We are joining the team at Showing Suite!

The news is out and Showing Suite has acquired Robot Workshop Search Solutions.  All of our current IDX and Neighborhood Suggester technology will be rolled into the already awesome Showing Suite product line.

Robot Workshop founder and CEO, Seth Siegler, will be moving out to San Diego to join the Showing Suite team and serve as CTO.

What does this mean for current Robot Workshop customers?  Nothing!  You’re still going to enjoy the same great products and services.  No changes there.  And if you were about to order a Neighborhood Suggester?  No problem!  Neighborhood Suggester will continue to be available to agents, coast to coast, through Showing Suite.

We want to personally thank each and every person who supported us during our short 1.5 year lifespan.  We could not have made it past day one without the amazing press coverage, shout outs, and early adopters.  We truely love each and every one of you.

And one more thing…

This isn’t the end.  

This move isn’t about money.  It’s about making a difference in this industry and we all agree that joining an established company like Showing Suite is the best way to change the world.  And that’s just what we plan to do.

Talk to you soon…

PRESS RELEASE

The Colorado-based Metrolist is always on the cutting edge when it comes to association management and technological offerings.  They are the first MLS in the country to offer their agent members a marketplace of vetted tech solutions.   Agents can peruse the Marketplace to find tech products and solutions that Metrolist has put through their own rigorous approval process.

We could not be more excited to partner with Metrolist!

AgentBeat has a great article about it here.

We are thrilled to be launching new Neighborhood Suggesters for agents on their websites and Facebook pages.  BUT, we want every agent in America to have no excuse to not have a Neighborhood Suggester, educating their online shoppers, and improving their lead conversion.

For a limited time, we are eliminating setup fees and launching a special pricing event.

Neighborhood Sugester is now $19.95/mo as long as you sign up before the pricing even ends. If you sign up during the pricing event, you lock in this special pricing for as long as you remain a subscriber.  You’ll be getting one Neighborhood Suggester for your website and another one for your Facebook Page!

But what about all the users that signed already, when Neighborhood Suggester was at full ($59.95/mo) price?  Well we have adjusted their pricing too!  All current Neighborhood Suggester clients are now locked in at $19.95/mo.

Ready to separate yourself from your competition?

Available for demos in Startup Alley at Inman Connect

NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina – July 26th, 2011 –Robot Workshop, a real estate technology startup, has unveiled a new, embeddable, neighborhood search widget, called Neighborhood Suggester™. The widget is available in two versions: website widget and Facebook app, with both offering potential home-buyers an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface to find neighborhoods that best suit their lifestyle.

“Currently neighborhood-search is the missing link in the online home-search process” says Robot Workshop founder, Seth Siegler, adding: “Neighborhood Suggester™ immediately changes that, while offering a real way to help real estate agents capture prospects online.”

The widget embeds into the website or Facebook page of any real estate agent and uses an intuitive drag and drop user interface technology.  Users select the six most important qualities of their perfect neighborhood and from there, Neighborhood Suggester™ accesses millions of data points to recommend up to ten matching neighborhoods and zip codes.

Data for Neighborhood Suggester™ is powered by the venerable Onboard Informatics Lifestyle Search Engine API, the nation’s gold standard, when it comes to neighborhood lifestyle information.

“One thing I’m really excited about is the lead capture and traffic-generating capability of Neighborhood Suggester™ for Facebook,” said Siegler, and added: “Embedding the widget into an agent’s Facebook page, gives users a reason to visit and Like the page, but most importantly, it arms users with specific names of neighborhoods that suit their lifestyle, getting them excited to search for homes immediately.  Users can easily start searching by pressing a button on Neighborhood Suggester™.  Traffic is instantly driven to the agent’s website search page from their Facebook page.”

Pricing for Neighborhood Suggester™ starts at $24.95 per month for the Facebook App version and $49.95 per month for websites. Neighborhood Suggester™ can also be packaged with the company’s home-search tool, IDX Robot for less than $100 per month. See www.Robot-Workshop.com/pricing for current offers.

