Restb.ai AI-powered computer vision technology offers lenders, appraisers image validation solution designed for GSE-compliance
Dallas, Texas – November 30, 2023 – National banks and mortgage lenders are scrambling to incorporate image recognition into their appraisal review process, as the leading Government Sponsored Enterprise announced it will use "image recognition" to detect incorrect quality and condition ratings. Restb.ai, real estate's leading AI-powered computer vision solutions provider, offers mortgage originators and appraisal management companies (AMCs) a GSE-compliant image validation solution with its computer vision technology. GSEs require appraisal reports to include interior and exterior photos of subject properties. However, they only require one exterior front photo for each comparable. Recently, Fannie Mae analyzed more than a million appraisals using image recognition technology to compare appraisal reports to interior photos of comparables for comparing condition ratings. The differences in ratings were so significant that Fannie Mae is now using image recognition to detect condition errors. With the GSE moves, mortgage lenders and appraisal firms seek to reduce condition errors by adopting computer vision technology into the appraisal process. Recently, Fannie Mae noted image recognition technology was able to identify appraisal defects with 98% accuracy and significantly increase its efficiency, noting the new technology found "many defects that were previously impossible" for it to detect, adding that incorrect condition ratings can lead to missing or faulty adjustments to comparable sales, resulting in unsupported, inaccurate appraisals. "When the GSEs talk, lenders and appraisers listen – and act," said Tony Pistilli, General Manager, Valuations for Restb.ai, an appraisal industry veteran and respected valuation expert. "Image recognition is now a must-have. If Fannie Mae is doing it, appraisal providers and lenders need to be doing it too," he added. The significant shift by the secondary market to evaluate internal photos for quality and condition has resulted in rejecting appraisals when comparables are used without the appropriate adjustments. "Lenders and AMCs can immediately benefit by reducing the number of appraisal corrections, mitigating loan repurchase risk, and improving appraisal turn times and increasing appraisal quality by adopting our computer vision solution," said Nathan Brannen, Chief Product Officer for Restb.ai. "Computer vision can be a trusted source for quality and condition ratings, identifying property damage, home features not mentioned in the appraisal, and most importantly, protect the lender and appraisal provider by validating information in the appraisal," he added. In August, Restb.ai launched its Valuation Product Suite, which leverages its deep expertise in computer vision for real estate to offer an array of solutions designed to expedite the modernization of property appraisals. Details about the Restb.ai computer vision solutions and its Valuation Product Suite are online here. About Restb.ai Restb.ai, the leader in AI-powered computer vision for real estate, provides image recognition and data enrichment solutions for many of the industry's top brands and leading innovators. Its advanced AI-powered technology automatically analyzes property imagery to unlock visual insights at scale that empower real estate companies with relevant and actionable property intelligence. Restb.ai is like having a real estate expert instantly research and provide a deep insight into each of the 1 million property photos uploaded daily.

Matterport Launches Pro Series Camera Rental Program in North America to Deliver Flexibility and Scale to Customers
In partnership with Matterfix, the new rental program provides affordable and flexible access to Matterport's state-of-the-art 3D cameras and digital twins SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 24, 2023 -- Matterport, Inc. announced a new camera rental program to simplify and expand access to Pro3 and Pro2 cameras and accessories. The new program creates flexibility for new and existing Matterport customers, offering turn-key rental packages, as well as options to scale for existing Matterport customers. Created in partnership with Matterfix, a trusted Matterport camera repair partner, anyone in North America can rent a Pro2 or Pro3 starting as low as $149, providing cost-friendly access to Matterport's state-of-the-art 3D cameras. In addition, all rentals come with an included 30-day Professional SaaS plan, allowing customers to upload and store capture data, create interactive 3D floor plans, add tags and notes, as well as access cloud storage, video creation tools, and other features of the Matterport platform. Matterport's Pro Series Camera Rental Program provides customers with the opportunity to test out a Pro Series camera and Matterport subscription before making a long-term investment, or flexibly scale their existing equipment to suit the job's capture requirements. Rentals are available in the form of two kit configurations for each of the cameras. Essentials Kit: Includes Pro2 or Pro3 Series Camera, 30-day Professional SaaS plan, protective case and relevant power options (batteries or charger vary by device) Complete Kit: Includes everything in the Essentials Kit, plus a tripod and tablet capture device. "Matterport's Pro Series Camera Rental Program is a fantastic opportunity for anyone to experience the full power of Matterport's technology," said Abhijit Limaye, Sr. Director Product Management, Matterport. "This program provides customers maximum flexibility to scale their tools for whatever the job requires, at a price that meets every budget." To learn more about the program and how to get started, visit: matterfix-staging.webflow.io/rental. About Matterport Matterport, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTTR) is leading the digital transformation of the built world. Our groundbreaking spatial data platform turns buildings into data to make nearly every space more valuable and accessible. Millions of buildings in more than 177 countries have been transformed into immersive Matterport digital twins to improve every part of the building lifecycle from planning, construction, and operations to documentation, appraisal and marketing. Learn more at matterport.com and browse a gallery of digital twins.

LeadingRE Selects Virtuance and Diakrit for Solutions Group Program
Virtuance & Diakrit provide visual content and integrations to brands that are serious about growing their business CHICAGO – Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® has selected Virtuance & Diakrit for its Solutions Group program of preferred business resources for its global network of 550 market-leading real estate firms. Virtuance & Diakrit provides high-quality marketing content including magazine-quality photography, 2D and 3D floor plans, virtual tours, digital renovating, decorating tools and video to over 2,000 leading brokerage brands worldwide. "Virtuance & Diakrit gives real estate brokers a strategic advantage by ensuring all their listings are brand consistent and are widely advertised to everyone in the market. And, with technologies that highlight what it could be like to live in any given property – without even stepping foot inside – they help buyers feel more confident in their home buying decision," said LeadingRE Vice President, Sales/Partnerships Jeff Kennedy. With established networks of photography in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, Virtuance & Diakrit is well-positioned to serve LeadingRE's membership. "We're excited to join LeadingRE's prestigious Solutions Group. LeadingRE attracts some of the world's top real estate firms, such as our clients John L. Scott in the US, Barfoot & Thompson in New Zealand and Belle Property in Australia. These firms have successfully won more business with the help of Virtuance & Diakrit's high-quality marketing content. Our vision is to be the provider of choice in digital real estate marketing globally. By joining with LeadingRE, we look forward to establishing new relationships with leading firms in the U.S., Canada and central Europe to help them become a brand top-of-mind for anyone thinking of buying or selling in their market," said Dick Karlsson, founder and Head of Global Sales & Marketing. Learn more about Virtuance & Diakrit at experiences.diakrit.com/LRE22. Learn more about Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® at www.LeadingRE.com.  About Virtuance & Diakrit Virtuance & Diakrit are the leading providers of digital real estate marketing content in the United States, Europe, and Australasia. Virtuance & Diakrit work with 2,000+ leading brokerage brands worldwide and help them successfully win more business and grow their market share through industry-leading marketing content, including magazine-quality photography, 2D and 3D floorplans, virtual tours, digital renovating and decorating tools, and video. Creators of HDReal®, an industry-leading AI-powered image processing system, Virtuance & Diakrit automate key processes in real estate marketing, which enables real estate professionals to improve their marketing effectiveness, differentiate their brand, and drive consistent results for their clients.

