RISMEDIA, April 19, 2011—Since 1994, Steve Hundley, founder and CEO of 1parkplace, has provided the real estate industry with online marketing solutions to enable top real estate professionals to become even more successful. From MLS IDX lead capture technology to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Hundley has helped top performing real estate brokerages and agents connect the dots to get the most out of their marketing and technology investment.
“Over the last few years, the real estate industry has gotten distracted with technology and social media,” says Hundley, who is making it his personal mission to bring the real estate industry back to its roots. By helping real estate leaders become valued community experts, who not only provide marketing power but who also educate end-consumers and effect economic change on a local level, he’s hoping to revolutionize the industry nationally.
Connecting with Consumers
“Now more than ever, there’s a need for education within the real estate industry, both on the professional and consumer side,” says Hundley. While the industry continues to shift from a focus on marketing to client education, Hundley and his team at 1parkplace are committed to educating their membership on the activities that are most productive in the real estate industry.
To stay ahead of the shift, Hundley is going directly to the citizens of America to help set the expectations of what they should be looking for in today’s market. “Today’s consumers are more informed than ever,” says Hundley, “but too many of them only hear national real estate news.” With the recent expansion of their headquarters and the addition of a studio, Hundley is working with industry leaders to create a newsroom to help teach real estate agents and consumers how to take the national real estate information they see in the media and transform it into news they can use in their neighborhood.
“Consumers want to be educated as to the realities of today’s market,” adds Hundley. “They also want to know what they can do to improve the value of their own neighborhoods, how they can get the best value for their home as well as what kind of legislation is affecting these things.”
Creating Change
“Having been in the real estate industry for 26 years, I have come to the realization that the only way to truly enact change is through gaining the support of Congress and the Senate,” says Hundley. This is the goal behind Hundley’s Congressional Housing Symposium, a one-day event that will bring together elected officials and housing experts to develop innovative solutions to get the industry back on track.
“The motivation behind my Congressional Housing Symposium is to educate an entire industry, to get everyone on the same page in order to get better results and create a healthy housing market.” By bringing together key Federal and State-elected officials with housing industry leadership, including: association executives, brokerage practitioners, lending experts and citizens who represent local markets across the state of California and the U.S., the symposium will provide a collaborative forum where leaders in Congress can listen and learn about how current/proposed policies impact the housing industry.
Not only will the forum provide a first-hand account of what is happening in the industry, it will also provide a venue where real estate professionals can become educated about specific legislation that is impacting today’s market. “We need to make legislation easy for everyone to understand,” says Hundley, “and by bringing together all of the key players in an informal setting, we can change these issues from political issues to American issues, and create action steps that can be put in motion.”
Stabilizing the Market
“The housing industry is critical to the American economy,” says Hundley, “and since so much of our economy is connected to the housing industry, no one wants to see it suffer.” By placing a critical focus on getting back to education, Hundley is hoping to appeal to brokers, owners and top professionals who are serious about making a difference in today’s market through educating the communities they serve.
As with any industry, the real estate industry is full of unknowns, especially when it comes to specific legislation. By gaining the support of Congress, Hundley believes we can all work together to turn the market around. “We want to get as many people on board as possible so that we can create a healthy and robust housing market,” continues Hundley. “Not only will a healthy housing market improve consumer confidence, it will also help create jobs and increase home values.”
For more information, visit www.1parkplace.com.
