The strategic alliance means that REIWA agents can now publish their rental listings directly onto
rent.com.au along with the REIWA logo. The Institute’s logo will illustrate the professional management of the property and give prospective tenants confidence in the quality of the listing. There will also be a link to member agents’ properties for sale.

CEO for rent.com.au, Mark Woschnak, said the agreement lets REIWA members use their existing reiwa.com website without the need to double-enter the properties onto both sites, saving time.

“It also means that REIWA agents get immediate reach and profile to the national, six million, renter population across the country,”

Mr Woschnak said.

CEO for REIWA, Neville Pozzi, has welcomed the alliance saying it will also provide an opportunity for
his members to reach investors and owners looking for property managers.

“This partnership will help renters locally as well as the many moving from interstate and overseas who are specifically looking for professionally managed properties and the confidence that provides, as well as showing owners where they might turn for professional services,”

Mr Pozzi said.

The partnership is now up and running with both organisations agreeing the outcome provides consumers with a more choice and diversity.

This is a smart move by REIWA as they increase brand recognition and the link back to sales listings probably goes to the REIWA site, driving traffic their way. There will also be the SEO benefit of all of these inbound links to REIWA.

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Make YOUR Own Road to a Successful Business

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When Stayz acquired Yesbookit late last year, there was much concern from the YBI users around the country on just how it would affect them.

Well now they know…

Over the past couple of weeks Stayz, (trading as Yesbookit ) has rolled out its new Client Services and Distribution Agreement (These have been removed for legal reasons)

Some quite incredible terms and conditions here, including the requirement that if you leave the Stayz/YBI fold, you have to hand back all documentation including the agreement!

That might be unusual, but have a look at this requirement:

“This Agreement will continue at least for the Initial Term. You may give us notice at least 28 days prior to the expiration of your Initial Term that you would like your subscription to terminate upon the expiration of the Initial Term. If you do not give us such notice, the Agreement will automatically renew for a further term of 12 months and the new Service Charges and Support Charges (as notified to you) will apply for that period”.

I have spoken with several YBI users during this past week. Already, some have been shut down/turned off because of non compliance, and many feel that they have been “bullied” into signing this agreement by Yesbookit. Of course, if it’s not signed it can be automatically invoked or, if they please, revoked.

Another significant element of the agreement is that Yesbookit users’ only option now in working with Stayz is to cop the 8.5% + GST charge for each and every booking.

All they need to wait for now is the gradual increase of fees, a change that Stayz will be a mandatory part of the product integrated into the offering with no way for the users to defy the current honesty system which I am certain the bean counters at Fairfax would be very pleased to eliminate.

Disclaimer: Glenn Smith owns and operates GENKAN Property Management Software which competes with Yesbookit

The post Another corporate digs its claws into our industry appeared first on Business 2.

With over $100 billion in the bank, we can safely assume Apple are going to be just fine for the medium term, Apple will also continue to make great products, however, their advances will only be incremental, and the judgement from the stock market will be harsh.

This simply highlights the problem with how our economies and companies are run. On the one hand we have an iconic company that is a shining example of just how our lives and the demands of our lives have changed in one short decade.

Functional Beauty

We now live in the world where the demands on our technology are no longer just functional, we want to have aesthetically beautiful experience with everything from our desktops to our tv’s and mobile devices and we can thank Apple for this. This also stretches to our furniture, automobiles – just about everything we want today has to not only work great but look great also.

So for all of you that sneer at students in university following a career in arts, just look at all the major companies of the world, including now Google and the demand for creatives has never been higher!

But let’s get back to the problem with Apple. Think of the iPhone. Just 3 years ago the iPhone was so simplistically beautiful to use and so much more technologically advanced than any other smart phone on the market that it single handedly sent many incumbent mobile phone companies to the wall. Fast forward to today and the surviving companies like LG, HTC and Samsung have closed that gap and some will now argue that with the upcoming release of the Samsung Galaxy 4 that it is far more advanced and better functionally than the iPhone 5.(owners of the Samsung S3 already think that version is better).

Rotting Apple?

So, this is Apple’s problem, the market has priced Apple to continue its aggressive pace but that pace is slowing dramatically and it is now facing a slew of competitors across it’s range of products including iPhone, iPad, iMac and Apple TV.

