2011 - Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners Archive | Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners

Blog Series, Part 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It doesn’t take an expert to distinguish a good website from a bad one. In fact, those who are the least technology-capable will be the best indicators of that. If your website is not easy to navigate and find essential information, it isn’t a good website. Conversely, if all of your information is crowded on...

Hot and Cold

In Canada and the United States, we are seeing a very negative trend in the market, and this is not set to improve until well into 2012. The reason these two countries must separately be addressed is due to a difference in declination rate. In fact, most people have been under the assumption as of...

Blog Series, Part 3: Streamline Your Website

Assuming you have a website, and you get a top-quality firm to host it, your only job is maintaining it and making sure the content is bang-on. Your marketing firm can only hold your hand so much, and the more hand-holding you get the more it will cost you. So firstly, you have to lay...

A”Homey”Present

Christmas is only 10 days away, which means that it's about due for a post related to everyone's (well, almost everyone) favourite holiday. Have you been having a hard time to think of a gift for your loved one? Possibly one of your kids/young adults? We have a couple of ideas for you, that may...

Blog Series, Part 2: Those Precious Photos

Think of it as the gateway to your listing. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good photograph. If a homebuyer is entrusting you with the proper marketing of their home, it deserves to be displayed with maximum quality and clarity. They didn’t hire a professional to have snapshots taken with a camera phone...

Blog Series, Part 1: Got A Niche?

Real estate is your business, so let’s not detract from your ability to buy and sell any kind of home. However, if you have found a certain specialty, use it to your advantage in your marketing. Finding a focus will help prospective clients find more confidence in your ability. The obvious choice would be to...

Floating House: Take 2

In one of our previous blog posts, we took a look at a floating house that was constructed in Dubai. Well, as it turns out, there is a floating house on this side of the pond as well...right on Laguna Beach actually. This floating house is quite incredible, as you can...

New Blog Series Coming Up

For the following weeks we will be (on top of our other postings) releasing a series of blog posts on how to create an effective realtor image with proper marketing. Why are we doing this?! Because there are people out there who need this information to help drive their business, therefore it may seem that...

#Winning @NARAnnual

What a Blast! We would like to start off thanking all of you for your support and participation up to and including the great weekend we had at NAR this year. We had high expectations, but we definitely exceeded these and can't wait to come back for seconds next year. We met some great...

Home Wrecker

In the realm of real-estate, there are always going to be properties that will be difficult to sell. This being said, amazing homes are also at potential risk to be a failed sale depending on various elements. Obviously the one of the most important details is to have a real-estate agent who can draw clientele,...

Getting Digital

Yesterday we did a posting about the importance of being savvy in the way of social media, digital marketing, and all around being "with it". Today, we're going to follow that up with some more information to get you on the digital freeway to excellence. What do we mean by this? Well, let's delve right...

A Piece of Advice

Some days we come at you with news, others we have some gossip, maybe some cool architecture, but today we have some advice for you cyberspace roamers. Ironically enough, this advice is about cyberspace, the internet, mobile apps, social media, the whole 9 yards.In our searches, there seems to be more and more information in...

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

This post honestly is a big jumble of everything we found interesting going on in the real-estate world as of late. A theme or general premise just seemed to hard to stamp on all these great findings, so why not just get them all in one spot: right here!Technology is a continuous advancement which expands...

Bargain Shopping

Over time, people run into great deals in every industry. For those of you who specialize in real-estate, there are a few pretty crazy deals out there right now, waiting for you to sink your teeth into them. The state of the US real-estate market is not improving, and is not showing any signs that...

Optimization

The question people ask themselves time and time again is how they can gain more distance with their website or other digital marketing. Take it from us, it isn't something that everybody is good at, which is why we've decided to share some words of wisdom with you on how to effectively use social media...

Tasting Success

Our searches came back with a relatively unexpected theme this week. Whether they were stories of personal achievements or ways to develop your own means, success would appear to be the underlying theme of this week's post.We all know that the fall is a slow-period in the market. That's why we're excited to share this...

Making The Best Of It

We realize that the fall can be a slow time as a realtor. The weather turns colder, people aren't as open to cruising around looking at or attending open houses all day, and with Thanksgiving and Halloween thrown into the mix, people are just straight up busy. How can you capitalize on this slower time...

The Ten Most Empty Cities in America

It's Friday, so what a better way to end the week than another Top 3 post right?! Here are the top three stories we found to share with you. We can't really ask you whether you'd prefer good or bad news first...so let's start with the bad and work into the good!The Bad...

Spooky Houses

Halloween, probably the strangest celebrated day of the year, is just around the corner. To get everyone into a spooky mood, we've decided to go along with a post based pretty much strictly around the Halloween theme.This house was unveiled a few months ago, but considering the occasion, we think that it's definitely still worth...

The Top 3 with a Halloween Flare

Today we're trying to pick up the slack on an attempt at a Friday blog tradition: Top 3's. Being relatively self explanatory, let's get right into it. Here are the the top three stories we found in our searches today.

With Halloween just around the corner, everybody's getting into pumpkin carving/costume making/candy buying mode....

