Global Real Estate & Technology News from Propertyshowrooms.com

ilist.com Puts Classifieds on Twitter

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

ilist.com is a US based free social classifieds service, which was founded in May 2008. While yet another free social classifieds website is nothing to write home about, ilist.com has put a new spin on social classifieds with a fairly interesting new Twitter application: micro.ilist.com...

Cape Verde to get faster online link

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Cape Verde is to get new telecommunications services that will enable it to enjoy faster internet connections, it has been revealed.

A EUR50 million (GBP34 million) collaboration between Portugal Telecom and Cape Verde Telecom will see an undersea cable established between Portugal and west Africa, with the archipelago being first in line to receive it, Macauhub reports.

The investment will provide the Cape Verde Islands with a faster internet connection from 2011, the news provider states, something that could help boost its economy and encourage those thinking of investing in property there.

Portugal's government recently agreed major investment deals with its Cape Verdean counterpart to boost the infrastructure of the islands, a separate Macauhub report stated.

This included a EUR100 million credit line for the development of renewable energy and EUR22.3 million for the upgrade of San Pedro airport on the island of Sao Vicente, plus a new airport.

Danes take on Norway with boliga.no

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Danish property search engine boliga.dk has launched in Norway. boliga.no joins boliga.se, which was launched in Sweden in 2008...

What is The Future of Real Estate Search?

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How do you imagine the future of real estate search? It’s a big question, but one that needs answering! An essay competition from Onboard Informatics is seeking to uncover the answers...

Single Property Websites on the Rise

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Many real estate agents are turning to single property websites in an attempt to give them the edge over competitors and make their properties stand out. And single property websites are definitely increasing in use and popularity according to figures released last week by one leading supplier...

Finding good value in international real estate - now that's a high value problem to solve.

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Finding good value, in the right place and within budget, is particularly important these days. But how can investors answer the question "Am I paying too much for this?" if they don't have comparative market data? Just 0.21 seconds after typing "Nicaragua real estate" into google.com investors have access to thousands of real estate...

Internet reaches 1 billion users

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

World Wide Web crosses significant milestone in media history...

Is free-to-list the way of the future?

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In our most recent poll on propertyportalwatch.com we asked our readers: Are free-to-list property portals the way of the future? So what did they say?

DPG Reveals Analytics Tool

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Digital Property Group is in the process of unveiling a marketing analytics tool for its member agents. Called "Insight", the tool will allow agents to monitor their traffic, and use the data to improve consumer marketing...

realtybid.com Makes Good Times From Bad

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

realtybid.com have reported that 2008 was a stellar year – setting several records for the online auctions website - despite, or perhaps because of, harsh economic times...

Government pulls plug on ‘bath city’ plan

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The government has canceled a plan to turn the city of Ma’anshan, Anhui: into a center for bathing following disparaging comments from Internet users. The tourism bureau has issued a statement saying it now has no plans to market Ma’anshan as China’s ‘bath city’, although it claimed it does have a healthy bathing industry. The government said...

nestoria.co.uk Answers Q: Where Can I Live?

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

nestoria.co.uk are keeping ahead of the pack in terms of cool search applications with the launch of where-can-i-live.com? It allows Londoners to find a property based on their commuting time to work...

fizber.com Introduces Drive Scores

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

US For Sale By Owner portal fizber.com has added Drive Score to their home listings. Like the Walk Score application, which is increasing in popularity, it's a neighbourhood add-on that lets prospective buyers work out where their closest amenities are...

Supermarket Chain ASDA Opens Portal

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Homes in Asda, known online as homesinstore.co.uk, is UK supermarket chain Asda’s answer to property search...

New Website Aims to Match Investors, Developers

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Similar to an Internet dating service, a new Website is designed to introduce commercial real estate developers to investors and private equity companies looking for opportunities...

Morocco popular with internet property buyers

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Morocco is emerging as one of the most popular locations for investment among members of the online overseas property community.

This is according to propertywire.com, which recently carried out a review of several leading property forums and found Morocco to be one of the most mentioned countries, along with Brazil.

According to the website, both nations are currently benefiting from economies which are "weathering the economic downturn better than many more established markets".

It adds: "The advantage that Morocco has over other emerging real estate markets is that is it close to Europe."

To demonstrate the country's growing status among overseas investors, propertywire.com cites a recent survey on the propertycommunity.com forum, which found that Morocco received the most votes in its chart of the best places to invest outside the EU.

Morocco was recently selected by John Howell of the International Law Partnership as one of the top ten property investment choices for 2009.

Visit our off-plan property Morocco page.

Website gives details of all properties for house-hunters

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A property-searching website to start operating tomorrow aims to become the first stop for house-hunters. Zoodle will give information on more than 1.5 million homes and 1600 suburbs and communities. Alistair Helm of realestate.co.nz....

homescape.com Becomes homefinder.com

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Real estate listings website homescape.com has changed its name to homefinder.com. The rebranding coincides with a new logo, look and feel for US based homefinder.com...