RESAAS Announces Partnership with BoxBrownie.com
VANCOUVER, BC (January 22, 2020) – RESAAS Services Inc., a technology platform for the real estate industry, is pleased to announce a partnership with BoxBrownie.com. BoxBrownie.com is an award-winning real estate image enhancement company. It provides on demand professional photo editing services to real estate agents worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, signed on January 16, 2020, RESAAS will sell photo enhancement services to its 475,000 real estate subscribers, passing the photos to BoxBrownie.com via a technology integration for processing and enhancement. BoxBrownie.com won the National Association of Realtors 2018 Investment, Opportunity & Innovation (iOi) Pitch Battle, a competition among real estate technology start-ups. "We've all seen plain-looking photos that plague real estate listings all too often. BoxBrownie.com turns these photos into professionally edited versions on-demand," said Peter Schravemade, Business Development Manager at BoxBrownie.com. "We are thrilled to partner with RESAAS and their industry-leading platform, enabling their subscribers to invest in better photography." America's largest real estate photography network, VHT Studios, claims that homes professionally photographed sell 32 percent faster than those marketed with agent-provided photos. "This agreement with BoxBrownie.com adds further value, new revenue and better-looking content to our Platform," said Tom Rossiter, CEO at RESAAS. "The team at BoxBrownie.com have built a wonderful service. We are excited to help our subscribers improve the look of their listings, and with it increase their sales activity." Subscribers to RESAAS' Premium tier will receive some BoxBrownie.com processing as part of their benefits. RESAAS will also offer the ability to purchase credits for additional image processing. About RESAAS Services Inc. RESAAS is a technology platform that enables real estate brokerages, franchises and associations to bring real-time communication, new business opportunities and unique data to their agents on a global basis. Visit www.resaas.com for more information.

Leading Real Estate Photography Firms Form Association
Atlanta, GA – April 24, 2019 — Leading real estate photography companies have joined together to form the nation's first trade group for real estate photographers. The Association of Real Estate Photographers (AREP) has applied for status as a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association with the Internal Revenue Service and has begun to accept new association membership for real estate photographers, real estate photography companies, and affiliates. "Real Estate photographers are important partners providing many marketing services that increases a property's total sale price and decreases the number of Days on Market," said Paul Rodman, Executive Director and founding Board member of AREP. "Their creative work is remarkably valuable and should be protected. Working together, we can continue to help home buyers get a complete view of properties and avoid driving all over town while sellers get better informed shoppers who are more likely to buy." Founding members of the Association of Real Estate Photographer include many of the leading real estate photography companies including VHT, Planomatic, FloorPlans Online, Vizzi Media, Collabora (TourFactory), Virtuance, IMOTO Photo, and HouseLens. The founding members represent a group of about 2,000 professional photographers who are either employees of the company or licensed sub-contractors. Joining the founding members are a group of supporting Charter Members which include Twist Tours, Future Home Photo, Virtual Access Tours, South Florida Virtual Tour, Motion City Media, Southeastern Shutter, Top Notch 360 Real Estate Photography, A Beautiful Dominion, East Coast Virtual Tours, Picture Perfect Properties, and Boise Real Estate Photography. Charter members represent another 500 professional photographers. One of the first initiatives of AREP is to develop a set of photography service agreements for use by members that clearly outline the license for the permitted use of photos and other media. "Companies like Twist Tours have invested in the development of agreements that protect our photographers, and our customers," says Allison Cartwright, Twist Tours CEO. "Twist Tour's goal in joining the Association is to collaborate with other firms in our industry to raise professionalism and operate cooperatively with others to develop mutually beneficial standards that support the role of photography in real estate marketing without jeopardizing the assets of the photographers." AREP other initiatives will include developing professional standards, recommending best practices, offering education to members and creating certification. AREP also is in the process of planning its first annual conference. The conference lineup will include orientation for new members, educational sessions on copyright protections, best practices for operating a photography services business, and provide a review of industry advocacy efforts. Executive Director Paul Rodman recently spoke at the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) fall conference to share thoughts image data standards being added to the RESO Data Dictionary with the multiple listing organizations on how they can collaborate to better manage the rights of digital asset owners. AREP intends to work with the legal workgroup of the Council of MLS and the National Association of REALTORS to develop a healthy ecosystem for digital rights management of property media. Membership in the Association of Real Estate Photographers is available at AREphotographers.org. Individual memberships start at $185 per year. Membership is scaled based on the number of photographers working for the company. About the Association of Real Estate Photographers (AREP) The Association of Real Estate Photographers is a non-profit trade association representing 2,500 professionals and growing rapidly. The mission of AREP is to protect and preserve media of all kinds while promoting the value of real estate media to the public and clients. AREP elevates media by creative professionals by emphasizing quality, developing professional standards, recommending best practices, offering ongoing education to members. Learn more or join AREP at AREphotographers.org.

