Clark County Realtors see Web as hot property

Source: The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.mini storageNov. 01--Home-selling firms are once again shelling out big bucks on business improvements to attract potential buyers.The twist, local experts say, is that this housing market's recovery has real estate companies spending much of the budget on website tools to serve today's tech-savy buyers. About 90 percent of potential buyers -- about 96 percent if they are 43 and younger -- are starting the home search online, according to the National Association of Realtors. That's why agencies are rolling out new products that include everything from updated logos to smart-phone apps, home-pricing videos, overhauled websites and rebranding campaigns.Online pageviews are the return on investment, giving real estate companies the recognition they crave and the right to boast about the number of eyeballs viewing the company's Web content. The visits can also generate listings in the long run, said Glenn Crellin, associate director of research at the University of Washington's Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies in Seattle."They (real estate firms) want consumers to come to their site before they go anywhere else," he said. "Then they can tell prospective listing clients this is where the buyers are coming first."The firms are working harder than ever to keep the momentum going on what has so far been a promising housing recovery in Clark County. The local housing market has continued to show year-over-year improvement, with third quarter home sales increasing by 31 percent, to 1,849 new and existing homes sold during the three months ending Sept. 30. Home prices also saw big year-over-year gains, reaching the highest median sales price -- half sold for more, half for less -- in July at $237,000. That represented a 19 percent increase over the median price in July 2012.Some website tools are also designed to help sellers understand those changing values, said Joe Reitzug, a senior vice president with John L. Scott Real Estate. The firm has just launched a new multi-million-dollar website to help buyers navigate its three-state -- Wa迷你倉hington, Oregon and Idaho -- listings and its more than 2,500 agents, including approximately 450 in the Portland-Vancouver metro area."We think the more information we can get out there, the more movement we have in the marketplace," he said. The website is also set up to generate free market reports of comparable neighborhood listings, he added.And each time a visitor finds, clicks, views or shares a real estate company's site, the company's profile rises,"It (John L. Scott's website) gets over 1.3 million unique visitors every month," Reitzug said.The site's simplified platform features a searchable database of listings, along with links to websites for each of the company's 102 offices. In turn, websites for each office include lists of brokers with links to their individual websites. Professionals either hire web specialists or tailor the sites themselves to reflect their distinct businesses as independent contractors."We used to just offer a Web page connected to the traditional website," Reitzug said. "Now they can completely customize their own website."Not to be outdone by competitors, Keller Williams also has updated its web presence, introduced a smart phone app to search listings and rolled out a new company logo that shortens the lengthy corporate name from Keller Williams Realty Inc. to a lower-case "kw" and retains the familiar signature red in its graphics."We also encourage our agents to have their own brands," said Steve Yeager, a team leader who oversees three Clark County offices that serve around 200 Keller Williams agents. With 91,000 agents, firm is billed as the largest real estate franchise company in North America.Yeager said the company's local presence has begun to recover, having gained about 40 agents since the low point of the housing downturn, which played out from the end of 2007 through 2011."We're always striving to have the top notch tools for our agents," he said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) Visit The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) at .columbian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉

明日凌晨冷空氣有望驅霾 今年我國平均霧霾日數52年來最多

迷利倉 昨日，天安門廣場，遊客戴著口罩並打著雨傘遊覽。當日傍晚，北京市再發空氣重汙染藍色預警和霾黃色預警，建議大家減少戶外運動，做好健康防護，這是北京市環保監測中心和北京市氣象局在本周發佈的第三次"雙預警"。北京市環保監測中心17時的實時發佈平台顯示，部分郊區環境評價點的空氣質量達到了六級嚴重汙染。首席攝影記者 蔡代徵/攝迷你倉

