Why Standards Matter

What would the world be like if we didn't have standards?  Try to imagine driving to work if everyone created and followed his or her own rules of the road. Some people would drive on the left, others on the right. Some would just stop in the middle of the road if they got an important phone call. The Type As would go 100 miles per hour, sitting on their horns. Without standards, the results would be chaos.  

Standards are just as important in world of data "traffic." Software program that share the same rules, that are able to communicate with programs from other vendors and transfer data easily, can facilitate the flow of information so critical to business operations.

Yet it's only recently that the data world has begun to accept the value standards bring. In the 1980s, the client/server approach, in which each server had a specialized client application, was common. This environment worked well for vendors because the high cost of changing to a new system kept many companies from looking for newer technology options and assured vendors of long-time customers.

With the advent of the Internet, the use of standards intensified. You could look at any Web site you wished, regardless of what Web browser you used.  Sadly, even today, this same openness is not present in all business application software used by the real estate industry.

The lack of compatibility is not because there are no rules. The Real Estate Transaction Standard, which is supported by all major MLS vendors, makes it possible for real estate brokerage companies to download and configure listings easily and without the need for manual data manipulation. The standards also benefit application vendors since they can spend time developing new products instead of customizing software for each MLS. A widespread adoption of RETS also helps make electronic transaction management feasible. Transaction management systems can reduce consumer anxiety by allowing clients to follow the steps in the transaction. These high-tech systems also reinforce the value that REALTORS^Ò  bring to the transaction.

Unfortunately some providers are reluctant to implement RETS, saying the standard isn't mature enough to be useful. Others, perhaps, just fear the idea of a standard and its implications for their business models.

Yet, it's critical that the real estate industry does not let fear stand in the way of progress and cost savings. You can help by becoming a strong advocate of RETS. If you're not clear on exactly how RETS works, you can get up to speed by attending the Oct. 28 session on "Making RETS Work for You" at the 2005 REALTORS Conference & Expo. You can also review RETS information at the CRT section of REALTOR.org.

Once you've learned more about RETS, educate your fellow brokers and your MLS staff on the benefits they will gain by adopting the standard. Staying competitive and responding to changing consumer preferences is hard enough without living in the past of inflexible proprietary software.

Current Solutions

The Challenge: Finding an affordable enterprise-wide solution for posting listings from several MLSs on your company’s Web site.

The CRT Solution: Streamline listing downloads from multiple sources by using the Real Estate Transaction Standard.

Real estate companies with offices that operate in an area served by more than one MLS face a unique challenge. They must find simple yet cost-effective ways to advertise all their listings to prospective buyers in one convenient online place.  

The simplest option is an incremental one, bringing listings online one office at a time. This alternative has the benefit of letting you ease into the process. To implement this, download the listings from the MLS into a local database and build a Web site that’s searchable. You will find packages that support this approach, but be careful, as costs and features vary widely. Once all your offices have searchable listing databases, you can provide links so customers can go from one group of listings to another. This process allows you to learn as you go and is probably workable for a smaller company served by only a few MLSs.

Larger companies that cover more territory need a different approach, one that will allow them to consolidate listings from all the MLSs to which the company belongs.  This enterprise solution requires a brokerage company to build a central repository for all its listings. Then the company’s technology staff can connect all the company’s Web sites to this one source. This approach is more sophisticated and in the long run saves time and maintenance by reducing the need for downloads.

These approaches share a common technical issue that needs to be addressed early in the implementation process—the format of the MLS listings. There are several formats used for downloading listings.

• Comma-separated value (CSV) – a common, but inflexible, format
• Extended Markup Language (XML) – a flexible format
• Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS)– an industry-based XML approach with momentum
• Custom – The most expensive format to handle

Tech staffs may become frustrated with data that relies on such inflexible options as comma-separated value. In addition, if you have to pay a developer to integrate several data formats from different listing feeds, your costs can be steep.  

On the other hand, if you can download all your listings in a standard format such as RETS, you will incur minimal incremental cost when you add more sources. RETS is the most prominent data standard in the real estate industry today. Most MLS vendors support it, so there will be greater consistency and accuracy when integrating your listings. RETS is based on flexible extended markup language, which makes it easy to use on both your Web site and in back-office systems.