BHHS The Preferred Realty Is First to Launch Interactive Aerial Panorama Tours
Independence, OH, September 5, 2018 – Today, Property Panorama, home of InstaView, the most prominent automated Virtual Tour and Single Property Website in America, with over 20 million monthly unique tour views, announced the launch of America's first Interactive Aerial Panorama Tours in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) The Preferred Realty. Property Panorama has long been an innovator in the virtual tour category. Their initial innovation was stitching photos together 'online' to automatically create panoramic experiences, primarily for the interiors of homes. With InstaView, Property Panorama became the first tour company to create automation of virtual tours and single listing websites using MLS data feeds. InstaView also supports the capability of attaching and displaying any digital media, and the combining of photos and data to automate the creation and publication of YouTube video tours. "Leveraging Property Panorama's experience in photo stitching technology to reimagine the powerful capabilities of drone footage to create aerial panoramas was a natural progression for our company," says Mike Barnett, CEO of Property Panorama. BHHS The Preferred Realty is very enthusiastic about the launch of Interactive Aerial Panorama Tours in their digital marketing plans for properties. "These interactive aerial panoramas are a much better solution than drone videos as they allow a consumer to immerse themselves into the property, the neighborhood, and the community with a spectacular perspective," says Tom Hosack, CEO of BHHS The Preferred Realty. "More and more, consumers are searching properties online and it has been difficult to exhibit the grandeur of our properties with acreage or commercial properties without capturing footage from a helicopter or plane. With aerial panoramas, brokerages have a new tool in their arsenal to deliver this enhanced perspective to property buyers. The first interactive aerial panoramas developed for the launch were for listings by some of the firm's top agents – Lynn Maier, Sondra Keith, and Linda Honeywill of the Honeywill Team. Understanding the location of a property has always been vital to understand the value of real estate. With these interactive aerial panoramas, these agents can showcase the property and where it is situated in the community relative to the surrounding towns, rivers, lakes, and adjacent properties. "This is another great differentiator for our firm," says Hosack, "and our agents and their clients immediately see the value in how this new media can communicate the value of our listings to consumers." Sample Interactive Aerial Panoramic Tours 1659 Chapel Ridge, Mars, PA 16046, USA 212 Mingo Rd, Wexford, PA 15090, USA 688 Smith Rd, New Wilmington, PA 16142, USA To learn more and to see if a pilot is available in your area, click here. These tours can be marketed as a link, included as part of an InstaView tour or single listing website, embedded into web pages, or automatically posted in social media. The interactive aerial panoramas work natively on all native mobile and desktop browsers in 4k video and HD. Agents also receive 4 high resolution digital aerial photos to leverage in their marketing. BHHS The Preferred Realty is the combined brokerage of two Pittsburgh based firms covering Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio – Northwood Realty and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty, came together to form one of the region's largest real estate brokerages. The firm includes more than 1800 agents, employs over 200 staff, and operates 50 offices. The combination was driven by the spirit of collaboration amongst the two firms and the vision for the extended capabilities delivered though scale. "One of the most exciting benefits is our firm's ability to deliver cutting technology leadership to our agents and customers," says Hosack. Hosack continued, "we do a lot of satisfaction research to guide us through our technology services that we provide to our agents. In the case of Property Panorama, 19% of our agents find the service to be of highest value – 5 out of 5 stars, and 52% of agents find it to be highly valuable – 4 out of 5 stars. The balance of our agents believe that it is somewhat valuable. Out of our top 10 technology solutions provided to our agents, InstaView from Property Panorama ranked second in overall technology satisfaction. We expect the addition of optional aerial tours to boost satisfaction even more." The firm will be doing an extensive launch to the agents at their company convention in October of this year. About Property Panorama and InstaView Property Panorama is the highest rated and number one provider of virtual tours in the world, and maintains a 99.99% uptime, with over 5 million views per week. It is also the leading provider of non-gaming videos to YouTube in the world. Property Panorama supplies products to REALTORS© through multiple listing services and REALTOR© boards and associations, as well as directly to independent brokers and leading franchises, including BHHS The Preferred Realty, Realty One, RE/MAX, Keller Williams, Century 21, and Coldwell Banker. It is CoreLogic's preferred provider and is integrated into most major MLS vendor offerings, including FLEX MLS and Solid Earth by FBS, Black Knight/LPS, CoreLogic Matrix, and Navica. InstaView creates a hands-free, high-quality tour experience for their customers. InstaView's package includes the Branded Virtual Tour, Unbranded Virtual Tour, Branded YouTube Video, TurboText, along with Branded PDF and Virtual Flyers. About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty is an independently owned and operated franchisee of BHHS Affiliates. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc® Equal Housing Opportunity. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices does not endorse any of the products or vendors, referenced on this material. Any mention of vendors, products, or services is for information purposes only.

Matterport Releases Pro2 Lite, Its Most Affordable Camera for Capturing Properties in True3D
Immersive 3D Media Technology Company Offers New Lower-Cost 3D Camera, Making 3D Technology More Accessible to Everyone SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 15, 2018 -- Matterport, an immersive 3D media technology company, today announced the Pro2 Lite, its latest and most affordable camera. At $2,495, the Pro2 Lite makes the power of 3D technology more accessible than ever. The Pro2 Lite delivers the same fast and easy-to-use interactive 3D walkthrough experience and high-resolution 2D photography capabilities as the Pro2 model. With its push-button simplicity, the Pro2 Lite requires no training, weighs less than the Pro2, and offers the same high-quality imaging that is synonymous with Matterport. Unlike other companies that claim to provide "3D" tours, but are actually offering 360 panoramas that create a disjointed user experience, Matterport walkthroughs are True3DTM. Matterport's industry-leading technology creates fully immersive 3D experiences, as well as a unique 3D "dollhouse" view, which offers smooth transitions from room to room, conveys an immediate understanding of scale, and illustrates spatial relationships within a property. True3DTM space capture is becoming the baseline for property marketing, communication, collaboration and documentation, in real estate, retail, travel and hospitality, architecture, engineering, construction, and insurance. The Pro2 Lite will help fuel that momentum and will support Matterport's mission to democratize 3D technology by making it more affordable. Customers can now set themselves apart by showing their clients that they invest in the best technology, all at a lower cost to get started. The key differences between the Pro2 Lite and the Pro2 are a shorter battery life and a different pricing structure for creating content. With four hours of battery life, a Pro2 Lite user can scan up to 8,000 square feet of space before charging the battery. The Pro2 Lite is a great option for businesses who are just getting started with Matterport, but still want to offer their clients the best 3D technology available. "Matterport offers the world's most advanced 3D reality capture platform for businesses that want to interact with clients and partners in immersive True3DTM," said Bill Brown, Matterport CEO. "We are excited to now offer a version of the Matterport Pro2 camera at a price point that makes 3D even more accessible. Immersive 3D media is on track to replace 2D photography as the digital medium to communicate about properties, and the Pro2 Lite will help to accelerate that shift." The Pro2 Lite release comes on the heels of Matterport's announcement that the company has enabled publishing of Matterport scans to Google Street View and rolled out significantly faster "capture" capabilities, which allow users to capture immersive 3D experiences as well as 2D photos in less time than it traditionally takes to capture just 2D photos. This dramatically increases the usefulness, as well as the ROI, for customers. The Pro2 Lite will be shipping in March and is available for pre-order here. About Matterport Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Matterport is creating a True3D™ image of the physical world with its innovative, end-to-end platform for capturing, experiencing, and modifying digital copies of every real world places on Web, mobile devices, and VR headsets. The company uses its proprietary machine-vision and deep learning platforms to fuel ongoing product innovation. Matterport's Cameras and Cloud Services make it quick and easy to turn real-world places into immersive virtual experiences. Matterport customers have produced almost 800,000 models across 80 countries; these models have been visited nearly 300 million times. More information about Matterport is available at www.matterport.com.

