Archives of real estate blog entries for March 8, 2007

Featured blog posts


The LONG TAIL Finally HIT Me - 10:48 PM
The LONG TAIL thing... Finally hit me
OK - I RANK FIRST PAGE at Google for most of the prized search terms.      
Yes, this leads to a certain arrogance - AND - I have been guilty of looking down on those who talk about LONG TAIL SEO strategies.
I admit it.  I thought, why shoot for first page results on infrequently used terms if you know how to get first page results for the good ones.... ???
For example, I believe the most popular search terms in most markets are
Real Estate CityName CityName Real Estate … (29 comments)

Effectively Utilize Localism - 04:38 PM
Now that ActiveRain has starting focusing all local content posts on the Localism platform it is important for all of to utilize the power and potential authority of the site for our search engine benefit. If you are blogging on ActiveRain and posting local content to Localism that you already see the value in using these systems but what maybe troubling is how to get content all over localism effectively.
What do I mean by effectively? I mean that you want to create synergies between current online strategies to increase the level of importance associated with the local content post. How can … (221 comments)

Internet Advertising Only? ..... I Think Not ! - 08:32 PM
 Do Not Forget Print Advertising!
A recent post seemed to take the position that anyone who spends money on print advertising is wasting money, and that those old-fashioned ads that stain your fingers may make the sellers feel good but they don't sell houses.
Call me old-fashioned then, but I do both print and Internet advertising. I know that not everyone who buys a house - or who is helping someone look for a house - is in their 30's. There is another generation and they do read newspapers, and they do need print ads. This generation includes people with lots of … (84 comments)

WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM BREWING IN OUR COUNTY OVER BUILDING PERMITS - 08:38 PM
About one month ago we lost a sale as a result of an inspection process wherein the inspector wrote that a building permit for an add-on RV garage on the home had never been approved or signed off.
 The would-be buyer was so concerned that he might have to tear down this beautiful garage, or at least have it reinspected and brought up to today's criteria, that he opted out of the contract.
After much research on our part as the sellers agents we found the following:
a. The sellers had lived there 4 years and had no knowledge of the … (21 comments)

COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT REVISITED with AN INTERESTING ANGLE - 09:19 AM
My latest adventure in copyright protection enforcement has taken a very interesting turn.  A local agent recently got caught with one of my maps on her web site.  This is a local agent of a national company.  The agent and her broker are presenting a new problem.  While my map is no longer on their web site, Google has it indexed in "Images" with a link to the agent's web site.  Google Images and images in general are a very popular search resource for consumers and every day that my map is sending visitors to a web site not my own is costing me traffic.  When … (65 comments)

Active Newbies - 06:05 AM
This morning in our sales meeting, our agenda includes training on blogging on Active Rain.  I've been sending invitations to my coworkers and trying to get them to join, but there was very little interest.  I've mentioned a little business from it and higher ratings on search engines ... NOW there's some interest!  :o) 
So, if you're one of my coworkers peeking at my blog and wondering what this is all about, or if you're just new on AR (Active Rain) and want to know where to begin, I'll tell you what little I know.  Hey, I've only been doing this a short while myself!  But it's fun, you … (52 comments)

The Right Way to Win... - 12:31 PM
 
If you are not a golfer then you probably missed or could have cared less about the young man who won the Honda Classic. Mark Wilson, who won the tournament on Monday, did an amazing thing...He did the right thing.. he called a 2 stroke penalty on himself. No one else saw the infraction and he could have gotten away with keeping his mouth shut but he didn't.  As an individual he didn't do anything wrong; but his caddie inadvertently broke one of The Rules of Golf  and Mark told the tournament officials.   He took responsibility.  By incurring a two stroke penalty he could well have lost the match … (46 comments)

ActiveRain Now Supports Widgets - 08:34 PM
It is indeed a sunny day for many real estate professionals. ActiveRain, the leading social networking and blogging service for real estate professionals, now allows you to embed widgets directly into your blog posts! Matt Heaton, President and CEO of ActiveRain, told me yesterday that their new release (which came out today) would indeed support multimedia. This morning I was able to embed a vFlyer Commerce Widget on our ActiveRain blog (Example)!
Note: ActiveRain users - Please follow the instructions as there is small kink in the process that will be ironed out in this evenings release!
… (35 comments)

Photography 101: Composition and Framing: - 04:10 PM

I'm going to help you be a better photographer today. In fact, by the time you are finished reading this one blog you are going to be armed with one of the best tools I know of. 
I'm talking about an understanding of proportion. Specifically the Rule of Thirds, and for my advanced students - the Golden Ratio.
Trust me on the following statement (this might be a hard one to accept at the outset): Human beings are hardwired to find certain proportions and spatial relationships more pleasing than others.
Let's come back to that in a bit.
For the moment let's … (26 comments)

