This is the latest in a series of 'Buyer's Guides' that feature questions to ask and options to consider before making a new purchase. See our previous guides to purchasing a CMA,CRM, Document and Transaction Management, and Electronic Signature solution.

How can an Ad Network benefit my brokerage?

The legal, financial, technological, and logistical ground is constantly shifting beneath the feet of real estate brokers. While you face a multitude of challenges, perhaps one of your biggest hurdles is generating revenue without increasing the percentage you're taking from your agents' commission. One solution for this is placing ads on your website. Enter ad networks, technology developed to place ads on your website and to pay you for the privilege.

Questions to Ask

There are some important questions to ask when buying any real estate technology product and some that are unique to ad networks.

First, let's look at general questions you'll want to ask.

• What are my objectives for this piece of technology and will this product help me achieve those objectives?
• Is this product intended for my use only or for the use of my agents?
• If this product is intended for my agents, how user-friendly will they find it? Will it be helpful for them, or stressful?
• What is my budget?
• What kind of customer service and training programs are available? Are there webinars and, if so, are they recorded so you can view them at any time? Is the vendor's online help sufficient? What are the telephone support hours?
• Is this technology Web-based? If it is, how much functionality will be available when the tool is being used offline.