VHT Studios Partners with AgentEDU to Offer Real Estate Agents Best-in-Class Online Real Estate Photography Training Course
Real estate professionals seeking to learn about photography or sharpen their skills can subscribe to a new online class offered through AgentEDU.com, a growing national training platform for real estate agents, in partnership with VHT Studios, the nation's leading real estate photography and visual marketing company. CHICAGO (FEBRUARY 01, 2018) - Real estate professionals seeking to learn about photography or sharpen their skills can subscribe to a new online class offered through AgentEDU.com, a growing national training platform for real estate agents, in partnership with VHT Studios, the nation's leading real estate photography and visual marketing company. AgentEDU and VHT Studios are rolling out the course, "How to Take Real Estate Photography," to provide agents of all levels with direct online instruction on how to take gorgeous, high quality real estate photography so their listings stand out from the competition, attract more buyers and sell faster. The course is available with a subscription to AgentEDU.com. See an intro video to the course, here. "We are turning to VHT Studios for the company's unmatched expertise and deep commitment to serving the real estate community," said Anne Hartnett, AgentEDU's Managing Partner. "Agents know that quality photography for their listings is essential to grabbing a buyer's attention, contributes to a shorter market time and helps get the best price for your listing," she added. AgentEDU is an online video training platform designed to help real estate agents at every level advance their skill sets, expand their industry knowledge and become better agents. AgentEDU lets agents access valuable learning resources anytime and anywhere so they become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. The partnership solidifies VHT's position as the real estate agent's primary resource for real estate photography while adding to AgentEDU's extensive library of courses designed to help agents hone their skills and build a successful real estate career. "We are proud to partner with AgentEDU and their parent company, Agent Publishing to provide this convenient and easy-to-access educational resource to real estate professionals," said Sarah Anderson, Vice President, Marketing, VHT Studios. "Over the past 20 years, we've proven that stunning real estate photography is the most effective way to attract buyers' attention and sell homes. Yet, many real estate professionals don't include high quality photographs in their listings, web sites, advertising and other real estate marketing materials. An online photography course offered through AgentEDU now makes it easy for agents to elevate their marketing expertise, attract new clients and grow their brand and business," she added. View this introductory video of the course, "How to Take Real Estate Photography." About Agent Publishing As a leading trade publication with more than 15 years covering residential real estate, Agent Publishing's influence extends to agents across the country through print and digital magazines, live events and career development. Agents, brokers, builders, developers, lenders, appraisers and other real estate professionals rely on Agent Publishing for a cutting-edge mix of fresh local reporting, detailed analysis of major national trends and profiling of top industry professionals. Agent Publishing is unmatched in helping residential real estate professionals better serve clients and stay on top of ever-changing industry trends and news. Learn more at http://www.AgentPublishing.com and AgentEDU.com. About VHT Studios VHT Studios celebrates 20 years of delivering excellence to top real estate professionals who rely on VHT Studios for stunning professional photography, virtual tour videos, virtual staging, drone photography and video, interactive and standard floor plans, 3D home tours, and image management services. VHT Studios' broad range of visual marketing services ensures properties get seen more, sell and rent faster and at a greater price, which also helps real estate agents attract new clients and grow their businesses. A full-service partner to leading agents, brokerages and businesses, the VHT Studios team delivers the most powerful marketing and selling tools - starting with high-quality photography -- through creation and final display. For more information, visit us on VHT.com.

VHT Studios Acquires Real Estate Photography Business from Circlepix
ROSEMONT, ILL. (JANUARY 05, 2018) - VHT Studios®, the nation's leading provider of professional photography, virtual staging and visual marketing services for real estate and businesses, announced the acquisition of the photography business of Circlepix®. Founded in 2000 in Springville, Utah, Circlepix, like VHT Studios, is an industry pioneer and leader in providing photography services to real estate professionals. This latest move marks VHT Studios' second major acquisition in two years. The acquisition of the Circlepix photography business combines the strengths of these top real estate photography providers to create the deepest, nationwide, professional photographers' network for residential and commercial properties in fifty states and at all price points. To meet the growing and diverse spectrum and needs of residential and commercial real estate professionals, the acquisition combines the talents of the two largest real estate focused photographer networks in North America. Existing Circlepix clients will benefit from the deep and wide variety of VHT Studios' visual marketing offerings and resources, as well as the features and benefits of PIXmarketing, the Circlepix marketing platform for real estate professionals. Brian Balduf, VHT Studios CEO said, "We are extremely excited to welcome Circlepix clients and photographers to our growing company. With the combined talent base, we will be able to provide more services to more real estate professionals across the United States. As part of our growth strategy, we continue to look for partners that work to achieve the same high standards as VHT Studios for quality, service and convenience. Our proprietary platform for the production and management of visual marketing assets helps both photographers and real estate professionals get the best return on their efforts and investments." The acquisition brings thousands of clients under the VHT Studios umbrella of coverage and professional services. The photography business acquisition does not include PIXmarketing and PIXsocial; Circlepix retains ownership of those service platforms. On the acquisition, Robert Davis, Circlepix CEO stated, "VHT Studios and Circlepix both view excellent imagery and technology as integral to leading the industry. Providing an unprecedented level of service to real estate brokerages and agents by combining the outstanding quality of VHT Studios photography and the power of PIXmarketing just makes sense. With VHT's outstanding track record of growth and commitment to excellence, we are extremely pleased knowing our clients will be in great hands with the real estate photography industry leader." VHT Studios is working diligently to transition Circlepix photographers and clients into the VHT family, to smoothly integrate and expand service offerings and client support teams for continued excellence and exceptional service in 2018 and beyond. VHT Studios invites real estate professionals to view galleries of stunning real estate photography, aerial drone video, and our Virtual Staging Suite of products including Virtual Twilight, Virtual Staging, Virtual Redecorate, Virtual Paint and Virtual Declutter. Click here for a gallery of high-resolution, downloadable aerial photography and video. About VHT Studios VHT Studios, the company that founded the real estate photography industry, celebrates twenty years of serving real estate and business professionals in 2018. Since 1998, VHT has delivered excellence in professional photography, virtual tour videos, virtual staging, interactive and standard floor plans, drone photography and video, 3D home tours, and image management services to top professionals looking to become even more successful. VHT Studios' services ensure properties get seen more, sell and rent faster and at a greater price, which also helps attract new clients. A full-service partner to leading real estate agents, brokerages and businesses, the VHT Studios team delivers the most powerful marketing and selling tools – starting with high-quality photography -- through creation and final display. With an unrivaled nationwide network of the top professional photographers and image specialists, VHT Studios' programs are an affordable, valuable investment for real estate agents, who expect their listings to be seen whenever and wherever homebuyers search, and for brokers looking to recruit and retain top agents. Based in Rosemont, Illinois, VHT Studios has helped more than 200,000 real estate and business professionals sell and rent more than $200 billion in properties since the company's founding. For more information, visit us on VHT.com.

