Speed Commenters Are Missing Out - 09/29/10 03:54 PM
Have you noticed the change in "point commenters" lately?
Many have written about those who are just going for the points, so write "Great blog. Thanks for the information." The reason for the change may be that they don't want to be noticed as point commenters.
So now, they've become what I call "speed commenters."
They read a sentence or two, or perhaps skim the post, then bop on down to leave a comment. They don't take time to figure out what the post is about, nor to read the other comments.
So what they say often makes no sense … (26 comments)

How Good Is The Quality of YOUR Questions? - 09/29/10 02:28 PM
Stephanie is talking about the Law of Attraction... Because it's always working, you get more of whatever you're thinking about most.
So think about what's good every morning!
You know you have at least a few good things in your life, so focus on them, give thanks for them, appreciate them - and you'll get more of them.
Via Stephanie Reynolds (AgentsOfPossibility.com, REALTOR, GRI, ePro, SRES ):
How Good Is The Quality of YOUR Questions?
Staying motivated in a difficult market can really be a challenge. It seems no matter where we turn, someone has something negative to say. It is easy for … (2 comments)

Writing Property Ads - What Was Your Toughest Challenge? - 09/28/10 11:44 PM
Yesterday I was corresponding with my friend and client, Jody, from Connective Realty. I told her I was having a tough time over some copy because the words just weren't coming together right. I had the middle, but couldn't come up with a lead that I was happy with.
She replied that she often had that trouble when writing property ads.
I agreed that it can be difficult, and even more difficult to come up with something different for each house when so many are similar.
But that got me thinking about the toughest "Home for Sale" ad I ever had … (10 comments)

What A Brand Is & Isn't - 09/28/10 12:54 PM
Loreena has given us all something to think about with her post on branding.
Logos and catch phrases only "work" and evoke a response because our minds go to what they stand for.
All the name recognition in the world won't lead to success unless that recognition triggers a positive feeling about what it represents.
Thanks, Loreena, for a thoughtful post!
Via Loreena Yeo, Realtor® Frisco TX Homes www.316teamREALTY.com (214) 783-2210 (3:16 team REALTY):
A brand extends far beyond colors, font styles and replication throughout all marketing aspects of a business. A brand represents YOU, Inc. whether you are a real estate professional, … (4 comments)

What if Real Estate Agents Provided Each Other With Testimonials? - 09/27/10 10:48 PM
A strange idea worked its way into my head this evening while I was digging grass out of my strawberry bed...
What if competing agents gave each other testimonials?
It sounds kind of goofy on the face of it, but maybe it isn't.
I read all the time about agents who don't return phone calls, don't respond to offers, don't help with the problems that crop up with closings, and on and on.
Wouldn't you like to promote the agents you do enjoy working with?
Wouldn't it be good for your business (and your stress levels) if the agent on … (12 comments)

Do You Address New Prospects as "Joe" or "Mr. Smith?" - 09/26/10 01:04 PM
When you call back on an inquiry and the caller has left his name as Joe Smith, do you call back and ask for Joe, or for Mr. Smith?
How about when you write a letter to cold prospects in your farm area? Do you say Dear Joe and Mary, or Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith?
Most of the time we see emails using only first names. And if that's all you've entered into a contact box, then that's what you should expect. The Internet is, after all, a very informal place.
But should you be so informal when addressing … (17 comments)

BUYER ALERT: IT'S MORE AFFORDABLE TO BUY A HOME TODAY THAN IT WAS IN 2003 - 09/26/10 11:53 AM
 
Just had to reblog this because it is all so true.
The ONLY reason not to buy now is that you plan to move out of the community within the next 2-3 years. Otherwise, it's the only smart thing to do... Interest rates will rise. Prices will rise. And rents will go up as well.
Buyers who lock in to a low-interest 30 year fixed rate today will be patting themselves on the back in a few years!
 
Via Frank & Sharon Alters, CDPE-Short Sales Jacksonville-Orange Park-Fleming Island (Watson Realty - Clay County, Duval County, St. Johns County ):
BUYER … (0 comments)

Do You Use the Things You've Paid For? - 09/25/10 07:00 PM
Do you remember the last seminar you attended?
How about the one before that?
How much of what you learned that day have you actually started using?
Do you even know where you put those careful notes you took?
If you’re like most of us, you took good notes and had every intention of coming home and putting some of the good ideas to use. But then, after taking a day or more from work to attend the seminar, you have plenty to do to catch up with things.
You’re busy answering emails, following up with your buyers and … (9 comments)

