Comments for Diverse Solutions http://www.diversesolutions.com IDX for MLS & Real Estate Website Design Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:39:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on 3 Effective Ways To Follow Up With New IDX Leads by Ben Goheen http://www.diversesolutions.com/idx-best-practices/3-ways-to-follow-up-with-new-idx-leads-5601#comment-2896 Ben Goheen Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:39:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5601#comment-2896 Ricardo - good post as usual, but I do have a couple of issues. Saying "thanks for signing up for the IDX search..." isn't a good idea since 99.9% of leads won't know what an IDX search is. I'd rather spend my time trying to find out their needs rather then to explain the acronym.  I'm all for drip email campaigns, but I always ask for permission first so they don't consider the messages spam. Have something of value to offer - a weekly foreclosure list or something - and get their permission to send emails.  Ricardo – good post as usual, but I do have a couple of issues. Saying “thanks for signing up for the IDX search…” isn’t a good idea since 99.9% of leads won’t know what an IDX search is. I’d rather spend my time trying to find out their needs rather then to explain the acronym. 

I’m all for drip email campaigns, but I always ask for permission first so they don’t consider the messages spam. Have something of value to offer – a weekly foreclosure list or something – and get their permission to send emails. 

]]> Comment on Keeping Your IDX Data Safe: A Letter From Our Founder by Justin LaJoie http://www.diversesolutions.com/company-news/keeping-your-idx-data-safe-a-letter-from-our-founder-5571#comment-2892 Justin LaJoie Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:46:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5571#comment-2892 @Greg The scenario you created just isn't possible. There are many restrictions that are in place by the MLS. If we violate the terms of the agreements we have with the MLSs our feeds get shut off immediately.  We would never do anything to jeopardize that. That wouldn't be smart business. Zillow didn't acquire us to run us into the ground. @Ed Rest assured we're not going anywhere. We're here to stay. Those MLSs were isolated incidents.  @Greg The scenario you created just isn’t possible. There are many restrictions that are in place by the MLS. If we violate the terms of the agreements we have with the MLSs our feeds get shut off immediately.  We would never do anything to jeopardize that. That wouldn’t be smart business. Zillow didn’t acquire us to run us into the ground.

@Ed Rest assured we’re not going anywhere. We’re here to stay. Those MLSs were isolated incidents. 

]]> Comment on Keeping Your IDX Data Safe: A Letter From Our Founder by Ed Neuhaus http://www.diversesolutions.com/company-news/keeping-your-idx-data-safe-a-letter-from-our-founder-5571#comment-2891 Ed Neuhaus Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:11:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5571#comment-2891 I really hope that Diverse Solutions is able to weather this storm.  I am not a fan of Zillow, but I am a big fan of Diverse Solutions.  In fact, I have practically built my brand with them.  I looked high and low to find what I thought was the best IDX provider available and we picked diverse solutions.  They have provided a great search experience and have been able to deliver a product to myself and my clients that I could otherwise not provide.   For the last year we have been branding our site as "The Best Austin Home Search"  It has paid off huge for me and my company.  Now we are working on taking our same approach to a great web experience to Houston and Dallas.  Soon we will be launching a new and improved site with added Diverse Solutions products in both those markets. I am a paying member of 3 boards in Texas and I have to deal with three sets of MLS rules.  Do you have any idea how much time and effort it would take me to do that if I was building these systems for myself.  Thank you DS for taking care of that for me.  Now I can go sell some Real Estate. As for Zillow, only time will tell if Diverse Solutions can maintain it's data integrity, but I know it will be tested along the way.  MLS boards have in place ways of testing this data integrity.  I hope Diverse Solutions gets put to the test soon so we can move on. and as for Greg's comment about Zillows re-packaging your data and selling back add space around it..  Greg, grow some confidence and stop worrying what Zillow does.  If your do your job well it does not matter what anyone else does.   You can check out our site, Happy to have DS products. I really hope that Diverse Solutions is able to weather this storm.  I am not a fan of Zillow, but I am a big fan of Diverse Solutions.  In fact, I have practically built my brand with them.  I looked high and low to find what I thought was the best IDX provider available and we picked diverse solutions.  They have provided a great search experience and have been able to deliver a product to myself and my clients that I could otherwise not provide.  

For the last year we have been branding our site as “The Best Austin Home Search”  It has paid off huge for me and my company.  Now we are working on taking our same approach to a great web experience to Houston and Dallas.  Soon we will be launching a new and improved site with added Diverse Solutions products in both those markets.

I am a paying member of 3 boards in Texas and I have to deal with three sets of MLS rules.  Do you have any idea how much time and effort it would take me to do that if I was building these systems for myself.  Thank you DS for taking care of that for me.  Now I can go sell some Real Estate.

As for Zillow, only time will tell if Diverse Solutions can maintain it’s data integrity, but I know it will be tested along the way.  MLS boards have in place ways of testing this data integrity.  I hope Diverse Solutions gets put to the test soon so we can move on.

and as for Greg’s comment about Zillows re-packaging your data and selling back add space around it..  Greg, grow some confidence and stop worrying what Zillow does.  If your do your job well it does not matter what anyone else does.  

You can check out our site, Happy to have DS products.

