The Official ActiveRain Blog

Survey: How Will The Real Estate Market Perform This Quarter?

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:04:25 -0700

The RealEstate.com team, in conjunction with ActiveRain, wants to create a better real estate index. The indices currently thrown around by news publications and real estate professionals, like the Case-Shiller index and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey, are too broad and retrospective to represent the current health of national and local real estate markets.

To overcome these indices’ shortcomings, the RealEstate.com team is in the process of creating the “Real Estate Confidence Index.” This index will be used to measure the confidence of those who know local real estate markets the best - the real estate professionals that work within them, you.

TAKE THE FIRST REAL ESTATE CONFIDENCE INDEX SURVEY

This quarterly index will be created using real estate professionals’ responses to short (five minute) online surveys. The surveys are primarily meant to assess professionals' confidence in four categories of their local real estate markets on a scale of “very confident” to “not at all confident.” Here is a screenshot of this question:

An additional question will ask real estate professionals to share one or two sentences about trends in their local real estate markets that quarter.

The Real Estate Confidence Index’s home will be on RealEstate.com, in the same section as its blog. The results of the Real Estate Confidence Index surveys - and the index itself - will be freely distributed to any agent, publication or blog that wants them. Survey respondents also have the option to provide their email address so they can receive the survey results as soon as they are tabulated.

Everyone willing to spend five minutes of your time to fill out this confidence index survey will be given 500 ActiveRain points. PLEASE make sure you put your user name in at the end of the survey CORRECT. Points will be awarded at the close of the survey, in the middle of May.

TAKE THE FIRST REAL ESTATE CONFIDENCE INDEX SURVEY

To read more about the Real Estate Confidence Index, please read this ActiveRain blog post. Please leave any questions you have about this index in the comments below.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Win Free Leads from Market Leader for 3 Months

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:41:31 -0700

Win Free Leads from Market Leader for 3 Months

Market Leader is in a giving mood. They're going to give you a chance to win free leads for your business for 3 months. In fact, two people are going to win free leads for 3 months.

What would free leads for 3 months mean for your business?

It could jump start your spring selling season.
It could turn into $1000's of dollars in commissions.
It could mean more listings and buyers to work with.
It could make you the number one selling agent in your office.
It could help you to find a genie in a bottle and be granted three wishes which you could then use to wish for more free leads and more wishes

(*One of these will most likely not happen. And seriously, who would wish for more leads? Wouldn't you just wish for more closed transactions? Or maybe you could just wish for a billion dollars. But that would be super self-centered. Wouldn't wishing for world peace or the end to hunger be a more noble wish?)

We will annouce the winners at 12:00pm Pacific time on March 25th so if you would like to enter, make sure you do it before then.

***Submitting the contest entry form means you give your consent to have Market Leader contact you with more information on their services.

Market Leader: Power Your Business With One Solution

Real estate agents and brokers can accomplish more with just one login, one price, and one company. From marketing your brand to managing your entire contact base, Market Leader offers everything you need to stay ahead of the competition.

Website - A personalized real estate website that displays MLS listing information and helps you secure every new lead.
Contact management - Separate buyers from browsers, track business performance, and cultivate relationships to build an active pipeline.
Marketing Center - Instant access to thousands of professionally designed templates for flyers, postcards, automated campaigns, and more.
Lead Generation - Drive hundreds of motivated leads each month using Craigslist, search widgets, pay-per-click advertising, and other features.
Education - Training and online resources available exclusively to Market Leader customers

Learn more at http://marketleader.com/one-solution.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Real Estate Professionals Loudly Proclaim: Real Estate Market Is Back!!

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:24:00 -0700

You're Getting Good at This

For the second year in a row, the ActiveRain real estate community has put their collective knowledge to the test in order to predict how the real estate market will play out in the coming year. Last year, as a group, we collectively called the bottom of the market. All signs would suggest we nailed it!

This year, 2400 of you responded to the survey ActiveRain offered asking you what you expected real estate in your area to do in 2013. 84% of you expect real estate values and the number of transactions will increase in 2013. This number is staggering in many ways. I can't think of one thing where you would get this much agreement when taking the tempature of 2400 members of the real estate community.

Bullish on 2013

Last year, our members predicted that 1/3 of the markets in the country would see price declines. This year? Not a single market! As a group, our members expect every single major market in the US to see price increases in 2013. If you guys were a bull on the housing market, you would be Paul Bunyan's OX, babe.

Below is the infographic we put together based on the data from the survey. If you'd like the full report you can head over to RealEstate.com and get all the juicy details.

We would love if you would share this infographic in your blog. The national media has been jumping all over the doom and gloom of the real estate market for the last five (or has it been longer?) years. It's our responsibility as content creators to trumpet the return of the market.

This is Great News, Share It!

To that end, on Friday, March 22nd at 10am Pacific Time we are going to host a webinar that focuses on how to share this kind of real estate news with your sphere. How can you take advantage of all the great real estate news you are predicting will be headed our way in the foreseeable future? We'll talk about that if you'd like to join us. Click this link to get signed up for the webinar.

Enough about all that, here's the pretty pictures.......and for you data geeks, here's the more thorough breakdown.

(Click above for high resolution image)

In order to share this infographic on your blog you can use this piece of HTML code:

<p><a href="http://activerain.com/real-estate-is-back"><img src="http://activerain.com/pdf/RealEstateIsBack_bright_mm_600px.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="1200" /></a></p>
<p>Data provided by <a href="http://activerain.com/real-estate-is-back">

ActiveRain,</a> the #1 social community for real estate professionals.</p>

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Keep Up In the Rain!

What Do You Expect From Your Lender?

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:12:13 -0800

What Do You Expect From Your Lender?

We all know that we'd like our lender to be responsive, give great service to our clients and be able to close the loan on time. Ask any agent that's been in the business for a few years, and they will tell you these are a few of the things they value in their lender. But what exactly is expected of a loan officer in order to meet an agent's expectations?

Do you expect your lender to respond immediately? Do you think 'being responsive' means that they respond within 24 hours? No doubt, agent's definition of 'responsive' is going to very from agent to agent.

In this survey, we'd love you to share with us your exact expectations of your loan officer. In an effort to go beyond the obvious qualities that you find desirable in your lender, we'd love to learn some of the specifics of what you expect from that trusted partner that's helped build your business.

Anyone who has found an amazing loan officer would be quick to tell you how valuable they have been for their business. We'd love some insight on what that person means to you exactly.

Please Take The Survey

We ask that you take 5-10 minutes (It seems members are finding the survey takes closer to 12-15 minutes) to complete this survey about your expectations for your lender. Your responses will be completely anonymous.

If you choose to leave your ActiveRain user name at the end of the survey, we will award your account 1000 points for your completed survey.

In addition, anyone that leaves their user name will be entered to win an iPad Mini or one of three $50 Amazon gift cards. Winners will be notified on April 1st (and it won't be an April Fool's Joke.......although wouldn't it be fun if we notified 1000's of people that they won......and then 'April Fool'ed' them, haha.......yeah, probably not a good idea)

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Keep Up In the Rain!

2013 Inman 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders, Complete List

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:32:49 -0800

2013 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders

See the Complete List

A big congratulations to all the people that made the recently announced 2013 Inman News 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders. If you take the time to browse the full list below, you will certainly see some names that you recognize. Many of these folks are current and former members of ActiveRain.

Each year, Inman News compiles a list of the 100 most influential people in real estate. 2013 is no exception. One of the newest additions to the list is ActiveRain Blogger, and Manager of Industry Engagement for Better Homes and Garden Real Estate, Rebekah Radice. It's great to see her on that list as I know she has certainly been influential to so many of us here on ActiveRain.

The list is broken down into six sections:

Brokerages, Franchisors, Brokerage Organizations
Government
Economists, Academics, and Consultants
Industry trade groups, MLSs
Media, Blogging, Social Media, Marketing
Mortgage, Title, Ancillary Services
Technology

The editors at Inman News always compile a list with some serious heavy hitters. These folks are in many ways leading the industry at every turn in each of their respective roles within the companies they run. Congratulations to everyone that was selected this year based on the criteria that Inman uses to compile the list. (you can see the criteria near the bottom of that link)

You can see the entire list on the Inman news site here. Or you can check below and quickly scan the list to see if any of the people that influenced you in the last year are on the list.

You can identify ActiveRain members with the * before their name.

