We’ve added a new widget to our website - Instant Answers via Text Messaging!
Now, if you have a specific question about the buying or selling process or if you’re finding your next home on buyyourphoenixhome.com, you can ask a question and get an instant answer via text messaging. We already offer instant answers via Instant Messaging (which is conveniently located below the new text messaging widget to the left) - but we aren’t always online to answer questions as instantly as we’d like.
Arizona Fusion Real Estate will receive your question on our iPhone and quickly respond via text messaging. Because we have access to the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service on our iPhones, we can quickly answer a question regarding a specific property and text the information back to you.
It’s all a part of our commitment to providing innovative solutions for today’s real estate consumer and backs up our philosophy of providing:
personal service enhanced by today’s technology.
It’s always available via the sidebar but you can also try it below:
We’re diving into video. And we’re not talking home virtual tours with a slideshow of Carl Burns effected photos - they’re yesterday’s news. We’re actually not even talking about specific homes.
Today, we’re proud to bring you Fusion Vision! The goal is to bring readers a firsthand look at (mostly) Southeast Phoenix Valley communities and attractions. From housing communities and buildings to favorite restaurants to quick tours of shopping areas and scenic attractions, Fusion Vision is our way of bringing a little piece of the Valley of the Sun to people all over the world.
Fusion Vision is by no means a professionally cut end product. Fusion Vision is created by a man and his will… and an Apple MacBook, iMovie software and a fantastic Panasonic LUMIX DCM-TZ5 digital camera that records both HD video as well as takes fantastic photographs.
So, drum roll please …
By the way, if you want to get the feel for a Fusion Power Search personal website, you can view our sample site for Seville here as well as get a feel for the vast range of homes on the resale market in Seville. At posting, listings ranged from $170,000 to $2.7M.
With a Fusion Power Search, you have your own, personal and secure website that constantly updates from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. You can save your favorite homes, throw out ones you don’t like, view all homes or just your favorites on a map - even cross reference homes with tax information. You can also ask additional questions on a listing or schedule a time to view your favorite homes in person!
Fusion Power Search is a result of the fantastic new MLS system we have here in Phoenix.
Arizona Fusion Real Estate is excited to announce new and innovative features that give buyers excellent tools for searching for the first, next or best home ever! We call it fusionpower search!
fusionpower search allows buyers to completely tailor their search and access it on a personal, secure website.
Have you ever wanted to search within just a specific area ? For example, maybe you are looking for a home that is north of Broadway in Tempe, Arizona but between Mill Avenue and Rural Road but south of Tempe Town Lake - and when you’re west of Mill you’d like to the search to continue north of University but east of Hardy Drive. fusionpower search allows you to do just that!
It's okay. Be as specific as you'd like on where and what you'd like to search.
Here is what fusionpower search can do for you if you are thinking of buying real estate in the Phoenix Valley:
• Search Your Way - Like You’ve Always Wanted :: Be as specific as you like - a 5 mile radius from work, between Mill Avenue and Rural Roads south of Tempe Town Lake but north of Broadway, within a mile from a light-rail station - whatever your personal search requirements are we’ll meet them!
• HD Photos :: If the listing agent has made the photos available, you’ll be able to view photos in fullscreen, HD quality.
• Virtual Tours :: If the listing agent has created a virtual tour you’ll have a direct link all within your fusionpower search webpage.
• Compare :: You’ll be able to compare other homes that are on the market. You can see what the average Days on the Market are, what the average list price is and more.
• Sales History :: If you’d like, we can add to your fusionpower search the recent sales activity and show you what homes have sold in the past three months in your search area so that you can get an idea of what you’d like to offer. You’ll even be able to compare what the list price was compared to the sales price. Of course, we’ll review this information again when we’re ready to make an offer.
• Save Your Favorites :: You’ll be able to save your favorite properties for later so that you always have access to the information. No more re-searching or clicking through hundreds of listings to show your family and friends. You can also throw out listings you hate.
• Schedule Showings Online :: Have questions on a specific property or want to schedule a showing? Do it online at anytime.
• Tax Info :: Your fusionpower search will give you instant access to public tax information from the Assessor’s Office on properties that interest you.
• Mortgage Calculator :: Just click on the basic mortgage calculator to see what your payments might be. fusionpower search gives you all the search power you’ll need.
Sign up for your personal fusionpower search webpage and when you purchase a home with arizonafusion, we’ll include:
• A Free Home Warranty :: Up to a $500 value, your Home Warranty protects you from unforeseen issues with major expense items such as the air conditioner, water heater, appliances and more. The warranty even will rekey your home and provide you with new and unique keys.
• 10% Back :: We donate 10% of our earned commissions to the charity, non-profit or university of your choice. You can read more here.
With President Bush signing into law a bill that aims to help over 400,000 homeowners from losing their homes into foreclosure, buyers sitting on the fence should also know that it changes how you can purchase a home through the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA.
The law also requires buyers to put a down payment of 3.5% for a FHA Loan. Previously, buyers only required 3% as a down payment.
But what may affect buyers even more is that sellers are no longer allowed to gift the down payment to the buyer. New Home Builders can no longer give you your down payment and sellers can no longer give you an incentive to buy their home by handing you a down payment from their proceeds.
Buyers should be aware of this. FHA loans are becoming the most popular mortgages out there. Right now, buyers can still accept a down payment from a new home builder or seller before October 1, 2008.
The new housing bill also gives first-time home buyers a tax credit of 10% of the sales price (up to $7500). In the Phoenix area you’re most likely going to get the entire $7500 tax credit with current market prices. It should be noted that although the tax credit will benefit you on next year’s taxes - it is really an interest-free loan from the government. You’ll be paying it back over the course of the next 15 years.
Is now the right time for you? If you have good credit and have been waiting for the right time but don’t necessarily have a significant down payment you may want to start searching now - if the time is right for you and/or your family.
That’s right. The LA Times have discontinued their Sunday Real Estate Section this past weekend with the final printing.
Is this a sign of things to come? Newspapers are hurting all across the country as advertisers - from large corporations to smaller companies to REALTORS - move their marketing dollars from print to online. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why:
Online advertising is more interactive (surveys, games, virtual tours, IM’ing …)
Online advertising can hit a larger targeted audience.
Online advertising, if done right, dollar-for-dollar will give you more bang for your buck.
Over 80% of all real estate buyers and sellers start their research online.
Fewer and fewer people read the newspaper - they go online for their news.
There are, of course, other great reasons why online is the wave of the future. But, it is symbolic that the first major newspaper has discontinued their printed real estate section on Sundays. Synonymous with Sunday coupons and retail ads, the real estate section was a 20th century staple for most. Heck, even ten years ago it was the main marketing tool for REALTORS. For those agents that still “don’t get it,” it still may be their primary tool.
I’m sure that since things usually start in California (no-smoking laws, outlawing trans-fats) we’ll next see this in New York City and then slowly infiltrate the rest of the country’s newspapers who need to cut costs and reorganize their marketing strategies to generate needed income.
After recieving some comments, emails and feedbacks from Michael Wurzer, President and CEO of FBS Data Systems (the company who has created FlexMLS) and Bob Bemis, the CEO of the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, the problem I previously mentioned while trying to search listings on wireless.flexmls.com has been solved! Hooray and hopefully no more “WTFs” except when clients and I see grossly overpriced listings.
If you haven’t used wireless.flexmls.com (and of course are an ARMLS member) here are some quick tips to get started with wireless FlexMLS access and then to save yourself from the “WTFs” and urge to toss your wireless device across the room:
Get a smartphone device: Pony up. Get with the times. Do what you have to do - but you’ll serve clients much better if you have a smartphone, like the Apple iPhone, a BlackBerry or Palm. I am partial to Apple products but also think the ease and use of an iPhone would make it the top choice for most agents whether they’re technology gurus or not.Ideally, you’ll want to get a device that has “3G” access, which means it accesses high-speed cellular networks with speeds similar to broadband at home (slow home broadband, but broadband nonetheless). AT&T calls it “3G”. Verizon Wireless calls it “EVDO” (although I noticed in a recent radio commercial they actually used the word “3G,” most likely a fallout from all the iPhone 3G coverage). Sprints calls it “Sprint Vision.” Currently, at least in the Phoenix Valley, T-Mobile does not have a broadband wireless network.
Expect to spend about $30 more a month: Wireless companies will charge you, on average, around $30 a month for unlimited data access on your smartphone. A small investment for the service you’ll be providing to clients and the convenience you’ll have of pulling up stats on the fly even if your paperwork is not handy, flew out the window, got ate by the dog, etc.
