Monthly Archives: July 2020

HIS Marketing Admin 11:16 am on July 22, 2020  

August 2020 Training Schedule

gotomeeting-logo-orangeThis is the schedule of online training classes for the month of August. Even if you’ve participated in a session before, it’s often a good idea to get a refresher. Our live trainers can answer your questions and help you get the most out of REsearch. Descriptions of each HIS webinar can be found here.

To sign up immediately, simply click on the links below. If you are going to attend online classes as a group, only one person needs to sign up. We recommend registering for classes even if you cannot attend live, as many are recorded and made available the next day.

August 10-14, 2020

August 17-21, 2020

August 24-28, 2020

Remember, after you have participated, please make sure to fill out the survey or e-mail us your feedback so we can continue to improve upon our training efforts!

System requirements for online classes:

    • PC-based attendees – Required: Microsoft Windows® Vista or newer
    • Macintosh®-based attendees – Required: Mac OS® X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or newer
    • Mobile attendees – Required: Apple iOS 10 or newer, Google Android 4.4 or newer

System requirements apply only to the GoToMeeting webinar service, not to the REsearch system.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to contact us via support@hiinfo.com or call (808) 599-4224 or (800) 628-3121.

HIS Marketing Admin 10:33 am on July 7, 2020  

Video Tour Hosting by HIS

With the homebuying process evolving to better support virtual tools, video tours are even more important today!

circle-play-buttonVideos were already an important marketing tool before the COVID-19 pandemic: property listings with videos receive four times as many inquiries as those without, and NAR estimates more than a third of homebuyers turn to videos to research a home or neighborhood.

Today’s consumer is quickly adapting to virtual home buying tools, and video tours matter more than ever.

Video Tour Rules are Complicated

circle-exclamationIf you include video tours with your listings, or work with a video tour provider, you already know how valuable video tours can be. But you also know that there are a number of restrictions on video content and where your videos are hosted.

For example:

  • Video tours must be unbranded, as they are distributed with listings to third-party real estate portals and websites.
  • Video tours cannot be hosted on YouTube, as YouTube has third-party advertising as well as displays the name of the company or person who uploaded them.
  • Video tours cannot be hosted on brokerage websites, as the web address will similarly reveal the identity of the listing brokerage or agent.

HIS Video Hosting Can Help!

circle-thumbs-upBecause we know how important video tours are to your business, and because we understand that the rules governing them can be complex, we are excited to introduce a simple and useful new service for members: video tour hosting!

If your video tour provider doesn’t provide video hosting, or if you create your own video tours, you can now let HIS handle the hosting to ensure that its presentation is compliant with MLS rules.

Free for a Limited Time

circle-dollar-signBecause this is a new offering, and because the COVID-19 pandemic has required all of us to adapt, we are further excited to announce that HIS video tour hosting will be available to MLS members free of charge for a limited time!

Sign up for HIS video tour hosting before Wednesday, October 7, 2020, and your video tour will be hosted free of charge for one year, or until your listing sells, whichever comes first!

The final pricing for this service is still being determined, but we are committed to ensuring that it remains an attractive option compared to other commercial video services!

You will not be charged for HIS video tour hosting without advance notice and without signing up for the paid service in writing.

Get Started Today!

Drag-Files-HereAll you need to get started is an unbranded video tour file! This is typically provided to you by your video tour provider, but you can also create your own. Once you have it on your computer, you can upload it here:

Upload Your Video Tour

Once uploaded, our Sales team will contact you to complete your free order online (via Docusign).

Then our Customer Support team will work with you to host the video and provide you a link to add to your listing!

More to come from Hawaii Information Service!

We remain committed to helping you accomplish your goals and keeping the real estate market moving. We are excited to let you know about this new service, and please stay tuned as we share more tips and tools that can help you work #safeathome.

HIS Marketing Admin 8:51 am on July 1, 2020  

Office Closed on Friday, July 3

animated-fireworks

The Hawaii Information Service office will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2020 in observance of Independence Day. Normal office hours will resume at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 6.

If you need help using REsearch, please check out our knowledge base at help.hiinfo.com, or browse our library of videos on YouTube. If REsearch is not accessible, please leave a message on our emergency line by calling 800-628-3121 (or 599-4224 from Oahu) and pressing ‘*’ (star).

All of us at Hawaii Information Service would like to wish you and your colleagues a Happy Independence Day!

Our next observed holiday will be Labor Day on Monday, September 7, 2020.

HIS Marketing Admin 8:15 am on July 1, 2020  

New Name: zipForm Plus is now Lone Wolf Transactions

The zipForm Plus product and service, which you use with REsearch and HAR standard forms, is now called Lone Wolf Transactions (zipForm Edition). The name change is part of a rebranding of the different offerings from Lone Wolf Technologies. You can read the official announcement here.

The change, which is effective July 1, 2020, does not effect the zipForm Plus product or service in any way. You should see no changes in its features or tools, apart from the new name and logo!