Need a New Friend? Maybe it's Your Camera - 04:41 PM
Do you need a new friend? You might want to make it your camera. Going off a bit here into psychological, esoteric land, I guess, but bear with me - the point will be gradually revealed.
This is NOT about the mechanics and techniques of photography. There are far better people than I right here on AR to give us those lessons. Cheryl Johnson has shared some good stuff on technique when taking photos (Photography 101: Exposure Trilogy: The Third Fundamental, and Photography 101: Depth of Field, for starters) and our resident photographer, Bryce Mohan, is giving us all some great lessons, FREE of … (23 comments)

Reality of Real Estate (c) 2007 Supply & Demand Part 6 - 04:19 PM
Note: March 8, 2007 Edition                                                            Merrimack Journal Publications
Reality of Real Estate . . . Supply & Demand
Dr. Anthony G Ziagos, Sr.
Three major factors adversely impact the sale of real estate. Supply & Demand, uneducated seller, inexperienced broker. Supply and demand is the harsh reality of todays residential real estate market. Demand reflects buyers perception of stable economy and affordability. Over Supply (lack of demand) is created by seller perception that cash yeild is maximized. Actual physical inventory varies very little. It is the desire to sell that creates larger inventories and longer marketing time (days on market). Demand is measured by … (5 comments)

Emotions Can Cause Hard Feeling Between Buyers & Sellers - 12:48 PM
First I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog. I am 100% new to this and I have not even read very many blog posts before. I had been reading for the last couple of years that as a real estate agent you should you a blog. I have always liked the idea of sharing my experiences on deals and market trends in the Jefferson County Missouri area. Now one of my major setbacks is that I am a terrible speller. I was also concerned about having something to talk about every day. Now I am not able … (23 comments)

Active Rain created One Stage for an entirely new industry - 12:41 AM
                                                                                                                                                       The guys that created Active Rain might not realize it (and I KNOW they definitely did not intend it) but they have created something wonderful.
They have created a stage so that the voices of an entire industry, only in its infancy and struggling to be heard, could be heard. That industry is the Home Staging Industry. And today is going to be a VERY special day for all home stagers that utilize Active Rain as a resource for fresh and helpful industry information. We stagers here on Active Rain are welcoming our 500th stager... and THAT is a HUGE milestone for home staging! And … (32 comments)

Milestones and Paths in Our Lives - 08:37 PM
All of us have had "life defining moments".  Moments  in our lives that have been turning points.  We have had things happen that we gauge our life by, nothing is the same after that; September 11th, the birth of a child or the death of a parent, or a pet.  Sometime things happen and we never look at life the same way again, hopefully, we look at in a more positive light.   Sometimes when things happen we decide to choose a different path than the one we are on... or we choose a path and it leads somewhere else.
                               
Spring is … (10 comments)

Active Rainers...My Mentors! - 03:08 AM
Active Rainers...My Mentors!
A friend asked me a few months after I became an agent and was having difficulties in developing my business why didn't I have a mentor?  In his business it was important to have a mentor, and suggested I find one and ask for help. 
I have always been the type to learn by reading, and by watching successful people, even to the extent of asking myself: what would so and so do in this situation?  But when I looked around, I did not see see anyone who I felt could help me in that way or even challenge me.  Mostly the agents … (34 comments)


Blog posts


SCL News: NBC Affiliate Resyndicates Content - 04:04 PM
(Note: this is a press release / self-promotion)
Seattle Condos and Lofts (SCL) is pleased to announce that King5.com, the NBC affiliate in Seattle and part of Belo, has selected the SCL blog to provide content for King5.com's new condo section.   King5.com receives over 6-million visitors per month giving Seattle Condos and Lofts tremendous exposure.
SCL is the top-ranked condo blog in the Northwest and among the most visited consumer-focused real estate blogs in Washington (per Alexa).   Additionally, SCL regularly out-paces industry blogs such as RSS Pieces, Real Estate Tomato and TransparentRE (per BlogTopSites).
… (3 comments)

Condo Networking in Las Vegas! - 03:20 PM
  Please join Jake for a free happy hour condo networking event in Las Vegas! Thursday, March 22nd 2007 at the hip new Downtown Cocktail Room.  6pm to 8pm.  4$ vodka drinks while supplies last, courtesy of condogossip.com.  Meet the world famous gossip girls!  Bring your business cards and mingle with your neighbors and local vendors.  Anyone interested in condos is welcome to attend. Don’t live in Las Vegas?  No problem.  Visit them in Miami in May 2007 or Toronto in Fall 2007.  Details coming soon. Thanks and see you there! ————————————– Umm, Jake…when you coming to Boston? source: Condo Blog  see more … (0 comments)

Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival in Hot Springs - 08:56 PM
… (0 comments)

this had to be reposted - 12:08 PM
Student loans
According to Sallie Mae, which owns or manages student loans for more than 7 million borrowers, the new repayment rate for student Stafford loans will be set on July 1 at 4.06 percent. That's nearly two percentage points less than it has been for the past year.
The new rate for PLUS loans, which are given to parents, will be 4.86 percent, down from 6.79 percent in the past year. The rates were determined by Tuesday's Treasury bill auction. (The Department of Education is expected to report the official rates by the end of the week.)
As a result, … (1 comments)

Who Took The Fun Out Of Blogging? - 08:20 PM
Yesterday, Teresa Boardman and I were invited by Jessica Swesey of Inman to participate in a sort of "meeting of the minds" for real estate bloggers.  17 of the 'elite' met on a teleconference call to discuss what topics we should all consider for discussion when we all meet again, in person, at the Bloggers Connect in San Francisco this summer. 
After the conference call ended Teresa quickly emailed me: "What am I missing?"  "They make it all seem so difficult."  Just minutes later, I received the below post.
Who Took The Fun Out Of Blogging?By Teresa BoardmanIn my last … (3 comments)

Ocean 30 Group - Systems Overview - 09:58 PM

Welcome to Ocean 30 - this post is the start of my overview for agents that we work with to get started building an online presence.
1) Active Rain - Once your account is setup with Active Rain you will want to start with creating your profile.  Don't worry about making it purfect you can always add or change the content as you learn more.  Add you photo on the profile section and then get started with learning how to post a blog entry. There are several of us on the team that can help you with your first post.  Post with … (5 comments)

Second Saturday Art Gallery Night March 10 - 05:56 AM
The second Saturday of every month is Gallery Night in Northeast L A :  Your opportunity to explore the Galleries, Shops, Restaurants and Nightlife in the historic and eclectic neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles.
Tour participating galleries this Saturday, March 10, from 7PM - 10 PM, then wrap with drinks and music at Mr. T's Bowl.
More info here:  http://www.nelaart.org/
And here:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NELAart/
Mr. T's Bowl:  http://mrtsbowl.tripod.com/   
… (0 comments)

Buy Me- Are you Watching this Show? - 10:42 PM
Lately I have been hooked on this show. I am sure it's from Canada, and most likely from a year or so ago when the sales are taking place.
My issue with the show is that i really hope my future clients are not watching it, and I will definately elaborate further.
1. The agents always list at the sellers price  usually without  thourally going over recent comps, and just pacify the sellers by listing at whatever price they magically thought up, even though they know at that moment the house will never sell at that price.
2. The homes are almost always on the … (1 comments)

Keeping Austin Weird: It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, It's SUPERKITE! - 10:18 AM
Go fly a kite!
Every March, in a demonstration of Austin weirdness and community, Austinites and Central Texans take this seriously and thousands of us get together and fly a kite. 
Last weekend, Austin celebrated the 79th annual Zilker Kite Festival (aka the Zilker Kite Flying Contest) in Zilker Park.  Kites of all sizes and colors filled the skies.  In the weeks before the festival, kite lovers of every flavor attended workshops on kite design and building, constructed kites, bought kites at the local convenience store, and on Sunday, brought them to the park to see how they would fly.  Some participated … (1 comments)

Keeping Austin Weird - Eeyore's Birthday Party - 12:55 PM
Back in 1963, University of Austin Professor Lloyd Birdwell's English class needed a break due to spring fever.  So, they had a party for a fictional character - Eeyore, the perpetually depressed donkey from A.A. Milne's "Pooh" series.  It was a small affair, held in Eastwoods Park on the east side of the University campus.  Some refreshments, a donkey, a May Pole - your typical 60's kid's birthday party. 
Fast forward to today, some 44 years later.  People noticed the party.  People thought it was a good idea.  People thought costumes would be an even better idea.  The party outgrew Eastwoods … (4 comments)

247 West I Street, Benicia CA 94510 - 08:01 PM
        
Realty Executives of Benicia presents this cute downtown Benicia home close to water and First Street. Hardwood floors throughout this 3bd/1ba home with detached single car garage. Great location for all events in Benicia including Farmers Market, 4th of July parade and movies on First. Visit www.RealEstatebyStef.com to search all homes in Northern California and to see a Virtual Tour of this home and many others. Offered at $499,000.
… (3 comments)