Article Syndication - An Easier-than-ever Way to Grow Your Business - 09/24/10 02:43 PM
A while back I wrote about using an article site such as EzineArticles.com in addition to your Active Rain posts. I  believe it's a good idea, because different people are searching in different places.
As much as we love Active Rain, not everyone knows they should be coming here for the best information.
And, sites like EZA have become known for offering quality content that consumers can read on their site, and that bloggers can pick up and place on their own sites. Because of your resource box, your article could bring you site visitors and business from places you didn't … (6 comments)

Please, Just Listen! - 09/23/10 04:20 PM
A couple of days ago I came out of the grocery store with a cart full of things to load into my car. As I walked out I saw a man squatted down next to a small car, talking to a woman inside. I didn't think much of it, but as I worked to load my groceries, I couldn't help but overhear part of the conversation.
They were perhaps 20 feet from me, and for the most part, they were talking quietly and I could not hear what they were saying.
But every minute or so I could hear the man. … (16 comments)

Waiting for the bottom of the market? You might want to rethink that! - 09/23/10 12:46 AM
Janna has a message here that every buyer should hear. Right now, waiting is like throwing the dice, because even if prices keep falling, interest rates could go up with no warning.
Use her example below to show your buyers the facts and figures - and what it could cost them if interest goes up not 1% but 2% or 3%.
Via Janna Rankin Scharf - Realtor Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho Homes (Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene):
Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Realtor
It's very interesting to me that in spite of historically low interest rates, there … (4 comments)

Seasonal Marketing - Time to Create a Halloween Promotion - 09/22/10 05:28 PM
Halloween will be here before we know it, so it's time to decide how to use this event for a real estate promotion.
It really is worth thinking about, because based on the dollars spent each year, Halloween really catches the attention of the American public. Did you know - market research shows that aside from actual holiday gifts, we spend more money on Halloween than on any other holiday.
We buy cards, clothes, candy, costumes, hair paint, face paint, paper plates, glasses, and decorations, ceramic and plastic dishware, cookie jars, platters, movies, music, and even "Christmas lights" shaped like pumpkins … (4 comments)

It's "Great" that Everything is so "Large" and "Beautiful," but... - 09/21/10 07:15 PM
Have you ever read a whole page of real estate ads in the newspaper or in a real estate book?
My view may be a little "off" because I only read the ads that are published locally, and the ones I see when I'm on vacation somewhere, but what I see says that real estate agents seem stuck on a few boring words.
Maybe it's because they're limited for space and if I'd go look up their listings on line I'd see something better. Oh but wait a minute... I've done that.
I see great decks, large yards, beautiful kitchens, spacious … (6 comments)

Lost Pet Recovery - Fido Finder and Tabby Tracker - 09/21/10 02:28 AM
I have to re-blog this - because it's so important to use every resource to find a lost dog.
If your dog is lost - do call every "shelter" within 150 miles - or even fartherr. You never know how far a dog can go, and some kill shelters only keep them for 3-5 days before  putting them to sleep.
Via Lyn Sims and the Blog Dog© (RE/MAX Suburban):
FidoFinder.comGreat database where they recently had found a dog that was missing for 7 years and returned them to the original owners.  You can also post rewards for your lost pet on this … (0 comments)

Wow! I Did it, and Sooner Than I Expected - 09/20/10 03:05 PM
I'm celebrating today, because I just noticed that I passed the 100,000 points mark.
It seems like just a few days ago they were at 80,000 - guess that's what happens when you join a challenge to write a post every day.
I have no idea why this seems so exciting to me. I'm not a Realtor hoping to be found by buyers and sellers who are looking for a top agent. I'm just a real estate copywriter, using Active Rain to know more about the market around the country so I can better help my clients.
But... I have gained … (13 comments)

Are You A Silent Member Of The Club....Or Hands On??? - 09/20/10 01:04 PM
Barb has hit on such an important point here...
Consistent marketing is the key to success, and when money is tight, free marketing is the way to go.
Funny, in many cases, I think free marketing is more effective than paid. Considering how many people are using the Internet - it has to be more effective to write a localism post on AR than to place an ad in a local newspaper - or even a homes magazine.
And - there are other ways to market for free as well.
For instance, by taking your AR post and turning it … (4 comments)

What is the Purpose of Your "About Me" Page? - 09/19/10 04:02 PM
Why do prospects visit your "About me" page?
I think it's to learn about you. I'm sure many will disagree, but I believe this is the place where people go to learn a little more about a person they think they might want do business with.
Do they want to know how many designations you have or how many homes you've sold lately? Perhaps.
Do they want to know how you'll market their home if they list with you? Of course - but that information belongs on a sellers page.
Do they want to know that you keep your buyers informed … (7 comments)