Using RETS as the basis for consolidating and standardizing your online listings can save you hard dollars when implementing your Web strategy.

Current Solutions

The Challenge: How to top the great technology programs CRT presented at last year’s REALTORS Conference & Expo in Orlando.

The CRT Solution: Four days of first-rate programs for AEs, brokers, and managers, and real estate practitioners, brought to you by CRT. Our staff and expert speakers will give you insider insights into practical technologies that will help you grow and strengthen your organization.

CRT is sponsoring nine business technology sessions at the 2005 REALTORS^Ò Conference & Expo in San Francisco. You’re sure to find something you can use to increase your productivity, gain more clients, cut your costs, or lower your risks. Here’s a brief overview.

Internet Lead Cultivation

Internet leads can take many forms. Incubating and cultivating them through a closed transaction can be different from the approach you use with other leads. Join CRT’s panel of experts and learn how these leads differ and how to transform them into a completed transaction.

Speakers: Sean Fox, Victor Lund, Carter Murdoch, Jim Secord,

Time: Friday, Oct. 28, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 102

Making RETS Work for You

The Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS), an open standard for accessing and exchanging real estate information, is the language spoken by real estate systems. This session explores how the standard can benefit you. The speakers will emphasize free, available tools you can use to exploit its power.

Speakers: Keith Garner, Gregg Petch, Bret Wiener

Time: Friday, Oct. 28, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 104

Does Technology Blur Industry Definitions?

Like it or not, we’re all changing the way we do business. This thought-provoking session looks at how technology is impacting current business models and increasing business opportunities.

Speakers: Russ Capper, David Charron, John McWeeny, Mark Lesswing, Travis Wright

Time: Friday, Oct. 28, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 250

Information Security: It's Everybody's Business

Information security and privacy are everyone's concerns. You need to protect yourself, your customers, and your business assets. This management-oriented session provides you with ideas and examples to achieve best practices and build client trust.

Speakers: Todd Costigan, Mac McMillan, Pat Smart

Time: Saturday, Oct. 29, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Moscone Center, Room 200

Tech Toys for Real Estate

Whether you’re a novice to a guru, you’ll get the inside scoop from this panel of tech experts as they share their knowledge of the latest tech toys for real estate professionals. Learn about new wireless technologies, cutting-edge mapping functions from Google, and new GPS-enabled laptops. It includes a myriad of information you won’t want to miss.

Speakers: John Hanke, Ian Smith, Rodger Gaunt, Peter Lickl 

Time: Saturday, Oct. 29,  11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 104

Transaction Management--Strategies and Best Practices

Explore how transaction management can benefit you and what constitutes best practices. This session identifies common pitfalls and obstacles to successful transaction management.

Speakers: Michael Audet, Mark Lesswing, Kelly Pantis, Josh Sharfman,

 Celeste Starchild, Travis Wright

Time: Saturday, Oct. 29, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 135

Search Engine Optimization--Optimizing Traffic to Your Web Site

Every day millions of people use search engines to look for real estate. This session explains how SEO best practices can help you increase your share of that search traffic and then leverage your leads to drive traffic to your Web sites.

Speakers: Keith Garner, Matt Browne, Brian Lawson, Marilyn Wilson

Time: Sunday, Oct. 30, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 104

Using the Internet to Build Your Business and Customer Loyalty

The Internet offers many avenues to build your business and improve customer retention and loyalty. Hear how you can use low-cost tools, including blogs, to build Net communities. This session gives you insights into demographics of Internet users and shows you how to use the Internet to drive your business.

Speakers: Mark Lesswing, Joel MacIntosh, Chris McKeever

Time: Sunday, Oct. 30, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 104

It Is Now Unsafe to Turn on Your Computer

Whenever you log on, you face viruses, phishing attacks, spam, and spyware. This panel will show you how protect yourself. Learn techniques you can use immediately so that viruses and spam don't slow you down.

Speakers: Doug Eddy, Keith Garner, Jeff Levin, Greg Reber, Chris Tellez

Time: Monday, Oct. 31, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Moscone Center, Room 301

CRT is again providing free WiFi Internet access to conference attendees The WiFi access is available at the San Francisco Marriott Golden Gate Ballroom Foyer from Oct. 26-31.

