Real Estate Technology

iPhone 2G

Sapan Behar — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:07:34 +0000

Being a tech junkie, I have had a few phones over the years. I was one of the first Canadians to have an iPhone 2G, the original version. I unlocked it myself and used it on Fido. At that time the data rates in Canada, to say the least, were exorbitant. I never could utilize the iPhone to it’s fullest potential. A few months later I got 3 month unlimited data trial from Fido and started using the iPhone like it was intended to be used.

(more…)

Things I love about Windows on a Mac

Sapan Behar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:57:32 +0000

Even the staunchest Mac fanatic will agree that Windows PCs are just better at certain things. Some are by design, for example Microsoft not releasing products for the Mac platform. Some are simply because such applications are not targeted for Mac users.

Whatever the case, every Mac user wishes that a Mac version of a certain Windows application existed.

(more…)

Internet Faxing

Sapan Behar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:16:43 +0000

A fax is one of the most used and archaic tools for a Realtor. The quality of documents sent deteriorates each time it is pushed through a fax machine. The worst culprits are the standalone fax machines. Most don’t have good enough printers or the resolution is set to low to save time when sending a fax.

I find emailing documents to be a much better way to exchange documents and the resolution is maintained through each contact. Most people who prefer to exchange documents via email do it to preserve the resolution and quality of the documents, so it would just make sense that they would scan and send documents at a higher resolution.

(more…)

Windows virtualization

Sapan Behar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:52:11 +0000

Since the last post on me being back in the Mac corner, a long time reader of the blog asked what software I was using for virtualization (running Windows on a Mac along with OS X).

If you didn’t know, there are two ways of running Windows on a Mac, as a virtual operating system running at the same time as OS X. Another way to run Windows is to run it natively on a Mac using Boot Camp. Boot Camp is included in OS X Leopard and lets you boot right into Windows.

(more…)

Back in the Apple corner

Sapan Behar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:37:52 +0000

My adventure in the Windows world didn’t last half as long as I thought it would. I have switched back to Mac and loving every bit of it. Here is a bit of a back ground:

As a real estate agent, a notebook computer is one of the most important tools of the trade for me. Unfortunately, our local boards tied themselves up with a MLS provider that has tied it’s offerings to ActiveX and Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher. As most Apple enthusiasts know, Microsoft has not release Internet Explore since 5.something. As such, when I started in real estate, I was looking at either switching to a Windows machine completely or try to run Windows as a virtual system on my iBook.

(more…)

Are you ready for .vancouver, .home, .what-ever-you-wish?

Sapan Behar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:30:32 +0000

ICANN relaxes rules around domain namesInternet regulators ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) on Thursday voted to relax rules on domain names like .com or .edu, which could pave the way for companies or individuals to create an array of new addresses for the Web. ICANN also approved measures that will allow top-level domain names to be written in scripts such as Arabic or Cyrillic.Can you imagine a web address like homes.langley? Or realestate.langley? If you want a personal TLD, you have to file an application and the application fee is a whopping $100,000 - with no guarantees that it will be approved. However, this high application fee would all but guarantee exclusivity, or one would hope that it would. (more…)

Clearing Google myths

Sapan Behar — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:08:16 +0000

I am by no means an expert at SEO. I have done a lot of reading, all 5 of my sites rank really well for their targeted keywords. I wasn’t able to do this overnight or by employing some secret-sauce or short cuts or tricks. Anything that I picked up by frequenting SEO forums and reading articles by experts was tried and tested as I attempted to rank my sites.

I do get asked on a fairly regular basis on how to rank in Google and how I did it. My simple answer is: Content is still the king and build those links. During many conversations with other real estate agents I have realized that there are many Google myths rampant, at least amongst my fellow real estate agents. The aim of this post is to clarify what I consider to be the top 5 Google myths. Please do keep in mind that these are just my opinions, formed through my personal experience and supported by widely available evidence on the Internet.

(more…)

Just starting in real estate?

Sapan Behar — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:30:35 +0000

Then head over to my favourite Internet hangout - REW Forums and more specifically to this response to a post by an agent just starting out. This is the best advise for anyone starting out in this field.

Follow up to single listing/property sites

Sapan Behar — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:19:43 +0000

About two months ago I did a post on what I think to be the biggest sham some Realtors are pulling off when it comes to marketing their listings on the Internet - single property sites. Here is a link to that post:

Your house has it’s own web site fluff?

I don’t consider the concept to be a sham - it is a wonderful concept and can differentiate you from others when getting a listing. However, it is the purpose that I have an issue with. The purpose of these sites is NOT to get you the listing, rather to market the property on the Internet.

It is impossible to pick up a real estate magazine or newspaper and not come across at least one Realtor that uses single property sites to promote “himself or herself” and not the listing.

(more…)

Blog being neglected

Sapan Behar — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:51:39 +0000

I realize that it has been a while since I have posted to this blog. It wasn’t due to a lack of effort, but rather due to time constraints. As the Fraser Valley real estate market heats up, I find that I don’t have as much time in my day.

I have also been busy working on a new project. A site dedicated to Fraser Valley condo market. This site is based on the Joomla! CMS and I have done all the design, programming and copywriting involved with this project.

(more…)