If You Fail to Use These Words, Forget About Success - 09/18/10 02:54 PM
These two little words may not ensure your success, but if you never use them, you can just about guarantee failure.
This morning the Fundraising Success magazine arrived, and there was yet another article on this subject. It's one that all too many fundraisers ignore, so all of us who write for them harp about it. The two little words that make all the difference in the world in fundraising - and in any business or personal relationship - are "THANK YOU."
Small non-profits tend to ignore them because it costs money to mail a card - and so they … (7 comments)

Didn't You Know? Realtors are Paid By the Real Estate God - 09/17/10 03:38 PM
Haven't you noticed - all you have to do is show up at an office now and then, show a house every week or so, and the money will just appear spread out all over your desk ... courtesy of the real estate god.
Back when I was selling, I was sure some people thought so. They just had no idea that the only way an agent got paid was to actually close a sale. They also had no idea that Realtors pay their own way... with licenses, cars, marketing, and more.
My guess is they think that real estate is … (12 comments)

More About Those Pesky Words - 09/16/10 03:57 PM
A few days ago I wrote about the use of "me, myself, and I" but there are other words that website owners, and real estate professionals in particular often mis-use.
Here are a few mis-used/ mixed-up words that I've noticed on websites and in blog posts in just the past few days:
were, where, and wear
hear, here
heels, heals
there, their
your, you're
are, our
So, here goes...
Again, if all this is second nature to you, you don't need to read on!
Were - as in "We were all present for the meeting."Where - "Where … (6 comments)

Taming the To-do List - 09/15/10 06:24 PM
Does your to-do list look like this... with entries carried over to the next day, and the next day, and the next day?
There's a solution for that...
It's called the One Item to-do List.
Each night, before you set your work aside and prepare to rest, decide what one thing is the most important task you should do the next day.
Then write your to-do list with just that one item on it.
I know, I know… you have more things than that to do.
But if you begin the day by completing that one most important task, … (10 comments)

Do Your Clients Think You Stink? - 09/14/10 09:55 PM
No, I'm not talking about does your service stink, or even do you have offensive body odor...
I'm talking about perfume.
Most people include fragrance in their daily routine - and most people use it sparingly. But even sparingly is too much for some of the people you'll encounter during your travels.
I speak from experience, because I'm one of those who is allergic.
I used to wear perfume - I loved it! And then, we built a new house and I applied the grout sealer on the tile floors. Apparently I overdosed on those chemical fumes, and from that … (12 comments)

The Confusion Over Me, Myself, and I - 09/14/10 12:40 AM
Words written in blog posts and on web pages reveal the fact that for some people, there's a lot of confusion over the words "me, myself, and I."
Some don't know when to use which of them, and some make the huge grammar error of using one of them first when speaking of themselves and another person.
If you're not in the least confused over these words - great. You don't need to read this post. But if you are confused, maybe this will help.
What got me started on this rant is that just yesterday I read "Me and … (11 comments)

What is Appropriate Dress for a Real Estate Professional? - 09/13/10 01:01 AM
A few of the blogs I've read lately touched on agents showing up looking unkempt and grungy. I've seen that too.
I remember one agent whose seller required her to be there for showings. She arrived to meet me and my buyers in a pair of bagged-out sweatpants and an old t-shirt... and dirty athletic shoes. Another one used to wear an outfit made out of parachute cloth.
And one time I was looking at homes (as a buyer) in another town and was shocked to see an agent in a skin-tight, low-cut, bright pink cocktail dress and spike heels - … (343 comments)

Looks like a new Phishing Scam to me... - 09/11/10 03:37 PM
A couple of days ago I got an email similar to this one - telling me my Verizon bill was due on September 3 and giving the link to go pay it.
Since Verizon is no longer my phone service provider due to a sale or merger with Frontier, I first thought it was some kind of confusion. I went to the Frontier site, verified that they showed my balance as paid, and deleted the email.
But today I got another one... and I don't think this is a mistake. I think this is "phishing" or maybe something worse. If I … (10 comments)

Why Market Your Services if You Aren't Going to Follow Up on Leads? - 09/11/10 02:29 PM
This is something that has puzzled me for a long time, and now that so many agents are crying the blues over "no business," it puzzles me even more.
Following up and staying in touch with prospects who visit your website is so very easy... all you have to do is offer a special report that gives value, and they'll give you their names and email addresses.
From that point, your pre-written, pre-loaded auto responder letters can go out to them with a regularity that keeps you in their "top of mind awareness." Of course, your letters have to give … (62 comments)

