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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
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movotorealtor.comRedfinSelectTechnologytruliaZillow
January 13, 2015

Tech-focused brokerages gain national prominence

Three tech-oriented brokerages — Redfin, Movoto and Estately — all grew their traffic notably in 2014, and are beginning to create a national presence for themselves. All three have sleek websites and powerful mobile apps, with Movoto and Estately employing referral-based business models in which they hand buyers and sellers off to other…
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170
iosiphonejamie moyleMobilerealtytracSelectTechnology
January 13, 2015

Homefacts releases Android app

Screen shot of Homefacts Android app in action. Users of Android mobile devices can now use a new app from Homefacts to research information about properties and neighborhoods ranging from details about local schools and building permit activity to the locations of registered sex offenders and environmental hazards like former…
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ryantate
136
liming zhaoreal estate hackersSelectTechnologyurban compass
January 13, 2015

Liming Zhao: ‘a citizen of technology who wandered into land of real estate’

Liming Zhao Head of engineering, Urban Compass What he does: I explore the state of the art in technology used by our agents and consumers, enhance the process flow and data quality of property information for search and market analysis, and build tools to facilitate communications between agents and consumers.…
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ryantate
119
Brokeragereal estateSelectsuccess
January 13, 2015

4 survival strategies for brokerages

This one is specifically for owners of larger brokerages: You are in the middle of a war zone battling giant portals and local brokerages for the eyes and hearts of your marketplace members. Often the heat is too intense to think strategically, so instead you carefully peruse business plans handed…
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ryantate
102
Markets & Economyreal estate dataSelect
January 13, 2015

Go figure: Wall Street firms buying rentals, hottest season to sell, commission rundown and more

What’s the hottest season to sell? Let’s make a deal Bon voyage! Rolling back prices How’s your overhead? A reason to eat breakfast for dinner with the family Loading and unloading Four biggest Wall Street firms buying up rentals nationwide Learn About Tableau Have data you’d like to see featured here? Let us…
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ryantate
136
open datapredictionsreal estateSelectTechnology
January 13, 2015

How open data will supercharge your business

There is a lot of buzz around data these days. Whether you’re using the term “open data,” “big data” or incorporating some other broad adjective, data are central to the discussion of every industry’s future. As every aspect of our world is digitized, lots of new information becomes accessible. In theory, this…
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ryantate
136
BrokerageJay MehtaQuest Equity PartnersSelectZev Freidus
January 13, 2015

Private equity firm invests over $20M in South Florida brokerage

San Francisco Bay Area-based private equity firm Quest Equity Partners has invested at least $20 million to take a controlling interest in Boca Raton, Florida-based Boca Executive Realty and plans to take the 9-year-old firm nationwide. Quest Equity Partners is going all in — managing partner Jay Mehta moved to Boca…
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85
SelectTechnology
January 13, 2015

Homes.com promotes new head of industry development from within

Real estate search portal Homes.com has promoted of Andy Woolley to vice president of industry development, responsible for developing MLS, broker, franchise, and other industry partnerships. As vice president overseeing sales and customer service, Woolley helped Homes.com — the fourth-most visited real estate search portal, behind Zillow, Trulia and realtor.com…
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ryantate
118
BrokeragerealsatisfiedreviewsSelect
January 12, 2015

Agent ratings have arrived

The rise of Yelp, Uber and Lyft and their widespread use of five-star ratings of businesses and service providers has helped usher in a new era of transparency. After dragging its feet for years, the real estate industry now appears ready to jump on board the agent ratings bandwagon. Zillow has been…
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ryantate
117
Brokeragemanagementreal estateSelect
January 12, 2015

Reinventing your brokerage, step by step

Last month we identified several steps that you should take if you’re serious about reinventing your real estate brokerage. In today’s highly competitive consumer-driven environment, there are always areas for improvement and challenges to overcome. But where do you start? Here are some areas to consider for each step to…
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