去曇華林看藝術秀

迷你倉 楚天都市報訊 （記者陳凌墨 實習生王蕊）昨日，第二屆武漢設計雙年展在湖北美術學院曇華林藝術區開幕，將持續至30日。本月1-7日為預展和公開布展時間，8-30日為正式展出時間，開放時間為早9點至晚9點。市民可免費前往觀展。會展將推出武漢設計、城市規劃、數字建築展、國際大師設計展、新媒體藝術等板塊的設計展覽，共計展覽圖版300多塊，還有一批室外裝置和建築雕塑等作品。第十二屆辛亥首義文化節將同期舉辦，從6日起，這裡每天文化藝術活動不斷。本次會展由武漢市政府主辦，市委宣傳部、市城建委、武昌區政府和湖北美術學院等單位承辦。儲存

Pioneering woman farmer insists she’s driver of note

By ZHOU HUIYINGzhouhuiying@chinadaily.迷你倉com.cnA female tractor driver, described as the inspiration behind the image on the one yuan banknote first issued in 1962, insists she was the subject despite the note's designer claiming it was not based on any living person.Liang Jun, 85, was put in the spotlight after she was sent to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University on Oct 23 due to acute heart failure and serious asthma."They told me that I was the subject, and I really felt greatly honored. But I think the woman represents all of the working women in China," Liang told China Daily on Thursday.But Hou Yimin, one of the designers of the third series of renminbi banknotes in the mid-1950s, told the Beijing Morning Post that the portrait was painted only according to his imagination."I know Liang Jun was the first female tractor driver, and I felt very happy that she liked the third series of renminbi banknotes. But I have to say that she was not the prototype. The tractor on the note was different from those she drove," Hou told the newspaper.Liang's health has improved after treatment."When she was sent here, she was in a critical condition and had difficulty breathing because of her old age and the bad weather in Harbin last week," said Ma Lan, her physician.The medical examination report showed she was being plagued by various illnesses suffered by the elderly, including diabetes mellitus, serious high blood pressure, serious heart disease and asthma.Medical experts from different departments gathered immediately to give her emergency treatment and a consultation. The targeted therapy and careful nursing had a big effect."Liang's condition gradually stabilized and her mental state is good. She enjoyed telling us her old stories, and we were all curious about her legendary experience," said Liu Dandan, one of the nurses who cared for Liang."I have long known that China's first female tractor driver, Liang Jun, was born in Heilongjiang and still lives there. When I met her in the hospital and had the chance to take care of her, I felt great honor," said Liu. "She set a good example for all working women in China."Ma added: "Besides medical treatment, it is also important to give the elderly psychological care. Therefore, w儲存倉 encouraged her to have more communication with others. Listening to her story and updating her on her medical condition were good for her recovery."Liang said: "The first time I saw a woman driving a tractor was in a Soviet film I saw in 1947. It was then that I made up my mind to become a tractor driver."At that time, she was only 17 years old and a student at Mengya Normal School in Dejun county — now a city named Wudalianchi — in Heilongjiang. In those days, it was inconceivable that women could drive tractors.In February 1948, a tractor driver training class was held in Bei'an, a county 48 kilometers from Dejun. Liang signed up as soon as she received news her school could send three students to the class."At first, the teachers didn't agree that I could be sent there, but, due to my good performance and my persistence, the teachers decided to give me an opportunity," Liang said.When she arrived at Bei'an, she discovered she was the only female student in the class because people believed driving a tractor was man's work."I told myself that I couldn't do worse than any man in the class. During three months of study, I mastered the mechanical principles of driving a tractor as well as the men did." Liang said.From then on, Liang began to engage in cultivating wasteland in Heilongjiang.In September 1950, when she was 20 years old, Liang was awarded the title of National Model Worker and met Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing.In 1951, she got the chance to study in Beijing.After two years of systematic learning she greatly increased her knowledge of agricultural machinery. She turned down the opportunity to stay in the capital and returned to her hometown with a wealth of knowledge."Heilongjiang is my home and could provide me with a lot of space to drive. I have had an affinity with tractors all my life. If I were 30 years younger, I would still drive tractors on my lovely black soil." said Liang.Over the decades, five series of renminbi banknotes have been issued.The designers have used various design elements, such as portraits including leaders and ethnic groups as well as workers.There are also famous scenic spots of China on the notes, such as the Potala Palace in Tibet, the West Lake in Hangzhou and Taishan Mountain in Shandong province.迷你倉最平

