now center property search on schools from get-goRealtor.com has made it easier for homebuyers to filter listings based on schools.Users can enter a school name into its property search bar to pull up all for-sale properties that fall within the school’s attendance zone.The feature gives realtor.com a slight edge over Zillow and Trulia when it comes to school-based search, while bringing the listing portal up to speed with Redfin

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