From all of us here at PlanOmatic headquarters, and your local photographers around the country, we wish you a warm and happy holiday season. May 2012 bring you good health, happiness and great success.

Sincerely,

The PlanOmatic Team

Pictured above from left to right: Chad Gagnon, Arie, Kori and Barr Covrigaru, Aaron Rose and Kevin Knol.

Prudential Connecticut Realty and PlanOmatic have entered into a corporate agreement to provide PlanOmatic photography and floor plan interactive home tours to Prudential CT Realty’s agents. As a result of this partnership, PlanOmatic is now a recommended vendor, which entitles the broker’s agents to exclusive pricing and services by the marketing provider.

“We are excited to be able to now offer PlanOmatic products and services to our agents,” said Jeff Spiegel, Prudential CT Realty’s Marketing Director. “Their professional photography, attention to quality and dedication to mobile platforms are the key reasons we chose to include them into our recommended vendor program. This is a great opportunity to market our listings at a high level, and a tremendous opportunity for our Fine Homes Division.”

“We have worked with Prudential CT agents all over the state for quite some time now and with positive results,” said Kori Covrigaru, PlanOmatic CEO. “Once the opportunity arose to work directly with corporate, and have their approval, it wasn’t rocket science to get the deal done.”

Prudential Connecticut Realty is a full service, locally owned company backed by the strength of a solid national and global brand. Our core values, service philosophy, cutting edge technology and most importantly our people, are what make us the leading real estate company in all the areas we serve. We are committed to providing the highest quality real estate services possible and making each customer experience one that surpasses their expectations.

PlanOmatic offers full service floor plan and photography interactive home tours in regions across the US. They are best known for high quality photography, customer care and being a technology leader in the industry. PlanOmatic was the first real estate marketing firm to offer PhotoPlan Mobile, an interactive floor plan optimized for iOS devices (Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch). Recently, PlanOmatic made a giant leap by ridding their product of Adobe Flash, a move also made by Google, Facebook, YouTube, etc. PlanOmatic offers an array of software licensing services in addition to their full service floor plan and photography division.

# # #

Photo courtesy of Kevin Knol

This is what Jim Guarrera meant when he said “bring plows and shovels” As soon as I read that, I knew working with Jim and his colleagues at Carey & Guarrera Real Estate Associates was going to be fun.  Jim works in Western Connecticut, and if you’ve been paying any attention to the weather, you know that another snowstorm is lurking in the midwest, ready to take down the east coast yet again.

The folks in Connecticut are bracing for their third 1+ foot snow storm of the season.  Without a doubt, this year’s plethora of snow has taken a toll on real estate, as well as other business across the east coast, and the fact that Jim can chuckle over it makes me happy to announce our latest Corporate Relationship with his brokerage.

Through our corporate agreement, we are happy to provide Carey & Guarrera with discounted pricing, priority scheduling, and even a dedicated bat line to the CEO’s desk. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship in 2011.

At this point, it’s no longer up to us to decide whether Steve Jobs is right or wrong.  Apple has clearly paved the way for our current and future mobile experience.  It’s now up to us to make sure our end users (potential buyers) are getting the experience they set out for upon visiting a PlanOmatic PhotoPlan for one of your listings.  We’re not the only ones moving away from Flash.  Here are some big name companies that have either scrapped Flash altogether, or have an HTML5 or JavaScript substitute:

• Google
• YouTube
• Scribd
• Vimeo
• CBS

There are many more not listed here, and many yet to come.

Well, that’s exactly what we’ve been cooking up in our kitchen, and the meal is ready to be served.  A special shout-out goes to our friends at FarView Consulting for a job very well done.  Introducing (drums please)… The PlanOmatic PhotoPlan 3GN, completely free of Adobe Flash.

