Tom Flanagan

The Providence Business News just published “5 Questions with: Tom Flanagan”. Here are the 5 questions I sat down to answer with PBN Staff Writer, Kevin Shalvey:

1. What’s your role at Residential Properties?
2. What are the most important elements for a real estate-focused Web site?
3. The use of the Internet to sell and rent properties isn’t a new idea – how will it continue to change the way you do business?
4. Tell me about branding and self-marketing techniques that you’ve been teaching agents?
5. What’s “Blogapalooza?”

Click here to see my answers and read the full article.

Joel Burslem (VP of content for Inman News) recently presented this video. I think it’s a great piece on Social Networking. Enjoy!

I was recently a guest on Real Estate Insight with Sally Lapides, which airs every Sunday on WHJJ at 10:00am. I sat down with Sally and Steve Tetzner to discuss the launch of the New and Improved, ResidentialProperties.com. Very exciting news! Here are some of the topics we covered:

1: The new Web Platform.

2: Some of the new site features including, Mapping with Microsoft
Virtual Earth.

3: Joining the Enterprise Network.

4: Advantages for both Buyers and Sellers.

5: Future trends in technology and Real Estate.

You can check out the full interview, commercial-free here:

 

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Back on May 27, 2008, the NAR settled with the Department of Justice regarding its policy with VOW’s (Virtual Office Websites). The case was in litigation for over two years. I just finished watching the video update from NAR president Dick Gaylord and reading the convoluted revised Virtual Office Website Policy. The revised policy can be found here. Here’s a run down of the new policy:

• IDX applications / solutions were not affected, just VOW’s
• VOW participants not only have to have a Brokers license, they have to actively participate in the MLS and the Real Estate process.
• Users have to agree to the Terms of Use of the VOW system and have a registered account with valid email address.
• The Registrant must supply a user name and password.
• Listings displayed on a VOW must clearly identify the listing firm.
• The new policy will formally take place somewhere around Labor Day.

On a side note, if you’re as confused as I am regarding the correct grammatical use of “NAR vs. DOJ vs. VOW” visit: “Abbreviation vs. Acronym vs. Initialism“.

Here’s the Podcast DOJ update: