Archives of real estate blog entries for August 10, 2006

Blog posts


The Associates List: Stay Connected. - 07:22 PM
Ages ago points were awarded for being added to someones associates list.  The idea behind this was, that if someone was willing to associate with you then they were giving you a vote of confidence.  In addition it was a way for ActiveRain members to interact and get to know each other.
In practice what happened is that many members decided that it would be best to add everyone they could find to their associates lists, which didn't exactly seem to facilitate a useful form of networking.
I would encourage you to take a look at the associates list feature and to have … (6 comments)

August newsletter page 2 - 08:44 PM
… (1 comments)

August newsletter page 1 - 08:46 PM
… (2 comments)

Promotional Co-branding - Tully's - 06:18 PM
Another agent in Washington state asked about co-branding opportunities.  Locally, Tully's, Seattle's second largest coffee companies, is offering Realtor co-branding on their coffee gift cards.  Something the other coffee company isn't doing. 
This marketing program is being offered through the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors.  Additionally, they will match 10% of the order in free cards.  I'm not sure if the other counties associations have the same program.
Additionally, just this week, Tully's started offering FREE Wi-Fi access in all of their Wi-Fi connected stores.
… (6 comments)

In the Flesh Networking - 06:51 PM
For Seattle area members of ActiveRain, there is a great networking group called Biznik, who's motto is "A business networking group that doesn't suck."  And, if you're not in Seattle...well, Biznik groups are starting in other cities, too.
From Biznik:
Biznik isn't just a networking group. It's a community. It's a necessity. It's a revolution. And if you're going to start a revolution, you'd better have a manifesto. Here's ours.
Biznik is to business what indie film is to cinema: it's independent business with an edge. As a group we tend to value originality and forward-thinking over the tried, the true and … (0 comments)

Blogs Better Than Newsletters - 11:49 PM
Newsletters are easy, once a month shots at communicating with your clients and customers. And wth the right company, it's practically automated. Blogs are time consuming and can take you away from "making rain."
Can a blog really improve your bottom line? Or is it just hype? Well, Sellsius puts forward a good argument for blogs over newsletters. They say blogs:
Are interactiveBuild trustHave interested readersHave a larger audienceGive you future growth potentialAre 100% Google JuiceAllow more innovationWarms leadsAre freeGood points. I would add to and expand a couple of the reasons. I also don't completely agree with number nine. But I think … (13 comments)

I turned a Customer Away Yesterday - 02:34 PM
When a buyer doesn't want to sign a Buyers Agreement. 
I turned a customer away yesterday because they didn't want to sign a Buyers Agreement with me.  Oh they didn't mind me driving them around looking at houses, they just didn't want to commit to one Realtor® Unfortunately that is not the way I work these days.  All my buyers are well counseled pre-qualified and with a signed Buyers Agreement before we actually go out driving to look at houses, even those coming from out of state. Not to mention the price of gas, I only work with qualified, serious buyers.
I … (2 comments)

Talk To A Human - 08:59 AM
Have you ever been frustrated going through all the verbal prompts when calling a company?  Well here is a great resource to bookmark whenever you need to call and get to a real person quickly.   
You will find companies listed from finance, credit, government, insurance, hardware, internet, mobile, pharmacy, products, shipping, stores, software, telephone companies, travel and tv/satellite.  I plan on using this list often.
http://gethuman.com/us/
… (3 comments)

Dallas Real Estate - Mixed-Use Community - 04:35 PM
It seems as though mixed-use communities are sprouting up all over the place.  The developers have this plan to make suburban areas more like urban areas so people who move to the suburbs reluctantly can still have the city feel.  It's happening all over Dallas and now they're sprouting one in Ft. Worth called Montera.
They're going to start with apartments and build houses and retail from there.  I always get frustrated when I hear they're going to build apartments as part of communities like these.  The communities should be mixed like this for the convenience of home owners who are going … (0 comments)

Dallas Real Estate- High Rises Missing a Floor - 04:45 PM
This is hilarious... did you know that some developers omit the 13th floor of a high rise building??  I had never heard of this before.  There's a new condo conversation going on in Dallas and instead of having a 13th floor for residences, they are putting the pool and workout equipment there to top off the building.
Many builders are afraid that people on the 13th floor would never have the resale value of people on other floors and it would hinder sales completely. What's weird is I know many people where 13 is their lucky number.  My brother's birthday is on … (7 comments)

Dallas Real Estate - Change your Locks after Closing - 05:37 PM
After you close on a house, you need to change your locks.  You don't actually have to change the actual lock as rekeying a lock is much cheaper, but you never know who has copies of the keys.  If the previous owners didn't change their locks, you could have people from years earlier that still have keys.  That's so dangerous!
There have been many times when I've gone to pick up keys for the buyers and the sellers are like, there are only 3 keys there, but I know I had 4 so I'll get that to you when I find it.  … (2 comments)

