lastroup

Advertising Your Real Estate Listings with RentShout.com

RentShout.com helps with the syndication of your rental listings to every site you can imagine. This helps to increase your exposure for your rentals. This is a new and different use of Web 2.0 technologies.
RentShout combines social media distribution of housing and rental listings with speed, simplicity, and analytics. The core of RentShout is to get your listing onto dozens of directories and websites – including CraigsList – but it comes with features such as video syndication and Click-To-Call which make it stand out as a way to distribute your listings.
There is a cost to advertise on more than 60 sites you’re going to pay $30, or you can do them in bulk with 5 listings at a time for $90.
Spending money for rental advertising can be advantageous if you are in the field of luxury rentals, listing apartment communities, or have just had an empty apartment for some time. Every month not rented is costing you in lost revenue, utilities and other expenses.
Benefits of rental marketing with RentShout:
• Rental Listing Syndication- sent across the web to leading rental websites and directories.
• Apartment Community Web Pages – setup a community page with all your units and floor plans and syndicate your units with ease.
• Tracking Reports- lets you capture leads and create more effective rental ads. It tracks the amount of visits from each source and additional links clicked.
• Track able Listing Phone Number- each listing can have its own unique phone number and the system will automatically forward it to your phone number, enabling renters to connect with you immediately. Tracking of calls can also help to track overall return on investment.
• Renter Click-to-Call technology connects your online rental ad with your mobile phone. The renter would click on the Click-to-Call button from your add and a text message is sent to your mobile phone with their callback phone number.
• Dedicated Listing Email Address- Each listing has its own unique email address that tracks all leads emailed to that listing which are delivered straight to you email inbox and the RentShout message center. This also has tracking capabilities for your ads.
• Bulk Listing Upload – If you manage lots of property, RentShout has a hassle-free bulk upload feature where you can advertise all of your rentals online easily.
• Easy Craigslist Posting – RentShout comes with Craigslist-friendly HTML, which enables you to post attractive and professional rental ads on the site. Craigslist receives over 20 billion page views per month.
• Professional Template Designs-easily creates custom look for each listing.
• Rental Application Download- Renters can download a rental application right from the rental ad helping to get your rental filled faster.
• Rental Virtual Tours- RentShout can create stunning rental virtual tours for each listing with the click of a mouse. Free Video is also included in the price.
• Rental Video Syndication –creates high quality videos of your rental properties which are syndicated to multiple video portals.
• One-Click Social Sharing- this allow you to share your listings on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, and more with just click.
• Print Friendly Rental Ads- each listing also comes with a print-friendly version for you to use in marketing or the renter to print.
RentShout is a fast way to post your rental listings to a large number of people across the world in a short amount of time, getting more exposure and quicker response and more money in your pocket. If you consider how much your rental is costing you to sit empty such as utilities, etc. it would pay for itself in less than a month.

Continue reading "Advertising Your Real Estate Listings with RentShout.com" »

Posted by Lou Ann Stroup at 05:40 PM | Permalink

Google Voice in Real Estate
Google Voice can be used to manage multiple Real Estate agencies such as one in Indiana and one in Florida by providing a single source of contact. Google Voice is a service that gives you one number for all your phones, voicemail that is easy as email, and many enhanced calling features like call blocking and screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing, international calls, and more. Google voice also has free transcription.
Using a smart phone, you can preview someone’s message to you via email before listening to it on your computer, phone, or android app. This is very handy if you’re out with clients, can’t take a call, but want to see if it’s important.
The following are the two different ways you can choose and the features you would receive:
Use Google Voice with your existing number and get:
• Google voicemail: voicemail like email
• Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
• Custom greetings: vary voicemail greetings by caller
• International calling: low cost calls to the world
• Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS
• Share voicemails: forward, embed, or download voicemails

Add a Google number to get these additional features:
• One number: a single phone number that rings all your phones
• Free SMS: send, receive & store text messages online
• Block calls: send unwanted callers straight to voicemail
• Record calls: record phone calls and store them online
• Conference calls: join several people into a single call
• Screen callers: hear who is calling before you pick up

Either way you choose Google Voice is free and could help to make your real estate management easier. Did I mention FREE, how much easier can it get than that?

Continue reading "Google Voice in Real Estate" »

Posted by Lou Ann Stroup at 05:22 PM | Permalink

Windows 7 is the new operating system from Microsoft.
Windows 7 Features:
• Allows for quicker access to all of your stuff
• Pin programs to the Jump List (like a toolbar) that you use frequently.
• Jump List – can have files, photos or websites available for you with two clicks.
• Easy to create and share movies or slide shows- Great for presentations to a client.
• Do more wait less- Time is valuable especially with a client so speed of your device is important. Windows 7 will go into sleep mode but will resume quickly.
• Improved performance of your pc- faster, more secure and more reliable.
• Better Compatibility- Works with larger sets of software and devices.
• Touch and tap rather than point and click.
• Offers Remote Media Streaming – and a Windows Media Center for Internet TV.
• Manage devices easily- printers, cameras, music players, and other devices.
With all of these capabilities, Windows 7 could allow you to make slick presentations easier, adding you camera pictures or steaming video along with music to create a whole feeling that you can present to a client. That feeling may be just what they are looking for.

I know it has made me more productive as I normally have multiple applications open at one time. It is giving me a quick response and I love the new search as it will search all your files and programs at one time.

Very pleased user.

