Advice please

[jeb]

First, I have spent hours trying to get an education on database programs we can use and I am not sure I am any further along that I was before. I have decided that we want a cloud based program and possibly on Force.com.

What I have found are lots of real estate CRM type programs but I don't think we would use even a small part of these type programs - at least at the start.

We are starting a web based real estate advertising company. At this time, we will be advertising only, no sales - working with brokers, management companies and FSBO's. Starting nationwide and expanding to anywhere/everywhere.

I am building the website and am in need of a database program that will capture all the info that someone advertising with us would need to input - all personal data we need for billing and contacting as well as all the property info needed. We then need a way for someone looking for a property to filter data to match what they are looking for - state, city, part of city or neighborhood/school district, 2 B/R, 2 bath, etc., etc. Of course, pictures. Virtual tours can be handled outside of the program.

Much of this data would be the same as what an MLS program would use and the website will be somewhat like ByOwner or Realtor.com or doing.

We will push to have some 10,000 advertisers within one year and would like, as much as possible, a turn-key program. I could learn to put together what we need using SalesForce or Zoho but my time is better spent doing other things.

Other than that, I don't really know what else we will need but I look at programs designed for a sales force - which we will have for generating some of the advertisers - or real estate companies which are tracking leads, following listings, contracts and sales, etc., and it just seems they offer a lot more than we need. I would think that we need a flexible program that we can make changes in as well.

Although I have been in real estate since 1985 and worked with different programs, it seems we don't need most of what these programs are offering. If we could cherry-pick what we want to use with a degree of flexibility these programs might work for us.

And an absolute need is for the program to be web-based and hands off as much as possible - everything automated from a customer putting their property with us to advertise to another customer looking for a property, filtering and contacting a seller, broker, agent or management company to billing on a monthly basis.

Another thing we need is a program to where someone else can, without too much of a problem or learning curve, step in and pick it up if something happens to me or whomever might be running the program at the time.

As a start up we would like to keep cost down as much as possible.

And recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time - jb

[rmiao]

MS sql server express is free, check details in http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2...s/express.aspx.

[jeb]

Tks, rmiao - I have spent some time looking at the program but I am not database knowledgeable and just don't have the time - nor the interest - to learn.

I have spent a lot of time looking at the real estate CRM type programs - mostly force.com/salesforce.com based - and find that they will do far more than what we need. However, if I could find one that is somewhat flexible and easy to use I think they would serve our needs.

Take care - jb