The high tech world of real estate? [part 2] - 04:08 PM
Let's say I get a mortgage lead from my site. I usually just collect the bare basics - name, number, and email address. The next step is to contact the borrower. If they don't respond by email (which I prefer) I usually call to follow up. If they're serious, I can usually fill out the loan application while I'm on the phone. We start with the basics of what they're trying to do, purchase or refinance? Then proceed to Name? Address? Employment? 15 to 30 minutes later we're done.
I email the loan application along with all the disclosures USING ENCRYPTION. The … (2 comments)

Too Much of a Good Thing - 03:37 PM
I haven't had time in the last couple of weeks to write anything new. But then again, I don't think I've had anything in mind worth recording. Why? Well, it's not because we've been slammed with new business - oh, I'm not complaining, business is good. And, it's not because we have so many other things occupying our time either. Just the usual stuff with the kids and general "life maintenance".
I think it boils down to not taking any time to get away and just relax. As any productive REALTOR can attest, our's is a fun business and pretty much … (0 comments)

Our Personal Standards of Service - 03:46 PM
Our parent company, CENTURY 21, has standards of service that we, as agents, must adhere to. And as members of the National Association of Realtors, we promise to adhere to very strict standards of ethical conduct as well. But, in addition to those standards, Susan and I have our own personal standards of service. We provide this list to customers but have not posted them on our website or anywhere else so now's as good a time and place to put them out on the internet as any.
CLIENT-AGENT RELATIONSHIPS
At the beginning of our client relationship, we will explain our client-agent obligations, … (0 comments)

Real Estate SEO - 05:13 PM
Is your website "fresh"?  With the proliferation of agent sites on the web, competition is tougher than ever. The number of consumer starting their search for real estate on the web has been steadily rising the last few years. One of the biggest complaints by consumers is out of date information, whether its expired listings, old pricing, etc. I was surfing today and came across a brand new agent site that is advertising a property that was canceled in January of this year.  I found another that had was advertising a property canceled last summer.
Consumers want two things when they surf … (4 comments)

Free Online Tools - 10:40 PM
As part of my SEO tutorial, I thought I would put up some of my favorite sites for free SEO tools.  This list is by no means complete; I've picked out my top five sites because quite a few offer the same or similar tools:
widexl the link is the meta tag analyzer.  They also have a nice backlink checker as well.
webconfs this tool allows you to see how a search engine sees your website.  They also have a TON of other cool stuff.
nichebot allows you to track/check any keywords you want.
seochat this tool will auto generator meta tags for you.  Even though google ignores them, … (4 comments)

Could rising gas prices kill the suburbs - 03:56 PM
Could rising gas prices kill the suburbs?
When a high-cost commute reaches the point of no-return, home buyers will start finding houses closer to work. In fact, some already are.
By Marilyn Lewis 10 cities hurt worst by rising gas prices Great, cheap places you'd want to live On Money: Gas-saving devices mostly scamsRising fuel costs are being blamed for everything from soaring utility costs to lower retail sales and higher airline tickets. And now, experts say high gas prices could reshape U.S. cities.
"Most analysts believe that crude oil prices in the $50s and $60s will be with us for some time," says … (1 comments)

Don't be a fool - 04:12 PM
Mortgage scams are like Baskin-Robbins offerings -- they come in 31 flavors. Here are three top choices of con artists and how to avoid them.
By Christopher Solomon More Americans are losing their homes MSN Money: 5 tips for wisely tapping your home equity MSN Money: The consumers' guide to credit counselingIf owning a home is the great American dream, then swindling people out of their prized possession is one of the great, lucrative American scams. Mortgage fraud is on the rise, thanks to the tremendous value that's locked up in real estate today and to the increasing number of people who … (0 comments)

My New Home - 04:18 PM
It's tempting to assume that new construction is sound construction, but that's not always the case. Do your homework. Investigate the builder, evaluate the location, get a thorough inspection and negotiate for the upgrades you want. Many builders offer financing through a preferred lender, which may save you time and money. Investigate your loan options online to compare before you sign up for a loan on-site. Find a Good Builder
Look for a developer first. Whether you find one through referrals or through your own research, investigate a developer's reputation carefully:
Visit other projects (especially older projects) that the same developer built. … (0 comments)

I miss snow days.... - 07:22 PM
Each morning I wake to the radio and intently listen for the weather forecast, do I have to worry about a hurricane?  It got me thinking about when I lived up North and how each winter morning I would pray for a snow day!  With a snow storm everything looks pretty.  A snow day meant permission to stay home and catch up on household stuff, play games with my son, perhaps make a stew in the crock pot and bake cookies.   It meant I could stay in my pajamas all day long.  Well OK - I would get dressed to shovel … (5 comments)

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