(Each link goes back to the profile of that influential leader)

Brokerages, Franchisors, Brokerage Organizations:

Stephen Baird

President and CEO

Baird & Warner Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/stephen-baird

Lanny Baker

President and CEO

ZipRealty

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/lanny-baker

*Matt Beall

Principal Broker

Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/matt-beall

Vanessa Bergmark

General Manager and Partner

Red Oak Realty

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/vanessa-bergmark

*Justin Britt

Co-founder, Head Webhead

Hawaii Life Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/justin-britt

Aleya Chattopadhyay

Chief Marketing Officer

HSF Affiliates LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/aleya-chattopadhyay

Sherry Chris

President and CEO

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/sherry-chris

Ryan Crecelius

Founder and broker-in-charge

DO GOOD Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/ryan-crecelius

Rick Davidson

President and CEO

Century 21 Real Estate LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/rick-davidson

Leighton Dees

Chairman and CEO

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Generations

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/leighton-dees

Steve DiUbaldo

President and Chief Executive Officer

Atlantic & Pacific Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/steve-diubaldo

Dorothy "Dottie" Herman

President and CEO

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/dorothy-dottie-herman

Budge Huskey

CEO

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/budge-huskey

*Kuba Jewgieniew

Founder, CEO

Reaty One Group Inc.

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/kuba-jewgieniew

Gary Keller

Co-founder and chairman of the board

Keller Williams Realty

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/gary-keller

*Glenn Kelman

CEO and President

Redfin

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/glenn-kelman

Earl Lee

CEO

HSF Affiliates LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/earl-lee

Pamela Liebman

President and CEO

The Corcoran Group

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/pamela-liebman

Dave Liniger

Co-founder and chairman of the board

Re/Max LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/dave-liniger

Tina Mak

Broker

Coldwell Banker Westburn Realty

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/tina-mak

Dominic Morrocco

Partner and co-founder

M Squared Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/dominic-morrocco

Ronald J. Peltier

Chairman and CEO

HomeServices of America Inc.

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/ronald-j-peltier

Alexander "Alex" E. Perriello III

President and CEO

Realogy Franchise Group

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/alexander-alex-e-perriello-iii

Raj Qsar

Principal, Owner

Premier Orange County Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/raj-qsar

Diane Ramirez

President

Halstead Property

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/diane-ramirez

Richard A. Smith

President and CEO

Realogy Corp.

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/richard-a-smith

Bev Thorne

Chief Marketing Officer

Century 21 Real Estate

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/bev-thorne

*Krisstina Wise

Founder and CEO

The Goodlife Team

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/krisstina-wise

Charlie Young

CEO and President

ERA Franchise Systems LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/charlie-young

Bruce Zipf

President and CEO

NRT LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/bruce-zipf

Government

Richard Cordray
Director
Consumer Financial Protection Agency
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/richard-cordray

Carol J. Galante
Assistant Secretary for housing; Federal Housing Administration commissioner
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/carol-j-galante

Economists, Academics and Consultants

*Brian Boero

Partner

1000watt Consulting

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/brian-boero

Matt Cohen

Chief Technologist

Clareity Consulting

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/matt-cohen

Doug Duncan

Vice President and Chief Economist

Fannie Mae

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/doug-duncan

*Stan Humphries

Chief Economist

Zillow

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/stan-humphries

*Brian N. Larson

President

Larson/Sobotka Business Advisors LLC

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/brian-n-larson

Katherine Pancak

Professor in Residence of Finance and Real Estate at the University of Connecticut at Stamford

University of Connecticut at Stamford

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/katherine-pancak

*Marilyn Wilson

Partner

WAV Group

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/marilyn-wilson

Lawrence Yun

Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Economist

National Association of Realtors

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/lawrence-yun

Leonard Zumpano

Chairman of Real Estate Economics, Finance and Legal Services

Culverhouse College of Commerce, University of Alabama

http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/leonard-zumpano

Industry Trade Groups, MLS's

Russ Bergeron
CEO
Midwest Real Estate Datea LLC
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/russ-bergeron

Art Carter
CEO
California Regional MLS Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/art-carter

David Charron
CEO and President
Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/david-charron

Merri Jo Cowen
CEO
My Florida Regional MLS
http://www.inman.com/node/208441

Bob Hale
CEO
Houston Association of Realtors
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/bob-hale

David Stevens
President and CEO
Mortgage Bankers Association
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/david-stevens

Dale Stinton
CEO
National Association of Realtors
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/dale-stinton

Gary Thomas
2013 President
National Association Realtors
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/gary-thomas

Technology

Sue Adler
Founder, Partner
HearItDirect
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/sue-adler

Austin Allison
Co-founder and CEO
dotloop
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/austin-allison

Robert Bemis
Vice President of Partner Relations
Zillow Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/robert-bemis

Steven H. Berkowitz
CEO and Director
Move Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/steven-h-berkowitz

Eric Bryn
Vice President, Digital Innovation
Baird & Warner
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/eric-bryn

Sean Carpenter
Director of Training and Education
Coldwell Banker King Thompson
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/sean-carpenter

Susan Daimler
Co-founder, Partner
BuyFolio
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/susan-daimler

*Pete Flint
Co-founder and CEO
Trulia
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/pete-flint

Ben Graboske
CEO
CoreLogic MarketlLinx
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/ben-graboske

Saul Klein
Senior Vice President
Point 2
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/saul-klein

*Jeff Lobb
Vice President of Technology & Innovation
Exit Realty
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jeff-lobb

Brock MacLean
Executive Vice President
Dominion Homes Media
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/brock-maclean

*Ian Morris
President and CEO
Market Leader
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/ian-morris

Craig Newmark
Founder and customer service rep
Craigslist, Craigconnects
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/craig-newmark

Michael Ondrejko
Executive Vice President, Product & Brand Management
Listingbook LLC
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/michael-ondrejko

*Spencer Rascoff
CEO
Zillow
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/spencer-rascoff

Eleonore Rojas
Principal Product Manager; Vice President, Partnerships and Product Integration
Move Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/eleonore-rojas

Errol Samuelson
President
Realtor.com
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/errol-samuelson

*Glenn Shimkus
CEO
Cartavi
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/glenn-shimkus

*Cary Sylvester
Executive Director of Technology
Keller Williams Realty International
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/cary-sylvester

*Jay Thompson
Director of Industry Outreach & Social Media
Zillow Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jay-thompson

Drew Uher
Co-founder and CEO
HomeLight
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/drew-uher

Andy Woolley
Vice President
Homes.com
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/andy-woolley

Media, Blogging, Social Media, Marketing

Lisa Archer
Realtor, co-founder, Geeky Girls
The Geeky Girls
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/lisa-archer

Audie Chamberlain
Head of social media
Move Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/audie-chamberlain

*Janie Coffey
Director of Sales and Brand Experience
ONE Sotheby's International Realty
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/janie-coffey

Kim Colaprete
Founder and managing broker
Team Diva Real Estate Partners
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/kim-colaprete

*Marc Davison
Partner
1000watt
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/marc-davison

Jim Duncan
Associate Broker
Nest Real Estate
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jim-duncan

*Greg Fischer
Broker/Owner
Fischer Real Estate Services
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/greg-fischer

Tom Flanagan
Director of Information Technology
Residential Properties Ltd.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/tom-flanagan

Robert Hahn
Managing Partner
7DS Associates
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/robert-hahn

Nobu Hata
Director of Digital Engagement
National Association of Realtors
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/nobu-hata

Amir Korangy
Founder and Publisher
The Real Deal
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/amir-korangy

Jimmy Mackin
Co-founder
Curaytor
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jimmy-mackin

*Jack Miller
Senior Associate, Chief Technology Officer
The GoodLife Team
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jack-miller

*Kelly Mitchell
Founder, Producer
Agent Caffeine
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/kelly-mitchell

*Chris Nichols
Managing Broker
Prudential Utah Elite Real Estate
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/chris-nichols

*Rebekah Radice
Manager of Industry Engagement
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/rebekah-radice

Greg Robertson
Founder
Vendor Alley
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/greg-robertson

Lani Rosales
Chief Operating Officer, Editor in Chief
AGBeat
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/lani-rosales

*Jillayne Schlicke
CEO
CE Forward Inc.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jillayne-schlicke

Matthew Shadbolt
Director of Interactive Products and Marketing
The Corcoran Group
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/matthew-shadbolt

Clara Shih
Co-founder and CEO
Hearsay Social
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/clara-shih

*Richard Silver
Sales representative
Bosley Real Estate Ltd.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/richard-silver

Jeff Turner
President
Zeek Interactive
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/jeff-turner

*Kendyl Young
Realtor
Teles Properties
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/kendyl-young

Mortgage, Title, Ancillary Services

Kendyl Young
Vice Chairman
Stewart Information Services Corp.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/stewart-morris-jr

Steve Ozonian
Chief Real Estate Officer
Carrington Holding Co.
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/steve-ozonian

Rick Sharga
Executive Vice President
Carrington Mortgage
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/rick-sharga

Patrick Stone
President and CEO
Williston Financial Group
http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/patrick-stone

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Keep Up In the Rain!

15 Minutes of Your Time, 1000 Points, 2013 Predictions

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:05:27 -0800

We are currently conducting a survey of ActiveRain members.

Some of you may have seen the email from us about the survey yesterday. But in case you didn't, I just wanted to take a minute to remind you that there are 1,000 points up for grabs for anyone that is willing to take 15 minutes and fill out our survey about your predictions for your local real estate market and how you think mobile computing will impact your business in 2013.

If you didn't get the email from us, head over here and take the survey.

We look forward to sharing your predictions with the ActiveRain community and the greater real estate community in the near future. Thanks for taking the time.

Points will be awarded throughout the week and not automatically after completion of the survey

As a side note, during the survey you will need to provide your user name to get the 1,000 points. Make sure you get your user name correct in order to get your points. There was an error early on in the survey that said you will get 500 points instead of 1000. But never fear, if you filled it out and saw that error you will still get 1000 points as we go through the process of manually awarding the points.

Also, if you didn't receive the email from us announcing the survey, or if you don't regularly receive updates from ActiveRain, you can adjust your email settings near the bottom of your blog settings page.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Happy Holidays ActiveRain!

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:49:21 -0800

It's the most wonderful time of year indeed! Maybe we say it too much, maybe not often enough but we are SO very thankful to have you all here. Without the support and true emotion of this community I don't think AR would be standing today. The way we've built relationships and strengthened one another's lives in and out of business is truly something to be cherished.

We love you, we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

RainCamp Recordings: Building a 5 Star Business on a 1 Star Budget

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:25:32 -0800

RainCamp Building a 5 Star Business on a 1 Star Budget

Practical Advice from Agents in the Field

Here they are! The recordings from RainCamp. What a great 2 hours of content rich information from 3 fantastic presenters. 2 of these folks are in the trenches every day selling real estate and they came to RainCamp to share about one particular aspect of their business. We've broken the presentations up and given you an idea of what you can get from each presentation below. We hope you enjoy!

Ben Kinney, REALTOR®, Keller Williams, Bellingham WA

Listings to Leads

Ben is constantly thinking of the next opportunity to grow his business. One thing Ben learned early in his career is that every listing he takes is an opportunity to generate a bunch of new prospects for his business. Ben fully expects that every listing taken by his team will result in 20 new prospects for his business. In this RainCamp session Ben talks about how to get more listings and how to market yourself and your listings for exposure. He also talks about how to price a home. Listen to his presentation to make sure you aren't missing out on the next big opportunity in your market.

Watch Ben's video about listings to leads directly on YouTube

Greg Harrelson, REALTOR®, Century 21, Myrtle Beach SC

Converting Your Database into Commissions

Greg, the prospecting monster, shares some of the prospecting methods he uses to land his next client. Greg shares the power of your database and more precisely, what kind of value can you deliver to people in your database to turn them into an advocate for your business. We'd all love more referrals and people directly contacting us to help them with their real estate needs. Greg will show us how to do that.

Watch Greg's video about Converting Your Database into Commissions directly on YouTube

Bob Stewart, Community Evangelist, ActiveRain

Using Your Content to Convert Prospects and Leads to Clients

In Bob's RainCamp session he focused on additional ways to use the content from your blog to convert people from your sphere, prospects and leads into additional business. Too many us write our blog posts then sit back and wait for Google to index the content and for some searcher to find us online. Is there a better way to get your content in the hands of the people that need it most? Yes. Bob shares an idea on that.

Watch Bob's video about Using Your Content to Convert Prospects and Leads to Clients directly on YouTube

Thanks to our RainCamp sponsors for making this a free event!

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Share RainCamp, Get Points, Win a New Website

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:59:24 -0800

Share RainCamp, Get Signed up for ActiveRain, Win a 5 Star Website

We'd love if you would take a minute to share RainCamp with your friends on Facebook. We are always looking to add more member to the community at ActiveRain because we know that the more people we have engaging on ActiveRain the more everyone benefits. If you're not a member of ActiveRain yet, sign up below, it's free. And someone is going to a five star website and leads for the next six months.

Get ActiveRain Points for sharing RainCamp

Every person that follows that link to the right from the Facebook image and tags ActiveRain Real Estate Network in their status update on Facebook will be given 1000 ActiveRain points.

If you have yet to 'like' the ActiveRain Facebook page, you'll need to do that first in order to be able to tag ActiveRain in your post. After you hit 'share' it's going to seem like nothing happens, but don't worry, you'll have let all your friends know that you'll be joining us for RainCamp. You can head over to your timeline to check it out when you are done.

5 Star Website, 0 Star Budget.......(this means free)

Since we'll be talking about ways to gain more prospects for your business at RainCamp, one sure fire way is to have a 5 star website capable of converting traffic into leads. Market Leader, one of our sponsors, has just such a site in store for one lucky RainCamp attendee.

Market Leader is going to give away a free website and six months worth of leads. All you have to do is head over here and fill out your information and we will announce one lucky winners name during RainCamp. That person is going to get a free website and six months worth of leads from that website. Who doesn't want a great website with awesome lead conversion and a bunch of traffic?

Not a member of ActiveRain Yet?

What the heck are you waiting for? There are 300,000 other real estate professionals who have joined and are sharing amazing ideas and connecting with others in the industry, as well as engaging consumers looking to buy and sell real estate. Take a minute to sign up for a free account on ActiveRain. It will be well worth the $0 you pay to join......and if you don't believe me, I'll give you your money back!
Create Your Free ActiveRain Account Now

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Keep Up In the Rain!

RainCamp: Building a 5 Star Business on a 1 Star Budget

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:57:34 -0800

RainCamp - Building a 5 Star Business on a 1 Star Budget

There are no shortage of companies willing to help you track down your next client for a fee. In this industry, leads can be found in just about every corner of the internet. But the most effective ways to land your next client may just be putting in a little extra hard work or working smarter, not doling out that next dollar.

RainCamp: Building a 5 Star Business on a 1 Star Budget
Wednesday December 5th
9:00am-11:00am Pacific Time (12:00pm-2:00pm Eastern)
Free, Limited to first 1000 Attendees

As with all past RainCamps we will be limited to the first 1000 people that attend. And as with all past RainCamps, we will have more than 1000 people trying to get in. Why? Because you can expect some great content from some dynamic speakers. The first two guys I have the pleasure of announcing today will fit that bill to a T.

Maybe you're familar with our first speaker.

Ben Kinney - Listings to Leads

Ben has been sharing awesome content with us at RainCamp since we first started doing RainCamp back in 2009. And if anyone is cheap frugal when it comes to finding their next client, it's Ben. You don't build a business that closes over 500 transactions per year by spending money on every shiny object that comes along.

One thing Ben learned early in his career is that every listing he takes is an opportunity to generate a bunch of new prospects for his business. Ben fully expects that every listing taken by his team will result in 20 new prospects for his business. At RainCamp he is going to show you the systems that has made his listing business a major source of buyer leads for his real estate team. Many agents understand that having listings is a key to longevity in the business, but are you utilizing all of the ideas and opportunities to make sure that listing generates additional prospects?

Join us at RainCamp and I promise you will walk away with a concrete plan you can put into action to make your listings even more profitable.

You might be less familiar with our next speaker, that is unless you sell homes in Myrtle Beach.

Greg Harrelson - Your Database on Steroids

If you sell in Myrtle Beach, chances are you've been on the other end of a transaction with Greg Harrelson. Greg is with Century 21 and the Harrelson Group. Greg has been in business for more than 15 years during which time he and his team have helped over 2000 people buy or sell a home in and around Myrtle Beach. Yep, that's 133 people per year on average who find and use Greg. Or maybe a better explanation is that's over 133 people per year that Greg finds! So how does he go about finding that next client?

Greg's going to share some of the prospecting methods he uses to land his next client. Someone described him to me as a prospecting monster. I'll have to assume it's the good kind of monster, like Cookie monster, maybe?

Being a prospecting Monster, Greg has built a pretty impressive database of people in his market that own a home. These aren't all people looking to buy or sell tomorrow, but they are people that should they choose to buy or sell, should be doing it with him. Or at least he believes that. So how does one go about creating connections with people that you don't know? Then taking those connections and making them acquaintances and ultimately advocates for your business? How do you take someone you meet on a prospecting call and turn them into someone that refers business to you and will absolutely use you for their next transaction?

Greg is going to share with us the power of your database and more precisely, what kind of value can you deliver to people in your database to turn them into an advocate for your business. We'd all love more referrals and people directly contacting us to help them with their real estate needs. Greg will show us how to do that.

Coming Soon

One or two more people that you might want to hear from. As if these two weren't enough! But don't wait, get registered today. Even if you can't make it at that time, go ahead and sign up so you can get the recordings. Yes, we will record it. But you'll miss out on some of the fun stuff we have going on at the live event. So just go ahead and book it on your calendar to be displaced only by closings, new clients or an act of God.

A Big Thank You to our RainCamp Sponsors

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Keep Up In the Rain!

ActiveRain Product Reviews

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:53:49 -0800

I'm not familiar with an industry where the folks on the ground have more options to choose from than the real estate industry. It would seem that not a day passes that a new company doesn't hit the ground running with another shiny object for real estate professionals to incorporate into their business.

With so many options, how does someone decide which products to use?

There are Facebook groups, people write blog posts asking for opinions, there are a few places spread across the web, you can ask someone in your office what they like.........and now there is a better way. You can get the collective knowledge of over 300,000 ActiveRain members to help you decide which products and services are best for your real estate business.

Introducing ActiveRain Products Reviews

ActiveRain Product Reviews is a chance for you to review any and every product that you've used in your real estate business. Share with your fellow Rainers what is working for you....and maybe even what didn't work. Because our community is all about sharing with one and other with the collective goal of making all of us better real estate professionals, we sure do hope you'll take some time to go in and review some of the products that have allowed you to become a better real estate professional.

Think of this as Yelp for real estate products. Think of it as a way you can share the amazing (and maybe not so amazing) experiences you have had with the services and products that you use every day in your business (or that you will never use again).

Are There Guidelines for Reviews?

We ask that you only review products that you have actually used. Seems pretty obvious, but it should be stated just so we're all clear.

We will use good judgment and fairness to deal with any negative reviews that get questioned by the company being reviewed. The reality is, if you have a good product or service, a couple bad reviews alongside many good reviews is probably to be expected. If you used the product and leave a review there will have to be a ridiculously good reason to remove the review. I can't think of what that reason would be at the moment. There are people out there that aren't fans of ActiveRain (They are all Communists, I'm pretty sure, but still) and I would see their negative review as an opportunity for us to do better as a company.

How Do I Add My Review?

It's pretty simple to review a product. All you have to do is go the products review page and perform a search for the product for which you wish to leave a review from the top of the page. If we currently have the product in our system, just click on the result and then 'submit a review'. If we do not currently have the product in our system, you can go ahead and create the product page for that product.

Ready, Set, Go

Get out there and review a few of the products you've used in your business. Thousands of real estate agents will appreciate your reviews as they try to decide what is the best mix of products and services for their own business. And this service will only be as good as the reviews that are left. There is a certain critical mass at which these reviews really become meaningful for someone's business. So get over there and let us know what you love (or do not love) in the real estate space.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Debe Maxwell Throws Down at RainCamp!

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:09:05 -0700

Did you see it, were you there live? My oh my, Debe Maxwell may sound like a southern belle but just try to sway her clients and she will pack a punch leaving you seeing stars.

As a RainCamp speaker, Debe stepped up to the plate to share her expertise and practical advice on marketing to your sphere of influence. In her 20 minute presentation she gave us a lot to think about and one quick idea to ponder....

RainCamp was just a few short weeks ago but the hype hasn't died down yet. Probably because the six presenters are so incredibly talented in their fields and the information provided was a home run each time! You can see Debe's full presentation and our other RainCamp speakers too.

Check those out and more on our channel!

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Recordings from RainCamp: Best of the Best

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:24:14 -0700

RainCamp Best of the Best

Practical Advice from Agents in the Field

Here they are! The recordings from RainCamp. What a great 2.5 hours of content rich information from 6 fantastic presenters. 5 of these folks are in the trenches every day selling real estate and they came to RainCamp to share about one particular aspect of their business. We've broken the presentations up and given you an idea of what you can get from each presentation below. We hope you enjoy!

Ben Kinney, REALTOR®, Keller Williams, Bellingham WA

Opportunities for 2013, Looking ahead

Ben always has growth on the brain. You don't drive your business to the point where you're selling over 500 homes a year without keeping your eyes ahead to the next opportunity. In this RainCamp session Ben talks about where he sees real estate heading in 2013 and he shares some great scripts that he uses to get his buyers and sellers off the fence and ready to dive in. You'll want to watch his presentation to make sure you aren't missing out on the next big opportunity in your market.

Watch Ben's video about opportunities in real estate for 2013 directly on YouTube

Sue Adler, REALTOR®, Keller Williams, Short Hills NJ

Creating a Consumer Centric Business: What do the Really Want from You?

Sue decided that instead of thinking she knew what consumers wanted from a real estate agent, she was going to ask them. HearItDirect was founded as a way to go out and bring actual consumers into the conversation on real estate. At RainCamp Sue shares some of what she's learned from these candid and direct conversations with consumers who recently bought or sold a home or who are getting ready to buy or sell.

Watch Sue's video about consumer expectations in real estate directly on YouTube

Laura Duggan, REALTOR®, West Austin Properties, Austin TX

Prospecting to Expired Listings

Laura has a rather unique way of prospecting to expired listings and she shares it in this RainCamp presentation. She takes the approach of quality over quantity when deciding which expired listings she is going to target. This helps keep her marketing costs down and also lands her only the listings in which she is interested. There were lots of people listening live that were saying things like 'I'm totally abandoning how I marketed to expireds before and switching to Laura's model'. We're pretty sure you'll want to watch this one.

Watch Laura's video about prospecting to Expired Listings directly on YouTube

Debe Maxwell, REALTOR®, Savvy + Company Real Estate, Charlotte NC

Prospecting to Your Sphere

90% of agents never contact their client again after closing and end up missing out on a great number of deals over the course of their career because they have the 'next please' mentality, always looking for the next deal. Debe talks about how her business has thrived from taking care of her sphere of influence and how she goes about making sure she is the first thing that pops to mind when they, or their friends and family, are thinking of buying or selling. If you could use some help prospecting to your sphere, this one is for you.

Watch Debe's video about Prospecting to your sphere of influence directly on YouTube

Ryan Dallas, REALTOR®, Keller Williams, Champaign IL

Generating Quality Seller Leads Using Radio and Traditional Advertising

Ryan has been a real estate agent for about 6 years and he recently started using radio advertising to drive seller leads to his business. It's been a huge success and he credits it with pushing his team over the edge on the way to total market dominance in Champaigne. In his RainCamp session Ryan shares some of the secrets to his radio ads including the calls to action he uses and how he has been able to pay for 30 second spots and ends up getting about 3 times that amount of air time. If you've ever wanted to generate many high quality seller leads, you'll want to watch this one.

Watch Ryan's video about generating sellers leads for his business using radio directly on YouTube

Bob Stewart, Community Evangelist, ActiveRain

Quit Wasting Time and Get More Efficient

Bob covers some of the most common places real estate agents are wasting time every day and implores you to get rid of these time suck activitites and find a way to get them delegated. At the end of the day real estate agents get paid based on a few key activities and Bob discusses how to get more efficient and focus on these key activities while eliminating some of the major time wasters in your business.

Watch Bob's video about saving time and creating efficiency in your real estate business directly on YouTube

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Blogging Boot Camp Starting Again September 6th

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:15:14 -0700

Our ActiveRain Blogging Boot Camp training series is set to start again! Members blog on ActiveRain so they can generate leads, get referrals from the relationships they build on our site and learn from our amazing community of more than 300,000 real estate professionals.

Join our free Blogging Boot Camp class and you'll get:

* Four live classes to teach you the essentials of real estate blogging (and 4 recorded sessions)
* Placed in a micro-community of other bloggers to build your roots in the network
* Mentoring from ActiveRain Ambassadors on how they've found success in the 'Rain
* One-on-One support and assistance from our Staff
* Action Items you can download after each class designed to put the concepts into play

If you have an ActiveRain account and would like to reserve a spot in an upcoming Boot Camp, please submit the form below:

Fill out my Wufoo form!

Our next Boot Camp series is launching Thursday, September 6th with each class starting at 9am Pacific. Every Thursday thereafter be ready for the next class in the series.

The four core classes in our Boot Camp series are:

1. Writing Your First Blog Post (Sept. 6th)
2. SEO Blog Training (Sept. 13th)
3. Linking in Your Blog Posts (Sept. 20th)
4. Draft Review Class (Sept. 27th)

Don't worry, if life gets in the way and you miss a live class, we'll have a recording available.

This is your fast track guide to everything blogging. We've never had a program as clearly outlined like this before and we're putting much care into building each participant's success. If you have the drive to really say "This is the day I'm going for it", you'll have every inch of our support behind you!

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Set up Google Authorship Through ActiveRain: Super Easy

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:08:00 -0700

We recently released a new feature on ActiveRain that easily allows you to set up Google Authorship inside of ActiveRain with very little hassle.

