SOUTHWEST—Last week we mentioned the Museum of the Bible was planning on coming to DC, but they hadn't announced the location. But now many places are reporting that they are going to move into the Washington Design Center, after a $50M purchase. [Dish]
APP ALERT—This one sounds like it is just for the real estate agents who want to have access to the MLS from their smartphone, but regular consumers will be able to get in on the action too. Later this year the local MLS will release an app that is the mobile version of Homesdatabase.com, the public portal to all the public listings. That means buyers can know immediately when a price has changed or a house has gone under contract. Read the full press release after the jump. [CurbedInbox]
ROCKVILLE, MD (July 30, 2012) - Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. (MRIS), the Mid-Atlantic Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that facilitates more than $92 million a day in real estate transactions,has announced that it recently partnered with Smarter Agent, the global leader in mobile real estate search and discovery apps to launch the first of its kind suite of mobile solutions for real estate brokers, agents and consumers.
"It's our goal to provide our customers with real estate in real time," said John L. Heithaus, MRIS Chief Marketing Officer. "Providing real estate professionals with access to listing information while on-the-go allows us to extend their desktop as far away from home as possible."
Today's real estate market demands a greater degree of mobility and real time access to critical data. Consumers want immediate replies in minutes, not hours. As a result, smartphones are vital to staying efficient and productive in the real estate industry. To help meet this challenge, this first of its kind MRIS Agent Pro App, HDB Mobile, will utilize Smarter Agent's patented location based search and discovery technology to enable MRIS's 43,000 customers to view their MLS real estate information in a single click. To enhance customer service, the App will provide real estate professionals the ability to log in to view full listing data, search all listing statuses and eventually edit listing information right from a mobile device.
The GPS-based MLS search technology enhances the day-to-day capabilities of real estate professionals. The App enables real estate pros to react swiftly in the field and easily handle inquiries and on the fly questions about properties in real time regardless of location. Empowering agents to respond promptly will improve the customer experience in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond through direct access to the most reliable and accurate listing information.
"MRIS conducted extensive market research with hundreds of real estate professionals to ensure that the custom created mobile App will meet the needs of agents and brokers in the field," said Michael Belak, MRIS Chief Information Officer. "After thoroughly evaluating a variety of mobile technology providers, MRIS selected Smarter Agent for their strong track record of developing award-winning apps. We're confident that this product will increase our customers' productivity and success."
Through this partnership, MRIS will also offer brokers and agents their own customized, branded version of the App to easily distribute to clients, with all calls, texts and emails going directly to them. The brokerage version will be available for download from all of the major app stores including iPhone, Android and Blackberry marketplaces. In addition, consumers will be able to search all home listings with property details and photos by downloading the HDB Mobile App from HomesDatabase.com. Unlike other home search apps, the MRIS version provides consumers with the most accurate, up-to-date full listing data derived directly from the MLS.
"We're thrilled to be chosen by MRIS, one of the most innovative MLSs in the country," said Phillip Charles-Pierre, Smarter Agent Senior Vice President of Marketing and Distribution. "Having access to information on a listing when you need it, where you need it is essential to gain the competitive edge in this market. We're confident that we are creating the ultimate, highly secure field tool for real estate professionals in the Mid-Atlantic area as well as a robust home search tool for homebuyers."
The App will be available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and iPad platforms later this year.
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