Landing Page

Photo Gallery

Contact Page

Property Info

Interactive Floor Plan

Google Map

PhotoPlan 3GN now allows our home tours to be usable on all Internet platforms for both mobile and desktop.  Don’t worry, we still have our proprietary PhotoPlan Mobile for the iPhone.  So if you don’t have an iPhone or iPad, right about now you’re asking yourself “So what? Why are people bothering me with this Flash crap all the time?” If you’re one of those people, take a step back for a moment and think about this.  You actually don’t really care whether your PhotoPlan works on your own mobile device. Why? BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT THE ONE WHO WILL HOPEFULLY BUY YOUR LISTING!  Based on this article by AppleInsider, chances are that 33% or more of the potential buyers searching for real estate from a mobile device are doing it using Apple’s iOS  on the iPhone, and we’re not even talking about the iPod Touch or iPad.

Ok.  So I covered exactly why we moved away from Flash, but here’s the real reason for this post.  Not only did we convert our PhotoPlan viewer from Flash to JavaScript, but we took this opportunity to completely redesign the entire presentation, inside and out.  Here are the main points you need to know about PhotoPlan 3GN, and why it’s a huge leap from our Flash-based PhotoPlan Pro:

• Clean and elegant with a great user experience. No hard to find features. Everything organized and always just one click away.
• 3GN focuses on your large, beautiful photos, now at 830 pixels wide displayed at an HD 3:2 ratio, more than double the size of our previous viewer.
• Mobile, mobile, mobile. PhotoPlan 3GN works seamlessly on the iPad. Don’t worry, we still have our proprietary PhotoPlan Mobile for the iPhone.
• A full page dedicated to branding yourself with more information than ever. Same goes for Property Information.
• Location, location, location. Large integrated Google map/satellite view.
• PhotoPlan 3GN loads faster than you can say the word “Internet”.
• New, redesigned interactive floor plan. We separated the photo gallery from the interactive floor plan viewer, now getting the best of both worlds.

PlanOmatic is offering PhotoPlan 3GN on an exclusive basis for the remainder of 2010.  If you are interested in participating, please post a comment or email me at kori(at)planomatic(dot)com.  Once you apply, please allow us 2-3 business days to get back to you.

We hope you find this to be as ground breaking as we do. Without a doubt, this change will make the home buyer experience more friendly and more focused on what is important about YOUR listing.

Here is PlanOmatic’s “Top 10 Reason Why Real Estate Is Still A Great Career”. Enjoy.

#10: In real estate, one gets to make friends; gets to interact with the world. In fact, it’s one of the keys to a successful career in real estate. While untold thousands of Americans are stuck in a cubicle analyzing cost structures or logistics reports, those of us in the real estate industry have the job – the duty really – to get out and engage the public. That’s awesome.

#9: Regardless of the economy, real estate isn’t going anywhere. People need places to live. Businesses need space in which to operate. Land is a finite commodity. For those who put in the effort to become experts, that’s job security.

#8: It’s not “rocket surgery” or “brain science”. We’re not saying real estate is an easy buck, for the faint of heart or for those who lack the mental fortitude for astrophysics. Quite the contrary, in fact. However, for the brave soul who’s endowed with common sense and possesses the willingness to work harder, work smarter, there’s a world of opportunity in real estate. There are opportunities in bull markets. There are opportunities in bear markets. If one is willing to work, real estate can provide a life-long career.

#7: Real estate can be very lucrative. Throughout history the Titan’s of industry from John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie acquiring land for oil wells and railroads to Donald Trump in his Park Avenue penthouse have relied heavily on real estate to make their fortunes. For those willing to put in the sweat equity, real estate remains one of the preeminent generators of growth and personal economic reward.

#6: As real estate professionals, one has a fair amount of freedom. One has the freedom to determine one’s own level of success as well as a large measure of freedom over one’s time. The ball is largely in the individual’s court.

#5: Real estate professionals have a front row seat to humanity. Whether it’s the swell of inexplicable joy or the tide of human misery, few careers give one the opportunity to witness the successes, failures, dreams and fears of humanity with such stark, sometimes brutal truth as real estate. It can give one the drive to achieve. It can make one grateful for what one has.