Apple has become one of the most important companies of the 21st century, transforming just as many industries as Google, its most fierce competitor, but it’s product range just doesn’t have any major advances built into them and the competitors across their whole range are releasing products as strong and in some cases stronger.

Apple is also remarkably on the defensive, taking legal action against just about anyone who breaths close to one of its thousands of ridiculous patents. This tactic may have slowed competition, but it is clear with the Samsung Galaxy S4 that the Apple party days are over and they need new innovations. Apple also makes most of its money on hardware and that hardware is expensive compared to many of its competitors.

Apple also are paying a heavy price for over protecting its software from competition and worst of all developers, just take the Google Maps debacle on the iPhone5. Apple’s Mapping System is so far behind Google’s that catching up is just never going to happen, in fact in 2 years Google Maps will be even more advanced than Apple’s next maps offering, mainly because Google’s software for the most part is open and welcome to hacking through API’s and developer forums. Yes, we developers love Google for letting us play and think of new ideas for its software and Google is only too happy to make all the money from this innovation.

Apple TV 2013

Apple has been working on a new Television that it hopes will change the TV and Cable industry as much as iTunes did for the music industry. The pressure on the New Apple TV is immense. It must transform the TV and Movie industry, much like iTunes did for the music industry or the markets will start to savage Apple’s stock. My belief is that it will fail, I am excited as anyone about this upcoming release, but my feeling is that the cable industry is so much more powerful and profitable than the music industry was when the iTunes store came about that Apple’s innovation might be just too minimal.

My Technology

My company changed to Google Premium Apps for email, documents and the like back in 2008. Moving away from Microsoft was a lot less painless than I imagined, particularly with Outlook. I use Mac Desktops and I have a Macbook Air, but because I use Google Apps and because Apple’s iPhone and iPad restrict the way I can interact with this software on their mobile devices I decided to move away from them mobile wise to use Android devices.

My first experience with this a few years back was less than ideal, I purchased a HTC Thunderbolt and let me just say I will never but a product from them again. It was slow, and never upgraded the Android OS to latest versions and this is the problem with so many Android Devices.

Android is pretty much an open mobile operating system and every 6 months or so a new upgrade is released from the Google Android team, however because companies want to differentiate themselves from competitors in the Android marketplace they create their own skinned version of Android and therefore make it harder for themselves to quickly release new upgrades – at the same time consumers end up waiting months and sometimes years to get the new Android releases to their devices. Companies like Samsung are getting better at this and keeping pace with upgrades, but it is still a problem for Android users – until Nexus Devices came along.

Google Nexus

The Google Nexus range of devices are built by companies like Samsung, LG and Asus, but what is different about these devices is that they are pure Google and these companies teams ‘live’ at Google’s headquarters and work directly with the Google team to release these to the public through the Google Play Store. That means they get the upgrades first and have no added software built onto them.

One of the best things about these Nexus devices is they are ridiculously cheap to buy direct and because you own them outright you get to set your own plan with mobile network providers. I went from $140 per month to $50 per month on exactly the same plan. Also, as the devices are pure Google I get to do everything I want, access everything I want on a device that is so close to the functions of an iPhone I can no longer tell the difference and will probably never go back.

Google Now

Another great thing that has just come to Google Android Devices is Google Now, this is seriously cool stuff and once you set this up on your device you will have pretty much everything at your fingertips. My guess this is going to be the biggest thing on Google devices and perhaps desktops for the next few years, especially once this starts getting better local features and with a slew of developers now working across the globe with its API it is about to get seriously cool!

I have the Nexus 4, 10 and 7 and I use these for different situations. I find I rarely use my iPad for anything to do with business these days and my advice to anyone using Google Premium Apps for their business is to seriously consider moving away from Apple’s mobile devices and you will find a way better experience and a serious lift in productivity on a Google Nexus Device or one of the upcoming phones from Samsung and the much talked about HTC One.

The post The End of Apple? The End of the World? The Start of Something New? appeared first on Business 2.

Commercial Real Estate will be part of the Financial Review Group and operate across The Australian Financial Review and BusinessDay in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

This past year, Fairfax has been taking feedback from advertising partners about how to best meet their needs. The response is this emphatic and transformative move, which is a major development for Fairfax and the commercial real estate industry.

