In 2005, the search for the perfect neighborhood took a backseat to simply finding a home.  In terms of new developments and new builds, "waiting lists" and "lottery systems" were common phrases.  For resales, same-day offers (sometimes in the double digits) was common-place.  In many cases, homes were selling so rapidly there wasn't even time to list them online (or even a need to do so).

Given the recent rise in volume of homes, the search for the perfect neighborhood or community is not paramount, but a definite sought after luxury for today's buyer.

INFORMATION SOUGHT AFTER
-- Census Data (crime, demographics, schools, etc) - The typical information any buyer would want to know.
-- Maps - Overlay of Neighborhood Data with Maps - Both topographical, satelite, and traditional street name views are available.
-- Google Street View - Be a "fly on the wall" and get a first person view of the "street" and immediate neighborhood on which a target property resides.
-- Agents owning a neighborhood - showcase and sponsorship of neighborhoods and zip codes for increased impressions on consumer websites.

CONSUMER SITES
Each of the following sites allow for neighborhood search capabilities combined with advanced map and view technology.
--> eppraisal.com - Allows for both a map view with street, aerial, and hybrid views, as well as a 3-dimensional "bird's eye" views.  "City Snapshots" (also when searching by zip code) is a service that allows consumers to browse: recent sales, market insights, schools, lifestyles, employment and find a real estate professional.
--> Trulia.com - 2-D, 3-D maps and now street view is common-place; along with "Stats & Trends" for a target zip code or city (market trends, homes for sale, schools, community info, Trulia Voices "feed" w/ Q&A on target community, and text box to get advice or ask questions).
--> RealEstate.com - Provides Street View capabilities combined with aerial views.
--> Zillow.com - Provides aerial maps of the surrounding areas including 3-dimensional "bird's eye" views. Zindex, their home valuation index, is the median Zestimate valuation for a given geographic area on a given day.
--> CyberHomes.com - Offers all of the previous viewing options plus icons embedded in the view application for information including points of interest and various other noteworthy local information.

AGENTS' WEBSITES
--> NeighborhoodScout - Allows for searches for senior communities, best schools, luxury communities, etc.  Incorporates various views as well as a host of neighborhood statistical information such as housing value range, school quality, crime rates, and much more.

CONCLUSIONS
From the comfort of the consumer's home, Neighborhood search has expanded, serving equal importance (if not more), than the sea of listings on the market.  Given Neighborhood Data, Earth / Sattelite Images of Neighborhoods, and even street view to examine "upkeep" by residents in a neighborhood (or lack their of given Home Owners Associations commonly needing to step up...consumers are becoming more savvy in researching neighborhood data on their own time.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Roxanne Tidmore, a recent REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ (REW™) certificant and Virtual Assistant with EliteREVA, based in Cincinatti, Ohio.

Roxanne is a National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) certified Real Estate Professional Assistant (REPA) and a certified Point2Point Virtual Assistant (VA). She is able to support a number of Real Estate agent and broker activities, such as Lead Generation, New Listings coordination, Marketing, Online Transaction Management, Point2Point services, and much more.

Roxanne has completed the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ (REW™) certification recently and we asked her a few simple interview questions on her thoughts of the program.

1) What is your background?

My background, before I became a Real Estate Assistant, was working as an Executive Assistant for about 20 years. I then decided to research the Virtual Assistant industry. I chose the Real Estate Assistant niche because I have strong administrative skills and I have always had an interest in selling real estate.

2) Why did you undertake the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ (REW™) certification?

I undertook the REW™ certification because I liked the concepts offered and wanted to learn more about them through the training. Prior to hearing about their training, I had not throught of creating a seamless web presence through a series of different software programs and it interested me to see how it all would work together.

Also, I am always looking for outlets to improve my skills as a Real Estate Assistant. Webographers has classes that I could learn from and then immediately apply those skills in my services to real estate agents and brokers.

3) What are your impressions of the online experience

It was great! Big piece for me was the ability to engage and play with various products as well. Simply stated there is no other vessel that allows assistants to engage ZipForm, which is used by hundreds of thousands of Realtors, thus opening the doors to new clients and more hours.

I liked the self-paced learning which made it perfect for my situation. I was able to fit the training into my schedule and still have time to take care of my clients. Also, if you need technical assistance, you can always contact the Webographer support team. They have always been very helpful and courteous and able to solve any technical issues that I encountered.

4) How long did it take you to complete the certification?

The training took about 10 to 12 hours, spread over my spare nights and weekends.

5) What would you tell those who are considering this certification?

Do it! If you do not have real estate experience, it gives you a foundation to build your knowledge about real estate. If you have had previous training, this will definitely add to it. You really can never get enough training!

Also a big help for me was the book that accompanied the training. I would read a chapter and then take the online portion. The lessons really made more sense to me that way - I could see them in action.

REW™ contains techniques and technologies that are another series of valuable services you will be able to offer to real estate agents and brokers.

—

Thanks Roxanne and all the Best!

The National Institute of Webographers has awarded Location Inc. and its web-based neighborhood search engine, NeighborhoodScout™ , corporate sponsorship of the “Neighborhood Search” competency within the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ certification.

View Press Release.

During the Real Estate boom in 2005 through 2006, the search for the perfect Neighborhood was not nearly as important as simply finding a physical home for purchase. Lottery systems and long waiting lists found throughout the country, especially for newly built developments, were common-place. Since then, the market has drastically cooled off. Buyers can be selective about other aspects of their complete home experience, and one of those aspects is the neighborhood.

On April 8th, 2007, the real estate section of the Arizona Republic reports that Arizona has hit a record high of over 50,000 homes on the market. Tips to Buyers on the first-page of the section, told Buyers to be extremely selective when considering the neighborhood and / or community in which they purchase a new home.

Neighborhood Search, as represented by NeighborhoodScout, offers dynamic, all-inclusive neighborhood information in contrast to static (sometimes considered fluffy, or boring) neighborhood and community information. Dynamic searches include "Luxury Communities", "Families with Children", "Retirement Areas", and "First Time Home Buyers". 

Neighborhood Search speaks to today's web-savvy consumer who likes to browse for information on their own. When they've found neighborhoods of interest, lead-generation forms are displayed, providing an exclusive, personalized lead to the agent subscriber. A subscription allows this all inclusive, lead-generation tool to be added to an agent or broker's website. 

REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ Certification Activity
Candidates of the REW™ engage NeighborhoodScout within the sandbox of technologies showcased in training. Candidates have the option to work with their own demo NeighborhoodScout agent subscriber account and setup a unique URL that would be used by site-visitors.  Candidates engage this dynamic search engine, practice lead-generation from NeighborhoodScout contact forms and use their candidate webmail to engage exclusive leads sent personally to them.

Neighborhood Search, inclusive of an agent or broker's website keeps website visitors on the site longer, as represented by NeighborhoodScout™.  It assists to spark "conversations" with the curious buyer, who is impressed by the all-inclusive services provided by the agent/broker subscriber.