Bookmark wireless.flexmls.com: The iPhone makes it super easy to have one-touch access to the wireless version of the ARMLS. Here’s a screenshot of my own iPhone. Now, Michael, can your software developers throw in an iPhone icon so that it doesn’t look so generic and ghetto on my screen (like the Google RSS and Wells Fargo you see)? Notice the “flexmls Web” icon/link in the bottom row above my calendar:
flexmls Web is located just above my Calendar widget in the lower lefthand corner giving me one touch access to the ARMLS.
Most wireless devices will allow bookmarks. It should be noted that even if you don’t have a smartphone, aren’t eligible to upgrade without shelling out full retail price for the handset (which still may be worth it in my opinion) or simply want to hang on to the 1990s, you can still access wireless.flexmls.com from most “regular” cell phones by going to the phone’s browser and typing in the address.
DESELECT search items for a successful search: As Michael put it, “I know this is lame but what’s happening here is that a couple of the fields are getting selected by the browser even though you’re not selecting them.” More specifically, the “Compass” and “Street Suffix” fields automatically select options that will make your search come back with zero properties.To clarify, here are some screenshots from my iPhone that show the correct way and the incorrect way for searching:
"Select One" is automatically selected which makes your search pointless and gives you zero results.
Deselect "Select One" as well as "--" in the "St Suffix" field and your address search will come back with results.
Those two fields - “Compass” and “St Suffix” - have default selections that you may usually assume are instructions that don’t need to be touched or will search all. Not the case. Deselect these items for accurate search results.
As always, it’s usually best to not select a compass (E, W, S, N, etc) for a street because the search is only as good as the agent that put it in the MLS. The same goes for the street suffix (Street, Way, Cove, etc). If I recall, FlexMLS uses more accurate address verification through tax records that may take some of the innacuracies out of the picture - but to be safe, keep those fields blank.
If you follow the search directions here, you won’t have the issues I had previously. Once I deselected the default selections for compass and street suffix I had perfect success that mirrored results on “the real FlexMLS” on my laptop.
Kudos to Michael Wurzer and FlexMLS for offering a Web 2.0 interface on my computer and a viable solution on my mobile device. Perhaps I can push the envelope and request a iPhone Application that would bring even more functionality to FlexMLS while mobile.
Kudos also to Bob Bemis and ARMLS for finally offering multiple IDX solutions to agents and brokers and bringing us FlexMLS and a MLS solution that allows the industry to do what they need to do easier and better.
Now, if we can only get some competition in the paperless transaction offerings and end the ZipForms monopoly. In my dream world and others’,
I pull up the ARMLS on my iPhone App
Search for properties on my iPhone App
Open up lockboxes via Bluetooth (no need to carry around a Supra Key or have an outdated Palm). Supra claims Bluetooth would use way too much battery power, which is probably true. But this is my dream world, right?
Click on the property my buyer wants to put an offer on
Pull up all the current AAR forms with the listing information automatically populated and relevant seller disclosures too
Review the paperwork on the iPhone App
Sign it electronically with integrated electronic signature technology or on the iPhone screen with a finger
Send the paperwork electronically back to the listing agent
Send the completed paperwork electronically to the title company, mortgage companies, etc.
Of course, in my dream world, all agents are onboard with today’s technology and we could whisk paperwork back and forth from agent-to-agent-to-mortgage company-to-title company-to-agent-to-inspector-to-client’s email.
Well, at least I can search wirelessly now with my clients this afternoon if the opportunity presents itself!
Most Phoenix area REALTORS are well-aware that this weekend is “the big weekend” where our outdated, archaic and semi-worthless MLS system switches over to a less-outdated and less-archaic MLS system from FlexMLS. Don’t get me wrong - I am very excited about the changes. But I guess in this age of constant change and internet data, I’d expect even more from a MLS system than what FlexMLS is providing. A key thing I must always tell myself is that the MLS system is sometimes inhibited by the agents who make it up. And let’s be honest, there are plenty of agents out there who post horrible photos, uninteresting descriptions and false and misleading data.
Nonetheless, the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) made a great decision by moving forward with FlexMLS.
One of the lesser known features of FlexMLS is it’s sister site - wireless.flexmls.com.
Recently, while looking at some townhomes and condos near downtown Tempe, a client/friend asked if I could find out information on a property that didn’t come up on our original search. Being the tech-savvy person that I think I am, I pulled up the wireless FlexMLS site on my Apple iPhone and did a simple search with the address of the property. Most REALTORS know that when searching we often leave out the “compass direction” when searching for a property as well as the street suffix. For example, if searching for 1234 E Sunshine Avenue, I would simply search for “1234 Sunshine” so that my search doesn’t go haywire and return zero results.