]]> Comment on Keeping Your IDX Data Safe: A Letter From Our Founder by BEND OREGON http://www.diversesolutions.com/company-news/keeping-your-idx-data-safe-a-letter-from-our-founder-5571#comment-2890 BEND OREGON Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:23:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5571#comment-2890  Diverse Solutions IS Zillow - Zillow IS Diverse Solutions. Is Zillow now going to keep data from themselves? Fact: Zillows purchase of Diverse Solutions was a calculated move in order to gain access to the various MLS organizations around the country - through the 5000 customers Diverse Solutions brought to the table in exchange for approximately $7,000,000. Wow! Zillow invested $7,000,000 just to help individual agents like me you say? That's  incredible! The equation is rather simple: if agents and MLS organizations around the country decide that Diverse Solutions/Zillow is not entitled to their data... then Zillow/Diverse Solutions will not receive it! MLS organizations are a democracy, and members CAN vote. Unfortunately, Zillow / Diverse Solutions is not a member of ANY MLS organization, so Democracy is not on Zillows side here. No amount of PR and letter writing undertaken by Zillow/Diverse Solutions will change this. My money is on the 1,000,000 + designated Realtors who actually pay dues and work their butt off... not an internet organization (Zillow) who re-packages our data and sells it back to the agents in the form of advertising. Good luck! Greg Broderick, Bend Oregon  Diverse Solutions IS Zillow – Zillow IS Diverse Solutions. Is Zillow now going to keep data from themselves? Fact: Zillows purchase of Diverse Solutions was a calculated move in order to gain access to the various MLS organizations around the country – through the 5000 customers Diverse Solutions brought to the table in exchange for approximately $7,000,000. Wow! Zillow invested $7,000,000 just to help individual agents like me you say? That’s  incredible!

The equation is rather simple: if agents and MLS organizations around the country decide that Diverse Solutions/Zillow is not entitled to their data… then Zillow/Diverse Solutions will not receive it! MLS organizations are a democracy, and members CAN vote. Unfortunately, Zillow / Diverse Solutions is not a member of ANY MLS organization, so Democracy is not on Zillows side here. No amount of PR and letter writing undertaken by Zillow/Diverse Solutions will change this.

My money is on the 1,000,000 + designated Realtors who actually pay dues and work their butt off… not an internet organization (Zillow) who re-packages our data and sells it back to the agents in the form of advertising. Good luck! Greg Broderick, Bend Oregon

]]> Comment on I’ve Installed dsIDXpress, Now What? by Ricardo Bueno http://www.diversesolutions.com/products/ive-installed-dsidxpress-now-what-5557#comment-2888 Ricardo Bueno Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:59:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5557#comment-2888 I don't see a way to customize the "IDX search" widget, but you can link to each of those areas by using a simple text widget where you link to each of the appropriate results. What I would do is create a page with for the area. Then, in that page, add the respect shortcode(s) for each of the areas you want to include. One shortcode above the other. Then, link to that page from your sidebar.   I don’t see a way to customize the “IDX search” widget, but you can link to each of those areas by using a simple text widget where you link to each of the appropriate results.

What I would do is create a page with for the area. Then, in that page, add the respect shortcode(s) for each of the areas you want to include. One shortcode above the other. Then, link to that page from your sidebar.  

]]> Comment on I’ve Installed dsIDXpress, Now What? by Lcrowder http://www.diversesolutions.com/products/ive-installed-dsidxpress-now-what-5557#comment-2887 Lcrowder Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:49:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5557#comment-2887 Unfortunately, there are multiple subdivisions with the same name scattered around my metro area.  When pulling up listings by "tract" this causes problems as listings display that are far away from the area I'm trying to highlight. Is there a way to customize a search widget so that it pulls up not only by tract but also by zip code? Unfortunately, there are multiple subdivisions with the same name scattered around my metro area.  When pulling up listings by “tract” this causes problems as listings display that are far away from the area I’m trying to highlight. Is there a way to customize a search widget so that it pulls up not only by tract but also by zip code?

]]> Comment on Understanding MLS Disclaimer Placement by Chris Hardy http://www.diversesolutions.com/how-to/understanding-mls-disclaimer-placement-1401#comment-2886 Chris Hardy Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:04:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/blog/?p=1401#comment-2886 Using AgentPress child theme with Genesis framework.  Very new to this whole thing and not sure where I find the footer.php file.  I found the css style sheet in the editor section of the Appearance tab but have no clue where to insert the recommended code.  Appreciate your help. Using AgentPress child theme with Genesis framework.  Very new to this whole thing and not sure where I find the footer.php file.  I found the css style sheet in the editor section of the Appearance tab but have no clue where to insert the recommended code.  Appreciate your help.

]]> Comment on I’ve Installed dsIDXpress, Now What? by Wiley Lulfs http://www.diversesolutions.com/products/ive-installed-dsidxpress-now-what-5557#comment-2885 Wiley Lulfs Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:13:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5557#comment-2885 Thanks again.  I actually do well at making things like this work.  Just looking for the green light.  Hope to have this implemented in a few weeks. Thanks again.  I actually do well at making things like this work.  Just looking for the green light.  Hope to have this implemented in a few weeks.

]]> Comment on I’ve Installed dsIDXpress, Now What? by Ricardo Bueno http://www.diversesolutions.com/products/ive-installed-dsidxpress-now-what-5557#comment-2884 Ricardo Bueno Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:11:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5557#comment-2884 Yep, that should work just fine :-)  Yep, that should work just fine :-)  

]]> Comment on I’ve Installed dsIDXpress, Now What? by Wiley Lulfs http://www.diversesolutions.com/products/ive-installed-dsidxpress-now-what-5557#comment-2883 Wiley Lulfs Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:04:00 +0000 http://www.diversesolutions.com/?p=5557#comment-2883 Thanks... assuming this would also integrate within a wordpress theme, ala gorilla themes?   I guess this is best described as a landing page for the broker ID? Thanks… assuming this would also integrate within a wordpress theme, ala gorilla themes?   I guess this is best described as a landing page for the broker ID?

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