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Robot Workshop Contact:

Seth Siegler, CEO

Robot Workshop, LLC

seth@robot-workshop.com

843-564-5659

About Robot Workshop

Robot Workshop is a provider of technology solutions for real estate professionals and brokerages.  The company provides a complete line of products including IDX search interfaces and neighborhood search widgets.  Founded by a veteran of the real estate brokerage business, the company understands that technology solutions must be effective, easy-to-use, and affordable.  A 2011 finalist for the prestigious Inman Innovator Awards, Robot Workshop is one of the real estate industry’s hottest tech startups.  For more information, visit www.Robot-Workshop.com

I joined a really good group of startup founders on stage, including: HouseTipper.com (group buying site). Owlio (underpriced real estate finding site), MLS-Touch (mobile mls app), Imfuma (secure transaction storage) and the super-cool Nestio.com (VC-backed apartment rental shopping app suite).

Each founder got one minute to pitch their concept and respond to a question from Chris Smith or Brad Inman.

It was pretty nerve wracking up there, in front of 1000 or so people.  Actually truth be told, I wasn’t nervous at all until Chris Smith started telling us not to be nervous but, the crowd is probably crawling with potential investors!  Once I got on stage I actually felt really calm and I gave a pretty concise explanation of how Neighborhood Suggester works.  I think it went pretty well and it definitely created a lot of buzz…  Twitter lit up immediately after the session, with mentions of Robot Workshop from some influential names.

It was incredibly thrilling to be a part of that session in addition to Startup Alley AND being an Inman Innovator Award finalist!  Quite a week in SF!

We received the news just days before we left for Inman Connect in SF, in the heat of the final development push on Neighborhood Suggester.  It was an amazing honor to be considered for this award!  We didn’t win but lost to a deserving opponent in SocialBios.com (They were acquired by the great MOVE.com about a month ago)

Thanks to Inman News and congrats to all the winners!

Here’s a link to our place on the list of finalists.

Flickr User: Kevin Saff

Last week I participated in a panel discussion on the Evolution of Real Estate Search at ReTech South in Atlanta, GA.

The panel included myself, a CIO of a very large brokerage and the managing broker of a highly successful boutique brokerage.  We were pressed for time and it was really really really early in the morning… (For me)  But we managed to have a variety of very interesting discussions.  These days, we are very much at a serious crossroads in terms of real estate search.  There are some major questions such as how Google’s new algorithm will affect SEO on sites that host their own MLS data (non-hosted solutions) plus the transition away from map-centric searches continues. We touched on these topics briefly but each could easily be it’s own session and account for numerous other blog posts.  This post is about something else.

Lifestyle Search

The topic of Lifestyle Search came up toward the end of the session.  I wish we had more time for it because I was amazed by what I heard.  One of my fellow panel members mentioned that she believed that Lifestyle Search wasn’t working for her and seemed “too new” and “not useful” yet.

The panel member who expressed that opinion is using a competitor’s search interface that allows users to plot the locations of certain lifestyle attributes like nightclubs, parks and schools.  There are very few other options for learning about the specific neighborhoods besides the actual location of those lifestyle attributes.  To make matters worse, the interface does not choose one feature to begin the experience with.  Users are on their own to decide which of the 11 or more icon buttons to press first.

I felt bad that someone had soured on Lifestyle Search, because I feel so strongly that it is the key to a quality search experience for home buyers.  But I quickly realized that although there are a likely a number of reasons that her interface is not converting leads, there is one major problem with the delivery of lifestyle information in most current Lifestyle Search interfaces.  It is being delivered at the wrong time. In a popular third-party solution, users can plot the location of certain lifestyle attributes and homes at the same time.  Maybe they do a full home search and find a listing they like.  Now they plot the location of lifestyle attributes that concern them like schools that are near a park close to a few nightclubs.  (whatever those are)  Later they can drill down to the closest school and find out information about it.  Several layers down, they may learn that the school they are drilling into, is subpar.  Time to start over.  Find a new school that’s near other parks, and houses in the target price range.  Hopefully this school is good because they have already wasted several minutes!  In the worst case, yet very possible scenario, the user has no idea where to start, or is frustrated by the interface they don’t understand and they LEAVE your site.

Lifestyle Search information should absolutely be the FIRST part of a users search experience.

Think about it this way:  We already know how people search for homes.  They start by choosing neighborhoods or areas that suit their lifestyle.

If a new buyer client were to walk into your real estate office they would typically want to start the discussion by finding out which neighborhoods suit their lifestyle.  What neighborhoods have the good schools?  Which ones are close to golf courses?  Which ones are more urban?  Etc.  Rarely does someone come in and say, “please show me every single house between $300K and $400K.”  ”Then I’ll pick one that looks good, and I’ll hope that it’s in a neighborhood with good schools, close to golf and urban!”  Of course that doesn’t happen.  They choose a handful of suitable neighborhoods FIRST and then move onto selecting a house.