We’re Back!

Apologies for having not been posting for the past little while, but we are back and ready to roll! We'll try and stack this post a little bit to make up for the previous lack of material.This recent article has been released by the Orlando Sentinel about the foreclosure on Chris Tucker's (Rush Hour, Rush...

For Your Reading Pleasure

Today we collected some articles that have weird concepts, but actually dole out some useful or interesting advice:Are you living in a grow op? Sound like the rare person might find this useful, but it goes over in detail the essential procedures from removing mould to house inspection. And if you’re looking at an older...

Housing Price Breakdown by City

With CREA’s revised prediction that home prices will be in for an upturn in Canada (read up on it) we found the average home price in each major city as of July 2011:Vancouver, BC $761,673Toronto, Ont $459,122Calgary, Alb $397,613Ottawa, Ont $342,925Montreal, Que $317,519Regina, Sask $272,548Halifax,...

The Next World’s Tallest Building

The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, will be getting a new big brother in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 568 feet bigger in fact. The future skyscraper will reach 3,280 feet and take over the status as the world’s tallest building. Until then, here's a top 5 list of the current tallest buildings in...

Save Money This Summer, Part III: Do it for Free

We scoured the internet for some more money and energy savers. This time, we kept to very small changes that are easily doable and cost you nothing to do.

Tweak your water heater: TheDailyGreen advises adjusting your water heater to a lower temperature (140° to 120°), which can yield a cost savings of about...

Vintage Article: Mortgage Relief

Below is an article from The Pittsburgh Press, printed on April 5th, 1933.
The Roosevelt administration has gone to the root of the problem in recommending debt relief for distressed farmers overburdened with high-interest mortgages on land bearing inflated values.The new bill might well be added as an amendment to the farm price relief measure and...

Is Real Estate Changing?

In the daily browse for updates in the real estate biz, we came upon an article in the Toronto Star about new real estate companies. These start-ups are not just new brokerages, but they introduce a new type of real estate option to the public that may change the face of the industry. We did...

An Upside Down Skyscraper?

We came across this post about an architecture graduate Stephen Sobl who designed a skyscraper to hang upside down from a concrete cantilever over the Colorado river. With a space-age Jetsons feel, this building would change the meaning of the word skyscraper since it really goes in the opposite direction... groundscraper? (We'll work on that)....

Save Money This Summer, Part II: Eco-Renovate Your Home

Eco renovations are a useful consideration for realtors and could be a good selling point for a home that may have these extra features. The savings in utilities will appeal to potential owners and make it that much more sellable. The main objective is to save money, so maybe invest a little bit into the...

We Moved!

Just letting all our EstateVue clients know that we have officially moved our office to a new location. Because of the move, it may be difficult to reach us by phone but if you email us at support@estatevue.com we will quickly follow up with a phone call. This is only temporary and we...

Vintage Article: Convention Time Near for the NAREB

With the NAR Convention coming up in a few short months, we thought this publication from 1955 would be of interest to all the realtors who are eagerly making preparations for their trip to Anaheim this November.
Convention Time Near for the NAREB. The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 5, 1955By Art Goeldner, Real Estate...

Calling All Clients! Update Your Website

EstateVue has received some questions regarding the new mortgage rule changes that have occurred in the past few months. This is a reminder and tutorial on how to make these changes in your EV website.In case you require a refresher, we have listed the recent changes to mortgage rules below:

The maximum amortization period for...

Save Money this Summer, Part I: Give Your Home Some Life

Now that the summer months are hitting us full force, it’s important to consider this season’s effect on your utility costs. With the air con cranked to full blast and the fans buffeting a fierce windstorm in your office, the effect is usually quite noticeable on your summer energy bill. Luckily, there are easy ways...

Vintage Article: Hints for Homeowners

Here's what was new and innovative in the world of home renos in 1939:The Palm Beach Post. February 5, 1939
New Asphalt ShingleThe new home owner of today may retain the picturesque charm of a wood-shingle roof and still profit by the durability and insulation provided by ashphalt shingles.This is accompanied thought use...

Upcoming Trend? Dome Homes

While it may not be on every residential block, the idea of a ‘dome home’ is becoming more popular, particularly in areas where unforgiving weather conditions are a major factor. The aerodynamic shape makes it sturdier against major storms and less susceptible to tornadoes and hurricanes. Dennis Johnson of Natural Space Domes reported that the...

Vintage Article: Substantial Support Seen for Real Estate

Cited below is a real estate article from 1939. We found it interesting:
Sunday Morning, February 5, 1939. The Palm Beach Post-Times.Substantial Support Seen for Real EstateTwo potent circumstances which should be of substantial support to the current real estate market are point out by David Nelswanger, Topeka Kans., vice president...

How Much Are You Paying?

The national apartment market is getting more competitive as the vacancy rate lowers and rented apartments are getting harder to find. The falling vacancy rate is attributed in part to immigration and the stable rate of rental apartment completions while demand rises. The lowest vacancy rates were in Winnipeg and Regina at 0.7%, Quebec City...