#4: It’s never boring. One gets to deal with a broad range of issues on a daily basis from finance to municipal code. Anyone who thinks real estate agents are “a dime a dozen” doesn’t realize how challenging it can be to do the job well and how rewarding the job is when it’s well done.

#3: Our job makes a measurable impact on the course of people’s lives. It’s real, as real as it gets. Let that sink in for a moment. As real estate professionals, one has the opportunity to fight for one’s clients as individuals and families. With each interaction, with each transaction one has the opportunity to stand in the gap. Our competence as professionals and passion as individuals can make the difference between someone relocating for the perfect job that will make their career or staying in a dead-end job; one can make the difference between a young couple’s first child coming into the world in a home or a cramped apartment. Real estate agents make a difference.

#2: We get to say Fannie as much as we want and our Moms don’t get mad at us.

#1: Real estate agents are on the forefront. Regardless of what’s happening, real estate has always been and will continue to be one of the most vital drivers of our economy. Good times or bad, one is right there fighting in the trenches on the front lines. On April 23rd, 1910 Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the Sorbonne in France, here is the excerpt that made the speech famous:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Perhaps he was talking to a group of real estate agents. If that doesn’t send chills up and down your spine and make you want to charge the gates of hell with a water pistol, we suggest you immediately make your way to the nearest emergency room to ensure your heart is still beating.

In closing, we would ask you to join us and take heart. Take a moment to reflect on the joys of our industry then get up and get in the arena. The credit belongs to you.

Would you like to add to our “Top 10”? Let us know why real estate is still a great industry for you!

Michelle the Real Estate Maven

There’s a host of adjectives one could use to describe Michelle Genovesi however, we think the word maven is particularly fitting. It’s also got a vaguely heroic ring to it, “Michelle the Real Estate Maven”. Perhaps we’ll pitch the concept to Marvel Comics. But we digress.

Over the course of her 26-year tenure in the industry, Michelle has become known as a vanguard, pioneering unique methods in real estate marketing. Some media outlets that have recognized Michelle as an innovator include Forbes Magazine and The NY Times.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down for a brief discussion with Michelle. We had the time of our lives. We hope you’ll find it as fun and enlightening as we did.

PO: “Michelle, thanks for taking time to sit down with us, we’re honored.”

MG: “It’s my pleasure Kori!”

PO: “So clearly, there are a lot of folks out there who’d like to know how you do it. $975M in sales puts you in the category: Legendary. Let’s start with the basics. Where do you focus?”

MG: “Well Kori, that’s a broad question because actually, everything I do is guided by a strict focus. In terms of market segment, I typically operate within a niche of what Raveis calls “Exceptional Properties”, generally properties listed for more than $1M. In terms of operations, I’m a firm believer in specialization, or as you say, focus. I deal primarily with listing and marketing. Each member of our team has an area of specialization.”

PO: “We’ve talked a lot about your success, and I’m sure you’d agree that you’ve built your brand consistently over the course of the last 26 years; it wasn’t overnight. What advice would you have for the young or new agents out there just getting started and looking to build a book of business?”

MG: “You hit on it in your question Kori. It’s all about consistency. A new agent needs to evaluate his or her market and find a niche they can conceivably own. Then go after it consistently. The niche may be geographic, it may be a demographic, or it may be experiential. That’s what I’ve focused on – the experience. Once you’ve found a niche, you’ve got to own it. It’s all about consistency. I’m very fortunate to be where I am in my career. I’ve built a recognized and trusted brand here in Westport Connecticut. We don’t sell houses. We sell service; an experience.”

PO: “It sounds like you’ve perfected the art.”

