Overview Broker+ 2008 marks a transition for THDI from strictly a backoffice service provider to a full-service real estate Internet services provider. Commercial-grade public web sites and industrial-strength email services, integrated with our newly-enhanced BROKER+ backoffice system, will combine to provide the strongest single residential real estate offering available. Please browse the information provided on the other tabs on this page to see just how significant this new offering will be.

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For the Franchise Broker+ 2008 will provide the franchise organization with a single common database for shared use by franchise corporate staff and franchisees alike (see Fig. 11-1). Uploading data from disparate broker/office systems or requiring the re-entry of data by franchisees will be a distant memory! The benefits of this architecture will be significant: Data used by Corporate staff will be current and up-to-date. Corporate staff workload will be decreased because data does not have to be re-edited and cleaned up. Corporate IT staff will not have to develop software to upload data from disparate systems used by franchisees. Legacy Corporate systems will no longer have to prepare and distribute large-volume production reports to Franchisees. Having an integrated system will give your franchise sales staff will have an additional benefit to offer prospective new franchisees. Discussions with brokers over what office software to "approve" for franchisee use will disappear. Franchisee/broker business operations will be more productive and profitable because their staff will not have to re-enter data to send it to Corporate. Franchisees/brokers will be more satisfied because they will perceive greater support from Corporate and increased benefits from the franchise relationship. The elimination of redundant data entry and system administration functions, particularly in the brokers' business operations, will be tremendous. When used at the franchise level, the Broker+ common database will serve as an information repository that feeds all existing systems except the MLS (see figure 11-2). Additionally, franchise-level usage will provide leverage in developing automated interfaces to other external systems -- such as those used to track referrals by third parties.

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For the Broker Broker+ 2008 will provide the broker/owner with a complete system solution to support their business operations. Public web sites, email services, office intranet, and the backoffice system will all be driven from one system and one database. By using the complete solution, you can achieve incredible benefits: Reduced Data entry and System Administration - Employee tasks will be easier because there will only be one integrated system to enter data into and administer. You will reduce your data entry expenses to a minimum. If your franchise chooses to use Broker+ 2008 as a franchise-wide solution, you will push these benefits to the limit! Improved communication between departments - Clients, leads, and referrals entered into your system will be instantly available to transaction coordinators for use. Fewer Lost Leads and Referrals - Your Relocation Department will have constant visibility of company leads and referrals and will be able to monitor agent progress in handling these important revenue generators. Confidence in Commission Calculations - The Broker+ Commission Calculator has been delivering service for over 12 years. You can be confident that agent commission calculations will be performed accurately and quickly, and there is even an 'Explain' feature that can show the results of the calculation in a manner that explains the arrived upon rate. More Timely Closing Actions by Agents - Automatically generate a closing schedule for your agents. They will be able to access it online and keep track of task completions so they are constantly on top of their business. Improved Business Management - Using the Home Page business summaries, business planning tools, constant cash flow forecast updates, agent office bill tracking, and comprehensive reports, you will be more in control of your business than ever before! And just as important, you will be able to access your business information from any Internet-enabled PC.

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Intranet The Broker+ 2008 Intranet service will provide you with an easy means of communicating with your agents and staff. Custom Menus and Pages - You will be able to add custom menus and to upload web pages that you construct. Put your own company forms and procedures online for 24-hour access. Agent Access - Your agents will have access to all of their data within the system. They will be able to view their listings, pending transactions, commission history, and company leads and referrals. They will also have complete access to their clients, including the use of marketing plans to manage their past, current, and prospective clients. The will even be able to track their business mileage and expenses and prepare end of year reports for use in tax preparation.

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Public Web Site Your Broker+ public web site will include the services and capabilities you need to be competitive in an increasingly Internet-centric world: Choices - You will be able to choose between less-expensive standard formats with a variety of stylesheets (colors and fonts) or a web site custom-designed to your specifications. Lead Integration - The prospects generated by your web site will be automatically integrated into your database and may be assigned to standard marketing plans from Day 1. Automatic agent assigments will be an option, and if chosen, you will have complete visibility of these actions. IDX Search - Have the option of showing your listings only on your web site or including complete MLS-IDX search capabilities (where available). Communicate With Prospects - The ability to leave messages for prospects to view the next time they visit your site will be included. Visibility - You will be able to view prospects' property search criteria and the listings they have viewed. Tools - Standard online real estate tools will be available for use on your site. Agent Recruiting - Include links to industry-standard agent recruitment sites.

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Email Services The Email Services will be provided using commercial-grade email software and will offer solid performance and capabilities: Easy Retrieval - Email users will have three methods of retrieving their mail:   (1) Industry-standard email clients (such as Microsoft's Outlook or Outlook Express);   (2) Web mail (use any Internet-enabled PC to view and send mail; and,   (3) You may choose to forward copies of all your mail to your handheld wireless device. Protection - Commercial-grade anti-virus and anti-spam services will provide the best protection available in the industry. High Performance - No waiting on your email to be sent or made available to you. The high performance software and quality servers will keep up with the workload.