Fairfax’s audience reach, both through its mastheads and commercialrealestate​.com.au, will deliver an unparalleled multi-platform solution for marketing campaigns.

In the coming months, advertisers will have a single sales point of contact and seamless integration of products and services across the Fairfax commercial real estate media portfolio.

We will be working closely with clients to deliver unique bundled and integrated advertising packages under this expanded Commercial Real Estate brand.

A senior executive to lead Commercial Real Estate will soon be appointed.

This move by Fairfax should help commercialrealestate​.com.au gain further traction as the AFR is the leading the print publication for commercial advertising so bundling these clients into commercialrealestate​.com.au subscriptions will strengthen the CRE brand.

The post Fairfax unites commercial property media assets under powerful ‘Commercial Real Estate’ brand appeared first on Business 2.

Recently awarded 3rd place in BRW’s “most innovative Australian companies of 2012”, HOUSL is a complete online real estate identity verification system and solutions platform that enables tenants to apply for rental properties instantly using their mobile phones.

Greg Ellis joins a strong team that already includes Daniel O’Brien Director of CBRE Asia Pacific and CEO Stuart Rutherford. Rutherford brings a wealth of senior management experience from key roles with companies including McGrath Estate Agents, Fosters/CUB and Levi Strauss & Co, which included time based in the U.S. market.

Ellis commented:

“HOUSL will revolutionise how the Real Estate industry locally and globally, approaches the identification and evaluation of prospective tenants and buyers in the market. In comparison to the existing players in this market, in my view HOUSL is light years ahead. My experience in this area is testament to the quality of the product, and I’m excited to be an investor as real estate is just one application for this technology”.

Co-Founder, Daniel O’Brien said:

“Our initial roll out targets the Eastern States of Australia where there are approximately 1,600,000 new leases signed every year. That alone will provide a significant revenue stream” Daniel added.

With aggressive goals to secure a large slice of the market, HOUSL have launched a competition where the winning tenant will receive 1 Year’s free rent (more information and competition details can be found on the website: http://www.housl.com).

HOUSL will also offer the capability for advertisers to specifically target its customers, and at the most critical times. HOUSL knows when a tenant applies for, and agrees to sign a lease, so home and contents insurance companies, removalists, and utility connection companies etc, will be able to reach these tenants directly, at the critical moment of the lease process. It is extremely powerful information.

HOUSL was created to take advantage of emerging technologies and improve an outdated and cumbersome rental property application process.

Utilizing a QR code that is specifically assigned to a rental property, applicants are able to scan the QR code with their smart phone while inspecting a rental property and submit an application prior to even leaving the property.

Through their web portal, agents then receive all applications for the property in one convenient place.

The post CEO of REA Group invests in Real Estate Software Company “HOUSL” appeared first on Business 2.

Here is a video that outlines how the section works:

I think this is a great concept and the Housenet brand is an excellent medium to operate such a service. All too often owner occupiers and in particular investment property owners have very little knowledge in relation to the issues surrounding their body corporate and apartment building. Yes, some strata management companies offer software to monitor minutes and agendas but this is the financial stuff. There is nothing available to break the barriers down allowing owners to communicate about their properties.

I can’t wait to see what is released next!

The post Housenet.com.au Launches Strata Pages appeared first on Business 2.

Philip Schiller of Apple introducing the iPad mini in October 2012. Because of devices like this, more of your marketing now takes place in mobile apps.

Your customers are increasingly using their mobile devices to research property, agents and the market. You know this.

Engaging those customers on the mobile platform is smart. For that to work, however, you have to offer them something of genuine value and in a way that takes hardly any time or brainpower.

Customers Like It Easy

As my grandmother used to used to say, it’s best not to overestimate your prospect’s willingness to help you sell things. (Yes, grannie was ahead of her time.)

If you make it hard for the user to engage with your marketing, they give up. They feel rejected and the impulse dies. In its place is left a residue of resentment, which can’t be good for your business.

Here’s an example from the Nespresso U  coffee maker’s marketing campaign. I found it today while I was skimming through Elle Décor at the doctor’s office. (I’m fine, thank you.)

