Update on ListingPress from Jason Benesch

I don’t even want to begin thinking about how busy Jason must be as he gets closer to rolling out his first version of ListingPress.  A recent email he sent paints the picture well.  Anyone thinking about integrating ListingPress into their Wordpress blog might want to follow along with updates so that you can get started as soon as possible.  Alth0ugh things should get easier and more flexible as time goes on, there will certainly be some advantages to those who learn to master the product from the beginning.  At any rate, here’s his email giving an update on questions he’s been receiving from people regarding ListingPress.

For the last 6 years, I have had this vision of the perfect real estate website.  One that was filled with hyper-local content and spoke directly to consumers who were trying to decide where they wanted to live and raise their family.  One that automatically took advantage of other web services to spread your online visibility/branding, and generate more traffic back to your main website (6 years ago this was craigslist and postlets, now obviously facebook and twitter).  One that was memorable, different and unique, not templated, stagnant, and stifling. One that was consumer focused, allowing the user to customize not just search options, but layout and style preferences.  One where there were no barriers, requirements or registration forms that needed to be filled out before being able to access the information, opting instead for an approach of giving away the information and being there to help support and answer questions that will undoubtedly arise.  One where the listings (the actual product after all) felt like they were a part of the site, and not an after thought crammed uncomfortably in to a small section.  One that was interactive and most importantly, fun to use and left the consumer wanting to keep clicking around just see what everything did.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that there has never been the opportunities as there is today to create such a product.

Since ListingPress’ inception, the connections and relationships I have forged have just been amazing.  Everyday I talk to someone new who wants to be involved in the project and has the same ambition I do; creating the ultimate online solution for a real estate agent.  What fascinates me is the diversity of all who are receiving this email. Whether you are a designer, developer, educator, consultant, or tech savvy agent, we all share a common bond; an entrepreneurial spirit that drives us to innovate, create and sell.

Over the last couple weeks of speaking with many of you, I received a ton of the same questions:

“Do you know of any good website designers?”
“I can handle my own when it comes to HTML and CSS but I would love some PHP help.”
“I can design and code, but do you have any leads or business for me?”
“I am looking for a solution where I can earn a residual income and not have to deal with any 3-4 letter acronyms.”

Because of these common questions, I have decided to start a ListingPress community where individuals can engage each other and forge relationships which all revolve around the same goal; creating an effective business model.

I will be hosting (along with Jim and Chris) a weekly webinar on Fridays from 12:00pm – 2:00pm PST (3:00pm – 5:00pm EST).  These webinars will be somewhat structured and somewhat of a free forum for people to connect, ask questions, make suggestions and discuss different opportunities that might be present.  (I will be sending out another email on Friday with the call in information for the webinar)

We will obviously be discussing anything and everything ListingPress.  I plan to get somewhat geeky at times and dive in to code to demonstrate the power of ListingPress, (at this point, many of you may want to leave the computer and get a drink) but then I am also planning on backing out to discuss the larger picture; where and how everyone fits in.  By combining the skill sets of everyone involved, I believe we will be able to create a better product; faster.  A “win-win” type of situation (thanks to Kyle for that one).

Envision this:

Designers start working on imagery, graphics, backgrounds, etc.
Developers start developing ways to implement new technologies within those designs.
Educators and consultants start building classes or at least writing down syllabuses for the classes you are already teaching.

Each week we will all meet to answer questions, pitch our own products, check out any designs that someone may have created, listen to new and effective ways to sell these designs/websites and go over updates and enhancements to the ListingPress plugin.

I know there are plenty of economic opportunities for everyone involved if we can pull together and create something awesome.

This week specifically, I am excited to share two new libraries that will be bundled with ListingPress.  A Zillow api set and an Education.com api set.  Just as ListingPress has made it extremely easy to embed listing content, we now will have the exact same ease of use to display detailed neighborhood data coupled with detailed school data, all embedded within a wordpress blog.

I look forward to hearing from many of you on Friday and continuing our pursuit to beatify the face of the online real estate industry.

Jason Benesch

Real Estate Tomato
Co-owner
www.realestatetomato.com
(619) 770-1950

ListingPress
Owner, Founder
www.listingpress.com
(619) 955-7465