橫琴校區下周三起開放的士進出

【特訊】配合澳門大學橫琴校區師生出入所需，迷你倉最平繼開通公共巴士往返市區和校區後，交通事務局將於11月6日(周三)凌晨零時起，開放的士進入校區，且於校區南側的研究生宿舍對開車道設置臨時的士候客區。為讓的士業界瞭解校區環境，局方日前聯同的士業界代表到現場視察及介紹開放的士進出校區的相關安排。澳門大學橫琴校區現階段只作局部開放，目前僅政府車輛、37U及MT3U兩條公共巴士路線、校方及相關工程車輛可經河底隧道進出校區。考慮到師生的出需要，尤其深夜返回校區時需要一定的交通服務，經與澳門大學及的士業界溝通後，交通事務局將於11月迷你倉日(周三)凌晨零時起開放本澳的士進入校區，考慮到現時校區的人流主要集中於校區南側研究生宿舍一帶，為方便乘客候車，且避免與校區內的臨時巴士站互相干擾，局方現時會先於研究生宿舍對開車道設置臨時的士候客區，待區內其他相關交通配套設施正式投入使用後再作調整。為讓的士業界瞭解校區內的道路情況，交通事務局日前聯同的士業界代表到現場視察及介紹開放的士進出校區的相關安排。按照第3/2013號法律之相關規定，澳門大學橫琴校區視同位於�仔以內的地域，按照現行的士收費表，由澳門往�仔無須收取附加費，由�仔往路環則收取澳門?2元附加費。儲存

