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Thank You Russell Shaw

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2009-09-02T09:32:37-07:00

Most recently The Wall Street Journal recognized the Top 200 Agents in America, awarding Russell # 25 for number of units sold. We are very pleased that the Russell Shaw Group has chosen REST for their real estate business and we look forward to their insights as we continue to make Real Estate Success Tracker the world’s best real estate software. Note: we would have been happy to provide a link to Russell’s comment; however, the site where he commented suffered a failure and lost data that had not been backed up. ...

So Amy and Tina were talkin' CRM over at Agent Genius and asked if I'd like to offer an overview...

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2009-06-27T19:18:25-07:00

I might find, however, some disagreement with you on your characterization of Tina's desire to "understand how the whole product worked right out of the box" because good software should strive for that. ...You don't need to pay for an additional monthly service to store your data on a vendor's servers and you don't need to perform any syncing - you're accessing your data live and in real-time. ...Another reason some seek to use the free apps that come with computers for their real estate business arises from having a background working at a corporation that has an IT department. ...That being said, there are many easy ways to get data in and out of Outlook and some REST customers do this all the time. ...

Could you figure out how to use your router if your business depended on it?

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2009-02-11T12:34:57-07:00

First, that you would come to know the wonderful capabilities you have (or can have) to easily communicate across the internet in your own system using your own data, and secondly, that you begin to take a higher view on the advice you're getting on these matters from self-described real estate technology experts. ...Although there are many types of connections you can make to your home/office computer such as FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and RDC (Remote Desktop Connection), there are two types I'll focus on here: direct database connections and browser-based access. ...This means that if you do not have your notebook computer with you (with FileMaker installed), you simply fire up a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) on any computer, then enter the IP address of your "base" computer and your name and password. ...We'll set aside for a moment the infamous data breaches of vendor-hosted apps, or the downtime, or the we're-no-longer-in-business-and-you're-data-is-toast scenarios for now, but from a security standpoint, should you be concerned about opening your own, home or office computer to the internet for your private remote access? ...If you don't think the data that flows in the conduct of your real estate business is of any value, by all means, go "cloud" and sign up for another monthly-payment system until the next one comes along and you discover the data migration issues imposed by vendors who don't want you to leave.

Real Estate Success Tracker (REST) is recommended by Realtor® Magazine Buyer's Guide

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-29T18:04:52-07:00

We are pleased to have been recommended as a “high-end” CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system in Realtor® magazine’s Buyer’s Guide. ...We actually gained two positions in this Buyer’s Guide because REST is built on FileMaker Pro and we include a full working copy of FileMaker Pro with each REST Multi User license. ...I am not dismissing this system in it’s entirety; I am saying that, for technology advice, you’d be better off paying someone who really knows their stuff five hundred to a thousand dollars for a couple hours of their advice. ...I'm no longer married to a Top Producer that keeps MY data on THEIR system and forces me to manage it how they think is best.” ...

Did You Know? 2.0

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-20T14:59:10-07:00

Susie Blackmon tweeted her ActiveRain post referencing Real Estate Radio USA’s comment on the epic “Did You Know?” ...Obsolescence, lack of technological prowess, ignorance, sloth, …why is it that in a sector of the economy that direly needs professional competence that so many in the industry not only lack the skills to succeed, but exacerbate their inefficiency by deliberately choosing NOT to evolve? ...Without certifying that the fundamental capability of any technology facilitates the growth of your business, you're likely making a mistake. ... ...

Five Questions from Mike Antoniak of REALTECHTOOLS

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-19T10:57:37-07:00

We don't want your data - we show you how you can have absolute, long-term control of your data so that you can leverage it for your maximum benefit. ...The big concern is that most (and the biggest) web-based solutions don't allow you to take all your business data with you should you decide to leave the service. ...The data in the exported file has been "flattened" (in database terms) and as such, requires too much effort for an agent to parse the data so that it's usable in another system. ...Given the economic climate and state of housing market, what kind of assurance can you offer realtors it’s a good to invest time and money in tools like yours, i.e what’s the payback? ...

Real estate agents should get a better understanding on maximizing their internet connection

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-09T14:10:51-07:00

But when you look at the simple pieces involved in getting greater use and value from this near-ubiquitous connection-system, you’ll see that it’s easy to add value to your real estate business. ...These hybrids are often turned to for expert advice, but what the questioner doesn’t know is that their counsel is, in nearly all cases, based on very narrow (only what they have personally experienced) parameters. ...Router manufacturers typically write custom software used to configure these devices and the variety may seem complex, but they’re all the same insofar as it relates to being useful to your real estate business. ...Routers perform the handy little trick of sharing your one-IP-address connection with more than one computer on your LAN, but it’s their port mapping capability that yield options for you and your business. ...

Okayfine

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-06T14:19:29-07:00

Perhaps I shouldn’t have started a blog and twittering in the same week. I am now inundated with new contacts to follow up with. Fantastic success and I am thrilled. A real post to follow. In the meantime, this little gem from Russell Shaw: Christmas Realtor Song

First Official Blog Post

mhardy@realestatesuccesstools.com — 2008-12-01T11:48:10-07:00

This requires making selections while enjoying that they need not be permanent; in other words, make the choice today, enjoy the choice, but don’t be bound by the choice because there will always be refinement. I want this work to explore options for making better choices in the realm of data use and leverage for the business of real estate. I want to advise and make software and systems that prove to be highly useful to real estate agents and teams. ...If you’ve got hard questions or easy ones, but you know what you are working to create in your own business, bring them here. ...