Matterport's Innovative 3D Reality Capture Technology Helps Protect Valuable Property Investments
Matterport Drives Transparency Resulting in Fair and Fast Payout for Property Owners Attempting to Get Lives and Businesses Back on Track SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 -- Emerging 3D reality capture technology is helping property owners protect against insurance losses, both before and after disaster strikes. Matterport, the immersive 3D media technology company based in Silicon Valley, is being called a "game changer" by professionals in the property claims market. After disasters, property owners, public adjusters, contractors, and attorneys face substantial obstacles when assessing structures for repair. Damage must be precisely documented, which can't be done comprehensively with 2D photos or video. In addition, the claims process can take months, during a time which a building's condition can change, further complicating the claims and rebuilding process. This provides a real issue for owners who have to complete repairs as quickly as possible, sometimes before the insurance claim is sorted. Owners need to proactively "freeze" (or capture) their properties in time, so they can easily proceed with repairs and the claims process in the event of loss. While photography and videos are both tools that can be used, they don't provide nuance, which is why many property owners today have turned to Matterport's immersive 3D and virtual reality (VR) platform to record their spaces in pre-and-post-damage condition. "We are pleased to see homeowners, claims adjusters and insurance professionals adopting our 3D reality capture technology to document their property," said Matterport CEO Bill Brown. "As seen with the recent devastation wrought by natural disasters across the United States, Matterport's ability to capture an exact replica of a property helps to provide the fairest outcomes, cuts time and expense for insurance professionals and expedites the insurance claims and rebuilding process for property owners. Matterport technology is not only cost effective and simple to use but also produces results that are far superior to 2D photography." Ft. Lauderdale, FL-based WriteLoss, a business that documents property damage, started using Matterport cameras and cloud-based services over 18 months ago, in over 500 cases across 36 states. "The Matterport technology precisely captures a property's condition at a specific moment in time in a way that's game-changing," said David Herring, CEO of WriteLoss. "The immersive nature of the technology provides visceral, detailed views of a property and what is needed to fix it. A decision-maker can be located thousands of miles away and yet feel like she is walking through the property at her own pace, while deciding what to see." "Anyone who lives in a hurricane, flood, fire or earthquake zone should really consider getting a 3D model of their property in case disaster hits," added Herring. "But the same goes for business or homeowners anywhere. It's an inexpensive way to ensure you are financially protected should you experience a loss as regular as, say, overhead water damage. We tell people to hold on to receipts, but insurance companies want to see photo documentation because that's what changes the outcome and makes it better for people, and I can't think of a better way to document that than Matterport." Founded in 2011, Matterport gives people the freedom to experience any place at any time and from anywhere. There are numerous applications across industries beyond property recovery, including real estate, hospitality, travel, entertainment, construction, and others. Matterport's easy-to-use platform captures immersive 3D tours, virtual reality experiences, Google Street View inside view tours, 3D floor plans, guided tours and more. The all-in-one technology requires little to no training to operate, and a 2,000-square-foot space can be captured in under an hour. About Matterport Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Matterport is an immersive media technology company that delivers an end-to-end system for creating, modifying, distributing, and navigating immersive 3D and virtual reality (VR) versions of real-world spaces on Web, mobile devices, and VR headsets. The Matterport Pro Camera and Cloud Services make it quick and easy to turn real-world places into immersive virtual experiences. More information about Matterport is available at www.matterport.com. To learn more about becoming a Matterport Service Provider, visit our Service Provider Program.

Matterport Ranks No. 3 on Silicon Valley Business Journal's List of 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Achievement Follows Recent Recognition in the 2017 Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies List SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 23, 2017 -- Matterport, an immersive media technology company, today announced that the Silicon Valley Business Journal has ranked the company No. 3 on its annual list of the top 50 fastest-growing private companies in Silicon Valley. This recognition highlights Matterport's recent unparalleled growth spree to meet the demand for its next-generation cloud-based 3D reality capture and distribution platform. Matterport has experienced quadruple-digit revenue growth in the past three years and notable market momentum including geographic expansions to EMEA and APAC, and vertical market expansions serving customers across multiple industries, including residential real estate, travel and hospitality, architecture, engineering and construction, business listings, insurance and facilities management, among others. Matterport has the world's largest VR library of real-world spaces, with 3D models of over 700,000 spaces that have been visited over 250 million times. The company was also recently ranked No. 26 on the 36th annual Inc. 5000 in August of this year. "We're extremely proud to have created an industry-leading platform that makes the creation of 3D digital models easier, faster and more cost-effective than ever before," stated Bill Brown, Matterport CEO. "Our substantial growth is validation of our technology's proven ability to transform the way people interact with the built environment, and we see significant opportunity to continue this rapid expansion, furthering our mission of making immersive 3D media the primary medium for digitally experiencing real-world spaces." This announcement follows Matterport's recent partnership with Leica Geosystems, as well as the recent announcement on Ericsson Ventures joining its growing list of strategic investors with a $5-million investment. Matterport is backed by leading financial and strategic investors, including Lux Capital, DCM Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Felicis Ventures, iGlobe Partners, CBRE, News Corp., AMD Ventures, GIC, Navitas Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, Gordon Segal, and Sound Ventures. About Matterport Matterport is an immersive media technology company that delivers an end-to-end system for creating, modifying, distributing, and navigating immersive 3D and virtual reality (VR) versions of real-world spaces on the Web, mobile devices, and VR headsets. To learn more, visit www.matterport.com or the Matterport Gallery.

Chime Unveils AI-Enabled Smart Dialer and Drone Technology to Keep Real Estate Agents Ahead of the Curve
Chime is also celebrating its first anniversary after a year of expansion and growth SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8, 2017 -- Chime Technologies, an operating system for the real estate industry, announced two new major innovations today along with its one-year anniversary. The launch of these game-changing features—an AI-enabled smart dialer and a fully autonomous drone—reflect Chime's journey to become a complete operating system that transforms the business of doing real estate by integrating innovative technology in new ways. Chime set out to create an operating system that contained everything real estate professionals needed to seamlessly run, and grow, their business. Through conversations with agents, brokers and coaches, Chime realized that one of their biggest challenges was dealing with too many, disparate, and unconnected solutions, which ended up creating more work rather than less. In August 2016, Chime launched an all-in-one real estate platform that offered real estate professionals a powerful lead generation and CRM solution, enabling them to launch marketing campaigns, track leads' activities, build customer relationships, and seamlessly manage teams, anytime, anywhere. Over the past year, Chime has continued to evolve and expand the platform to address the full spectrum of agents' needs. The company now has clients in all 50 states. "Chime has evolved as the needs of our customers have evolved," said Matt Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer of Chime. "We are bringing the industry to where it should be, while also giving it a run for its money. We always try to stay one step ahead and our clients love that we are constantly pushing to deliver cutting edge in real estate technology." The AI-enabled smart dialer, named Belle, isn't just a utility, but also serves as an intelligent companion that enables quick performance and limited downtime between calls. Agents simply select a list within Chime and push it to the dialer. They can then quickly dial prospects with just one click, add notes, do follow-ups, schedule appointments, and send texts or emails from within the tool. The AI overlay means the smart dialer is imbued with Smart Scoring that dynamically scores leads as well as Smart Lists which form in the dialer based off relevant and important actions that an agent needs to accomplish that day. As prospects interact and engage with the system—opening property alerts, reading emails—Belle adjusts the lead's scores and adapts scripts and follow-ups in real-time, based on quality and intent of the lead, to have the maximum impact. Chime is the first company to do this in the real estate space. "Belle combined with Chime is a killer product combination for teams and brokerages," said Murphy. "Our goal is to provide a productivity suite that empowers agents and brokers with all the tools they need to close more deals, and these features take smart dialers to the next level." Chime's second new feature provides drone technology that has the potential to superpower open houses and listings. Chime has the exclusive U.S. real estate distribution rights with Simtoo, the creator of the Moment drone for aerial photography. The Simtoo drone is tiny, with four small blades that are covered so it can fly indoors, and strong battery life, which allows it to fly for over 10 minutes. The drone travels autonomously and comes equipped with facial recognition technology, so agents don't have to worry about navigating it through properties. Chime has developed a powerful software layer for the Simtoo Moment drone, enabling agents to give virtual tours of homes, and focus on providing the best experience possible for people over the Internet. The drone footage live streams directly to a Facebook page or listing-specific site, so interested buyers can watch from anywhere. "Livestreaming is a fundamental innovation that will transform real estate," Murphy said. "By launching this drone feature, Chime is at the forefront of this transformation." While they are a critical part of the real estate process, open houses can be inconvenient. They are displacing for sellers, who have to leave their homes, keep them pristine over time, and put away valuables. They can also be a nuisance for buyers, who may be short on time or live out of the area. With a virtual open house, none of that needs to happen. Agents can spend an hour doing a virtual tour and then share that footage with interested buyers. Chime's drone feature saves time and money for agents, sellers and buyers alike. "Real estate teams such as the Boyenga Team, Climb Real Estate Group, EXIT Realty and Tru Realty are switching to us because we have proven our innovation cycle—how fast we can push code, how far and how quickly we've evolved in such a short period of time," adds Murphy. About Chime Chime is an operating system for the real estate industry. Its award-winning productivity suite offers a robust set of features that help real estate professionals and teams of all sizes run and grow their business. Chime operates as a US subsidiary of Renren, Inc. (RENN). For more information, contact [email protected] or 888-342-9698, or visit www.chime.me.