When I searched for the property I got zero results. I tried the search a few different ways and continued to get zero results. So, I took my search out to the ZIP code (85281) we were in and still had zero result returned. As most might say after a few searches with zero results - WTF?
My hope is that the search function of wireless.flexmls.com is simply not working until the official launch on July 28. The wireless version of FlexMLS could be a fantastic tool for gathering more information on a property that wasn’t on the original search (often times buyers have a change of heart in their search criteria after viewing a few properties) or to pull up info on a property in the search that wasn’t printed off. It would be great for an agent to know they could leave their laptop at home or the office and just bring their iPhone or other wireless device and have the information they need without having to power up a laptop.
I was able to pull up the property by MLS number on wireless.flexmls.com - but that was the only way a search would give me results. I have a few saved searches that show up on my wireless homepage that also displayed results. Here’s what you’d expect to see if you were using an iPhone for wireless FlexMLS:
wireless.flexmls.com on iPhone
wireless.flexmls.com stats on iPhone
If you know of something I may be doing wrong - be sure to let me know! Otherwise, I will hope that this Monday brings the wireless access to the ARMLS that I would’ve expected three or four years ago!
“Easy Real Estate” is now “Arizona Fusion Real Estate.”
Combining innovative marketing strategies, top-notch personal service, a green living focus, paperless transactions, today’s technology and a philanthropic twist, we think “Arizona Fusion Real Estate” incorporates and signifies our current goals better. Besides that we think it sounds a little classier, a little fancier and much more catchy.
Don’t worry, we still have the same team of experts to assist our clients.
All web traffic from easyrealestateaz.com is now being directed to www.arizonafusion.com.
ArizonaFusion is the future of real estate in the Phoenix area combining personal service with today’s technology.
It is 2008, right? Then why are so many real estate professionals conducting business like it’s 1988?
It’s not uncommon for real estate paperwork to be faxed back-and-forth multiple times. Have you ever seen a contract that’s been faxed more than once? The words get grainy, the writing becomes unlegible and it really annoys us.
That’s why we use today’s technology - e-signatures and electronic transaction management.
easyclients never have to worry about not finding the most recent piece of paperwork because it’s available online - 24/7 - via a secure website. They also know that they can accept offers or make offers from anywhere they have an internet enabled computer. We like to say “we do business across the table or across the globe.”
Paperless transactions aren’t only smarter, easier and more convenient than yesterday’s procedures - they’re also green. The real estate industry could probably save the Amazon Rainforest if everyone used current technology!
We use the following two services to conduct paperless transactions:
Unless you’ve been living in a hole - you should be well aware of Apple’s iPhone. I have one myself - partly because I’m a technology nerd who happens to be an Apple fan and partly because it’s the only smartphone out there that helps me with my work and play.
And it’s just going to get better.
On or about June 9, Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, is set to announce Apple’s new iPhone model(s) and make available the iPhone’s new software - iPhone 2.0. By the end of July, real estate agents should strongly consider this piece of technology to add to their arsenal. Here are a few reasons why:
Full Web Access at Broadband Speeds: For those readers in Phoenix (and major metro areas), the new iPhone will feature a technology called HSPA - commonly called “3G” or third-generation wireless data. Rumored to offer speeds of up to 42 megabits per second (mbps), the iPhone has the potential to offer data speeds beyond what your typical cable connection offers. The word “potential” is key here because AT&T’s current network only offers speeds of up to 1.4 mbps in Phoenix. By the end of the year, those speeds are expected to be boosted to 7.2 mbps which would mean browsing on your iPhone would be as speedy as browsing on your home computer. By the end of 2009, speeds are expected to near 20 mbps on AT&T’s network.Of course, speed is one thing, but “content is king” as they say. The iPhone offers Apple’s fantastic Safari web browser giving users full HTML access on their device - meaning web pages look just like they do on your laptop or home computer. Nothing is watered down like on most smartphones’ WAP browsers. Which brings me to one of the most important points:
Full ARMLS Access on iPhone: The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service is about to transition to a completely new system - FLEXmls. Besides some other great new features that are a long time coming, this new platform allows for full compatibility with Apple’s web browser, Safari. Right now, there are some issues when Safari users log-in to ARMLS. Although most functions work currently through Safari, many important ones do not. That will not be the case come July 28th, the day ARMLS converts to the new system. This means not only will the rest of the web be on REALTORS’ iPhones, but so will their most important tool - the ARMLS. Really, the value in this is priceless. Being able to quickly pull up current listings for buyers without lugging around a laptop (and pay for an additional wireless aircard for said laptop) adds real value to an agent’s service.
