Meritage CEO Fires The First Salvo In The PR War!

Well, 'New vs Used'--with all the current negative press and market conditions...we all talk about this stuff and think we should do something, but Meritage has actually taken action in combating the current market malaise/negative press, by hitting it head on via PR outreach.  It is not only about 'buy now' but also about 'new as superior'.  (You can link to the interview from Newhomesource.com.)  An interviewer from the local media interviewed Steve Hilton (CEO--Meritage) in a news format, resulting in a great scripted interview that can be posted in a variety of places online. 

What if the top 50 builders all created video interviews of key execs focusing on these important topics placing this content not only on their own websites but also on 3rd party aggregator sites? The effect is that wherever the consumer goes, he will see a myriad of influential and trusted sources espousing the benefits of new and combating the negative publicity in the current market. 

This poses an interesting question for the consortium, both as individual builders as well as a unified body...Can we provide draft scripts, should we help facilitate production, post on our sites, etc...?   What are your thoughts?  Please post your thoughts and comments. If we want to craft the environment we live in, we need to take action...the question is 'what action'?   Meritage has taken a first great step, which I would challenge all builders to follow!  (Posted by Melissa for Tim Costello!)

Live from Inman Real Estate Connect 2007: Part 2

Brad Inman (far left) kicked off the Conference by relating the key themes to be explored over the next 3 days. The first is the interplay between the current state of the real estate market and the current explosion of new technology providers in the space. The market is slow with few buyers but, the industry is finally ready to totally embrace the wide array of technologies becoming available. At the same time, we are experiencing a "Web 2.0" explosion of Internet innovation. These new innovations center around Community, User-Generated Content, and Social Media. We are also in the age of 24/7 connectivity with Blogs, video and social networking keeping us connected to the Internet and each other around the clock, instantly.

The first round table discussion was a very lively one with Brad Inman (left) Dale Stinton, CEO of The National Association of Realtors (center) and Rich Barton, CEO of Zillow. Dale Stinton had some very interesting insights and news about the industry:

First, he's predicting the Fed will drop interest rates in the coming months to counteract the effects of the slow market and the sub-prime financing "debacle". He also announced that NAR is investing heavily in the technology business. They plan to create and incubate new technologies to directly help their constituency. Third, the NAR will begin marketing directly to consumers. They want to be a trusted adviser on a national level, and are striving to be the first resource consumers use when they research and search for homes. Over $100 Million will be put towards this effort. Realtor.com will also get a major overhaul that will feature new and innovative features.

Everyone on the panel agreed that Mobile Content will be the next huge thing to hit the industry. The iPhone is expected to be a real game changer. Once the kinks are worked out of the first 2 generations of the iPhone, expect consumer real estate to radically change. Consumers will be able to search and connect with homes and Realtors in real time, on the fly, from anywhere.

BHI Insights: Blogging Live from Inman Real Estate Connect 2007

The team at BHI Insights will be blogging live from the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco August 1 - August 3. This is a great conference that brings together the entire Real Estate Technology industry for 3 days of featured speakers, seminars, networking and a large trade show. Can't make it to San Francisco? BHI Insights will be there to bring you the all the highlights from this years' event. Featured Speakers this year include Pete Flint, Founder & CEO Trulia, Craig Newmark, Founder of craigslist, and Doug Lebda, President, COO of IAC, to name just a few. Expect numerous posts this week live from the Conference including summaries of workshops, commentary on the latest trends, and photos from the trade show floor.

Builder Homesite Powering New Home Listings On Yahoo! Real Estate

The exciting news was officially announed today: Yahoo! Real Estate, one of the Web's leading online real estate resources, has collaborated with NewHomeSource.com, the most complete new home marketplace, to provide consumers the ability to search new construction homes listings from across the country. By joining forces with BHI, Yahoo! Real Estate provides users access to one of the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive new homes data available online.

Michael Yang, vice president and general manager of Yahoo! Real Estate says: " New homes continue to be an attractive option for many home buyers. In teaming with BHI, one of the strongest players in the new home market, we can ensure our users have access to the largest selection of new homes being constructed across the country."

This is great news for all of our Builders. Early indications are that lead generation is seeing a dramatic improvement as a result of this partnership. It's a win-win situation for NewHomeSouce.com and Yahoo! Real Estate. Go to Yahoo Real Estate to try out the New Homes Search.