Matterport Introduces 134 Megapixel All-In-One Camera, Adding New High-Resolution 2D Photos for Print and Digital to Market-Leading 3D Camera
Includes higher resolution 2D images and 3D and Virtual Reality (VR) walkthroughs, 360 images, and significantly greater online zoom capability SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 31, 2017 -- Immersive media technology company Matterport today announced the release of the Matterport Pro2 3D Camera. The new Pro2 camera generates high quality 4K 2D photography, in addition to state-of-the-art 3D and VR walkthroughs and floorplans -- all from one device. Now users can get more value from each scan. The all-in-one camera, together with the Matterport Cloud, offers customers an end-to-end solution for capturing, distributing, and visualizing properties, in 2D, 3D, and VR. The 134 megapixel camera now also features built-in GPS technology, which enables automatic tagging of scan locations. "The Pro2 is a breakthrough solution for anyone who needs to convey what it's like to be in a space using multiple online and offline channels," said Bill Brown, CEO of Matterport. "Never before has there been an all-in-one camera that generates print-quality photography, high-quality digital images, a full-color 3D interactive floor plan, an immersive 3D/VR experience, and more, from one device and one visit to the property. And best of all, it's incredibly easy to use." Introduced in 2014, Matterport's unique 3D media solution revolutionized the way businesses in various markets, including real estate, travel and hospitality, architecture, engineering and construction, media and entertainment, and other sectors, share the details of their properties. To date, over 500,000 properties have been captured, generating more than 170 million views across 80 countries. With the Matterport Pro2, customers can create high resolution print images and digital 3D experiences with the same push button simplicity. The Matterport Pro2 enables camera operators to expand into new verticals and additional segments of the market, and more efficiently deliver services to their clients. Until now, people marketing a space had to budget for 2D photography and a 3D Space separately. With the Matterport Pro2, they can get both 2D photography and a 3D Space for one low cost. Key features of the Matterport Pro2 3D Camera include: 4K resolution capture for printing, as well as digital photos and spherical images Generates 360 views and spherical images for easy space communication Automated generation of color 2D and 3D interactive floor plans Optional 2D schematic floor plan creation Built-in GPS for automatic tagging of scan locations Access to storytelling features including rich media tagging in 3D Distribution features including syndication and social sharing Core elements of the Matterport solution: Automated end-to-end processing meaning it's push button simple for the user Simple iPad Capture app makes operation quick and easy for anyone Little to no training required to operate The same high-quality 3D sensing capability as the original Matterport Pro camera Convenient and portable "As real estate professionals, we must embrace technology to stay competitive. By providing both traditional and innovative visual assets from one device, Matterport helps to bridge the gap and be a one stop shop," said John De Souza, President at Cressy & Everett Real Estate. "Matterport has helped my team win listings and reach more buyers, and is a must-have for anyone in the real estate industry." Another benefit of the Pro2 Camera is that it captures an entire property in a 3D model that can be revisited online at any time, allowing users to generate additional photos without having to reshoot the space. Research by Matterport found that two-thirds of photographers using traditional 2D cameras often wish they had captured something additional after the photo shoot. Businesses using Matterport will benefit from the recent partnership with Google Street View. Starting this summer, Matterport scans can easily be published to Google Street View with the click of a button. Pricing and availability The Matterport Pro2 Camera, priced at $3,995, is available now for pre-order. Shipping starts June 15, 2017. About Matterport Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Matterport is an immersive media technology company that delivers an end-to-end system for creating, modifying, distributing, and navigating immersive 3D and virtual reality (VR) versions of real-world spaces on Web, mobile devices, and VR headsets. The Matterport Pro Camera and Cloud Services make it quick and easy to turn real-world places into immersive virtual experiences. Matterport has a vast network of 2000 photographers around the world that can be hired to create Matterport Spaces. To hire a Matterport partner, click here.

Realtor.com® and Golden State Warriors Team Up to Help Fans 'Find Their Home Court'
  SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2017 -- Realtor.com® today announced the launch of the My Home Court photo generator, which allows Golden State Warriors fans to demonstrate loyalty to their team and hometown.  The social media activation is part of the Bay Area-headquartered online real estate destination's multi-year sponsorship of the NBA team. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp subsidiary Move, Inc. Between Feb. 8 and April 5, fans who visit http://warriors.com/myhomecourt can customize a photo with their home town, as well as Warriors and realtor.com® branding. The photos are shareable via Facebook and Twitter so fans can give their team and town a loud social shout-out. Warriors players – Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston, James Michael McAdoo, Patrick McCaw and David West – are also getting in on the My Home Court action. In a new multi-episode digital series, these players are sharing what the idea of a "home court" means to them – whether it's the court they first played on, the town where they got their start, or the home they live in today. Warriors fans have an opportunity to see the series as it rolls out in-arena before Warriors home games, across social media and on realtor.com®. Visit http://warriors.com/myhomecourt to see current videos of players talking about their home court and favorite room in their home. "Whether you're a first time home buyer, renter or professional basketball team, moving to a new home is incredibly exciting," said Andrew Strickman, senior vice president of brand and chief creative for realtor.com®. "The Warriors upcoming move to the Chase Center in San Francisco gives us a unique opportunity to provide fans an inside glimpse of their favorite players, as we demonstrate the value of realtor.com® and help celebrate what home means to players and to their fans." Each fan attending the Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls game on Feb. 8 will have a chance to qualify for realtor.com®'s "prime real estate" seat upgrade, where two fans will be randomly selected to relocate to Sideline Club seating. "We're always looking for partnerships to provide our fans with unique opportunities to connect with our team and further enhance their experience," said Chip Bowers, chief marketing officer for the Warriors. "We have one of the largest social followings in the industry and we recognize their desire to engage with our brand in new and creative ways. Realtor.com® has been thoughtful in how Warriors fans can share their love for the team across multiple digital platforms and we are very excited to launch this new social activation." As part of the collaboration, realtor.com®'s ability to help people find the home of their dreams will be emphasized with in-arena signage at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., as well as via digital, email and social promotions. With more homes for sale nationwide than any other competing service, realtor.com® remains the best place for home searchers to find the home court advantage for themselves. About realtor.com® Realtor.com® is the trusted resource for home buyers, sellers and dreamers, offering the most comprehensive source of for-sale properties, among competing national sites, and the information, tools and professional expertise to help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. It pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today helps make all things home simple, efficient and enjoyable. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS®. For more information, visit realtor.com.

