Real Estate Success Tracker is a Customer Relations Manager/Transaction Manager for Realtors. It comes in Windows and Macintosh versions, plus a networked version that will work with clients on either platform.
REST CEO Matthew Hardy — a BloodhoundBlog Unchained in Phoenix matriculant — has been paying attention to the marketplace — unheard of among real estate product vendors — so REST has been quietly moving into the cloud. But Hardy has always been committed to both data security and to your ownership of your data, so REST in the cloud will be available only from your own REST client software — with the database running on your REST network server in your office.
And so the next logical step in this cloudwise progression is an iPhone client, and that is nearing completion. Shown below are three reduced screens from REST for the iPhone, which could be released in beta form as early as this afternoon:
REST is free to try. As a CRM it rocks, but it’s designed to bring systemization and automation to every aspect of a Realtor’s practice. As an example, it’s very easy to build Gary-Keller-style drip/touch campaigns for your clients, customers and prospects. Also very easy to build task scripts for assistants, which can then be assigned to clients or transactions.
Matthew and his team are working hard to integrate REST with the iPhone, bringing us one step closer to one of my long-held dreams: A unified contact database that is synced to every computer and mobile phone in our business. REST is one of the key components we are counting on to take our business into the cloud, and the iPhone app will be a big step in that direction.
BloodhoundRealty.com is a REST installation, but I confess we haven’t made the best use of it, so far. The software has been there for us, but we haven’t been there for it. We have an intern working now to correct our RESTlessness. But: Cathleen and I will both be running the beta iPhone app, so I’ll let you know how it’s working for us.
Technorati Tags: real estate, real estate marketing, technology
Bob in San Diego says:
I hope this does what it says. This would be awesome for a team.
September 8, 2008 — 11:50 am
Matthew Hardy says:
Boy. There are many things I’d like to write right now but I’m working my ass off to meet expectations. (Just the way I like it.)
Thank yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! 🙂
oh, and i’ll look up “matriculant” later.
September 8, 2008 — 12:25 pm
Bob in San Diego says:
mathew, i would love to know if its possible to pull a custom IDX user db into this.
September 8, 2008 — 12:48 pm
Greg Swann says:
> i’ll look up “matriculant” later
matriculo, matriculare, matriculavi, matriculatum, ergo, matriculans, matriculantis. The most logical language in the history of languages.
September 8, 2008 — 1:00 pm
Bob in San Diego says:
a graduate.
September 8, 2008 — 2:15 pm
Matthew Hardy says:
> pull a custom IDX user db into this
Bob, should be a snap. If you can provide more detail, I’d be happy advise you on your options.
September 8, 2008 — 2:18 pm
Bob in San Diego says:
Mathew, we are working on a new IDX platform now. Would love to be able to export users from the IDX into a REAL cms, as every IDX cms I have seen has serious deficiencies.
Since this is my 2nd go at a better search platform, I have tunnel vision to a cetain extent.
If you were me, the agent with associated buyer agents and several thousand users, how would you integrate this data into a cms that would improve follow up, accountability and conversion?
September 8, 2008 — 2:25 pm
Tish says:
Greg,
Matt and Karen Hardy started me on REST during the very first few weeks of their sales efforts in 2002 I believe. REST is the best system I have ever used and I have been using it for at least 5 years effectively!
Thanks — Tish Google Tish Tischer Blog
September 8, 2008 — 3:24 pm
jaybird says:
Interesting. I’ve asked iambic.com to put together a real estate application based on their agendus premier software for desktop/smartphone. I’ve never seen a calendar/task/contact info system as comprehensive including the customizing of icons for all the above to save one time from writing. This software is why I’m unwilling to leave palm as blackberry has nothing impressive that I’ve seen for this genre of software.
On REST—does their suite offer highly customizable drip campaigns? Does their email offer the inserting of html coding like Market Leader which I currently use? I’ve written REST them for answers on this. From their website I did not see much on how customizable or not the interfaces are such as this example of my calendar/to do list.
I’m open minded to using the best application out there and would love to know about all the options. Look forward to answers from REST on these questions.
jay
September 10, 2008 — 1:44 pm
John Kalinowski says:
Greg,
This looks like a great package, but any ideas for accessing the date over the web from any PC? I work with another agent who handles most of my buyers, and I’d like for us each to be able to access this from our separate home offices.
I played with a setup using ACT! and a service from No-IP.com that allows you to run a server from a dynamically assigned IP. I have the ACT! software installed on my home office PC, and using No-IP I can log in over the internet from anywhere. It works, but it’s slow, and not particularly customized for real estate applications or drip campaigns.
I’m not an expert, but why can’t you just install a package like REST on a server from HostGator and log into it from anywhere? With multi-user licenses you could then have your whole team on the same system, logging in from anywhere. Any ideas?