MG: “It’s never perfect, but I’ll share this with you – it’s the closest I’ve found to the secret sauce – Sell it three times – once to agents, once to the buyer, and once to the banks. You’ve got to market to all three categories, you’ve got to demonstrate value to all three categories. If you demonstrate value to the agent, you’ll get more showings. If you demonstrate value to potential buyers, you’ll get more offers. If you demonstrate value to the lender, you’ll get more closings. It’s pretty intuitive, but it all comes down to how much hard work you’re willing to put in.”

PO: “Wow. That’s a serious strategy.”

MG: “It’s a proven method I follow on a daily basis.”

PO: “For sure. Switching gears, let’s talk about the economy. We’d be ‘whistling past the graveyard’ if we didn’t say we were concerned about the numbers we’ve been seeing in the press. How is the market treating your business?”

MG: “’You can’t change the wind, you can only adjust your sails.’ We’ve adjusted  to the market and the first two quarters of 2010 have been incredible. 2009 however, we were like a deer in the headlights. Buyers have started to recognize the values currently available in the market; they’ve moved from focusing on their concerns to being consciously conservative. I think sellers are realistic in pricing, which has really helped. All time low interest rates haven’t hurt either.”

PO: “That’s refreshing. It’s reassuring.”

MG: “It’s definitely been comforting to see things come around.”

PO: “Do you think the first-time home buyer’s tax credit played a role?”

MG: “It was a shot in the arm for the lower end of the market. It moved some properties priced for those wanted to enter the market. It really didn’t have a significant impact on our business, on high end homes.”

PO: “What, you don’t see first time home buyers purchasing $2M + homes frequently?”

MG: “Not too often.”

PO: “In What areas of the market are you seeing the most success?”

MG: “I wouldn’t say it’s one price segment. It’s more of a value segment. It really comes down to Business 101 – Price + Product. If there’s a good value, the product is moving; that may be a high price point or a more moderately priced home. It all comes down to value for the price. It’s not a specific geographic area either; it’s all about the home. The value.”

PO: “Back to the basics, huh?”

MG: “For sure.”

PO: “Looking forward, do you have any predictions for the rest of 2010 and ’11?”

MG: “I’m very optimistic. 2010 will be my best year ever on record. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve worked for every dollar and we’ve redoubled our marketing efforts to make that happen. That being said, I do very well in this type of market. I’ve built a brand that sellers believe in; they know I’ll do what it takes to market the listing. It also helps that sellers are being realistic in terms of positioning.”

PO: “Any long term trends you’d like to speak to?”

MG: “Less is more. Buyers are much more aware of quality than quantity. I’ve seen buyers begin to actually prefer less square footage for higher quality and more attractive locations. Home offices are still a huge factor for many buyers. Many people commute to cities here in Connecticut, but technology has made it possible for folks to telecommute or work from home. People are looking at how they’re living. The quality of life.”

PO: “So enhanced amenities? Things like really elegant interior trim work? Things of that nature?”

MG: “Absolutely.”

PO: “People have called you an innovator. Have you recently found any new developments in technology or other channels that have increased your success? What are your thoughts on social media?”

MG: “In terms of social media, you’ve got to be there, but I don’t think it’s the end-all be-all. I think it’s interesting that social media has been the buzz as long as it has. Social media is great to help drive people to a website or a blog, but it doesn’t sell the listing. For my team, selling the listing is all about getting back to the basics. Get out there and network face-to-face. Social media can’t replace in-person interaction. I’m not a Facebook user. I think technology is at its finest when it comes to servicing clients.”

PO: “So what channels do you use to actually market listings? What effectively sells listings?”

MG: “I’m moving toward more video; lot’s of interactivity, anything I can do to get agents and buyers to interact with my listings. It’s really a mix that depends on the area and the listing. In some areas, I’m going back to direct mail – it’s a solution that’s got a proven track record for specific types of listings. I use a broad range of channels. On of the things I really try to focus on is selling the lifestyle, not the house.”