《繞/著/地/球/跑》四國賞楓 最夯路線報你知 日本紅葉一路往南，11月輪到四國登場，此時前往，除了眾多溫泉與祕境，還可搭乘麵包超人電車，懷念柳瀨嵩。

日本動漫《麵包超人》作者柳瀨嵩於10月13日以94歲高齡病逝，mini storage讓許多麵包超人迷感傷，更讓其出生地四國高知縣的居民心痛不已，因為柳瀨嵩不只是漫畫家，更像是現實生活中的麵包超人，總是無私奉獻自己，疼惜家鄉。肚子餓？ 請吃麵包超人頭一般漫畫中的超人不但英勇，而且多是「自私的超人」，他們能飛會打，還很愛救美人，但救美人的同時也常把整個城市搞得雞飛狗跳；如果你不是美女，而是無辜被超人神拳打到翻車的中年男子，你大概會被這些亂穿內褲的自戀狂氣死。麵包超人最大的特色就是：不把展現英勇當做重點，打擊壞蛋的同時，會顧及不要傷及無辜，遇到有人肚子餓，也會毫不猶豫拿下自己的紅豆麵包頭請人吃，懂得自我犧牲。在日本，許多漫畫家成名後，會授權家鄉使用其作品製作卡通塑像或主題館，但相對索取高價版權費，家鄉歸家鄉，商業又是另一回事。但柳瀨嵩很不一樣。高知縣觀光振興課（土反）田省吾說：「幾乎所有高知縣內看到的麵包超人塑像與畫像，全都不需版權費，甚至每當家鄉要辦活動，只要向柳瀨嵩請託，他就出人出力，還幫忙繪出全新、合適的畫像，完全不收錢。」位於北海道富良野的果醬奶奶大久保嘉子也對柳瀨嵩讚譽有加。大久保嘉子與柳瀨嵩都是農家子弟，早年因水果與果醬業務往來相識，後來果醬生意不好，柳瀨嵩造訪時得知，立即無條件授權讓她開了一家麵包超人專賣店，甚至以她為原型，創作出果醬奶奶角色，放入漫畫中，大大改善了她的生活。柳瀨嵩除了熱心助人，也像個老頑童。（土反）田省吾說：「柳瀨嵩在80多歲高齡時還是十分活躍，經常可見他身穿白西裝、頭戴圓頂帽，參與活動慶典唱歌跳舞，每年生日也有不少粉絲為他舉辦慶生會，是人緣很好的老人。」正是這種奉獻精神，讓柳瀨嵩的辭世特別惹人感傷。目前日本北海道、東京等地都有麵包超人主題店，但位於家鄉高知縣的「麵包超人美術館」作品最完整，也設計多樣適合小朋友的互動遊戲，以及柳瀨嵩的生平介紹，走在高知街上，更不時可見行駛於路面的麵包超人彩繪電車，是適合親子同遊的童趣地點。老湯屋訪神隱少女 少爺列車冒蒸氣早年四國隔著瀨戶內海與日本本州遙遙相望，向來被日本人視為神秘之地，位於德島縣三好市的祖谷地區，更與岐阜縣白川鄉的合掌村、九州宮崎縣的椎葉村並列「日本三大祕境」。自從瀨戶大橋開通，四國之美就在日本掀起風潮，而它曲折的道路與美麗的風景，更成為日本重機車友最愛的兜風路段。早年台灣人只能飛到大阪再拉車前往迷你倉國，今年3月華航啟動桃園直飛香川縣高松機場的航線，也帶動國人前往四國旅遊熱潮，11月中下旬前往，除了交通方便，更是賞紅葉的好時機。四國區分香川、德島、愛媛與高知4個縣，面積1萬4000平方公里，相當於1/3個台灣。四國地形與台灣很像，四面環海，中間有山脈切開，氣候也頗為類似，因此日據時代絕大多數花東移民來自四國，許多花蓮地名與景點，例如吉野、吉安、慶修院88尊觀音，都有著濃濃的四國影子。四國旅遊景點眾多，例如愛媛縣的「道後溫泉」相傳開湯至今3000年，是日本三大古溫泉之一，也是宮崎駿卡通《神隱少女》裡的湯屋原型，只要400日圓就可進入古色古香的風呂中泡湯，沉浸在濃濃的思古幽情裡。從湯屋旁商店街穿越就是道後溫泉車站，當年夏目漱石在此地創作《少爺》，書中主角經常搭乘的蒸氣火車目前已復駛，只要300日圓就能搭乘「少爺列車」車在街道上奔馳，不時還伴著汽笛鳴聲與煙囪蒸氣。追尋空海大師 行腳參拜觀音廟另外，連結愛媛今治市與廣島尾道市的跨海大橋，是著名的島波海道，騎著單車橫越瀨戶內海，沿途行經6座小島與10座造型各異的海上大橋，總長約70公里，是熱門的單車路線，台灣也常有車友組隊前往，秋高氣爽正適合來體驗。秋季到四國賞紅葉，推薦景點包含三大祕境之一的祖谷地區，此處溪流與峽谷地形險峻，還有「大步危」與「小步危」等景區，意思是「大步走也危險、小步走也危險」，相傳早年「平家落人」就到此避難，並留有日本3大奇橋之一、由葛藤編成的葛藤橋，深秋時節充滿紅葉與溫泉之美。同樣可見紅葉之美的景點還有丸山公園、金刀比羅宮、小豆島的寒霞溪等地，其中金刀比羅宮與三重縣的伊勢神宮，被許多日本人列為一輩子都該去一次的兩座最重要神社，有趣的是山門前有隻「金刀比羅狗」塑像，如果無力攀上這785層階梯，只要給狗5日圓，就象徵著狗會幫你上去拜拜，非常可愛。栗林公園更是四國不可錯過的景點，這個從1620年起，歷經多代藩主花了100多年擴建的貴族庭園，23萬坪面積中，春櫻、夏蓮、秋楓與冬季山茶花四季皆美，一點也不輸名氣響亮的日本3大名園。四國也是日本佛教大師空海出生地，當地共有88間由空海創建的觀音廟，千百年來，許多日本人會徒步40天、走過1200公里拜完這88間寺廟，號稱「四國遍路」，若不怕累，也可來走一走。★更多陳志東的旅遊報導請上BLOG.CHINATIMES.COM/KAAS/■四國賞楓INDEX文件倉