Matterport Surpasses 70 Million Global Visits and Celebrates Explosive Growth of 3D and Virtual Reality Spaces
SUNNYVALE, CA--(September 20, 2016) - Immersive media technology company Matterport today announced a series of milestones that reflect the company's tremendous growth since the 2014 launch of its end-to-end immersive media platform. Customers across industries such as residential and commercial real estate, apartment rentals, vacation rentals, hotels, business listings, event venues, architecture, construction, and entertainment and news media are creating over 22,000 new Matterport Spaces each month. Matterport Spaces are complete digital representations of a real-world environment. To date, there are a total of 300,000 Spaces. The numbers of Spaces created per month has nearly tripled in the last year. In addition, visits to these Spaces has doubled since March to over seventy million visits, and is now growing at almost two million additional visits per week. In May 2016, in response to strong demand overseas, the company expanded internationally, announcing local availability in Australia, Canada, and the UK. In July, the company acquired Virtual Walkthrough, a London-based company specializing in virtual tours for residential and commercial property. Matterport now has customers in more than seventy countries, with the international market accounting for more than twenty five percent of the company's revenues. According to a Matterport customer survey fielded in August 2016, eighty-eight percent of customers stated that Matterport helps them to build a stronger brand in the marketplace, seventy-eight percent stated that they are more competitive because of Matterport, and seventy percent (n = 204) commented that they win more business because of Matterport. "We are witnessing a revolution with immersive media, and Matterport's technology is leading the way, transforming the way people interact with and understand real world spaces," said Bill Brown, CEO of Matterport. "The volume of immersive 3D content created by our customers is unparalleled, and we've been excited by the myriad of industries leveraging 3D and VR content today to fuel their businesses." Real estate professionals have been early adopters of immersive media. Matterport's technology has been credited with fundamentally altering the real estate buying process. Matterport is already working with agents from seven of the top ten brokerage firms including Keller Williams, Sotheby's International Realty, and ReMAX. "Matterport is changing how real estate is bought and sold, and is setting the new standard for what is expected. Their realistic digital representations have enabled the '24/7 open house,'" said Gregg Lynn, a top 1% producing agent with Sotheby's International Realty - San Francisco brokerage. "I am getting significant benefits, in terms of winning more clients and listings and offering superior results for those clients." Multifamily housing is another industry adopting immersive media. Rental community owners and managers use Matterport Spaces to engage and inform prospective renters during their online search, and have experienced significant gains resulting from Matterport. "Apartments.com added Matterport Spaces to provide renters a richer and more informed experience in their search for a new home. Renters who engage with Matterport Spaces spend 2.5 times longer on the property listing and are twice as likely to submit a lead. Ultimately, property managers benefit greatly by receiving more qualified leads," said Fred Saint, President, Apartments.com. The travel and hospitality industry has also embraced the real life visual representation that 3D and VR provide to showcase their properties to guests and corporate clients. Industry leaders such as Vacasa in the US vacation rental space, and Lodgis in the French apartment and vacation rental space, are both customers of Matterport. "We provide Matterport's 3D immersive experiences as a standard feature to our homeowners and guests at no additional cost," says Vacasa founder and CEO Eric Breon. "Transparency is a key part of our business philosophy and Matterport has helped us continue to achieve that, making us the first in our industry to offer this feature across our fast-growing portfolio of more than 3,900 U.S. properties." Matterport's immersive media also is being used by media and entertainment companies to make modern storytelling more immersive. The Associated Press produced the first 3D and VR story ever. Other media organizations using Matterport include The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. "Working with Matterport has allowed us to engage with our readers in an entirely new way by shaping an immersive experience," said Mae Cheng, publisher and editor-in-chief at Mansion Global, a Dow Jones publication. "The properties Mansion Global features come to life now, allowing readers to virtually walk down the hallways and tour the bedrooms and kitchens of their future homes." Matterport Service Providers and Community Customers can purchase their own Matterport Pro 3D Camera for use in their properties and spaces, or turn to a Matterport Service Provider (MSP) for scanning services. The MSP Network represents photographers and entrepreneurs who have built businesses around scanning real-world spaces. "I've built a business around my Matterport camera, with clients in the real estate, hospitality, retail, and art industries. It is clear that VR is the future, and Matterport's 3D immersive media platform has paved the way for many of us to create companies that provide unique services for our increasingly digital and visual world," said Diego Orofino, Founder of RealVirtualZone." The Matterport MSP network is now over 1,200 strong, represented in all 50 states and over 64 countries. Matterport launched its community in June of this year, in response to growing interest by these and other customers to have a forum to share tips and ideas, and learn from one another. Check out this infographic illustrating exciting milestones in Matterport's four years of leadership in immersive media and reality capture. About MatterportHeadquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Matterport is an immersive media technology company that delivers an end-to-end system for creating, modifying, distributing, and navigating immersive 3D and virtual reality (VR) versions of real-world spaces on Web, mobile devices, and VR headsets. The Matterport Pro Camera and Cloud Services make it quick and easy to turn real-world places into immersive virtual experiences. To learn more, visit matterport.com.

