July 2005
Newsletter
“A man's country is not
a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods,
but it is a
principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”
-
George William Curtis
Winners Announced in ADVANCED
ACCESS’ 2005
Most Impressive
Website Promotion
ADVANCED ACCESS is pleased to announce the WINNERS in our 2005 “Most Impressive AA Website” promotion . Thousands of votes were submitted in our annual promotion, and it was an extremely close race between a few of the nominees in certain categories. This year, we were WOWED by all of our nominees’ websites which were comprehensive, content-rich and in general, very IMPRESSIVE.
CONGRATULATIONS to the winners in each category!
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Best Homepage : 1 st Place : Cheryl Bray – www.SanDiegoCoastalRealEstate.net |
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Best Lead Generator: 1 st Place : Metro Estates (Broker: Brad Coleman) - www.MetroEstates.com |
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Best Use of a Template: 1 st Place : Gene Carey – www.view-mls-homes.com |
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Best Use of a Theme: 1 st Place : Eric Bouler - www.neworleanscondos.net |
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Best Use of an AA Feature: 1 st Place : Tom Duffy - www.tomduffyteam.com |
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Most Original Content: 1 st Place : Susan Laxson - Coachella Valley Site - www.resort-home.com |
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Most User Friendly: 1 st Place : Matthew Pellerin - www.phoenixhomes.com |
And the overall
winner of theMost Impressive ADVANCED ACCESS Website:
Cheryl Bray….from San Diego, California
Cheryl has
created a comprehensive, information-rich and easy-to-use website for the
consumers she targets in the San Diego area. She comments: “ We have
received much positive feedback and compliments on our new and improved homepage
(and website). Some of our goals in making the improvements have been to have it
very well organized & user-friendly, customized with our color scheme and
logo throughout (for easy brand-recognition), and very content-rich. As you will
notice, the homepage is now separated into different sections so that our
visitors can quickly and easily find what they're looking for. So whether they
are buying a home, selling a home, or just looking for information on San Diego,
it's very easy for them to locate. Our homepage visitors may also search our
entire site via the Google Search button at the bottom of the page. In addition,
the homepage features an easy to use "San Diego Home Search" section,
highlighted on the right side. This contains our featured property photos and/or
Flash slide shows with direct links to property details, maps, and a
high-quality printable flyer for each featured property. There are also links
here to search the MLS (via ADVANCED ACCESS QuickHomes), and to sign up for
email listing updates.”
Each of the winners in our Most Impressive ADVANCED ACCESS WebsitePromotion has worked diligently to develop their site design, improve their link popularity, content and features available to the homebuyer and seller. As a result of their hard work, they have achieved high exposure, high rankings on the search engines and large numbers of unique visitors each day. We strongly encourage you to reviewing our winners’ websites. The time you spend will be valuable for gaining ideas for your own website, and next year YOUR site might among ADVANCED ACCESS’ “Most Impressive Website” winners.
We appreciate everyone’s participation in our promotion, and encourage you all to help make your website the best it can be.Remember, our customer support representatives are here to help you through the process by phone TOLL FREE at 866-518-1571, or by email support@advancedaccess.com. Thank you for your business and support, and CONGRATULATIONS to all our winners!
ADVANCED ACCESS Announces
Weekend Customer Support
Exciting news……we are pleased to announce the completion of the final phase of the expansion and renovation of our Customer Support Division to meet the needs of the dramatic growth we have achieved in the real estate marketplace during the last 8 months. The recent expansion and renovation which began in April, was recently completed with our Customer Support staff moving into their new facilities to begin new and expanded weekend coverage for 30,000 clients nationwide.
Effective immediately, ADVANCED ACCESS Customer Support staff offers new and expanded weekend coverage to our clients for both e-mail and phone inquiries. A well-trained and dedicated team is available for complete Customer Support services on Saturday and Sunday, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time); 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
The newly completed expansion and renovation included an increase in the number of Customer Support Representatives; a move to a new location within the building; new ergonomically-designed work spaces, and equipment and facilities upgrades. Aron Spegon , Director of Customer Service, commented on the completion of the move and expansion. “…This recent improvement will allow our well-trained staff to provide better cutting-edge service for current and future ADVANCED ACCESS customers. This expansion and growth was needed, and is a very exciting development in our commitment to provide quality customer care to our expanding client base.”
The newly completed Customer Support Center allows for twice the space and seating as the previous configuration, and has allowed an increase of staff of approximately 30% from a year ago. Senior Management has announced plans to increase that number to reach 50% over the next few months, and has also upgraded and improved its candidate testing and evaluation process which now includes a comprehensive two-week training and testing period, technical aptitude, and personality testing programs. Customer Support staff is responsible for addressing thousands of inquiries daily. The recent improvements will allow ADVANCED ACCESS to provide BETTER service and FASTER response times than ever before.
“This is actually the final and third-phase of an upgrade and improvement program that started in April of 2004,” stated Gary R. Brackle, Vice-President of Affinity Marketing & Communications. “…During the last sixteen-months, senior management has been able to identify and prioritize three major areas that needed immediate attention. The first was a complete change of the architecture and overall configuration of our Internet Data Center; the second was a newly installed Toshiba DKT 3000 phone system, and just recently our newly completed Customer Support Center – all of which will allow us to provide a wide ange of improved customer service.”