What is Google Authorship? Well there are a ton of articles out there that explain it much better than I ever could, but essentially it is your way of getting Google to trust the content that you write and attribute that content to you in the search results. If you pay attention, you'll no doubt have noticed something like this showing up recently in Google search results:

This is a pretty big deal as Google rarely changes the actual display of their search results. We've all gotten accustomed to the standard 'blue link, green URL, black description' over the years so when they make a change, it tends to stick out. In fact, it's being reported that Google Authorship and having your picture display next to your result is increasing click through rates for posts that don't land at the very top of the search results.

Many of Google's recent updates are aimed at doing away with spam sites and trying to give their customers (read: searchers) the best results possible. The addition of Google Authorship is no exception as Google aims to try to build a profile of you as an author and get a better understanding of who is writing about what, and how valuable that content is to the people finding it (their customers).

So We Had to Make it Easy

Michael George recently wrote a series of posts about setting up Google Authorship on your ActiveRain blog. We couldn't appreciate his effort any more. In fact, after watching him assist many of you in setting it up in the comment section of his posts, we decided it was time to make it a little easier. We also know that any time Google makes a play and suggests you do something, we're going to go ahead and listen. So with thanks to Google and Michael, here's how you set up Google Authorship for your ActiveRain blog.

How to Set up Google Authorship

Step #1. The first thing you need to have is a Google+ profile. If you have a gmail account, or any kind of Google account, you already have Google+ set up. You just need to figure out where it is and get things all squared away there. Here is a post that walks you through setting up Google+ and some of the important things to consider.

Step #2. Once you have your Google+ profile set up, you want to find the URL of your profile on Google+. It will be something like this: https://plus.google.com/107760658798608589600

Now that is mine, you won't want to use that. But if you click on 'profile' on the left hand side of your Google+ page, the URL you will be on is almost what you want.

When you click on that profile link on the left hand side of the page, your URL will look something like this

You want to copy everything in there except the '/posts'. So I copied: https://plus.google.com/107760658798608589600
(Go ahead and keep your Google+ profile open in a tab on your browser, we'll need to come back to it in a few minutes)

Step #3. Now I am going to jump over to where I edit my ActiveRain profile. On the page where I edit my ActiveRain profile, you will now see a field that looks like this:

Go ahead and take the URL that you copied from your Google+ profile and throw it in that field. Once you add that, make sure to hit the 'save profile' button so that it actually save the Google+ URL to your profile.

Step #4. Now that you've done that, step four is all on us. We will add the appropriate HTML to your profile and your blog page. I'll spare you the details, but just know that now there is a rel="author" and a rel="me" tag floating around on your blog and on your profile in the source code of the page. That's how Google keeps it's finger on the pulse of the web.

Step #5. Now you want to go back to your Google+ profile (which is easy, because you kept it open in a tab) and add a link to your ActiveRain profile in the 'contributor to' section of your Google+ profile. In order to do this, click on the 'edit profile' button on your Google+ profile.

Once you are on the edit page, scroll down until you find the section titled 'contributor to'

Go ahead and click on 'contributor to' and that will pop up a little box that you can use to add a link to your ActiveRain profile. (You'll need to click 'add custom link' on the pop up page.)

Once your ability to add a custom link appears, go ahead and use the first box to give the link anchor text and then paste your ActiveRain profile URL in the second box. You can see below that I named my link 'Seattle Real Estate Blog' and I linked it back to my ActiveRain profile at http://activerain.com/arbob. Arbob is my user name. Your profile on ActiveRain is located at http://activerain.com/(whatever your user name is). At that point, hit save and viola, you will have been confirmed as an author using Google Authorship

Some advice on naming your link. Use anchor text that actually tells Google something about your blog. Don't just use 'my ActiveRain blog', or 'my blog' or something that doesn't utilize good anchor text. Think geographic and think about what you want Google to know about you as an author.

Why Isn't My Face Showing up Right Away?

Google doesn't actually promise to show your face in the search results at all. In fact, they reserve the right to do it if they want. And even if they decide to show your face because you have written such great content, it's not going to happen right away. Give it a little bit of time and check back on your search results every couple of days.

If you are wondering if you did everything right, you can head over here and run a test. When you get to that page, just take the URL of your profile or even the URL of one of your blog posts on ActiveRain and throw it in the field near the top of the page. If you did it correct, the results of the test should look something like this.......

Notice above in green where it says "Verified: Authorship markup is verified for this page." If you see that after you run the test from the link above, you're all good to go. Then it's up to Google when they will actually start showing your face in the results.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

RainCamp Online: Best of the Best

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:50:20 -0700

RainCamp: Best of the Best

In the past, RainCamp was designed to bring you great advice about marketing your business online. This time around we wanted to get a little closer to the bread and butter of real estate.

When: August 30th 9am-11:30am Pacific Time.
Where: Your couch, bed, office, wherever you can get an internet signal.
Who: You and 5 people that as a group closed more deals than 500 average agents combined.
What: Sharing practical advice on 'in the trenches' techniques for driving a business.
Why: Because this is stuff anyone can and should be doing in their business and it's free for you to attend.

How: By signing up here

As we look around the real estate landscape, there are no shortage of ways to be successful. Some agents swear by certain things that other agents wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Many of you probably wouldn't pick up the phone and call 50 random strangers on the phone. In fact, you'd likely be terrified of even the thought of doing such a thing.

But what if it was 100% guaranteed that taking a certain action would end up with a certain result? What if you were guaranteed that picking up the phone book, opening it randomly and dialing for dollars would actually get you appointments, and ultimately lead to more business?

What's on Tap?

For this RainCamp, we have scoured the country to find the 'Best of the Best', agents that have refined a particular part of their business. They have agreed to come online for RainCamp and share with you how they've done it. We hope you will join us as we take a look at:

Prospecting to Your Sphere: How to get 24 Deals a Year from your Friends and Family
Cold Call Prospecting: Just Pick Up the Dang Phone!!
Radio Advertising: Best ROI in the Industry?
Prospecting to Expired Listings: We Know they Want to Sell!
REO Listings: Have Banks Calling You to List their Homes

We're calling this RainCamp, 'Best of the Best' because the presenters we will have on the webinar have learned that excelling in one aspect of the business can and will take your entire business to another level. They are willing to share what they've learned because in many cases, someone else shared with them at some point, then they took the idea, made it theirs and ran with it.

We hope you will walk away from RainCamp with the tools and ideas to take one piece of what you learn on August 30th and get started conquering one aspect of your business. Even after listening for a few hours you might not be inspired to pick up the phone book and start cold calling strangers, but we all have friends and family. We all have expired listings in our market. We all have REO's selling around us, and every one of you has a chance to hit the airwaves for some of the best leads in the business.

So clear your schedule for a few hours and join us on August 30th from 9am-11:30am Pacific Time as we bring you the 'Best of the Best'. Over the next week we will be introducing you to the speakers and giving you a little more insight into what they will be sharing. In the meantime, get signed up now for this free webinar that will definitely give you some new ideas you can put to work right away.

Register for RainCamp:

Interested in meeting some local ActiveRain members?

For the last few online RainCamps, we've been reaching out to members of the community to have you host meetups in your local areas. We'll be doing the same thing this time around. If you are a social butterfly and interested in meeting some other Rainers in your area Kerrie has all the details on Meetups over here. Check it out. Tons of fun to be had meeting other local ActiveRain members.

Special Thank you to our Sponsors

We'd love if you'd check out our sponsors. They allow us to bring RainCamp to you free of charge and we couldn't do it without them.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Share RainCamp With Your Friends, Get Signed up for ActiveRain and Win Free Leads for the Rest of the Year

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:48:29 -0700

Share RainCamp with Your Friends, Get Signed up for ActiveRain, Win Free Leads for the Rest of the Year

We'd love if you would take a minute to share RainCamp with your friends on Facebook. We are always looking to add more member to the community at ActiveRain because we know that the more people we have engaging on ActiveRain the more everyone benefits. If you're not a member of ActiveRain yet, sign up below, it's free. And someone is going to win free leads for the rest of the year but you have to keep reading.

Get ActiveRain Points for sharing RainCamp on Facebook

Every person that follows that link to the right from the Facebook image and tags ActiveRain Real Estate Network in their status update on Facebook will be given 1000 ActiveRain points.

It's Raining Leads.....

Since we'll be talking about ways to increase your business at RainCamp, one sure fire way is to have more leads. And when we're talking about leads, Market Leader has been delivering quality leads to agents since before the turn of the century. (is it too soon to use this one? I don't think so....)

Market Leader is going to give away free leads for the rest of 2012 to one lucky winner. All you have to do is head over here and fill out your information and we will announce one lucky winners name during RainCamp. That person is going to get free leads from Market Leader for the rest of the year. You can't beat that........who doesn't love the sound of free leads raining down?