移動互聯催生在線旅遊最好時代

□本報記者 王榮 王錦"這是一個最好的時代，mini storage也是一個最壞的時代"，在線旅遊社交網站——螞蜂窩CEO陳罡這樣評價如今的互聯網。陳罡認為，伴隨著多年的發展，互聯網人口素質已經今非昔比，故而這是一個非常有利於互聯網企業發展的時代；但同樣基於多年的發展，互聯網企業的競爭日趨白熱化，這也是一個非常不利於互聯網企業發展的時代。陳罡，典型IT男，資深旅行愛好者，並成功地把IT和旅行的基因相融合，同另一位同樣典型的"IT男+旅行愛好者"呂剛一起創辦了國內領先的旅遊社交媒體螞蜂窩旅行網，其所奉行的基本宗旨是為旅行者提供新鮮、真實的決策參考。"掙錢很快，但我們不急"帽衫、仔褲、眼鏡，外加靦腆的笑容，初見陳罡，你絕對無法把他同一個在線旅遊網站的CEO聯繫起來；但1個小時的聊天之後，陳罡清晰的思路和絕佳的口才，絕對能讓你感受到他對旅行的熱情以及對移動互聯網的獨特見解。2010年到2013年，是國內移動互聯網快速發展的3年，也是在線旅遊市場快速發展的3年，更是陳罡和他的螞蜂窩網快速成長的3年。"旅行本身即是移動的，這和移動互聯網的特性不謀而合。"陳罡這樣解釋螞蜂窩網的迅速崛起。螞蜂窩最初是由同為"驢友"的陳罡和呂剛在2006年因興趣而建，這個旅遊愛好者交流心得的"小窩"在不經意間就有了10萬用戶。因此，在2010年3月，陳罡和呂剛決定全力投入網站的商業化運營當中。"業務增長非常快"，陳罡稱。2010年公司成立之初，螞蜂窩不到10個員工，至2013年4月已經超過150人；2010年3月，螞蜂窩僅有線上用戶10萬，至2013年4月，其核心產品旅遊攻略下載累計超過一億次，服務用戶超過2500萬。這是一個巨大的飛躍，有這樣一組數據或許可以解釋螞蜂窩網趕上了一個好時代：在互聯網的推動之下，從2009年開始，全球在線旅遊業務每年保持10%以上的增長勢頭，預計到2015年在線旅遊市場的交易將成為全球電子商務交易最大的產業之一。從美國、歐洲旅遊產業發展歷史特徵看，在線旅遊發展的黃金階段，在線旅遊滲透率會快速從20%增長到50%，2012年中國在線旅遊滲透率為6.6%，遠落後于全球平均水平。這期間，同樣有資本看中了螞蜂窩網的前景。2011年10月,螞蜂窩獲得今日資本A輪融資500萬美元，2013年4月，螞蜂窩獲得B輪融資1500萬美元，投資方為�明創投，今日資本跟投。"投資方給了螞蜂窩很大的支持，包括管理上的支持、業務發展及商業化嘗試等，最可貴的是投資方給予了我們足夠的成長時間，並不盲目追求短期的數字，而是支持螞蜂窩網專注于用戶需求，創造和打磨核心競爭力。"陳罡表示。據瞭解，螞蜂窩網2012年下半年開始商業化嘗試，隨後便獲得了千萬元級的收入。"今年會有更大的進步，從螞蜂窩網的積累來看，掙錢是很快的，但我們現在不著急。"陳罡稱。"把旅遊攻略做到極致"毫無疑問，就像陳罡所言，這也是互聯網的最壞時代。如今的互聯網已經形成了百度、阿里、騰訊"三大巨頭"，有人稱它們是"三座大山"，這個稱謂的背後，折射出其他國內互聯網玩家乃至�多創業公司在巨頭壓力下的不甘和忌憚。既然是巨頭，紅火的在線旅遊市場不可能沒有他們的身影：百度參股的旅遊搜索引擎——去哪兒網即將在美國上市，百度自身也大肆發展在線旅遊業務；阿里巴巴戰略投資窮游網儲存騰訊亦是在線旅遊網站藝龍的第二大股東。