Heard About SikkU? Check Out This Mobile Information Tool for Home Buying…

SikkU is a home buying/selling information tool that brings together mobile devices, online search and social networks for buyers, sellers and other real estate and mortgage professionals.

Here are just a few of its great features:

• Free to join
• Access to live real estate data.
• Check prices and other home information with your mobile device
• Get real estate information and listings
• Listings are complete: price, square footage, rooms/baths amenities and more.
• Change your search location to search other areas in the country
• Share your favorites and ideas with your family and your realtor
• Get real-time alerts for listings that match your criteria

SikkU also provides a dashboard tool that lets you customize your own personal tracker. The registration process is fast and simple – you can sign up in seconds. SikkU offers an SMS text service that sends info to mobile phones in seconds, 24x7 (where there is wireless coverage). With basic text keywords, users can search local homes for sale, request property information, get home values, property details and payment amounts. If you have a smartphone, you can use your Web browser to get instant information.

You can access SikkU’s home shopping tools from your home or office computers, from your mobile phone through SMS Text or through your mobile Web browser. The tools not only give you instant data and dashboard reporting, but they also work together to create a unique social networking site for the home buying and selling community. Check it out today at www.sikku.com.

Protect Your Privacy From Data Mining

By now, we’ve all been conditioned to protect our Internet privacy when we make purchases online. Most people know to only use reputable sites, make sure they use encryption software, don’t give out too much personal information at once, never give out your social security number – the list goes on and on.



We’re even becoming a little more aware (sometimes learning the hard way) that we should exercise some restraint on our social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.


What you may not know is that consumer sales organizations, including retailers, insurance companies and lenders, are very interested in your social media habits, profiles, blog comments and your social network of ‘friends’. Many of them are data mining social media sites and blogs to get a full personal profile of you and learn about your buying behavior through your social behavior.


One of the most talked about data mining services is Rapleaf, who claims to give retailers the ultimate in customer insight – by crawling through the most popular newsgroups, blogs and social sites – all unknown to the individual consumer. While lending and credit agencies swear that they only use factual data to determine credit decisions and scores, they still use social data to understanding consumer profiles – even looking at the credit worthiness of your friends or your followers on Twitter. After all, Twitterers of a feather, flock together.


Here are three important tips to keep your social pages from undermining your consumer rights:
1) Absolutely EVERYTHING you put on the Internet is public information. Period. Don’t let strict ‘privacy settings’ give you a false sense of security.
2) Choose your friends wisely. Don’t accept ‘friend’ invitations from random people you have never heard of or know only through friends of friends of friends. Your circle is being watched and mined for your connections.
3) Monitor posts on your account frequently and remove anything offensive.

Social networking and blogging is fun, friendly and here to stay. Just be mindful that your online conversations are big business for big brother retailer.

Broker Brain

Broker Brain software was developed by brokers, for brokers with great tools and features that help you manage your REO business from A-Z! Here are just a few of the asset management tools you get with Broker Brain:

• Secure access from any location
• Daily task lists
• Auto generated forms
• Full Online Document Storage
• Photo Storage with Auto Resizing
• Mapping Integration
• Advanced reporting tools
• Consolidated property information
• Real-time property information to prospective buyers
• Public Web site

Broker Brain also offers great support – comprehensive online documentation, free Web-based support, fee-based (per incident) phone support and onsite training. Broker Brain also provides options for importing your property data into the system.

Pricing is based on the size of your portfolio, and starts at $145 per month for up to 50 properties. Whether you are an individual, small brokerage house or large management company, Broker Brain has tiered pricing model that fits your business. Also check out the 30 day risk free trial – no obligation and no setup fees.

This module based software set offers a wide range of services for the REO broker – everything from HOA and multi-market support to tracking expenses. Broker Brain encrypts all data traffic so that your sensitive information is secure. The service also uses multiple hosting servers and provides regular back-ups by location. Don’t rack your brain over REO complexities – see if the folks at Broker Brain can put your mind at ease.