Long Realty is pleased to announce the following Real Estate Professional Accolades:

PAMELA AMANNA, GRI, SFR - LONG REALTY COMPANY

Pamela Amanna sets the pace from her River/Campbell office, chalking up two impressive achievements so far this year. A Graduate REALTOR Institute member specializing in new construction and general resales, Amanna earns the designation of Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource and a seat in the 2010 Executive Club.

JOHN & MEGAN BILLINGS - LONG REALTY COMPANY

Meeting and beating the challenges of today’s realty market, John and Megan Billings gain a well-deserved promotion to the firm’s exclusive President’s Club for 2010. John, an associate broker, and Megan focus their business on golf properties, new construction and resale homes in the Oro Valley and Northwest areas of Tucson.

DORINA DENNERLEIN, GRI & SHARON KOCH, GRI - LONG REALTY COMPANY

For more than 20 years, Dorina Dennerlein and Sharon Koch have combined their talents and expertise to impress buyers and sellers alike. Both Graduate REALTOR Institute members, relocation specialists and multimillion-dollar producers, Dorina and Sharon rise to the top again to claim a seat in the firm’s notable 2010 President’s Club.

JAMESON GRAY - LONG REALTY COMPANY

Jameson Gray is an adobe property specialist who focuses his growing business on joining buyers with homes of substance and character throughout Tucson. An experienced associate broker and consistent multimillion-dollar seller, the hard-working Gray enjoys a promotion to the firm’s distinguished 2010 President’s Club.

KAREN B. SMITH, e-PRO, SFR - LONG REALTY COMPANY

While others may struggle in today’s real estate market, Karen B. Smith continues to learn and grow as a professional. A Foothills area specialist, Smith secures the renown professional designations of Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource and e-PRO Internet technology and marketing specialist.

JEFFREY ZIMET, ABR, ASR, CRS - LONG REALTY COMPANY

Associate broker Jeffrey Zimet has led the way in Tucson real estate as an elite sales professional almost since his beginning in 1988. Zimet, an Accredited Buyer and Seller Representative and a Certified Residential Specialist, parlays his most recent multimillion-dollar sales year into a prized seat in the firm’s 2010 President’s Club.  

Are you considering a new career?

For over 80 years Long Realty has been helping its sales associates achieve success. Due to our expansion and growth we are seeking candidates who have the desire to become successful sales associates. To find out more about becoming a Real Estate professional or to learn more about the career opportunities visit www.TheSmarterWayToSell.com. 

By taking our 8 Minute Online Career Assessment you will gain insight into your personality type as it relates to a real estate sales career. There is no obligation for you, however you can indicate as part of the assessment if you wish to be contacted to find out more about getting licensed and about Long Realty. This is fun, fast and surprisingly accurate profile. A written report will be e-mailed directly to you instantly.

(TUCSON, AZ) Long Realty has announced the launch of the Short Sale Resource Group (SSRG), an initiative designed to keep agents informed on the latest short sale-related information, announcements, policy changes, and regulation updates. This is yet another way Long Realty is taking the industry lead to help their real estate professionals work smarter and provide the highest level of service to buyers and sellers.

(TUCSON, AZ.) Long Companies is pleased to welcome experienced agent Mike McGuire back to the Long Realty team.

Long Realty was recently featured in a case study by Telligent, a community software company, for its program "Long Connects" - an online community for Long Realty agents and employees:

Long Realty Uses Collaboration and Community Software to Increase Agent Productivity

Since 1926, Long Realty has built a solid reputation of having knowledgeable and experienced agents helping people throughout Arizona buy and sell real estate. As a part of HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, Tucson-based Long Realty a leading real estate company in Arizona. With 38 office locations and more than 1,400 agents, Long Realty had already developed a culture of working together to share information, but they were still encountering difficulties in collaboration and real-time knowledge sharing.

Challenge

Long Realty needed a secure place for agents and employees to collaborate

Long Realty was faced with the challenge of connecting a large number of agents who work remotely and often from onsite locations. In order to support the complete, and sometimes complex, sales cycle involving numerous parties, Long Realty needed a safe harbor where agents could connect and engage from anywhere – in a way that is easy to use, implement and administer. In addition, Long Realty wanted a knowledge database for training and a way to better communicate organizational values to agents.

Solution

Long Realty leveraged Telligent Community to connect agents in remote locations

Built on Telligent Community, Long Connects is an in-house agent-centric online community that increases agent interaction. An upgrade from the antiquated electronic bulletin board system they previously had in place, Long Connects provides an easy-to-use and focused safe haven where agents can “talk shop.” Users can add formatting, photos and rich media, share forms and documents in media galleries, and watch training videos. Agents can customize their profile pages, connect with other agents, and join groups. Forum discussions include open house dialogue, marketing, technology tips, buyer and seller related activity and short sales; and new groups are added by administrators based on feedback. The ability for new agents to connect and share knowledge with experienced agents allows for mentoring opportunities. Executive-level blogs provide guidance and offer real estate perspectives.

Long Connects chose Telligent Community for its flexibility, intuitive user experience and platform capabilities. Additionally, the platform’s integration with the organization’s internal database through single sign-on technology allow for minimal monitoring or training.

Results

Long Connects is an innovative collaboration tool and the key differentiator for Long Realty

Long Realty agents have quickly embraced Long Connects as the main source of information and collaboration. The progressive company is an innovative and early adopter of online community technology in their everyday activities. Additionally, Long Connects is a unique tool and is used when recruiting new agents.

• In the first month, more than 50 percent of Long agents logged into Long Connects.

• 75 percent of Long Realty’s agent base uses Long Connects, including 40 percent unique monthly usage.

• Approximately 400 Long agents use Facebook, but more than twice that number use Long Connects.

• In the first three months of Long Connects, there were 1,500 forum posts, 37,600 post views and 72,000 total page views.

• Long Realty uses Long Connects as a key recruiting tool for new agents.

• Real-time collaboration enhances the sales process. Long Realty agents are now able to connect and initiate sales before properties are even listed.

About Telligent

Telligent is an enterprise collaboration and community software company. The company’s fully integrated platform and portfolio of applications transform how organizations listen to, engage and measure interaction with customers, partners and employees. Telligent powers collaboration for many of the world’s largest brands, including Dell, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Reader’s Digest. For more information, visit telligent.com.