Yelp Arrives In UK

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Popular neighbourhood review website yelp.com has finally arrived in the UK. With reviews of businesses, bars, restaurants and more generated by users, the website has grown dramatically over the past four and a half years, and its reviews can be found on US property websites...

Century 21 to Increase Online Advertising

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This week at Real Estate Connect, Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced that it is transitioning its television advertising to additional online advertising...

dwellicious.com Connects US Property Portals

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

If you haven’t already come across it, social bookmarking website dwellicious.com is the talk of the property world. It is free, focuses purely on real estate and will be launched by its creators, W&R Studios, in the US this week at Inman Connect...

trulia.com Counts 2008 Successes

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

US property search engine trulia.com has just announced it has set major new benchmarks for company growth in 2008...

Are UK Portals Really Losing Agents?

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Last year Henry Pryor formed the Estate Agency Buying Group, to band together smaller estate agency firms in order to negotiate the best terms possible for 2009 with UK property portals. As we entered the new year, Pryor told propertyportalwatch.com that many agents are holding firm and not renewing contracts with the pay-to-list portals...

Australian couple served repossession papers through Facebook

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

An Australian couple were served legally binding repossession documents through the social networking site Facebook. Not being able to reach the couple using more conventional methods, a lawyer was granted court permission to serve them papers through the popular site.

The couple's home is being repossessed after they missed repayments on a mortgage of AU$150,000 (£44,000), reports The BBC.

Mark McCormack, a lawyer in Canberra, had attempted to contact them at their home address and via email, to no avail. The couple had also missed a court appearance in October.

In what is thought to be a legal first, McCormack went to the courts to ask permission to serve the papers through Facebook. Before approaching the courts, the lawyer found the woman's online profile. He then used the details listed to argue in the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court that she was the right person.

When granting permission, the judge stipulated that the legally binding papers be served via a private message and not posted on her public profile for others to see.

McCormack said: "It's somewhat novel, however we do see it as a valid method of bringing the matter to the attention of the defendant."

The lawyer explained that he thought the courts would continue to use Facebook in this way, provided it was considered likely to work in each individual case.

Australian courts have previously granted permission for defendants to be served with legal papers via email and text message. However, this is the first reported case of the use of Facebook for this purpose.

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.

Internet presence essential for destination marketers in India

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With over half of Indian travellers using the internet to search for information about destinations aboard, travel operators and tourist bodies need an effective online...

Shanghai offers support in crisis

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Shanghai government has established a technology finance firm, an insurance designed for high-tech firms and provided platforms to encourage innovation and support such firms during the global financial crisis, local officials said. The city has opened a small-credit company in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Industrial Zone, often regarded as the local version of Silicon Valley. According to...

UAE: Real Estate Companies To Use New Software For Transactions

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

All Real Estate companies in Dubai promoting and selling off-plan property sales are to acquire a new software, called Oqood and strictly use it whenever transactions are made where it will have to go online through Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)...

Dubai Land Department registers 80,000 units in online scheme

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

More than 80,000 units have already been registered through Dubai Land Department's new online application system.Called Oqood, the new system will enable effective implementation of Law No 13 of 2008 for regulating the interim real estate register in Dubai...

Spanish properties a ‘popular internet search for investors’

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Buyers looking to purchase a property overseas are increasingly using the internet to find investments, according to experts in the sector.Global Edge studied the search habits of purchasers on a variety of engines to identify which regions are the most popular.Second homes in Spain were found to be particularly desirable for UK buyers. The Costa...

Video: Melita invests in €10m submarine cable to Sicily

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Melita is investing €10 million on a new state-of-the-art submarine fibre-optic cable between Malta and Sicily. The cable is due to be commissioned within a year. The investment was welcomed this morning by IT Minister Austin Gatt , who said...

80% netizens against cancelling National Day golden week

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

According to an online survey carried out by sina.com, one of the country’s largest online communitie, the cancellation of the National Day golden week is opposed by most netizens. Some 78.31% of the 49,422 respondents thought cancellation of the National Day golden week will leave them less time for traveling or family reunions, as the paid...

EU confirms Malta's leading ICT ranking

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The European Commission has confirmed Malta's high ICT ranking, recognising it again this year as "well advanced in information society, with many benchmarking indicators significantly above the EU average", the IT Ministry said. In its i2010...

IBM Supercomputer Boosts Bulgaria's Advance Towards Knowledge-Based Economy

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

SAITC will use IBM Blue Gene/P for high-end computing-intensive projects in life sciences, new drugs discovery, financial modelling and education...

Technical glitch halts LSE trades

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The London Stock Exchange has suspended trading due to a technical problem...

Oz faces crippling shortage of IT workers

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

IT skills shortages in Australia will continue or get worse at least until 2012, according to a new study...