The search process should work the same way on your website.  The users of your site, don’t want to come to your office and talk to you, but you can still have the opportunity to impress some expertise upon them with a real Lifestyle Search.  But in order to do so, you must be certain that the information and options are presented at the right time and in the correct order.

How it Should Be Done

Robot Workshop is an Onboard Informatics partner.  Onboard is the godfather of Lifestyle Search and purveyors of the most accurate and in-depth lifestyle data in the country.   Robot Workshop will soon be unveiling a fully integrated lifestyle-IDX combination application driven by Onboard data.  Users will have the option to start their search experience by inputting lifestyle attributes that are most important to them.  So for instance, lets say that a user’s ideal neighborhood must be close to a synagogue, suburban, pet friendly, family friendly, but also fun and hip.  He could easily make those  selections and the Robot Workshop Lifestyle Search would query the Onboard Informatics ocean of data and suggest neighborhoods that fit the user’s lifestyle choices.  When he finds one that he likes, he can choose to search for homes within that ideal neighborhood.

Does that process sound familiar?  It’s the same way that people have been shopping for homes since the beginning of time.  Neighborhood first, based on lifestyle and then the home.

True lifestyle search adds a priceless level of personal expertise that agents used to present in person when buyers walked into your office.  Now that they aren’t walking in anymore, a lifestyle search on your website can do it for you.  But remember…  in order for Lifestyle Search to be effective, it MUST listen to what shoppers are looking for and should be presented at the beginning of the search process.  Finding a house that looks good, but is in the wrong neighborhood is a waste of everyone’s time.

A few days ago, Google announced that they would be tweaking their algorithms to cut down on spam appearing near the top of search results.  While that can only be construed as good news to most web users, it is something to watch very closely if your real estate site has certain IDX solutions.

As part of the announcement, Matt Cutts, Principle Engineer at Google, wrote in a blog post:

“…we’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.” [we added bold print for emphasis]

What does that mean to you?

If your website features an IDX solution that is hosted on your own server and allows Google to index each and every listing page, you may be about to take a big tumble in the SEO rankings.

Think about this: the description of 123 Maple Street, a listing in your local MLS, is broadcasted to thousands of real estate agent and brokerage websites in your MLS coverage area.  Everyone has the same description.  That one page on your site, features the same exact wording as thousands of other websites.  And the same goes for each and every listing in your MLS.  In the market where I live, that would mean that my theoretical real estate website would have 13,000 pages that match 13,000 pages on at least 100 other websites near me.  (assuming that only 100 or so agents have idx solutions hosted on their own server – allowing Google to index those pages.  The number could very well be much higher)

Ok so those 13,000 pages are duplicates of 100+ other websites, but I’d still have my other pages of original content like my blog and stuff, right?  Yes but the truth is that it won’t matter.  Lets say that you have 80…90 or even 100 pages of original content, offsetting your 13,000 duplicate content pages…  Check that quote from Matt Cutts again.  In this example, you’d have less than 8% original content.  I’d classify that as a site with “low levels of original content.”  Wouldn’t you?  Wouldn’t Google?

New Reality

It used to be that having an IDX on your own server that made every listing page an indexible page was the fast track to the top of the rankings.  It sounds like that’s about to change.  Google is constantly modifying it’s algorithms but this one is going to make some serious waves in our industry.

Many IDX Solutions like Robot Workshop’s IDX Robot are framed into your site allowing for several benefits including dependability, automatic updates, and non-indexable listing content.  This type of setup is now the most Google-friendly way to go, in our opinion.

While indexing listing pages will allow those pages to rank when someone happens to search for a particular address, it looks like your site as a whole, will be looked at non-credible, on the whole.  (although this type of search is typically dominated by national players like Zillow and Trulia)  That means not ranking well for big search terms like [your town] real estate.

How does your IDX solution handle indexing?

Robot Workshop to Release Lifestyle Search Engine By March

NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina – January 7th, 2011 –Robot Workshop, a real estate technology provider announced a strategic partnership, today, with Onboard Informatics, the premier data services & technology company for top tier organizations in real estate, media and technology .  Robot Workshop will release a lifestyle-based home-search engine, allowing shoppers to select neighborhoods based on attributes such as: proximity to shopping and pet friendliness.  The solution will be powered by millions of data points provided by Onboard Informatics.