Learn More: For a complete schedule of events during the 2005 REALTORS Conference & Expo, go to: http://www.realtor.org/convhome.nsf/pages/confhome?OpenDocument

Future Innovation

The Challenge: An effective way to determine if the software you’re evaluating truly complies with the Real Estate Transaction Standard.

The CRT Solution: Look for the RETS logo, your assurance that the software has been tested and found compliant by the RETS Working Group.

The Real Estate Transaction Standard is a key factor in enabling MLS listing data to be transferred and shared over the Internet. Although all software vendors have access to the written RETS standards, there is still room for interpretation as to exactly what the RETS specifications require. That’s why the RETS Working Group, which is made up of vendors, MLS staff, REALTORS and REALTOR Association staffs, plays a vital role in monitoring products for RETS compliance.  They do the testing and find the problems so you don’t have to. And only if a product meets the evaluation of the work group does the software vendor have the right to display the RETS logo.

What this means to you is that a product displaying the RETS logo will probably work with any other RETS client or server. It also means that if you do encounter problems with a RETS-compliant program, the vendor has agreed to remediate them promptly. Under the current RETS licensing agreement, software makers have 60 days to correct any problems and bring the software back in compliance. If they don’t, they could lose the right to use the RETS logo.

Learn More: For a list of vendors, consultants, MLSs, and industry groups that work with RETS, go to: http://www.rets.org/retsorg.nsf/pages/consultants 

For a list of compliant clients and servers, go to:

http://www.rets.org/retsorg.nsf/pages/compliantservers 

Current Solutions

The Challenge: Finding an immediate, cost-effective way to monitor MLS listing policies.

The CRT Solution: The first live demonstration of CRT’s PolicyPage at the 2005 REALTORS Conference & Expo.

PolicyPage is a new software program that will automatically inspect MLS participant Web sites for compliance with MLS display rules. Instead of spending staff time to review member sites manually, associations and MLSs will be able to use this time-saving tool from CRT to do the job quickly. PolicyPage also ensure that there is consistent enforcement of the MLS display rules.

CRT will demonstrate the first release of PolicyPage in San Francisco on Oct 27. The session, which will take place in the Walnut Room at the Marriott from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., is open to all members, AEs, and their technology staffs. During the meeting, CRT will also discuss plans and timelines for adding more functions to PolicyPage. The initial release will test only text-based components such as disclosure notices, copyrights, and links. The first version of this free product will be available in late 2005.

With Version 2.0, which is scheduled for release in spring 2006, PolicyPage will be able to check listings for data display requirements by using a RETS data feed from the local MLS. Version 2.5, scheduled for later in 2006, will include a “spidering” capability that gives users a way to check for the presence of listing data on nonmember sites.

We’ll hold a brainstorming session right after the session to get your feedback on the current application and suggestions for new additions to the software. To attend the user meeting at the REALTORS Conference & Expo, contact Todd Costigan at tcostigan@realtors.org.

If you’d like to contribute to the PolicyPage project but are not attending the conference, please share your ideas by signing up at the PolicyPage mailing list and participating in group discussions there. To go:  http://mail.crt.realtors.org/mailman/listinfo/policypage-users.

Learn More: For an overview of the PolicyPage project, go to: http://www.realtor.org/crtweb.nsf/pages/CRTPolicyPage?OpenDocument.

Current Solutions

The Challenge: How do you come up to speed so you can develop an effective information security program for your organization?

The CRT Solution: A series of new Information Security Executive Briefing Papers. These convenient primers explain the basic security concepts you need to protect yourself, your customers, and your business from the financial impact, aggravation, and damage of a security breach.  

CRT, in conjunction with a leading IT security firm, has developed five, easy-to-understand guides that address every major aspect of  business data security. The guides include tips on security best practices to help you and your technology staff create a top-quality program. They can also be used to educate board members and key executives about the importance of information security.