巨頭的加入使得在線旅遊市場硝煙四起。然而，陳罡指出，個性化旅遊時代已經到來，旅遊已經不是簡單的"機票+酒店"這樣的標準化產品就能解決的事情，"即便是同樣的人，在不同的時間去同樣的地方旅行，需要的信息和行程都是完全不同的，針對大家個性化的需求，最好的解決方案和服務就是旅遊攻略。""旅遊攻略一直是螞蜂窩的核心產品，到目前為止我們的市場表現也是最好的。"陳罡在談及在線旅遊市場激烈競爭時顯得頗為自信。有分析機構對螞蜂窩、8264、窮游三個UGC旅遊網站的分析對比的數據也證明瞭這一點：螞蜂窩目前用戶訪問量最大，老用戶更多。陳罡介紹，做最好的旅遊攻略也是螞蜂窩網的使命和方向，"要把旅遊攻略做到極致"。在螞蜂窩平台上，"旅遊攻略"目前為止已經服務過2500萬中國的旅行者，下載次數超過一億次，而產生一篇攻略也是一項非常浩大的工程。對於螞蜂窩來說，平台上6百多萬的旅遊達人是其他在線旅遊網站難以匹敵的，達人們實時反饋當地的照片、對酒店的評價、對風土人情的感悟，這令螞蜂窩獲得了新鮮、實時、海量的數據。"基於海量數據，通過搜索引擎和工作人員的整合形成攻略，這是螞蜂窩獨有的。"陳罡對此非常自豪。這份專注也使得螞蜂窩得以跟其他大型在線旅遊網站區分開來，本著中立和客觀的立場為旅行愛好者挑選酒店和航班。與此同時，螞蜂窩也為藝龍、攜程、Agoda、Booking等公司帶去了很好的訂單，既獲得了傭金分成，又將"競爭對手"轉化為"合作伙伴"。"移動互聯網為在線旅遊而生"提到在線旅遊，就不能不提移動互聯網，在陳罡看來，移動互聯網是為在線旅遊而生的。陳罡說，在線旅遊的特點就是既在移動也在分享，還在不停地獲取信息，而且這些信息都伴隨著不同的地理位置移動而發生著變化，因此移動互聯網切入在線旅遊不可或缺。"螞蜂窩從第一天開始就非常重視移動互聯網領域的發展。"陳罡介紹，目前，在Android系統和IOS系統，螞蜂窩建立了一個以旅遊攻略為核心，由旅行翻譯官、旅遊點評旅行遊記、嗡嗡等組成的一個APP矩陣。各APP內部又有不同的分工。陳罡介紹，螞蜂窩移動客戶端的開發並不是零散隨意的，比如，旅行翻譯官覆蓋全球95%熱門目的地的數十款各目的地旅遊攻略，以及集合了30多個國家語言，包含數百本的王牌APP"旅遊攻略"的核心客戶端，基本解決了初級旅遊者和深度自助遊客旅行中所需的吃住游購娛全面信息。應用矩陣直接提升了用戶黏性，在螞蜂窩2500萬的旅遊攻略用戶中，移動端安裝量突破2000萬。"自2011年首款APP旅行翻譯官，到此後的旅遊攻略，盡管都沒有冠以'螞蜂窩'的名稱，但我們還是以準確滿足用戶需求的方式獲得了良好的市場口碑。"目前，陳罡和他的團隊正在根據在線旅遊的新變化，對螞蜂窩四季度及明年的發展戰略進行梳理，他坦言，移動互聯網帶來的機會將是公司未來發展的重點，螞蜂窩將會不斷根據用戶需求的變化，推出新的應用，並對現有應用進行升級和換代，充分滿足個性化旅遊時代的定制化需求。"現在的在線旅遊市場還是賣方市場，而完善的在線旅遊市場毫無疑問應當是買方市場，用戶需求大於一切。對螞蜂窩而言，還如同三四歲的孩子一般，盡管年幼，但是最好玩的時候，也是最充滿前景和希望的時候。"陳罡表示。螞蜂窩創始人呂剛和陳罡迷你倉