Ericsson to Build, Operate Network for 'Smart City'

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Emaar, The Economic City, the Tadawul-listed company developing King Abdullah Economic City, has awarded a SR320 million ($85 million) strategic agreement to Ericsson to implement and operate the smart city infrastructure, "The Smart City." ...

RE/MAX and PAETEC Partner to Bring High-Tech Communications Platform to Real Estate Offices Across the Country

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

RE/MAX International, Inc. has formed a partnership with PAETEC, a U.S. company that delivers personalized communication solutions for business-class customers nationwide. The alliance will help RE/MA...

Technology 'good for expats'

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Modern technology has been praised for helping to improve the lives of people who have relocated abroad.

According to NatWest International, many expats find missing friends and relatives at home is the only downside of living overseas.

However, head of the organisation Dave Isley said this problem has been partly overcome by various technological advances in recent years.

For example, he stated that the internet has allowed expats to speak to people at home on a regular basis, while cheap airlines have made it easy to visit loved ones in person.

Mr Isley commented: "International Brits are able to seek a better quality of life abroad in the sun but at the same time can keep in touch with good old Blighty."

He was speaking after a poll by the company found that the majority of British expatriates do not have any regrets about moving abroad.

This comes after a report in the Telegraph stated that many people in the UK are thinking of packing up and leaving for another country.

This was largely attributed to the current state of the British economy, which has led to increases in the prices of groceries, fuel and other necessary expenses.

Web Booms As High Street Slumps

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The credit crunch and rising inflation are taking their toll on the High Street - but online retailers are booming, a new report says...

Credit crunch is driving IT outsourcing in UK property sector, says Connect

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Connect, the IT support company for small and medium enterprises, has today revealed new figures that show IT outsourcing in the property sector is gathering pace as a direct result of the credit crunch.

Mark MacGregor, Chief Executive of Connect, said:
“Since the start of the year, we have seen a 75% increase in the number of enquiries for IT support, with companies in sectors most affected by the credit crunch – notably property companies – leading the way. The increase in enquiries is particularly marked in mid-sized companies with 50-500 employees, where the cost of their own internal IT department is seen as an overhead they can reduce or eliminate speedily.”

MacGregor believes that the main driver for this surge in interest is a desire to reduce headcount, but that the greater flexibility available from outsourcing is also an important factor.
“Outsourcing is an obvious way to save money quickly - but many Financial Directors are also interested in finding ways to increase or reduce IT support to match the growth or reduction in their own employee numbers. For some clients who want to retain some capacity inhouse, we have designed specific packages that allow us to take over, for example, server or third line support, leaving the customer to continue with the simple fixes.

However, Macgregor also had a warning for property firms looking to follow the outsourcing path.
“Outsourcing can be an attractive option but companies need to be careful. It is an old truism that you should not outsource a problem and expect it to be magically solved. It is vital to spend the time at the start of any contract getting your IT strategy and processes right – only then can you have any confidence in successfully transferring your IT function to a third party.”

Eco homes: 'Our meter is going backwards'

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Sarah Lonsdale meets a couple who got rid of the oil tank and put in solar panels...

Lead auction site launches today (04 August 2008)

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

MD believes the current downturn will make the portal an attractive proposition to agents...

Technology That Can Help With a Home Sale

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

June Fletcher finds three high-tech ways to make your home more compelling to prospective buyers...

The Virtual Vacation Home

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As Webcams and other home-monitoring devices become smaller and cheaper, some people have become voyeurs of their own vacation homes, using them to check up on the lawn guy or simply daydream about a place they'd rather be...

Solar power show in Tianjin Binhai

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As China’s northern gateway Tianjin Binhai New Area runs about third in the economy after Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. Now Tianjin Binhai New Area is becoming an advanced modern manufacturing and R&D area as well as being an international shipping center and logistics center. In the period of the 11th...

Habitants to be notified of planned constructions via mail

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Tallinn city government will have to start sending thousands of notifications about planned constructions, writes arileht.ee...

Red Sea Housing Services awarded SAR 76.7 Project in Guinea

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dr Majid Al Kassabi a global leader in the manufacture of modular buildings in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, is pleased to announce that Red Sea Housing has been awarded a major contract worth SAR 76.7 million...

Macdonald & Company strengthens architecture consultancy team

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Macdonald & Company, the leading recruitment consultancy focusing solely on the property industry, has announced the expansion of its Architecture and Design recruiting team, amidst the rapid rise of the regional real estate market, which is currently valued at USD 1.2 trillion...

Asian luxury property expo also available on-line

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Millions of pounds worth of pre-launch, off-plan and under construction property will be showcased at this weekend's luxury property expo in Malaysia...

E-system to improve land registration in Bahrain

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

An advanced electronic system known as rfid will be soon inaugurated in Bahrain, head of land registration, Shaikh Salman bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, said...