Not a member of ActiveRain Yet?

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Keep Up In the Rain!

Social Media for Real Estate Brokers

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:15:14 -0700

Social Media For Real Estate Brokers

Learn the current trends and best practices in social media usage by the top real estate brokers on ActiveRain, the largest social network and blogging platform in real estate.

ActiveRain CEO Nikesh (Niki) Parekh is speaking at the 2012 Inman Connect San Francisco Real Estate Conference this week on the topic of social media for real estate brokers on a panel entitled "Top Down Social Media" or "Social Isn't Just For Agents."

So what is social media for real estate brokers? What should real estate brokers be doing?

Of course, the real estate industry must go where the consumers are spending time and social media is dominating consumer & agent attention. In anticipation of this panel discussion, ActiveRain conducted a survey of the ActiveRain real estate community to understand how important social media is to real estate broker owners and managers.

DOWNLOAD SOCIAL MEDIA FOR REAL ESTATE BROKERS AND SHARE THE RESULTS.

(If you find this valuable, please share this with your friends on social media and in the industry)

Should Real Estate Brokers, Team Leaders and Managers Be Active on Social Media?

Most agents believe that it is important to maintain an active presence on social media for real estate brokers. Real estate broker owners and office managers actually feel it SIGNIFICANTLY MORE important for real estate broker owners & team leaders to be active on social media, than real estate agents do. Why?

Real estate broker owners must lead by example.
Real estate broker owners must maintain a strong finger on the pulse of the real estate industry.
Real estate broker owners are responsible for building a visible, local brand (community relations).
Agents look to their brokers and manager for training on marketing.
Real estate broker owners and team leaders should support agents with office level marketing & lead generation.

A small percentage of agents who responded that it was NOT important for their real estate broker owner or team leaders to be on social media cited the following reasons:

Social media does not drive any business or qualified leads.
Social media is too time consuming.
My broker does not support any office marketing or training.
My broker does not even manage our web site, let alone social media.
I am building my individual real estate agent brand, so my broker's social media presence or marketing does not matter to me.

Why Should Real Estate Brokers Use Social Media?

Brokers, team leaders and agents agree that social media is most important to:

Communicate with the real estate colleagues
Stay abreast of real estate industry news
Generate leads
Improve public & community relations
Train & educate agents

Social media for real estate brokers seems less important to agent recruiting (or at least no one has figured it out yet). Top agents and brokers are starting to use social media to recruit and retain top real estate talent who are a hot commodity in today's recovering real estate market. But it is still ealry days for social media within the real estate office.

How Should Real Estate Brokers Be Using Social Media?

Based on the results of our survey of ActiveRain, social media for real estate brokers should be focused on following sites as much as possible.

FaceBook is the dominant social media platform for consumers, agents, and broker owners alike.
Blogging continues to play a critical role in a social media strategy. ActiveRain is the most used blogging platform, though WordPress is also used by a quarter of agents.
Twitter has significantly higher daily usage among broker owners & top producing agents earning more than $100k per year.
Agents maintain a presence on LinkedIn and Google Plus, with low daily usage.
Pinterest has developed a surprisingly large and loyal following in less than 2 years, bsaed on the visual and addictive nature of real estate and "house porn" - beautiful homes that mere mortals could never afford.

What Do You Think? Leave Your Comments Below! Please Share This Research on Social Media.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL ACTIVERAIN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR REAL ESTATE BROKERS REPORT. Click the image below to see the full results of the survey.

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Keep Up In the Rain!

EchoSign 'Tools I Can't Live Without' Contest Winners

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:08:38 -0700

We've been getting caught up on some contest winners in the last few days and today is no exception. Today we're going all the way back to May and bringing you the Winners of the EchoSign 'Tools I Can't Live Without' Contest.

As is the case with any contest we run where we ultimately decide to pick winners, it's a ridiculously hard thing to do. We have so many great writers and in this case, there were so many great tools that you shared with us.

There were a fair share of people that chose to write about electronic signatures as their tool, and who wouldn't think a product like EchoSign is a great timesaver? It gives you so much more flexibility with your time and where you (or your documents) need to be to get things accomplished. If you aren't using electronic signatures in your business, what the heck are you doing?

You can check EchoSign out here and get a free account to try out electronic signatures and catch your business up to 2012.

And with no further ado (was reading some Shakespeare last night.....HA! Not!), here are the winners from May:

Hardware:

1st Place and winner of $150 Visa gift card: Anita Clark and her super cool signs. Yep, signs! There are some things that technology can make better but never completely replace.

2nd Place and winner of a $100 Visa gift card: Fred Griffin doesn't need a WIFI hotspot, he is a WIFI hotspot with his Verizon jetpack. He's the guy you hope is sitting next to you at the next conference where the WIFI is running like a 56K modem.

3rd Place and winner of a $50 Visa gift card: Karen Hawkins and her TomTom GPS. Granted, many of our smartphones have GPS but should you really be looking at your phone while driving? And plus, can your phone tell you 'the end is near' in the voice of Darth Vader? (it was Vader that sealed the deal for me!). Now if Tom Tom could just figure out that whole light speed thing!

Software/Websites:

1st Place and winner of a $150 Visa gift card: Dianne Goode got the first listing she came across when she used Snagit . She can take any image she wants and create cool graphics and text on the image. Of course she still gives credit to the MLS but her graphs are taking her listing presentation to a new level....and Snagit is allowing her to do it.

2nd Place and winner of a $100 Visa gift card: Chris Hardy isn't floating away....but he's in the cloud. He'll never have to worry about his computer crashing or accessing something when he left the laptop at home. Being in the cloud allows Chris complete data freedom.

3rd Place and winner of a $50 Visa gift card: Jeana Cowie is a photoshop pro......OK, maybe not a pro, but she is transforming pictures for her listings into something just a little bit better and in the process helping to better market her clients properties. We all need more tools that help sell houses!

Apps:

This one was a little more challenging because there weren't many entries or many of the apps came up when someone was talking about the hardware on which they use the app. And one of the entries I just didn't know what category to put it in but I thought the tool was awesome.....and even better, how she uses it! So here goes Apps...

1st Place and the winner of a $150 Visa gift card: Dianna Ivanov shares with us a free app she uses at every open house. She sings the praises of Open House Pro to anyone that will listen. Well we were listening Dianna. Thanks for sharing a great app.

2nd Place and winner of a $100 Visa gift card: Joan Cox tells us about 10 different apps that she's discovered that make her life so much easier. Ever need a flashlight in those dank basements? She has that and 9 other cools apps that she'll be lost without from now on.

3rd Place and winner of a $50 Visa gift card: Ellen Caruso and her pencil. Yes, a number 2 pencil. You remember what one of those looks like, right? I know, it's not an app. And it probably fits better in hardware, but guess what? I make the rules. I loved her post and I love that her most invaluable business tool is still her #2 pencil. Technology be damned! There are some things that never should have went out of style!

~Bob

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ActiveRain and Homefinder.com Agent Makeover Challenge

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:18:57 -0700

Active Rain Agent Makeover Contest

I would be willing to bet there are parts of your business that run like a well-oiled machine! Maybe your people skills are so stellar that you’ve found the way to make each of your buyers feel like they are your number one client. I'd also be willing to bet there are areas that could use improvement; perhaps you're horrible with paperwork and by the time the contract comes together, you feel like all you do for the next week is sort, file, scan.

Self-reflection is never easy, but we have teamed up with HomeFinder.com to force you into action. HomeFinder.com is committed to helping Realtors improve their business and offset some of the hardships facing the industry over the last few years.

They recently launched the HomeFinder.com Agent Makeover Sweepstakes, which offers all licensed real estate agents the opportunity to win a two-night trip to Chicago for a business and style makeover. The five winning agents (chosen at random) will receive a head to toe makeover, expert coaching that will give them tools they need to help build their businesses and the competitive edge they need to succeed in today’s marketplace. You can still sign up on www.homefinder.com/agentmakeover or on the HomeFinder Facebook page through August 10, 2012.

For July's ActiveRain challenge, we are asking that you take a good hard look at your business and tell us about something you would like to makeover or upgrade.

The Challenge:

Write a blog post that shares something about your business that you would like to improve. In the post, don't just let us know what you'd like to improve, tell us how you plan on doing it. Posts must be 300 words minimum in length, because this is about taking action! The more thought you put into this, the more likely it is that you will actually take action.

All posts must use the words "HomeFinder.com Makeover" somwhere in the title.

Include the hashtag #hfmakeover if you’re interested in sharing via Twitter. All tweets must reference “@homefinder1.”