Continue reading "Windows 7" »

Posted by Lou Ann Stroup at 04:08 PM | Permalink

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)

WiMAX Now:
WiMAX technology has been a hot topic worldwide with many countries and vendors investing in the technology research and development and certification.
Wateen Telecom Company based in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2007, became one of the largest Mobile WiMAX networks in emerging markets worth $200 Million. Leading operators in India have outlined their plans to invest billions of dollars in WiMAX for better broadband coverage. Wateen’s vision is to expand into European and North American Markets.
Estimates for total WiMAX services are as for the United States are $58 million - $5,456 million between 2007-2012, with total subscribers growing from 230,000 to 33.9 million in 2012. Clearwire Communications, a company which offer high-speed internet services to consumers and businesses, in the US and Europe rolled out WiMAX services in 10 new markets bringing the total served to 14, becoming a viable option for millions of people. The users love the service and WiMAX is gaining momentum as it is becoming available to more and more people.
WiMAX Future
At the ITU Telecom World 2009 they talked about the development of WiMAX Release 2.0 (802.16m). The forum referred to it as “short-term evolution” and is expected to become commercially available in the 2011-2012 timeframe. WiMAX Release 2 is needed for additional capacity as the uses of video applications are growing. The first operation of WiMAX Release 2 will start next year.
WiMAX Release 2 can achieve 120 Mbits downlink and 60 Mbit/s uplink in an urban setting using 4x2 MIMO (Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output) on a 20MHz wide channel.
There has been a battle of 4G technology between WiMAX and LTE (Long Term Evolution) but it looks like they might both win. If WiMAX continues to deployment at the current rate will have a large installation base that will have been using the service for 1-3 years before LTE gets deployed. Even if WiMAX does not become the next wireless technology it will still have a very important role to play as the backhaul technology for both 4G and Wi-Fi networks worldwide. This backhaul is used for bandwidth intense applications such as wireless video surveillance, traffic synchronization, and wireless voice and data networks.
In the future there may be a blending of the two based on your location. The merger of the technologies might see the 802.16m standard becoming the time division duplex (TDD) version of LTE Advanced. These two wireless technologies will work together as there are significant, varied and non-exclusive market opportunities for both WiMAX and LTE.
2009 Forecast
2009 is expected to be crucial for deployment of WiMAX networks worldwide. With acceleration of WiMAX product certifications such as the one for Alvarion Ltd. and expansion of available frequency bands for WiMAX, it is expected that the global WiMAX market and business opportunities for WiMAX services will continue to see rapid growth.
Tel-Aviv, Israel, October 21, 2009 — Alvarion Ltd., the world’s leading provider of WiMAX™ and wireless broadband solutions, today announced that its new BreezeMAX Macro Outdoor base station is now WiMAX Forum Certified™ for both 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands. Alvarion has the most extensive WiMAX customer base and over 250 commercial deployments around the globe.
Investment Opportunity
WiMAX is expected to be growing through at least 2012 and beyond based on the information provided and the future sustainability with or without LTE. There is vast opportunity for global growth in untapped markets. Based on this, WiMAX looks like a very good area to invest.
WiMAX technology has the opportunity to become one of the hottest products since Wi-Fi became commonplace among businesses and homes. This new technology is being developed and tested by some of the biggest names in the technology and telecommunications markets. Millions of dollars are already being invested in WiMAX. Industry reports have estimated the WiMAX infrastructure market to be worth hundreds of millions within the next few years. Whether WiMAX does become widely available to the world or only serves as a backhaul it still has great market potential. The fastest growing market may be in developing nations in Africa, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, where other broadband alternatives aren't as common. In the US, companies like Speakeasy and Clearwire are already providing pre-WiMAX service to cities like Seattle and Jacksonville.

Continue reading "WiMAX Opportunities" »

Posted by Lou Ann Stroup at 01:08 PM | Permalink

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) is a publicly traded stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The company is part of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 400 Mid Cap Indices. Intuitive Surgical was incorporated in 1995 in Delaware and headquarters is located in Sunnyvale, California with employment of 1,188 employees. It is in the Medical Appliance and Equipment industry and its product is the da Vinci Surgical System.

The Executive staffs, of the company, are Lonnie M. Smith, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Gary S. Guthart, President and Chief Operating Officer. Gary Smith has been with the company since 1997 and Gary Guthart since 1996 respectfully, proving long term stability and vision for the company.

The da Vinci Surgical System represents a new generation surgery. It consists of a surgeon’s console, a patient side cart, a high performance 3D vision system and a proprietary “wristed” instruments and accessories. This gives the surgeon intuitive control, range of motion, ability to manipulate fine tissue and perform surgery with minimal invasiveness. This robotic surgical system has four arms which have precision instruments attached.

The da Vinci Surgical System has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is currently being used worldwide.

This device has been featured on multiple news casts and in the American Journal of Medicine. Doctors are raving about the da Vinci Surgical System which is currently only in about 8% of operating rooms. Doctors anticipate robot assisted surgery is the way future surgery will be preformed. The adoption among surgeons indicate that it could be the next surgical standard of care for gynecologic and other surgeries.

Revenue is not only generated by the sale of the device but in the replacement of attachments and system services.

The only downside is the size of the device in the operating room, is it takes up so much room they are looking at miniaturization for the future. The da Vinci can also theoretically be used to operate over long distances. This capacity is not the primary focus of the company and is not available with the current system.

The number of outpatient surgery visits in the United States increased from 20.8 million visits in 1996 to 34.7 million visits in 2006, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outpatient surgery visits accounted for about half of all surgery visits in 1996 but nearly two thirds of all surgery visits in 2006, the report said. And this trend does not seem to be slowing down.
As you can see the da Vinci Surgical System and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. are changing the face of surgery and looks to be a stock that will continue to grow, based on history and stability of the company and the need for surgery.

Continue reading "The New da Vinci" »

Posted by Lou Ann Stroup at 01:02 PM | Permalink