For Rent Media Solutions™ First in Multifamily Space to Offer Drone Aerial Photography to Customers Nationwide
Norfolk, Va. – (March 3, 2016) – For Rent Media Solutions™ (FRMS), a key player at the forefront of the multifamily industry for more than three decades, has added drone video and photography to its robust list of products. Today's consumers not only desire, but demand, visual content. ForRent.com® (as it is known by apartment shoppers) was the first to provide customers with a digital video marketing solution and is now going one step further by becoming the first in the multifamily space to offer aerial videos and photography nationwide. Commercial drone use is soaring. It is projected that 1 million drones, also known as quadcopters, will be sold in the U.S. in 2016, a 145 percent increase from 2015. FRMS and its partners have been researching the drone industry and FAA regulations since early 2015 and fully understand these regulations. The company is excited to add licensed drone pilots and FAA-registered drones to its already extensive arsenal of videographers. ForRent.com currently hosts nearly 8,500 videos, and the addition of drone photos and video will greatly expand its customers' options. Joining the agriculture, construction, energy, rail and other industries, FRMS is proud to be the first in the multifamily space to offer a forward-thinking aerial video product to all of its customers nationwide. This new product represents an amazing opportunity for property management companies, as drones are ideal for capturing large pieces of property and apartment communities with unique and aesthetically pleasing features. In fact, according to VideoBrewery.com, real estate listings with videos receive 403% more inquiries than those without. Additionally, business2community.com states that 80% of online visitors watch a video, while only 20% read content in its entirety. "As For Rent continues to lead the industry in digital services, including video, social media and mobile, introducing drone photography to customers nationwide is a natural progression for our company," said Terry Slattery, president of FRMS. "We are passionate about the latest technology, and we pride ourselves on keeping up with the most current and innovative trends to best serve our customers, drive quality leads to them, and build their brands. Our first to market introduction of drone footage allows us to offer customers a unique opportunity to promote their portfolio to consumers looking for their next apartment home." For more information and to see an example of aerial video, check out Taking Drone Use to New Heights. About For Rent Media Solutions™ Founded in 1982 as For Rent Magazine®, For Rent Media Solutions™ (FRMS) is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and provides property managers and owners with diverse marketing and advertising products, services and education. These products are easy to use, easy to understand, and designed with modern renters in mind. For apartment shoppers, FRMS provides robust community listings in a multitude of media, including print, social, online, mobile, video and an extensive distribution network. FRMS operates four websites: ForRent.com®,  AFTER55.com®, CorporateHousing.com™ and ForRentUniversity.com®. FRMS has been a forward-thinking leader in the multifamily industry for more than three decades. With a sales force more than 300 strong (the largest in the industry), FRMS takes pride in helping customers to drive leads, retain residents, and build and maintain their brands. Additionally, ForRent.com listings receive exclusive distribution to Homes.com® Rentals. Visit ForRent.com for more information and our Apartment Professionals Blog for industry knowledge, tips and ideas. About ForRent.com® As one of the nation's leading online home search destinations, ForRent.com® inspires renters to discover their next apartment, loft, townhouse, or condo. ForRent.com features rental listings in a user-friendly format, making finding your next home an easy exploration. Visitors to the ForRent.com blog will discover relevant information and can join the conversation surrounding home decorating style, apartment hunting tips and more. ForRent.com serves as the complete resource for renters in every part of their living experience.

Obeo Acquires California Image Maker
Obeo is thrilled to announce that we have acquired one of the top real estate photography providers in Southern California, California Image Maker. We've been hard at work behind the scene over the past couple months, getting everything ready, and we couldn't be happier make it "official"! Please help us in welcoming Stuart Laureano, CEO of California Image Maker, and his amazing team to Obeo! Stu will become the Regional Vice President for Obeo's Southern California market. According to Stu Laureano, founder and CEO of California Image Maker "This is a win-win situation for our clients. We are combining California Image Maker's incredible network of people with the world's leading real estate marketing technology, Obeo. The people will stay the same, but we'll deliver an enhanced suite of marketing tools that will take our clients' business to the next level. And all at the same price point!" Stu went on to explain that California Image Maker clients will benefit from Obeo's marketing automation, which reduces data entry and enhances syndication. Other benefits include social media automation, YouTube video on every listing, lead generating mobile text codes, eflyers, virtual staging, and a lead generating mobile search app." Click here to watch a short video announcement Stu created for his clients. He summarized by explaining, "We are very excited about this new opportunity and ready to serve the Southern California real estate market with the best solution in the industry." We couldn't agree more, Stu! We are proud to be able to better serve the Southern California market with your amazing team of talented real estate photographers! Mike Haugen, the President of Obeo, explains that "We are entering into a new era. Obeo has a broad and deep national customer base that has been built over the last 15 years by delivering quality and innovative solutions. We will continue to broaden our solution set and services through acquisitions of new technologies and talented service providers. California Image Maker has been a phenomenal service provider for over ten years, and we are thrilled to bring them on board. This will greatly expand our service in the Southern California market." Sounds like it might be a very exciting year for Obeo! To view the original post, visit the Obeo blog.

Obeo Introduces Virtual Twilight Enhancement for Photos
Obeo is proud to announce that we have added yet another product to our fabulous array of online marketing tools, Virtual Twilight Enhancement. That's right, they are "virtual" twilight images. That means no appointment necessary! Here is a example: It couldn't be easier! Our professional photo processing team will enhance your existing photo to look like a twilight photo. It's more affordable than traditional twilight photography, no need to disturb the homeowner in the evening, and no appointment necessary! Best of all, it's fast, with a 48 hour turn-around time. Standard pricing for Virtual Twilight Enhancement will be $39.95 per image. For our introductory special, we are offering Virtual Twilight shots for $29.95 each for a limited time! Simply upload the photo(s) you want enhanced, and we'll send you back a beautiful Virtual Twilight image. All orders must be placed by February 28th. Click here to order now. To view the original post, visit the Obeo blog.

Why can't all property photos just be awesome?
Ugh... Let me vent a little. Bad property photos are terrible. Granted, photography is an art that seems to escape me and many others! Maybe the photography classes I just signed up for will help my bad skills with my hobby. But, bad property photos on websites really bother me and there's no excuse for them. We can't do much about all the bad photos we see. However, we can try and do something about how the photos look on our sites. With this in mind, we just made a change with how we handle photos within the featured property viewer on the agent sites. We've given agents the option of forcing all the photos to be the same height and width. This is really important for agents that setup their featured listings to display in a rotation. Imagine having a property with a landscape oriented photo and then the next property has a portrait oriented photo. It's not pretty! So, with this change, if the agent enables the feature we show a white letter box on the sides or the top and bottom of the photo. The screen shot below shows an example with the white letter box on the top and bottom. To enable this feature the agents need to check the check box in the Featured Listing for your home page section to scale the images. Here is a screen shot of the setting. If you are interested in just turning this on for all your agents just let us know by emailing [email protected] and we'll take care of it for you.

RISMedia Partners with VScreen.com
November 11, 2009 - In a major move to enhance its online video presence, RISMedia has announced a partnership with a Florida-based video production firm specializing in real estate related video. Located in Orlando, VScreen.com will produce a wide variety of video content for RISMedia, ranging from educational content for brokers, agents and consumers, to coverage of special events and promotions. To view VScreen’s recap of RISMedia & the Top 5 in Real Estate Network’s Leadership Conference, click here. “We are very excited to be partnering with VScreen to better enable our power brokers in capturing the rapidly growing video audience with custom-produced content,” said Darryl MacPherson, Executive Vice President, RISMedia. “VScreen was a natural fit for us, since they have been working within this niche for a few years now…and we look forward to what the future holds as the need for video continues to expand. With a 40% annual growth rate, Internet video has become an industry standard, according to VScreen Co-founder Stephen Schweickart. “Video for both websites and newsletters, as well as social media and mobile applications, is rapidly moving from being an exception to the expectation,” according to Schweickart, whose firm produces tightly focused “short form” videos, designed to effectively engage the brief attention span of today’s online video viewers. The partnership was welcomed by both parties as the next logical step in expanding video content and technology to meet the ever increasing expectations of the online audience.   Authentisign™ Digital Signatures in the Real Estate Mainstream MLSListings Launches Custom-branded IDX Website Market Leader® Provides End-to-End Business Platform for Agents