Technology
Harcourts Incorporates Walk Score Neighbourhood Maps
Earlier this month, Harcourts announced the incorporation of a new mapping function to all online property listings which highlights points of interest in the vicinity of each specific property listed with Harcourts.
The mapping function, Walk Score works by locating a property listing on a map, then provides detailed information on surrounding points of interest such as nearby schools, shops, restaurants, transport hubs and medical facilities.
Now integrated into all public, office and sales consultant websites in Australia, New Zealand and the USA, Harcourts is one of the first real estate groups in Australasia to utilise this feature as part of each property listing.
Gregg Toyama, Head of E-Business for Harcourts International, suggests that today’s consumers are always craving more localized information surrounding a property listing.
“How many times have you heard someone say, ‘How far away is the local school’ when discussing a property?…
Find Your Dream Home on Your Smartphone
International real estate group, Harcourts have recently launched smartphone versions of their popular property websites www.harcourts.com.au and www.harcourts.co.nz.
Users will be able to access Harcourts’ mobile property websites automatically on any smartphone that has a web browser.
Jason Wills, Chief Information Officer for Harcourts International, suggests that this technology is leading edge and the ability for the websites to run on practically any smart mobile phone is exceptional.
“Many systems only cater for the iPhone or the Android but Harcourts’ approach is to not limit their customers to specific devices,” Mr Wills said.
“Let’s open up the website to all smart phones. This is the future of web-based technology and not only do I want to have access to any site on my mobile phone, I want the site to look great and work well!
“I don’t want to have to download any apps; I just…
Tags: Harcourts International, Jason Wills, real estate, Technology, websites
Technological Innovation Boosts Customer Base
Over the past 12 months, international real estate group, Harcourts has added over one million customer contacts to their internet-based technology suite, HarcourtsOne.
In September 2010, HarcourtsOne had 2.6 million contacts in total. In September 2011, the database now has over 3.6 million contacts across Australia and New Zealand, representing a massive 28 per cent increase in contacts over the past 12 months.
According to Jason Wills, Chief Information Officer for Harcourts International, this means that Harcourts has significantly increased its customer base over a 12 month period in one of the toughest markets we have seen in recent years.
“These results tell us that Harcourts has come into contact with more home buyers and sellers in the past 12 months than ever before.
“The significant growth in database numbers will increase our ability to find buyers for sellers’ properties which will, in turn, enhance Harcourts’ position in…
Tags: Harcourts International, Harcourts Technology, HarcourtsOne, Jason Wills, Technology
Harcourts Represents at Major Industry Conference
Earlier this month, several key members of international real estate group, Harcourts attended the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco in order to share the latest technological innovations and trends affecting the real estate industry.
Harcourts International Managing Director, Mike Green, Head of E-Business, Gregg Toyama, and Chief Information Officer, Jason Wills attended the conference alongside thousands of delegates from around the globe.
“What we heard at the conference confirmed that mobile technologies and applications are becoming the standard. We discovered that applications built for all smartphones and tablets are preferable to apps built for proprietary devices such as the iPhone.
“Strategically, we learnt that Harcourts is leading the way in terms of mobile technologies and applications as we have already built several apps – many of the top real estate companies haven’t started building apps yet!”, Mr Wills said.
According to Mr Toyama,…
Tags: Gregg Toyama, Harcourts International, Harcourts Technology, Harcourts USA, Inman Conference, Jason Wills, Mike Green, real estate industry, Technology
Harcourts Technology Stays Ahead of the Competition
Harcourts’ on-going leadership in the real estate sector has been further reinforced with the addition of its property listings to Google Maps.
Harcourts Head of Technology, Jason Wills says the new feature added by Google allows home buyers to search for a property simply by entering their desired city or suburb.
The property listings then appear on Google Maps, making searching for property in relation to location a simpler process for buyers.
“According to comScore, over 56 per cent of all Internet searches on real estate and related terms are conducted on Google and their partner sites therefore it’s vital that Harcourts is at the forefront with Google’s new initiatives.
“Harcourts have been using Google Maps for a period of time but this relaunch takes us to a whole new level,” Mr Wills said.
“The key differences are that Harcourts have upgraded the functionality to use the latest…
Tags: Google Maps, Harcourts International, Jason Wills, residential property listings, Technology