Internet Advertising Only? ..... I Think Not ! - 08:32 PM
 Do Not Forget Print Advertising!
A recent post seemed to take the position that anyone who spends money on print advertising is wasting money, and that those old-fashioned ads that stain your fingers may make the sellers feel good but they don't sell houses.
Call me old-fashioned then, but I do both print and Internet advertising. I know that not everyone who buys a house - or who is helping someone look for a house - is in their 30's. There is another generation and they do read newspapers, and they do need print ads. This generation includes people with lots of … (84 comments)

Emotions Can Cause Hard Feeling Between Buyers & Sellers - 12:48 PM
First I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog. I am 100% new to this and I have not even read very many blog posts before. I had been reading for the last couple of years that as a real estate agent you should you a blog. I have always liked the idea of sharing my experiences on deals and market trends in the Jefferson County Missouri area. Now one of my major setbacks is that I am a terrible speller. I was also concerned about having something to talk about every day. Now I am not able … (23 comments)

Local New Bern News - Market Update - 09:12 AM
This column is customized each month so that I can share with you, the current monthly statistics. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!HOMES SOLD (Closed), February 1 through February 28.(From NB Board of Realtors MLS System)Under $100K = 13$100K-$159,999 = 40$160K-$199,999 = 36$200K-$239,999 = 20$240K-$299,999 = 13$300K-$399,999 = 10$400K - $499,999 = 4Over $500,000 = 4Total = 140Neighborhood - SALES:Neighborhood - FOR SALE:For the BEST Internet Marketing, and the Most Responsive Service in New Bern, Contact DIANNE! ddunn@dunn.com (252) 636-3301 or Toll Free: (888) 781-8800 … (0 comments)

Cedarcrest South Neighborhood - 01:36 PM
Yesterday I got out of the office and ventured around Marysville to take some pictures. My first stop is Cedarcrest South just off 67th on the East end of town. Upon entering the neighborhood you are greeted by the neighborhood sign, which needs some TLC, and wide streets for easy traveling. Cedarcrest South is comprised of both two story homes and rambles with unique styling, large lot sizes and ample driveway and street parking (some homes have RV parking as well).

… (0 comments)

Effectively Utilize Localism - 04:38 PM
Now that ActiveRain has starting focusing all local content posts on the Localism platform it is important for all of to utilize the power and potential authority of the site for our search engine benefit. If you are blogging on ActiveRain and posting local content to Localism that you already see the value in using these systems but what maybe troubling is how to get content all over localism effectively.
What do I mean by effectively? I mean that you want to create synergies between current online strategies to increase the level of importance associated with the local content post. How can … (221 comments)

Whiskey Ridge Neighborhood - 05:26 PM
During prohibition moon shiners made there special brew and made the greatest effort to keep it out of sight. What would Marysville be without a little moon shine history? Well in those days the East Hill of Marysville received the name Whiskey Ridge from the moon shine era. It has long since changed from the time but there was a rumor going around, when I was a senior in high school, 1996, that when the hill was cleared old stills where found. So the moon shiners really did make their brew there.
Yesterday, when taking pictures, there were children playing basketball and tossing a … (0 comments)

Tuscany Neighborhood - 08:20 PM
Tuscany is located on Getchell in Hill and considered part of the greater Getchell Neighborhood according the City of Marysville's Comprehensive Plan. It is moderately sized neighborhood with many different styles of homes which include ramblers, split levels and two stories. It was built predominately by Harbor Homes and Belmark with some smaller builders filling in here and there. Even though there are different builders Tuscany still holds a consistent feel from home to home.
Tuscany home owners get great views of the Olympics, Puget Sound and Fire Trail (Northwest Marysville). Some of the homes have large rear patios that are … (5 comments)

Santa Clara County - Market Analysis - January 2007 - 01:34 PM
No huge surprises in January 2007 for Santa Clara County. If your really looking for a surprise, the only one you may find is that despite what all the pundits have been predicting, there has been no crash or "bursting" of the real estate market. Average home prices are up, but so are the number of homes for sale and the amount of time it takes to sell them.
While we saw the usual seasonal dip in inventory and listings in December, we saw those two items rise in January but with a decrease in sold homes from December to … (0 comments)

Tips for the 1st time homebuyer - 09:20 PM
Tips for the 1st time homebuyerby Kaushik Sirkar, Chandler REALTOR®Chandler AZ Real Estate
A good percentage of my clients are 1st time homebuyers.  1st time purchasers of a home are different than folks who have purchased/sold multiple homes.  Much like many other activities, experience builds a certain level of confidence when it comes to purchasing/selling a home.  When I purchase an investment property these days, it becomes a simple #'s game (along with consideration for the location, of course) that determines whether I purchase an investment property or not.  This is not the case with the 1st time home purchaser.  Not only … (8 comments)

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