The ad was beautifully designed. But the company used up valuable space on the page with this message:

“LEARN MORE ABOUT U. Download the free viewa app, select the Belle Channel, then hold your phone over the page to learn more about the Nespresso U.”

Three Steps Are Three Too Many

This text was accompanied by a logo for viewa, a smartphone app that uses image recognition technology. Using the app, you hold the phone over a picture in a magazine and it will link you to more content from the web.

There may be some people in Australia who would go to all that trouble of 1. finding and downloading the app, 2. choosing the right channel and 3. taking a picture of an ad.

As for me, however, I’m willing to stake my reputation on a little prediction: the viewa app is going nowhere. It will never get any more user pickup than the QR code has. That’s unless, of course, they significantly change their offering.

By asking its potential buyers to go to so much tedious trouble just to learn more about their product, Nespresso is hurting itself twice.

• First, it wastes an opportunity to profitably engage with a larger number of potential customers.
• Second, it throws away the time and money it has invested in this particular exercise of marketing myopia.

Nespresso can probably afford a little marketing screw up here and there. After all, the product has a marketing budget of $58 million.

Ask yourself if your marketing budget is big enough for you to throw money away like they do.

Who Does It Right?

I had to look hard to find real estate marketers who are doing mobile right. Here are four examples:

• domain.com.au: domain’s app is easy to use and –most important— gives users access to a large swath of the market, especially in certain suburbs where Fairfax papers have high circulation.
• realestate.com.au: (Disclaimer: I have worked at the REA Group.) REA also has a good app. (They even seem to have won an award.). Like Domain’s app, REA’s is easy to use. It also gives users access to much more of the overall market. Both domain’s and REA’s apps are friendlier alternatives to surfing their websites. That’s why users are willing to download them.
• LJ Hooker’s new image recognition app: (Disclaimer: LJ Hooker is a past client of mine) The downside here is that you have to download an app and it only gives you access to LJ Hooker’s own listings. The upside of this app is that their image recognition technology actually offers you something of value. You don’t get a bunch of self-serving marketing copy. Instead it links you right to the full listing info of the property you are interested in. It makes it easier and faster to find a given listing.
• McGrath: McGrath has created an iPad app that lets you view its weekly magazine. This works only because the magazine itself works. The print product is a pleasure to skim, and includes some actual stories about art and design in addition to the listings themselves. All of these qualities translate to the iPad, which makes this an app I am happy to download.

What Can You Do Right Now?

Not everyone has the resources of a major portal or agency network. So what can a smaller player do, right now? Here are two ideas:

1. Remember your best mobile play may involve an app for your team, instead of your clients. Ray White and LJ Hooker are among those who have created apps that let their agents and property managers access the data stored on the companies’ networks. Other common features include sales presentations designed especially for use on the iPad. You can do something that helps your people do their job better with a limited investment.
2. Advertising might be a better fit for your needs than creating your own app. In the old days, not everyone owned a newspaper. Agents were content to advertise in them without having to own one themselves. Some things haven’t changed so much. There are still only a handful of businesses that can deliver a large, relevant and motivated audience on the mobile or any other platform. Instead of trying to compete, just advertise. That gives you the freedom to switch to another platform whenever the business case makes sense.

Just because the world is going mobile doesn’t mean you have to invest a fortune in your own app. Be realistic about how useful your customers will really find it. If not, you might get user reviews like this one from a frustrated user of the viewa app:

 ”Sh#t doesn’t work”

The post Mobile Real Estate: What Can You Do? appeared first on Business 2.

From a Domain press release:

1Form provides an Online Rental Application and Application Management System for property managers with many 3rd party integrations including Utility Connection Companies, click of a button tenancy database checks with TICA/NTD/Barclay MIS/TINZ, uploading tenants details to PM Trust account software groups such as Rockend, RP Office and more – all of which Domain will offer FREE to agents.

Domain has returned to 1Form as our preferred rental application service for agents given its established relationships with over 85% of the market, plus the additional services available to Agents…, such as the ability to run employment or landlord reference checks and tenancy database checks.

The decision by Domain to move away from 1form did not make sense given the industry dominance 1Form has along with the fact Realestate.com.au also promotes the service. The idea is to make the process of applying and managing applications as easy and efficient for both tenants and property managers. This means there is only room for 1 company in this space.

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