Each submitted post will receive 2000 ActiveRain points. Posts must be submitted by Friday, July 27 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. In order to enter, leave a link to your post in the comment section of this post.

The Winners:

The Team at ActiveRain is going to select up to four of the best posts from each of the categories below, with a total of 20 potential finalists. Those posts will receive an additional 2000 points. The team at HomeFinder.com will then select one winning post from the semifinalists in each category to receive the $100 Amazon.com gift card.

1.) Most innovative - $100 Amazon.com gift card
2.) Most creative - $100 Amazon.com gift card
3.) Most techie - $100 Amazon.com gift card
4.) Best timesaving/efficiency makeover - $100 Amazon.com gift card
5.) Best social media makeover - $100 Amazon.com gift card

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Winner of $500 ActiveRain Marketing Challenge

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:12:36 -0700

Last month we released a report, Real Estate Marketing and Software: The Price is Right 2012. We took a look at the spending habits of agents as they market and conduct business. What kind of things do top performing agents spend money on? Where are there differences in spending for agents making over $100k/year and agents making under $20k/year? We dove into the stats and figured out where you were spending your marketing dollars.

Here is a taste of the infographic. Head over to the original post for the full infographic and an in-depth discussion about the results.(or click the image below to see the full infographic).

On the heels of that inforgraphic launch, we issued a challenge to you, our members, to share with us how you would spend $500/month on marketing for your business.

We had a bunch of great posts with well thought out answers. You could tell people had to make some tough decisions in some cases to get under $500 for the month. Some of you even found out that you were under this threshold and added some things you'd like to get into your business if you had the $500 grand prize in your pocket for next month.

Well one lucky member now has that $500 in her pocket (yep, it's a her so if you're male reading this you just found out you didn't win).

Congratulations to Gabrielle Nemes from Auburn WA for her winning entry: Bob Barker would be proud - The Price is Right $500 Challenge.

If you are interested in checking out a ton of great posts about how agents can make $500/month stretch into some serious marketing, please be sure to check out the other entries in the comment section of the marketing challenge contest post.

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The Price is Right: $500 Real Estate Marketing and Tech Challenge!

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:52:30 -0700

When it comes to technology and marketing for your business, what would you buy if you were on a budget of $500 per month?

In our latest Real Estate Infographic, “The Price is Right”, ActiveRain surveyed more than 2,000 real estate agents to find out what they spend their money on and how much they are paying for real estate marketing and software.

Contest Guidelines
ActiveRain want to know which tools, training, and systems are the backbone of your growth as a real estate agent.

Here are the rules of the road for this contest:

Write a blog post describing what your $500 per month would go towards. Tell us what you would buy, which company would provide it, and what you love about that product or service.
Link back to the infographic somewhere in your post www.activerain.com/real-estate-marketing
Include this statement at the bottom of your post: “This post is an entry for the $500 Real Estate Marketing and Tech Challenge. Learn more about this ActiveRain contest at www.activerain.com/marketing-challenge.”
Leave a comment on this page with a link to your contest entry blog post.

The deadline for entering this contest is Thursday, July 5th.

The Reward: Win $500 Towards Your Real Estate Marketing
Every person who submits an entry meeting the guidelines will be awarded 1,000 points on ActiveRain.

We will select one lucky winner who will receive an American Express gift card for $500 to cover a full month of the marketing and technology budget they outlined in their blog.

What Do Real Estate Agents Spend on Marketing?
Make sure you read through the ActiveRain Infographic to learn what kind of technology and marketing other agents are investing in. With your $500 budget, you’ll need to decide what is truly essential to keep your business thriving.

Would you spend more on traditional media like direct mail and newspaper ads?
Are you going to pay someone to do it for you?
What are the tools you can’t live without in your business? IDX website, ActiveRain?
Is it better to pay for online leads or to spend the time generating them yourself?
What training or coaching programs would you subscribe to?

Think like a CEO here… you need to trim the fat and choose only the items that are critical for your success!

We hope that this contest challenges you to evaluate where your money is being spent and will provide both new and experienced agents with insight on where to get the best “bang for your buck” when it comes to real estate marketing and software.

Entries must be received by Thursday, July 5th. The winner will be announced on Friday, July 6th.

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Real Estate Marketing and Software: The Price is Right 2012

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:15:06 -0700

Real Estate Marketing and Software: The Price is Right 2012

Introduction:

There are SO many real estate products and services that every day a real estate agent is confronted with numerous choices about where to spend money in their business.

Given the challenging real estate market of the past five years, the team here at ActiveRain wanted to understand where real estate agents should be spending their money AND how much per month.

In January 2012, ActiveRain & Market Leader surveyed more than 2,000 real estate agents and brokers to understand what software and marketing support real estate agents are using in their business and how much they are spending on these necessary tools of the trade. We have combined our survey data with the National Association of REALTOR's® 2012 Member survey to get a rich view on real estate agent income and expenses.

Data provided by ActiveRain.com. Join 215,590 Real Estate Agents on the world's largest Real Estate Social Network.

Please Embed This Infographic in Your Own Blog

Data provided by ActiveRain.com. Join 220,000+ Real Estate Agents on the world's largest Real Estate Social Network.

Tweetable Highlights

#ActiveRain survey says REALTORS spend more on their cars than on their marketing! More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

ActiveRain reports that most REALTORS® Only generated 4 leads from their website in 2011. More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

#ActiveRain: REALTORS® earning over $100K/year spend 5-10x more on marketing than their peers. More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

Only 21% of REALTORS® use paperless transactions or e-signature software per #ActiveRain. #Green More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

#ActiveRain says direct mail is the largest offline real estate marketing expense. Go @USPS! More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

"Averages" in Real Estate:

We highly encourage every real estate agent, broker or company to get your hands on the NAR 2012 Member Profile and look closely at page 51. The average REALTOR® earns $35k per year and works 40 hours per week. BUT 57% of REALTORS® generate some income from outside real estate and a large percentage of REALTORS® are part-time or hobbyists. REALTORS® working more than 40 hours per week earn more than $55k per year and REALTORS® working less than 40 hours a week earn less than $20k per year!

The “average” REALTOR® spends $4,520 in expenses per year or 13% of personal income on expenses. Of those expenses, the average REALTOR® spends $1,770 on their vehicle, $1,070 on marketing/promotion, and $630 on technology. REALTORS® earning more than $100k per year work more than 50 hours per week and spend more than $15k per year on expenses (roughly 12-15% of income).

Takeaway: Treat real estate like a business, not a job or a hobby and you will be successful.

Vehicle Expenses:

Shockingly, vehicle expenses continue to be the largest single expense for REALTORS®. Gas prices are up 286% over the last 12 years, according to InflationData.com. REALTORS® do spend an inordinate amount of time in their cars and have often been criticized for driving vehicles "above their pay grade." It does surprise me that vehicle expenses account for 39% of the average agent's TOTAL expense budget and is 65% more than they spend on marketing each year.

Real Estate Software & Technology Expenses:

Similar to our previous survey Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent, agents were very consistent in real estate software use. Agent use five primary kinds of software for their business: IDX websites with home listings, CMA (comparative market analysis) tools, contact or lead management, email marketing and listing syndication software.

IDX web sites, CRM or contact management, virtual tours, and team management software are categories where agents feel there is significant additional value to paying a premium for the best software. This is consistent with the Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent study where successful agents invest in systems – lead generation web sites and strong prospect management. The most successful agents who earn more than $100k per year want the best, highly customizable web sites, contact management, and virtual tours to highlight their listings.

Alternatively, some categories of real estate agent spend do not increase with greater income. The pricing of paperless transaction / esignature software, CMA tools, and email marketing software is consistent, independent of agent income. CraigsList and listing syndication tools are widely used, but largely bundled into other software services now. Postlets was acquired by Zillow, ListHub was acquired by REALTOR.com®, and Market Leader also has a CraigsList Listing Sydication tool built into their software platform.

Software	Average Usage	Average Price	Agents Earning <$35k	Agents Earning >$100k
IDX Website with home listings from MLS	63%	$75	$54	$97
Contact management / CRM	51%	$73	$64	$78
Virtual Tour software	37%	$49	$42	$59
Single Property Website software	29%	$41	$38	$40
Marketing design software	31%	$53	$50	$59
Email marketing software	47%	$40	$38	$38
CMA (comparative market analysis) tools	62%	$46	$50	$41
Listing Syndication tool	41%	$48	$45	$57
Team Management tool	11%	$60	$36	$69
Paperless transaction software / esignatures	21%	$37	$32	$38

Monthly Real Estate Marketing & Advertising Expenses

Real estate agents spend time and money on many different real estate marketing strategies. SEO / Social Media / Blogging took the top prize as the most used advertising or marketing source. SEO, social media and blogging are relatively low cost advertising outlets and social media is becoming pervasive with the growth of FaceBook, Google Plus, LinkedIn and Twitter. The consistent surprise with every survey of marketing tactics continues to be direct mail with 40% of real estate agents using direct mail to support their business. After social media and direct mail are paid advertising and marketing on the Internet. Home buyer and seller lead generation ranked as the third most popular form of advertising with 35% of respondents using Internet lead generation.