PO: Michelle, we appreciate you taking time to talk with us today. We’ve just got one last question for you. If you were a superhero, who would you be and what would your superhero power be?”

MG: “Ha! I don’t know. I might be Buddha Babe. I’m a very spiritual creature. I suppose as Buddha Babe, I’d spread love throughout the world…very John [sic] Lennonish.

PO: “Awesome. Thanks again for your time.”

MG: “My pleasure.”

We hope you enjoyed our discussion with Michelle Genovesi as much as we did.  Below is one of Michelle’s recent tours. Take a peek. You can learn more about Michelle and Company at http://www.michelleandcompany.com.  This is the first edition of PlanOmatic’s new Agent Showcase. Stay tuned each week as PlanOmatic’s Chief Executive Kori Covrigaru speaks with some of America’s top agents.

Interactive FloorPlan Presentation

A Match Made In Heaven

Well actually, it was a match made in Connecticut, but who can argue? Vintage lighthouses, a pristine seashore, and all the fresh lobster one could ever hope for. In a word, heaven.

Today, PlanOmatic, in conjunction with The Higgins Group, a market leader in New England real property announced the culmination of a deal that provides enhanced access to real estate marketing tools to the hundreds of dedicated agents in that brokerage.

The deal will provide significant discounts to Higgins agents on products ranging from online marketing presentation and 3D virtual furniture planners to iPhone applications for real estate marketing.

The economic environment of the past two years has dictated that firms evolve or die. Those firms who have proven themselves innovative and prudent will come out stronger.

PlanOmatic’s core business is built around the real estate agent, and that remains true today. Service to agents on a personalized, individual level has been our salvation, allowing PlanOmatic not only to survive but flourish.

As part of the corporate strategy for FY 2010, PlanOmatic identified several opportunities to capitalize on the strength of our reputation and forge relationships at the brokerage-level with organizations who’s culture and passion mirror that of PlanOmatic.

As such, it is with great pleasure that PlanOmatic announces the partnership with The Higgins Group and welcomes the firm as newest brokerage-level member of the PlanOmatic family. “We’re looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship.” said Aaron Rose, Vice President of Corporate Accounts for PlanOmatic.

The tour below showcases a Higgins Property:

If you’d like more details on the deal you can find the full text of a joint press release here. The Higgins GRoup can be found here. For more information on partnership opportunities with PlanOmatic, please contact:

Aaron Rose
Vice President of Corporate Accounts
303.658.0678

That being clearly in mind, we offer you thing following:

In October of 2008, this home was listed for $3,795,000

This property – by any standards an exceptional home – was recently re-listed at $1,495,000. For you mathematicians out there, that’s a reduction of 60.61% in less than two years.

Here are the two perspectives:

Option “A”: The market is flooded with tremendous value. For the astute investor, the time has never been better to take advantage of record low prices and a Fed that’s promulgating a monetary policy of cheap money. From your perspective the deflation in home prices is cyclical analogous to the S&L Crisis of the late 1980s and subsequent crash in real estate prices. From your perspective, this deflationary period represents a natural market correction. If you’ve got liquidity, common sense, and the notion to dig a little bit, there are some seriously sweet deals to be had. It’s your heyday. You can buy Boardwalk and Park Place too! Pass go, get $200.

Option “B”: Disaster! Homes  prices continue their deflationary trend. Properties appraising in the millions two years ago are listing for pennies on the dollar. To make matters worse, the Fed’s resistance to raise interest rates gives lenders little or no incentive to lend. Furthermore, the recently expired home buyer’s tax credit, although a valiant effort, did little to move the market for high end homes, arguably the segment of the market in most desperate straits given the magnitude of the implosion of Alt A mortgages and Alt A derivatives. The bottom line? These are dark days. Sellers hoping to avoid tremendous losses aren’t listing. Lenders aren’t lending. The market is in gridlock.

Robert Frost said it all: These are the best of times, these are the worst of times.

What’s your perspective? We’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below!