Seth Siegler, CEO of Robot Workshop, LLC, says that the search interface will be available to real estate professionals and brokerages, for use on their consumer-facing websites.  “We are offering a product that homebuyers have craved for years,” says Siegler, “A lifestyle search option  allows home-shoppers to search based on the way they live.  People can search for neighborhoods based on school quality, average commute, local culture or many other attributes.”

According to Siegler, the Robot Workshop Lifestyle Search Interface will cost $98 per month, making it less expensive than many standard (non-lifestyle) home-searches.  “Robot Workshop understands the life and budget of most real estate agents.  We want our Lifestyle Search Interface to be a superior technology that’s affordable for everyone in the industry.”

“Our partnership with Robot Workshop allows a vital part of the real estate market to gain access to this innovative search engine, driving traffic to their site and increasing their business. We are excited to partner with companies that understand what homebuyers want in their very emotional purchasing process, and Robot Workshop is certainly one of those companies,” says Marc Siden, CEO, Onboard Informatics.

The partnership with Onboard Informatics will also allow Robot Workshop to offer its renowned IDX solution, IDX Robot, to agents and brokerages in over 100 MLS’s and Realtor Boards.

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Robot Workshop Contact:

Seth Siegler, CEO

Robot Workshop, LLC

seth@robot-workshop.com

843-564-5659

Onboard Informatics Contact:
Stacey Ret, Director, Marketing
Onboard Informatics
sret@onboardinformatics.com
646-747-4395

About Robot Workshop

Robot Workshop is a provider of technology solutions for real estate professionals and brokerages.  The company provides a complete line of products including IDX search interfaces and lead generation systems.  Founded by a veteran of the real estate brokerage business, the company understands that technology solutions must be effective, easy-to-use, and affordable.  Robot Workshop understands that technology is a moving target and prides itself on constantly evolving each and every one of it’s products so that they remain at the pinnacle of effectiveness.  For more information, visit www.Robot-Workshop.com

About Onboard Informatics

Since 2001, Onboard Informatics has provided comprehensive local, regional and national real estate data solutions, powerful web tools and web services to some of the most innovative companies in real estate, publishing, and technology. Onboard delivers seamless integration of property listings, community, school, neighborhood, geographic and demographic information and, transforms the complexity of data into meaningful solutions; supporting clients in achieving business objectives on web and mobile platforms. Privately held since its founding, Onboard is located in the heart of the world’s financial center in the Wall Street area of New York City. For more information about Onboard Informatics or to request a demo, visit www.onboardinformatics.com.

Proving that sleep is over rated, we revised every single piece of our already potent IDX solution just 10 months after it was initially launched.  Why?  Because although, IDX Robot 1.2 was a fantastic piece of technology, we knew that standing still is a dangerous game.  Real estate is a quickly evolving business and we are a company that stays ahead of the curve.

So, lets take a look at some of the new features and interfaces:

It’s hard to begin to explain how many changes are displayed in this one screenshot…  We upgraded the intelligence of the type-in box, exponentially.  Users can type addresses, neighborhoods, MLS #s, zip codes or towns.

The biggest visual change, is the new mini map and list-based result display.  All the info that a user could need is front and center, and being list-based, displayed results are unlimited in number.

Users can view results on a map if they choose

Anything jump out at you?  Maybe those red buttons?  Exactly.  IDX Robot 2.0 was designed for lead capture.  Call to action buttons are front and center, making operation simple for users.

Once results are displayed, users can choose to view them on a map also.  IDX Robot is a versatile interface.  Powerful and easy to use.

The detail page of each listing appears within the main frame of the IDX Robot interface, so you don’t have to worry about popup blockers anymore.  We put the critical information, front and center.  A massive main photo, address and price are the first things that users will see.  Additional photos are all there and that call to action “request more info” button is prominently featured in a location that users can not miss.  Right on top of the photo viewer.  Estimated payments and Google Street View window round out the page.

Sharing options allow users to drive traffic to your website.  IDX Robot allows users to share listings with one button to Twitter and Facebook.  They can also email listings of interest or export a link to share anywhere else.

As always, IDX Robot can integrate into any website, including WordPress based blogs and sites.

And… this isn’t the end of the big news…  We’ve just inked a critical partnership deal that will allow us to immediate entry into 100 Boards of Realtors and MLS’s.

Want to take the new IDX Robot for a test drive?  Click here.

Let us know what you think about it!

Want to order IDX Robot now?  Click Here