Push Email: BlackBerries are great. I used one for many years. I’d never say a bad thing about Research in Motion’s products because like Apple’s products - they just work. A big issue with many business users in regards to the iPhone has been that there was no “Push Email.” This means that email is automatically sent to your smartphone without having to manually connect to your inbox. An email pops up on your phone at the same time as it would your computer. This is the “killer application” that has made BlackBerries so popular.
Calendar, Contact + Notes Sync: Along with Push Email comes support for real-time synchronization of your calendar, contacts and notes. This means that when you add an appointment to your iPhone’s calendar, it will also appear - within a couple of seconds - on your computer’s calendar. The same goes for adding and deleting contacts and notes.It should be noted that Push Email and Calendar/Contact/Note synching will most likely require one of two things: a .mac email account or Microsoft Exchange Server. Mac users may be familiar with the .mac service which costs about $100 a year. This service offers a xxxxx@mac.com email address in addition to syncing data between multiple computers, 10 GB of online storage/web hosting and more. It’s been rumored that when the new iPhone software is released, this service will include push email to iPhones as well as synching of calendars, contacts and notes.If you aren’t a Mac user - don’t fret. There are many third-party companies out there that offer shared Microsoft Exchange Servers for less than $15 a month. Since most real estate brokerages don’t have the money to invest in a true server for their agents, this is a very viable option. Some popular options include Intermedia, MailStreet and 123Together. These services will give your email the power of Exchange support for a very inexpensive price. And who knows, Apple may have something up their sleeve that won’t even require these services for the general public!
GPS Directions: There’s a strong indication that the next iPhone will include true GPS. GPS, or Global Positioning Systems, offer support for turn-by-turn directions on an iPhone. Many smartphones already have this in addition to other handheld devices like Garmin or TomTom. Again, a killer application for the real estate industry. Whether you’re taking around a buyer to view homes or previewing homes yourself, Apple will surely make GPS directions even easier than current systems. That’s because on an iPhone, data is usually interconnected. That’s my own term, interconnected. I’m sure there’s a real term for it. What I mean is that when you are looking on the internet - say at the ARMLS - and there is an address, you can just click on the address and the iPhone will pull it up on it’s mapping system - Google Maps. I’d imagine that with GPS, it would do the same and offer directions via GPS Mapping software. Again, an invaluable tool for the real estate industry.
Third-Party Software: The real estate industry has relied on Palm for years. Palm handhelds offer third-party software for the real estate industry including support for Supra eKEYs. This means that if you have a Palm with an Infrared Port, you can pay about $20 a month for additional software on your Palm that will allow you to open lockboxes. The software also offers limited ARMLS access.The iPhone’s new software will offer support for true third-party applications. It’s inevitable that software developers have already started creating applications for the real estate industry for the iPhone. Applications like mortgage calculators, MLS access and more must be on the way (and if they’re not I’d like to hire some software developers to create some!). These applications will offer even more functionality to an already great product. Imagine being able to surf the MLS with a very easy to navigate software application fit for the iPhone. Pulling up statistics, virtual tours and photos will comes as easy as swiping your finger across a piece of glass - it really is like magic!
iPhone 2.0 software is expected to be revealed on or around June 9th, when Apple begins it’s annual developer’s conference in San Francisco. AT&T, Apple’s partner in the USA, has already announced that it’s retail staff cannot take time off for about a month starting on June 15. So expect the new iPhone and software to be released shortly thereafter.
Besides all these great “work” features, the iPhone is a great device for personal use as well. It keeps your life organized in an amazingly stylish and easy-to-use package. It’s not as much as a head-turner as it used to be because there’s more than 4 million used in the USA already (in less than one year since it’s release last June).
REALTORS: get an iPhone if you want to offer cutting-edge service, simplify your life and honestly, look cool!
“Five Minutes Later” Update: Ah, proof that you never know everything. Now, rumors are surfacing that Apple is completely revamping their .mac service in preparation for the new iPhone software including a name change. More proof that a .mac email address may come in handy and be cost-effective for the real estate industry.
