Whether you are a Realtor or a Real Estate Investor (REI), if you are serious, then you need your own website. But just having a website is a waste if you don’t know how to drive traffic to your site. You can have the most beautifulest website in the whole wide world, but if you don’t have visitors, then your website got dressed up for nothing. So, if you want leads, you’ve got to have visitors, because visitors convert to potential leads. Read more…
My Supra eKey recently stopped updating using the USB cradle on my computer. I found a free an easy fix, so I wanted to share it with you. Thanks to the Willamette Valley Multiple Listing Service who updated their members regarding the update. The link with the quick and easy instructions is below.
I bought my first MAC just over a year ago, because I was tired of Windows shortcomings (crashes, slow, etc). As a Realtor®, one of the most important aspects of your business is accessing the MLS. That’s not so simple with a MAC, because most MLS’s require you to use Internet Explorer by Microsoft. There are several work arounds, but they aren’t very simple. They involve installing a full version of Windows on your MAC, which can be costly and complicated if you aren’t tech savy. Well, if you use the CoreLogic MarketLinx Tempo MLS, I finally found another way to logon to the MLS with your MAC, and it’s FREE! I’ve probably looked on a thousand different websites trying to find it. The crazy thing it’s actually on the www.tempohelp.com website. ”Duh, winning!”
I will give you the instructions here, but you should also go to www.tempohelp.com and register on their support site. Once you’re logged in, click the “Tutorials and Videos” icon.
The way you access the MLS with your MAC is through IDS.
What is IDS?
IDS (Information Delivery System), is a server based solution that allows Mac users to access programs that require running on a Windows computer. Once logged into the IDS application, you will be able to access your MLS Program from an icon specifically for the site that you use every day. All settings are taken care of on the server for the MLS Program that you access.
What are the minimum system requirements?
An Intel-based or PowerPC-based Macintosh running OS X 10.4 or later
A high-speed Internet connection.
IDS is not compatible with the Apple iPad
You will need to go to http://ids.marketlinx.com/nativemac.html to download the application to your computer. Once you have installed it, the directions will also include a link for your specific MLS to create a short cut for your desktop.
The link below is the pdf that is on the www.tempohelp.com site, but it is specific to my MLS. Logon to the website and it should direct you to the instructions for your MLS.
I’ve had a chance to use it a few times over the weekend, and it does have some issues. I had to “force quit’ the application several times, because it would hang up (typical Windows crap!). So, it’s not perfect, but you can at least logon to the MLS…when it works.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or call your local MLS tech support. I’m sure they can help you with the installation as well. Add your comments below to let others know how it’s working for you.
I’ve had Google Chrome installed on my computers for some time, but I’ve been more partial to Firefox. However, on the MAC, Firefox has had some issues, so I started using Chrome more (on the MAC at least). I found that it was fast, and that I was growing to like it more. So much, as I started using it more on my Windows machine. And when I found IE Tab today, I thought just maybe…Tempo MLS will work on it.
Well, SNAP! It did, and it works great! But it only works on Windows!!! If it only worked on the MAC, I would sing Chrome’s praises from the mountain top!
I would say, I’m using Chrome about 50% of the time now. There are many extensions you can use to customize it’s feel. Some of my favorite extensions are Last Pass toolbar (password manager), Delicious Bookmarks, Spring Pad, and SEO Quake. And if you don’t like using Internet Explorer (does anyone really like IE?), but you visit sites that must, then give Google Chrome a shot. I believe you’ll like it.
Recently I commented on a facebook post that I was able to extend the daily battery life of my HTC EVO. And several people asked me to explain how I did it. So, here’s the 411.
First of all, download the “Advanced Task Killer” app. Background apps can eat at your system resources, and many Android apps open randomly in the background. With Advanced Task Killer, and you can close all those processes and apps slowing down your phone and eating up your battery life. With one-click, users can close all running applications in the event that their Android device is running too slow. It also includes the ability to ignore certain apps to prevent closing things you want to keep running. It runs in the background and you will be able to see an icon at the top of your phone’s “task bar”.
Second, go to menu/settings/wireless & networks. Here, you can turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G. There’s no need to have 4G on if it’s not available in your area yet. Unless you’re in a major metropolitan area like New York or LA, you probably don’t have it yet. You can check Sprint’s 4G coverage at the following link. Sprint Coverage Map. I checked it, and there is a link for “Data Coverage” and then a tab for “4G”. Nothing showed up so it must not be updated yet.
Then, go to menu/settings/accounts & sync – I have left the “background data” and “auto-sync” on. However, you can uncheck “background data” to get even better batter life, but some apps won’t work as well if you don’t give them “background” access. You can also change the sync frequency of each of the apps or even turn some of them off. I have turned the news and stocks off, changed facebook to “8 hours” (turned the calendar off b/c I got tired of seeing 10 “birthday” appts every day – I can see birthdays when I actually go logon with my computer), twitter 1/day, and weather 1/3 hours. I have left “Google” sync on, but I’m not sure how often it syncs (contacts, calendar, and gmail).
And by the way, Google Calendar works great! If you have ever been through Floyd Wickman’s course, he teaches you to categorize your calendar. Green for “money making” activities (prospecting, closings, showings, listing appts, etc), yellow for “important job related tasks”, and pink/blue for “personal”. If you have a Google account, and you should if you’re using an android phone, you can set up multiple calendars which will sync with your phone. (I like it! I like it a lot!)
Next, go to menu/settings/sound & display – Here, you can adjust your Brightness (I have mine set about 1/3 of the way up), Animation (“some animations are shown” is my setting), and Screen Timeout (I use 30 seconds).
I also took the animated “clock and weather” widget off of my home screen. It’s cool to see the animated thunder and lightning during a storm, but if I can get a little more battery life by taking it off, that’s what I decided to do. (To remove the BIG DIGITAL CLOCK & Weather from your home screen: Touch the widget and hold it there until it “undocks”, and then slide it down to the “Remove” area at the bottom of your screen).
The last thing that I have done is to add a “Power Control” widget to one of my app screens. I added it to the “Google Search” widget screen, because they are the same layout size. This widget gives you a one touch on/off button for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Sync, and Display Brightness. (Your task bar icons may look different than this, but the widget is the same.)
I just read that Sprint recommends that you turn off “Automatic Roaming” if you have good Sprint service. (menu/settings/wireless & networks/mobile networks/roaming/Spint Only) I’m going to try it now, and I will comment later to let you know if I see a noticeable difference.
Here’s a good video that touches on most of these settings.
If you’ve been battling with your phone’s battery life, give these recommendations a try. I know it will make a big difference. And you will love your phone even more!
Thanks for stopping by to visit. My name is Tony Green, and I am a Realtor® and Real Estate Investor. The Real Estate Techie blog is about technology for Realtors and Real Estate Investors. Whether it’s smart phones, applications, productivity ideas, or just cool toys, we’ll be discussing it here. I’m a technology junkie, so if you have any questions about current technology, please don’t hesitate to ask. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to keep up to date of all of the latest technology for real estate.