The briefing papers, which were posted on the CRT site in September, are:

• Information Security Management Principles – insights into security decision making, planning, and budgeting
• Information Security Key Concepts – an overview of key security principles such as confidentiality, integrity, and availability
• Information Security Decision Insight – ideas on how to review, access, and document your security
• Information Security Regulatory Overview – a primer on current security legislation and regulation and a forecast of  future legal trends
• Information Security – A Guide to Getting Started – the information you need to begin your security assessment, remediation, and monitoring processes

To help you educate your staff on the importance of information security, CRT has developed three entertaining public service messages. These short messages are ideal to use at a staff or association meeting to reinforce security practices.

At a time when security breaches regularly top the headlines, “I’ve  been meaning to get to that,” is no longer an acceptable response. Laws, regulations, and court cases underline your duty of care for customers’ and employees’ information. The Executive Briefing Papers from CRT will give the knowledge you need to act swiftly and responsibly in the face of a security challenge.

Learn More: To get the Information Security Executive Briefing Papers, go to:

http://www.realtor.org/crtsecure.nsf/pages/whitepapers?OpenDocument.

To view the REALTOR Secure public service messages, go to:

http://www.realtor.org/crtsecure.nsf/pages/whitepapers?OpenDocument.

For more on REALTOR Secure, go to:

http://www.realtor.org/crtsecure.nsf/pages/home?OpenDocument.

Learn More In Person: You can jump-start your security efforts by attending the CRT-sponsored session “Information Security—It’s Everybody’s Business” at the 2005 REALTORS Conference & Expo in San Francisco. Speakers will explain best practices in security policies and procedures for every size organization. The session takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in Room 200 at Moscone Center.

BEST PRACTICES

Looking for help from CRT or just a quick link to an item you’ve read about in the CRT Broker Newsletter? Use this handy, how-to guide to quickly locate the programs, services, and resources CRT has to offer you.

General Technology Questions

CRT’s technology experts will gladly help you or your staff resolve tech-related issues—anything from "Where can I find information about digital cameras?" to "How do I install a wireless router?" Send your questions to info@crt.realtors.org . CRT will route each query to the staff member with the relevant expertise.

Technology Questions Sheet

CRT hosts wireless hotspots at all REALTORS conferences so that members can access the Internet via WiFi. You’ll find a hotspot at the San Francisco Conference at Marriott outside the Golden Gate Ballroom. CRT will provide Technology Question Sheets at the hotspot so you can write up your technology questions and provide your e-mail address. CRT staff will respond via e-mail.

The CRT Blog

CRT recently launched a technology Weblog, or blog, at http://blog.realtors.org/crt/ to give real estate practitioners and their technology support staff immediate access to new information.  On the blog, you’ll find detailed updates about our projects, links to cool new technology, humorous anecdotes, and personal stories. The blog is updated several times a week. You can also post comments on blog entries and ask for more information.

 Software Programs

One of CRT’s missions is to develop free, real-estate-specific software that members can use in their business operations. Whether you’re looking for a program to prevent outsiders from copying listing inventory from your Web site (http://www.crt.realtors.org/projects/noScrape/index.html) or want to try out Internet telephony, (http://www.crt.realtors.org/projects/messenger/index.html) CRT has a solution. Here’s how to see what’s available.

1. Look under the Projects section of CRT Resources on the right-hand side of the CRT project page http://www.crt.realtors.org/crtprojects.html

2. Click on each project to see:

• a description of the project
• links to demos, if applicable
• a section that lets you download the software
• installation and configuration instructions
• licensing information. In general, all CRT projects are open-source, which means you can use the software at no cost, share it with other users, and modify it using the source code CRT provides. However, there are exceptions, so please read the license agreement carefully before downloading a particular program. (For a definition of open source, click here.)   http://opensource.org/
• a link to support and a discussion mailing list. These lists should be your first stop to post your questions on a project or to find previously posted answers.

Now real estate professionals can receive a free subscription to a technology newsletter from the Center for REALTOR Technology. If you’d like your IT staff or outside consultant to receive this quarterly update on technology, have them subscribe to the CRT newsletter or have them check out the CRT blog.

Let CRT help you find the best solution to your toughest tech challenge. If there are technology issues or products you’d like the CRT to investigate or just a question you’d like answered, please e-mail your suggestions to info@crt.realtors.org

To unsubscribe go to http://www.crt.REALTORS.org/newsletter-broker