Thanks! – John
September 13, 2008 — 9:50 am
Greg Swann says:
I’ve forwarded your comment to Matthew Hardy of REST to elicit his reactions. I believe you should be able to log-on to REST multi-user from any REST-enable client computer. I know Cathy is working with this technology now, but I haven’t played with it. The iPhone client will work this way.
> why can’t you just install a package like REST on a server from HostGator and log into it from anywhere? With multi-user licenses you could then have your whole team on the same system, logging in from anywhere.
You’re right, this would be the ideal cloud-based solution.
September 13, 2008 — 10:25 am
Matthew Hardy says:
@ Bob
> Would love to be able to export users from the IDX into a REAL cms
This is very easy to do with REST.
> Since this is my 2nd go at a better search platform, I have tunnel vision to a cetain extent.
I would be happy to provide any level of consulting to help assure success.
> how would you integrate this data into a cms that would improve follow up, accountability and conversion?
Upon importing your data into REST, simply apply any number of customized follow-up plans where items are assigned to specific users. It’s easy to assess accountability when everyone is in the same system and REST has great transaction reporting.
———–
@ Jay
> On REST—does their suite offer highly customizable drip campaigns?
Yes. Using “Action Templates” you can create entire follow-up campaigns consisting of mail and personal contact. Personal contact items can be assigned to individual users in the system. Mail items are aggregated under “Campaign Execution.”
> Does their email offer the inserting of html coding like Market Leader which I currently use?
Currently email is text-based and there are options to include HTML coding such as mlxjet.com. A future version of REST will include HTML templates and coding insert capabilities as well.
> how customizable or not the interfaces are
REST is built on FileMaker and any number of added files with customized layouts can be added (Multi User and Single User with Remote Access versions).
REST w/U iPhone Edition is based on FMTouch and any number of added files with customized layouts can be added for your iPhone or iPod Touch.
———–
@ John
> any ideas for accessing the data over the web from any PC? I’d like for us each to be able to access this from our separate home offices.
This is where REST really shines. You can have any combination of PCs and Mac accessing the same, central database live, real-time from anywhere.
> I played with a setup using ACT! and a service from No-IP.com that allows you to run a server from a dynamically assigned IP. I have the ACT! software installed on my home office PC, and using No-IP I can log in over the internet from anywhere. It works, but it’s slow, and not particularly customized for real estate applications or drip campaigns.
The No-IP.com service works great to update a domain such as “myrest.no-op.com” to a dynamically allocated address and we recommend it routinely. I’m very familiar with ACT! and agree that it is slow. Our users have reported excellent performance results from running REST in the scenario you describe. REST is also built for running a successful real estate business whereas ACT! is general purpose.
> I’m not an expert, but why can’t you just install a package like REST on a server from HostGator and log into it from anywhere? With multi-user licenses you could then have your whole team on the same system, logging in from anywhere.
You’re certainly sounding like an expert. This is THE best-case deployment. We ourselves our fond of Godaddy, but any hosting service will do (dedicated or virtual-dedicated). Running a REST server from your home is really easy and more than adequate for individuals and small teams, but the real-life up and down speeds aren’t going to be as fast as a dedicated server at Godaddy.
But REST does more. Using the server version, REST data can be published live as PHP and XML affording insertion of REST data into your website (i.e. Property info). Also, forms data (i.e. leads) can be collected into REST.
———–
@ Greg
> I believe you should be able to log-on to REST multi-user from any REST-enable client computer.
Exactly right.
> I know Cathy is working with this technology now…
Clearly the better half! 😉
> The iPhone client will work this way.
REST w/U iPhone Edition will initially work via local sync, but coming… remote sync!
> > install a package like REST on a server… your whole team… logging in from anywhere.
> You’re right, this would be the ideal cloud-based solution.
A perfect definition of REST.
I’d be happy to get into further specifics either on or offline. Thanks everyone for your comments.
September 13, 2008 — 8:13 pm
John Kalinowski says:
Matthew,
Thank you for the response and additional information! This sounds like the platform I’ve been waiting for, and I’ll try it out soon.
John
September 15, 2008 — 2:46 pm
John Kalinowski says:
Greg: What did you mean by “BloodhoundRealty.com is a REST installation”? Can you elaborate more as to what that means and how you’re using it?
I’ve been playing with the demo version, and spent some time with Karen Hardy on the phone (VERY helpful, and extremely nice, too!), and so far I’m very impressed. I’m about ready to buy the package and run it from GoDaddy or DreamHost, and later add licenses for my team members, so we can all access it from our home offices. I’ll let you know what happens.
Thanks! – John
October 29, 2008 — 4:47 pm
Skinner says:
Great application for the iPhone. I just downloaded the demo software and it looks very nice, but it is a little expensive, but will consider it Thanks for the post.
December 5, 2008 — 4:45 pm