Customer stories


NextHome.com

An innovative Ohio-based residential real-estate broker builds its fast, responsive online database system around FileMaker Pro 7 and FileMaker Server 7 Advanced.

A different approach to real estate—one that combines the advantages of for sale-by-owner with the efficiencies of a full-service realtor. That’s the concept behind NextHome—an innovative Ohio-based real estate brokerage offering the savings of “For Sale By Owner” and fast, responsive, comprehensive realtor services matched by a dynamic online presence. The NextHome website provides home sellers a powerful marketing tool and homebuyers the ability to search more than 25,000 homes—in short, to do everything you can do with a traditional brokerage, saving time and money. NextHome offers a dynamic, responsive system powered by FileMaker Pro 7 and FileMaker Server 7 Advanced.


Business challenges

NextHome built its business plan by offering the advantages of selling “By Owner”, while still utilizing traditional marketing channels of a realtor. Eight percent of homebuyers begin their search on the Internet. The convenience of an easy search process for homebuyers is an essential tool required to attract and retain customers. Information management, lead tracking, listing storage, and the presentation of sales information all require a dependable, powerful database, one that integrates well with the ever-changing demands of web accessibility. “Before deciding to upgrade to FileMaker Pro 7,” comments company president Philip Vitanza, “we brought in an outside company to evaluate our current system and recommend other options. After two months of study, their Project Specification recommended a Microsoft SQL system with multiple servers. The programming cost would be kept low by outsourcing development to another country.”

But going overseas for development had a major disadvantage. NextHome wanted to keep the business in the United States and couldn’t afford to wait the eight months projected development time before the new solution would be ready for deployment. The demands of daily business don’t wait, and the upgraded database system was needed sooner. Faced with this reality, NextHome rejected the outsourced Microsoft SQL proposal.


Successful solution

Enter FileMaker Pro developer Dan Weiss of Buddy Systems, Inc. He proposed upgrading to FileMaker Pro 7 and the new FileMaker Server 7 Advanced—and he promised to get the job done and the new application running, within eight weeks, not eight months.

“Eight weeks after development started,” confirms Philip, “we were up and running.”

The database contains individual files for Listings, Contacts, Sales, Email Processing, Listing Room Descriptions, and Listing Publication Tracking, with well over a hundred thousand individual records in the entire system. Three external databases supplement the main database, as a temporary holding space for incoming data, imported via XML/XSLT. Up to 6000 records are updated each day through this powerful system.

The system developed for NextHome.com is entirely Windows based, with the server running Windows 2003 and the individual clients all running Windows XP Pro. The offsite server is located in a different state from the NextHome offices, but T1 connectivity is excellent. “Another testament to the new architecture of FileMaker Pro 7,” Philip adds.


"We estimate that FileMaker Pro 7 will save us more than $40,000 annually in efficiencies. With Version 7 we’re able to do things such as Instant Web Publishing data entry that we couldn’t have imagined before. The huge savings in development time and the enhanced user capability are enormous—and greatly appreciated!"

—Philip Vitanza, president/CEO, NextHome, Inc.


Customer benefits

The upgraded performance made possible by the seamless integration of FileMaker Pro 7 and FileMaker Server 7 Advanced means added efficiency, faster response, and major dollar savings for NextHome. “We estimate that FileMaker Pro 7 will save us at least $40,000 a year in time saved with the new processes,” Philip projects. “With the new version we’re able to do things such as Instant Web Publishing data entry that we couldn’t have imagined before. And from a development perspective, the changes are enormous—and hugely appreciated!”

One of the most practical benefits is the consolidation of the database system into one powerful file, using numerous compound relationships to bring information on demand from the various tables contained in that file. “All NextHome staff are now interacting in one fashion or another with FileMaker Pro,” Philip observes. “Through the database’s interaction with the FileMaker back end, we’re able to have up to the minute updates of content while maintaining a direct connection with our customers.”

Improved functionality at the backend translates into better performance for the people who count the most—families who depend on NextHome.com to—sell their homes and buyers searching for new homes. “Simply put,” enthuses Philip, “NextHome’s FileMaker Pro database is the machine that drives our business.”



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Philip Vitanza
President/CEO
NextHome, Inc.
440-925-7122
philip@nexthome.com
http://www.nexthome.com


Dan Weiss
President
Buddy Systems Inc.
440-338-6874
danw@buddysystems.com
http://www.buddysystems.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • Ohio real-estate brokerage serving the Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Columbus housing markets boosts the services of its realtors with a powerful online listings capability.
  • Based in Westlake, OH.
  • Approximately 50 employees.
Industry
  • Architecture/Real Estate
  • Small Business
Solutions
  • Dynamic website allows clients to search more than 25,000 property listings by city, county, street, zip code, bedrooms, or baths
  • Centralized information management provides easy lead tracking, listings input to power NextHome.com, as well as an Agent Resource Center to manage contacts and clients.
  • Sales and closing tracking including all correspondence with Lending, Title and Escrow companies.
  • Cash flow and closing calendar provides management with effective planning capability.