Real Estate Technology

As a top real estate team in the U.S. it has been crucial for us to stay on top of the ever-changing real estate technology trends in order to better serve our homebuying and selling clients. To help us maintain our edge, we research and write reports on the latest technology to buy or sell a home.

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next twelve months, Stephen would love to tour your home. Call today to set an appointment.

Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor
4% Max. to Sell a Home
Cancel Anytime Policy
Licensed Since 2003
503-714-1111

If you’re considering buying a home in the next twelve months, Kami Price, buyers specialist would love to hear what you’re looking for. Call today to set an appointment.

Kami Price, Realtor
Represented Hundreds of Buyers
Licensed since 2004
503-773-0000

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2021

February 12, 2021

A top real estate agent will know the trends, which real estate websites have the most home buyers on them, and how to best promote their clients’ homes on those same sites so their homes get more attention, sell faster, and for more money. So every year I put out a report looking at the winners and loosers, which real estate websites are gaining in traffic and which are dropping. As a top 1% sellers agent in the United States, serving Oregon and Washington, I pay extra to the top sites on behalf of my clients so their homes sell faster and for more (I already said that, but honestly most don’t understand huge impact it has), and so, of...

#1 Home Search Website for 2022 – 5 Reasons Why

November 27, 2020

We are not arguing this home search website is #1 because it is the prettiest site to search homes for sale. We believe this website is number one because it is the smartest and most effective way to find the home you want and get the best deal while you’re at it. Most home search websites are prettier or easier to use versions of each other – this one is outright unique.  1. Patent-pending Revolutionary Map Search Icons change color based on property type (condo, multi-family, land for sale, commercial, detached homes).Icons change size based on the properties sq. ft., or for land for sale, the acreage size.Icons change shade based on price, the darker the shade the more expensive...

Professional Real Estate Photography Sells Homes

September 14, 2020

As a real estate agent, it’s hard for me to name just one thing that sellers MUST do before they list their home for sale. But getting professional photographs of the home is pretty high up on the list. There’s just no arguing with the facts: A well photographed home is a home that sells more quickly, and often for more money.  Professional vs. Non-professional Photos Let’s make a distinction between standard, camera-phone photos and professional photography. The pictures that most real estate agents take are simply inadequate for accurately displaying a home online. Even though high-megapixel smartphone cameras are pretty nice these days, they’re not good enough to replicate professional photography.  Professional photography isn’t just about the high-end camera,...

3D Virtual Tours: The New Standard for Real Estate Sales Everywhere

April 17, 2020

Professional Photography became the Standard in the Last 10 Years I passed my exam and received my license to sell homes in Oregon in 2003. At the time, I was shocked how many real estate agents were still using their cell phones to take dark, blurry pictures of homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the time, our local MLS only let you display 8 photos of a home. This was just 17 years ago. Since being licensed our local MLS increased the photo count to 16, and then finally to 32 photos (where it is now). Similarly professional photography went from perhaps a 30% occurrence in 2003, to practically a 90% occurrence in 2020. Now almost every home...

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2020 Update

February 14, 2020

Real estate websites have a huge impact on the housing industry. Nearly every American spends time on one real estate website or another, looking for homes for sale, researching home prices, and staying in touch with the real estate market. NAR, the National Association of Realtors, reports that 95% of home buyers will search for their next home online. This report specifically focuses on websites buyers are using to search for homes. We pay extra on the top real estate websites. It is obvious where home buyers are, and we watch the numbers closely. Because most home sells are due to internet marketing, we track where the buyers are engaging online and pay extra money direct to real estate websites...

Professional Real Estate Photography – No longer Optional in 2020

November 22, 2019

In the Portland real estate market, professional photos are the expectation and the standard. It is simply no longer acceptable for real estate agents to take terrible photos, nor is it acceptable (in my opinion) for real estate agents to take the photos themselves – use a professional! Also, considering the high-end cameras available on the average smart phone these days, is the term “professional photography” even applicable anymore? Among real estate professionals, the answer is an emphatic “YES”, even from those of us who consider ourselves to be cell phone camera virtuosos.  Study after study shows that using a professional photographer to shoot your home’s listing photos will attract more buyers, generate more buzz around your home, and ultimately,...

Top 7 Real Estate Apps – 2019 Update

June 14, 2019

Ten years ago, the best your phone could do to help you with home buying or selling was to allow you to check your email for updates from your real estate agent. Today, representing you in a real estate transaction is just about the only thing your smartphone can’t do. This summer, as the Portland real estate market heats up, buyers and sellers need to have the best tools at hand to beat out the competition. From shopping for homes to planning remodels, here’s our guide to the best real estate apps on the market this year.  1. Biggerpockets App Want to enter the world of real estate investments? BiggerPockets has emerged in the last few years as the #1...

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2019 Update

April 29, 2019

If you read a real estate traffic article that still lists Yahoo Homes on it – you know that article is out of date by many, many years! (I’m looking at you Ebizmba.) Yahoo Homes is completely gone and has been for a long time. It is hard to get accurate data on the most trafficked real estate websites, but we’ve found it. The top real estate websites have incredible power to sell homes. According to the National Association of Realtors 95% of home buyers will use the internet to find their next home. Very few homes are sold because of open houses, print ads, yard signs, or any other marketing medium. This is why as the number one home...

Top 5 Online Tools for Portland Real Estate

March 15, 2019

Considering a move to Portland, or to a different Portland neighborhood or suburb? From Hillsboro to Troutdale, Clackamas to St. John’s, there’s a wide area to cover. Fortunately, there are some great online tools to get the information you need to make an informed decision. We going to list 5 here, but keep in mind, we are a top 100 real estate blog in the world, but exclusively cover the Portland metro area. I hope you’ll subscribe by email! Here are a few information sources for Portland neighborhood data, maps and information — from the fine details to the broader picture. 1.Portlandmaps.com This is the one-stop shop for everything you need to know about every tax lot in the City...

Portland Floor Plans Sell Homes

October 10, 2018

Portland buyers these days are more likely than ever to see a floor plan for any given home. That’s because with the new Home Energy Score policy, many homeowners are getting a complimentary floor plan with their energy score and passing it on to potential buyers. Home Buyers Want to See Floor Plans The National Association of Realtors 2017 report on Home Buyers says that 55% of home buyers found floor plans useful, the third most important information home buyers were looking for after pictures and the actual description of the home itself. Floor plan desirability beat out virtual tours, neighborhood information, and more. A floor plan is a bird’s eye view of the home, offering a perspective that’s difficult...