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Backoffice System The Backoffice component is the core of the offering. All data entry and database maintenance for all of the services of Broker+ 2008 is performed through the Backoffice software. This core software has been running on the Internet for the past 5 years, is stable and reliable, and is being significantly enhanced for 2008. Custom Reports - The ability to create custom reports is being added to the system. Custom File Downloads - The ability to create custom 'flat text files' for downloading to your PC is being added. You will be able to import these files in other PC-based software products (such as spreadsheets and word processing mail merge). Enhanced Home Page - The ability to customize your Broker+ home page is being significantly strengthened. Security rules will determine what components each user may view on their home page. Each user will be able to select which of the allowed components they want to view. New Data Security Levels - The Franchise, Franchise Region, Owner, and Owner Region data security levels is being added. Client and Referral Handling - The management of clients, company leads, and referrals is being improved for better control over large volumes. Web Site Leads - If you're using the Public Web Site component, leads generated from your web site will be integrated into your other leads for use in marketing plans. You will have an excellent view of the leads coming from your web site, their assignment to agents, and sales generated from these leads. Additional Database Fields - Additional fields are being added to the database to support franchise operation. Custom Menus and Pages - You will be able to add custom menus and to upload web pages that you construct to your Broker+ system. Business Planning - Complete business planning capabilities with visibility of results at every level within the Broker+ database: agent, office, company, enterprise, franchise and owner regions, and franchises and owners. View business plans compared to actual results and be able to drill-down to find both problems and successes. Reduced Receivables - Use the office billing system to track agent office bills and payments. Use the easy 'Pay Office Bill' button on each transaction to generate a deduction to pay the agent's current bill.

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User Security The user security profiles have been significantly enhanced in Broker+ 2008 to create the new 'Franchise' and 'Owner' levels. The Franchise and Franchise Region levels have been added to facilitate the franchise-wide capabilities within Broker+ 2008. The Owner and Owner Region levels have been added to allow a sort of 'Super Enterprise' organization where a single corporate entity may own real estate companies that belong to different Franchises. There have been no changes to the lower security levels. FRANCHISE AND FRANCHISE REGION PROFILES Users assigned to the 'Franchise' profile have access to the data for all franchise regions, enterprises, companies, offices, and agents in the organization. 'Franchise Region' users will have access to the data for all enterprises, companies, offices, and agents assigned to the region. These security levels are only available to Franchise licensees. OWNER AND OWNER REGION PROFILES Users assigned to the 'Owner' profile have access to the data for all owner regions, enterprises, companies, offices, and agents in the organization. 'Owner Region' users will have access to the data for all enterprises, companies, offices, and agents assigned to the region. These security levels are only available to Franchise licensees. ENTERPRISE PROFILES Users assigned to the 'Enterprise' profile have access to the data for all companies, offices, and agents in the organization. COMPANY PROFILES Users assigned to the 'Company' profile have access to information across the company they belong to, including all offices and agents. OFFICE PROFILES Users assigned to the 'Office' profile may only view data related to the specific office they work in and the agents assigned to that office. AGENT PROFILES Your agents will only have access to their information (transactions, listings, clients, etc.) and the customization that you add to your system for use as a company Intranet. The Agent security level will only be available to clients that include the Intranet option in their Broker+ 2008 license agreement.

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Licensing Broker+ 2008 The methods available for licensing Broker+ 2008 will depend upon the client type and needs. Individual Broker Licensing Individual broker licensing will only be available as a subscription service running on our servers. The Backoffice system will be required for all clients because it is the 'core' of Broker+ 2008. Public Web Site, Email Services, and Intranet services will be optional offerings. Franchise Licensing Licensing for franchises will be available in 2 methods: As a subscription service running on our servers; As a non-exclusive license with the software running on the franchise's servers with the source code maintained by the franchiser.

Broker+ 2008 Availability Our current project plan calls for Broker+ 2008 to begin initial production operation in the first quarter 2008. As with other software development schedules, the development of Broker+ 2008 could be delayed. We will update this page as completion nears.

Technical Considerations Broker+ 2008 is being developed using the following technical tools/components: Database: Miscrosoft SQL Server 2005 Web page format: ASP.NET with .NET 2.0 Software Development: Miscrosoft Visual Studio 2005 Web Servers: Miscrosoft Windows Server 2003 IDX Services: Will be provided by a third party Public Web Site Designs: Will be provided by third parties

Existing Client Impact The use of Broker+ 2008 by existing clients will require that each client sign a new license agreement (even if they choose not to use the public web site, email, or Intranet services) before the client will be migrated to the new backoffice system. The Backoffice system will be required for all clients because it is the 'core' of Broker+ 2008. Public Web Site, Email Services, and Intranet services will be optional offerings.