We are looking forward to serving you seven days per week! Call us for knowledgeable and responsive customer support TOLL FREE Monday through Friday, 7:00 am–6:00 pm Pacific Time (10:00 am–9:00 pm Eastern Time) or Saturday and Sunday 7:00 am–4:00 pm Pacific Time (10:00 am–7:00 pm Eastern Time.) The Key to Your Success….Is Our Service.
No Signs of a Slowdown in Real Estate
You’ve heard the news for years now, and especially lately, about the impending bubble waiting to burst on the thriving housing market -- but it still hasn’t happened. What do consumers, deciding if it’s still a good time to buy or sell a home, need to know about the forecast for the housing market? Is it possible even after years of skyrocketing values that real estate will remain a sound investment for the foreseeable future?
Lower-than-expected mortgage interest rates will push home sales to a fifth consecutive record in 2005, according to NAR Chief Economist David Lereah. In fact, long-term interest rates look very favorable. Lereah anticipates a both existing-home sales and new-home sales to hit new highs this year, and he says home prices will continue to rise citing the following factors:
The supply of homes remains
tight
“The simple fact is we still have more buyers than sellers in
most of the country,” says Lereah. “This supply-demand imbalance is continuing
to put pressure on home prices, but we should get closer to equilibrium by the
end of the year.”
Demographic trends favor
housing expansion
Boomers, retirees, boomer kids who are first-time
homebuyers, and an influx of new immigrants buying homes will help keep the real
estate market solid. “These demographic factors all combine for great support
for demand for homebuyers going forward,” adds Lereah.
Real estate is still a safe
haven vis-à-vis stocks and bonds
Compared the ho-hum stock market,
real estate is still a good place to invest your money. Says Lereah, “This is
also increasing demand for homebuyers and should continue for the rest of the
year.”
That being said, there are also some signs of potential trouble in the market, according to Lereah:
A rise in
speculation
“Speculation is not dominating the market, although it
is on the rise,” Lereah says. Despite the increase, he adds that most
residential real estate purchases are rational.
High home price-to-income
ratio
“The home price-to-income ratio is alarmingly high, especially
in California, rising from 23 percent in 2003 to 32 percent in 2004,” says
Lereah.
Increased use of
ARMs
In the past year, ARMs have made up 30 to 40 percent of
mortgage loans, when they should actually be around 25 percent. “The increase in
the use of adjustable rate mortgages at a time when fixed mortgage rates are at
historic lows is troubling.”
What about the
bubble?
''Obviously, there are some local bubbles,'' Lereah says.
''But I tend to think that with most of the bubbles, the air will come out
slowly, rather than popping.''
The takeaway
Lereah expects home sales to hit another record high in 2005, with
price gains slower, but still above historical norms. Mortgage rates will reach
6.1 percent by the end of the year and move to 6.5 percent by 2006, still an
historical low. “Relative to inflation, home prices will continue to experience
above-average returns in 2005,” he says.
Reprinted from the National
Association of REALTORS® online publication, www.Realtor.org
ADVANCED ACCESS Sr. VP Jane Purcell
Live At Real Estate Connect
2005
ADVANCED ACCESS’ own Jane Purcell, Sr. V.P. of Sales will be
attending Inman News’
Real Estate Connect 2005 in San Francisco, California from
July 27-29 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Jane Ellsworth, Senior Vice President of Sales for
ADVANCED ACCESS is one of the featured moderators in a “Lead
Generation Boot Camp” discussion forum on Wednesday, July 27. Lead Generation
Boot Camp is an all-day, hands-on workshop on Internet marketing strategy that
will guide you through lead generation, conversion and productivity. The
discussion forum topic - Lead Qualification: Manage Them, Convert Them,
will include a panel of representatives from a variety of real estate related
technology firms, including Jane Purcell.
Real Estate Connect San Francisco is the premier event for everything real estate, technology, and innovation. For ten years this meeting has drawn an audience of thousands of executives who come to San Francisco to network with the decision makers, form new partnerships, cut deals and learn about the latest real estate innovations.
If you’re going to be in San Francisco at the Inman Conference, don’t miss this discussion group. Finding clicks on the Internet is only half of the battle. Managing those leads, distributing and converting them is the real challenge in 2005.
For additional information about Real Estate Connect, click here.
Featured AA Employee of the Month – Danielle Smith
This month we’re featuring Danielle Smith from our Accounting Department. Danielle has been on the ADVANCED ACCESS team for over 4 years, and during her time on board, her responsibilities have grown along with the company. Danielle is now in charge of all of the data entry and payment process for our new clients, and with the number of customers we serve, Danielle is one busy girl!
Danielle grew up in Visalia, California (in California’s San Joaquin Valley, between Los Angeles and San Francisco) and attended Golden West High School. She has a sister, Vicki, who still lives in the area, and just graduated from Fresno Pacific University. Vicki is now employed as a Social Worker. Danielle moved down south to Orange County in January 2001. Shortly after she moved to Southern California, Danielle started working at ADVANCED ACCESS and has been here ever since.
Danielle is currently attending South Coast College of Court Reporting, and she hopes in the next few years to earn her Certified Shorthand Reporting qualification. Those of us who know Danielle have no doubt that she will accomplish her goals….few people can work a keyboard faster than Danielle! Danielle lives with her boyfriend Justin, and they have been together a little more than six years.
During her free time, which is rare these days because of homework, Danielle really loves to read and to watch hockey games. She enjoys her time at ADVANCED ACCESS, saying “I like helping our clients, and working with people here.”
We are fortunate to work with people like Danielle Smith, who contribute so much to the ADVANCED ACCESS team.
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