This is higher than previous surveys we have conducted which could be a positive sign for the real estate market. Advertising on national real estate web sites like Zillow, Trulia and REALTOR.com and using Pay per Click marketing on search engines were fourth and fifth most used forms of advertising. This is not suprisingl since agents buy advertising on national real estate web sites like Zillow, Trulia and REALTOR.com to drive home buyer and seller leads.

Top producing real estate agents earning more than $100k per year have the ability to spend more and do spend more on marketing across the board. Top producing, rich real estate agents are spending in areas both online and offline. Top agents spend more on online lead generation, search engine marketing, national real estate web sites, and direct mail. 20% of agents earning more than $100k actually support the community through local sponsorships like Little League, high school sports, and their local church.

Real Estate Marketing	Average Usage	Average Price	Agents Earning <$35k	Agents Earning >$100k
Pay-per-Click (PPC), search engine marketing	16%	$140	$88	$197
Home buyer or seller lead generation	32%	$155	$113	$191
Paid advertising on national real estate web sites	26%	$128	$91	$161
Sponsorship / ads on local website	10%	$77	$56	$107
Sponsorship / ads on newspaper website	9%	$86	$61	$122
Direct mail	40%	$108	$68	$158
Rack Publications	11%	$145	$79	$206
City newspaper	10%	$98	$48	$149
Local newspaper	14%	$99	$57	$145
Town bulletin, church, etc.	8%	$56	$46	$73
Local sponsorships (little league, plays, high school, etc.)	13%	$78	$66	$102
Marketing personnel costs	17%	$183	$107	$222
Television	3%	$139	$93	$173
Radio	5%	$191	$123	$216
SEO, blogging and social media	45%	$78	$47	$106
Paid training or coaching	16%	$175	$97	$228

Real Estate Marketing Personnel & Real Estate Training

Though not software or advertising, it is worth noting that 17% of real estate professionals continue to use a marketing assistant to support their advertising and marketing efforts AND 16% of agents are using some sort of premium training or coaching to supplement their education and skills. These are relatively expensive services for the average agent with an average price per month of $183 and $175 per month for real estate marketing support and real estate coaching & training respectively.

Conclusion

As is often the case, averages hide the truth. But in real estate, real estate agents and brokers that treat real estate as a business tend to be successful. This requires working more hours than a "job", investing in systems like strong web sites and contact management, spending money on marketing, outsourcing less mission critical aspects of the job like marketing support, and investing in yourself through continuous coaching & training.

More Tweetable Highlights

IDX websites, CMA software, CRM & email are the top real estate tools in this #ActiveRain survey http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

#ActiveRain says social media, blogs, and SEO are most used for online real estate marketing. More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

REALTORS® earning over $100K work more than 50 hours/week. See #ActiveRain #Infographic at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

#ActiveRain #Infographic at http://goo.gl/1FUo9 shows real estate agents are willing to spend top $ on lead generation. [Tweet this]

#ActiveRain: Top real estate agents spend top $ on offline marketing despite the high prices. More at http://goo.gl/1FUo9. [Tweet this]

If you liked this infographic and blog post from ActiveRain, please share it with your friends, check out our GREAT SPONSORS and leave us a comment below!

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Invite Members to ActiveRain Challenge

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:14:51 -0700

Do you remember the day you joined ActiveRain? Most likely somebody told you to join and now you look back as it being one of the best career moves you've made :) Many of you still feel indebted to that member who opened up your world to AR.

Let's get a new class in here, a new wave of members. More members mean more comments, posts, referrals, leads and opinions. Let's get some newbies who didn't know they could blog, didn't know they could make their phones ring from publishing market reports, didn't know about this wonderful diamond in the haystack called ActiveRain.

I have 3 Kodak 6150 All-In-One Printers that are up for grabs that I'd love to give you. Want one? Here's how:

Invite new real estate related professionals to sign up for ActiveRain
Get your new invitees active, introduce them to ARU and your other associates on AR

Contest starts today June 15th and ends July 15th. Keep a list of all the usernames you have invited to ActiveRain within this time frame. Send your list of invited usernames to kerrie@activerain.com by July 19th to be eligible.

The top 3 people who invite the most active new members will win a Kodak 6150 printer. It's important to stress that activity from your new members will help you win. The more points your invitees have at the end of July 15th the better it is for you to win this challenge. It's pointless to haven new members who aren't active. Let's get them involved!!

Get your friends and colleagues in the business to sign up by sending them: http://activerain.com/action/referrals/yourusername (can also be found under My Home-Other-Invite Others)
Once they sign up and fully register (they will need to pick their State, County & City) you will see them appear in your Points Summary with an Invitation Accepted notice; make a list of these usernames to send in.

In addition to giving back and spreading the AR love, don't forget the points you'll accumulate as well; 250 for any accepted invite plus 10% accrued. Good Luck!!

*New members must be part of the real estate related professional community. Profiles without a profile picture or valid contact information will not count. This contest starts today so any invites accepted prior to today will not count.

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Getting Started on ActiveRain

ActiveRain Real Estate Network (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:22:10 -0700

How To Get Started on ActiveRain - A quick route to a successful Journey on ActiveRain.

The ActiveRain Staff, along with our members and ambassadors, wish to welcome you to the ActiveRain community. We know you have a choice, and we're glad you've chosen our network as a place to connect with others, support your local neighborhoods and communities, plus grow your business and relationships.

Before you begin your journey here, there's a few areas we invite you to navigate first. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the Network. We're confident that our site will bring value, benefits, and substantial rewards to you and your business.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
These are REQUIRED and a MUST READ for ALL New Members - NO EXCEPTIONS!

What We Stand For - Weltenschauung
Weltanschauung: The guiding principles and philosophy of an organization. A world view.

The ActiveRain Community Guidelines
Please take these rules seriously.

ACTIVERAIN UNIVERSITY
Get live training weekly to make your blog the best it can be

ActiveRain University Schedule - Classes every weekday
Learn the ins and outs of ActiveRain and how to utilize it to the fullest with our live trainer.

ActiveRain Orientation - A Live Webinar to get you acquainted
Our live trainer takes you through the basics on the site to get you familiar with ActiveRain

ActiveRain University Suggestion Box
Don't see a class you would like us to create? Make a suggestion to us for future classes.

GETTING STARTED in 3 EASY STEPS
Follow these next steps to get setup on ActiveRain.

How To Complete Your Profile - Part II
Your profile has three areas that allow you maximize the page. Learn How to use these sections.

How To Use Your "My Settings" Page
Now you are ready to Customize your ActiveRain Settings.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ACTIVERAIN
Social Networking, Connecting and Blogging

ActiveRain Member Success Stories
Read what other industry professionals and members have to share.
Here's A VIDEO version

Understanding ActiveRain Points
Learn about points and how they work on the network.

The RainMaker Membership
Becoming a RainMaker - The Value and The Benefit

READY TO MAKE LIGHTNING, THUNDER AND RAIN
Now that you're a member and RainMaker, put the power tools to work

Top 10 Tools for New Members and RainMakers
Take the time to review what this network has to offer.

ActiveRain Custom Outside Blogs
How To Create and Maximize Your Outside ActiveBlog.

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU
Use these links to dive deeper in the "Rain" if you need more information

The ActiveRainGuide
A Tutorial Blog by Members for Members

The ActiveRain Staff Blog
The Official ActiveRain TEAM Blog

Help/FAQ Group
A network group created to help members

An ActiveRain eBook Tutorial
Find Almost Anything about ActiveRain here

ActiveRain University
Online Campus for Training and Support

DID YOU KNOW?
ActiveRain is the TOP Real Estate Social Network in the World (source: Google)

The ActiveRain Network hosts over 170,000 RE Industry members averaging 200-300 new members daily. There are more than 1.5 million articles posted, with an average of 700-1000 new posts daily. Two million+ visitors traffic the ActiveRain network each month, over 80% are consumers. Only Rainmaker upgraded accounts receive Google trafﬁc to their blogs and posts. ActiveRain Member's Blog posts receive more than 500 views on average. Activerain is the ONLY on-line Network that offers this wide variety of tools, diverse services, and proven solutions to the Real Estate Industry Professional and for consumers on the WEB.

Best of Luck and Enjoy!

(created by former AR employee and all around good guy Brad Andersohn)

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