Just For Fun

Another Friday. Well to reward you for getting through another hard week, we’ll give you a little bit of a break from all the mind-numbing madness of the workplace.We came across this cool loft in Manhattan, New York priced at $1.05 million. The current owner has said that the design is based on the architect...

Adding a Listing

This guide only applies if your site doesn't have automated listings enabled (yet). If you need to add a listing to your site, follow these steps: (more…)...

Testimonial – Kevin Fedak and Cheryl Walker

Your website is great especially when we do not have to add our listings which saves so much time. There were a few agents in our office who were interested but wanted feedback from Cheryl and myself and all I am going to do is give them the 2 thumbs up and a great big...

Top Ten Expensive Canadian Homes

Happy Friday! Since it’s everyone’s favourite weekday, we figure we’ll keep it light and fun for the blog. Just a little something you can use as a discussion topic at the barbecue you’re throwing Saturday afternoon. So here’s our interesting read for your weekend:Celebrity homes are the tips of everyone’s tongues. Once you consider all...

200 Largest Brokerages in Canada

We would like to extend a big congratulations to all of those brokerages who made it to the ‘200 largest brokers in Canada’ list. We noticed some valued clients on there, and we are very excited to see brokers on the list that are close to home. This list was composed by Real Trends and...

Get Your Spy On

Inman News published an article called “Spy on Your Real Estate Competition.” Well naturally, we are entertained by the underhanded tactics some people will use to generate sales and grab clients. In reading this article, we discovered to our dismay that the tactics they suggest aren’t that cutthroat at all; so unfortunately for us, no...

Canada’s First’Green Home’Evaluation

Canada’s first home to be evaluated for energy and water conservation is getting the full assessment on its effectiveness in promoting sustainable living.Heathwood Homes revealed the home in The Reserve, a luxury home development in Richmond Hill, Ontario and features a long list of ‘green’ additions. Construction Canada cites the main ecological features of the...

EstateVue Directory Solutions

We know you’re excited, but maybe a little confused? So let’s break it down for you real easy. Any way you word it though, it means fame and fortune. And by ‘fame and fortune’ we mean a boost in marketing while keeping costs low… exaggerate much?

Ten Easy and Cheap Ways to Kick Up Curb Appeal

Canadian Real Estate magazine cites the ten ways to make a home more sellable. To extend the helpful read to our clients and followers we overview them here, while adding our own twist (as always).1. Give it a little wash: A pressure wash of the home’s façade and a good scrub of the windows will...

Location, Location, Location

An article in the Globe and Mail reviews the different types of homes that can be bought with a $600,000 housing budget. The range of sizes and amenities available for this price reaffirms that location is and always will be one of the most influential factors on the price of a home. But of course...

The Kiosk: Set Yourself Apart

The kiosk is EstateVue’s answer to 2011, so if you’re not even gonna ask the question well then obviously you’re stuck in the past. Paper is dead. So those giant windows with your printed listings splayed across in a seemingly organized fashion hanging...

The Biggest House in Canada is a Pain to Sell

While doing the daily browse for real estate news, we came upon an update on the biggest house Canada. What about it? No one really wants it. Well we shouldn’t say that… no one wants it ENOUGH to shell out the...

QR Codes for Real Estate

EstateVue is proud to announce the new release of the QR Code feature! Although still a quite unfamiliar term to many people, the QR code itself is quite recognizable; you’ve probably seen it before.What many of you might not realize is that this square-shaped symbol...

What’s New at EstateVue?

We know we’ve been pumping you with new updates that you may glance at and never think of again. Okay maybe we haven’t been shouting it from the rooftops, that’s not exactly our style. But for all our clients (and potentials) out there, we thought you might really benefit from having all this info put...

The Royal Wedding… or A Tropical Island?

Okay, so hopefully most of you royal wedding fans have settled back into normal every day life after watching the major event this past Friday. We didn't happen to catch it live on TV, valid reasons for missing work over here unfortunately don't include viewing television coverage of royal nuptials. Luckily for us, they had...

Cheers! The Birth of a New Blog

After some preparation and much discussion, EstateVue has made the decision to launch a new blog site. We hope you've already taken notice since you're obviously already on it. Pretty nice right? Expect a load of real estate info coming your way, updates on our company, maybe a few pop culture stories too keep it...

Testimonial – Jann Harrison’s buyer

"Hello, I want to compliment you on your website... best I have seen as I look for realestate in the valley."...

Creating a Custom Listing Status

You may want to advertise a listing with a special status. For example, maybe instead of using the "New Price" status, you'd prefer your listing to show as "Reduced". EstateVue lets you create new status tags for listings. Here's how: (more…)...

Testimonial: Mick Champness

Cheers to a very impressive and easy-to-use set of tools, and thanks so much for all your help.Paul Champness
...

Managing Testimonials

EstateVue has a special system for managing and displaying your testimonials. Here's how to use it: (more…)...

Changing Page Style

Depending on your design theme, you may have different options for the layout of your pages, and these can easily be switched back and forth. Here's how: (more…)...

Adding a Link or .pdf Document

You can turn text or images into links that open other pages, pdf documents or websites. Here's how: (more…)...

Yearly Archives: 2011