Survival - and the Law of Attraction - 09/10/10 06:19 PM
After reading and commenting yesterday on Loreena's post: Capitalism: Let The Fittest Survive I've been thinking about it a lot.
As I said in my own comments, I believe that only those who give value should survive. And I don't think this only applies to real estate. Excellent service and/or quality products should come before financial success. Those who have built their businesses on "using" others or on greedily deceiving others do deserve to fail.
(Tell that to Congress, please!)
But what about those people who WANT to give good service and good value? What about those who are working hard … (10 comments)

What Do You Love Most About The Work You Do? - 09/09/10 02:31 PM
I'm sure you've heard this before: To be truly happy, look for work doing something that you like so much that you'd do it even if you get paid.
What part of your job would you do even if you were independently wealthy and didn't need to earn a living?
What part would you never do again?
Last night I started thinking about this in relation to my job. The reason I let my license go and turned to writing full time was because one day I realized that marketing was my favorite part of the work. I wanted to bring … (12 comments)

Is This A Company in Confusion, or a Scam? - 09/07/10 07:41 PM
A while back I wrote about having my phone bill slammed after the switch from Verizon to Frontier. After two different sessions of dealing with it, I HOPE the issue is resolved.
Now they're back annoying me again... or are they? Maybe this is a scam.
My telephone bill was due on September 3 - and I paid it ahead of time - to the new provider.
Now, today, I get an email notice telling me that my Verizon phone bill was due on September 3, and to "click here" to pay on line. What?? Verizon is no longer my … (4 comments)

Strange Happenings in Priest River, Idaho - 09/06/10 11:36 PM
There are strange things done 'neath the midnight sun...
Oh no, wait a minute. This isn't Alaska and there is no midnight sun here. But still... this was strange.
Because we live on a rural road, on week-ends like this we get quite a few "tourists" who blast on by the "dead end" sign, through our yard, and on another quarter mile to our neighbor's gate... which is the end of the road.
This week-end was no different - with some driving at a polite speed and others being total jerks as they sped out of here.
Tonight at about 6 … (6 comments)

When You Write Consumer Advice - Take it a step beyond Active Rain - 09/04/10 06:24 PM
Active Rain is a wonderful place to post your consumer advice articles - there's not a doubt about that.
But there's another place that can get you additional exposure. That's EzineArticles.com.
Using it won't take you much additional time, because you don't need to post exclusive content. They don't care that you've already posted your article here, or on your website blog. They only care that anywhere it's posted clearly shows that you wrote it and own the copyright.
Their articles, like AR's, get indexed on Google searches, but they also get picked up by other bloggers who want to populate … (3 comments)

A Strange Dining Experience in Spokane - 09/04/10 01:27 AM
Today was "Girls Day Out" for me and my good friend Sally. We took off for the "big city" of Spokane, Washington with a short list of errands to do, and plans for a great lunch.
Picking somewhere wonderful for lunch is a bit of a tradition on our rare "days out."
Sally had a yen for lobster, and since there's a new Red Lobster near where we were on the North end of Spokane, we headed there.
Now, had I been alone, or with one of the men in my family, we wouldn't have stayed. As soon as we neared … (11 comments)

Who is On Your Holiday Greeting Card List? - 09/02/10 03:50 PM
With Labor Day coming up in a couple of days, I started thinking about how fast this year has gone, and how soon Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here.
Then I started thinking about holiday promotions - and Greeting Cards.
I’ve always been in favor of sending cards either for Thanksgiving or New Year’s – because right at Christmas people get so many cards that one more is just “one more.”
But what about those cards?
If you send a pre-printed card, do they matter to people or do they just look at them and toss them?
How do YOU … (10 comments)

Do You Serve Military Buyers? - 09/01/10 06:23 PM
Even if you don't work near a military base, you may still be serving military families.
If so, have you checked into the no-down home mortgage opportunity they have through the Navy Federal Credit Union?
Borrowers have to be members - and all members of the military, their families, plus certain non-military federal employees - such as those who work for the Department of Defense - are eligible.
This loan is much like VA - but the funding fee is only 1.75%. There's no mortgage insurance and seller concessions of up to 4% are allowed. The program is primarily for … (2 comments)

 
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Marte Cliff

Priest River, ID

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Marte Cliff Copywriting

Address: 1794 Blue Lake Road, Priest River, ID, 83856

Office Phone: (208) 448-1479

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Author Bio: Marte Cliff is a freelance copywriter who specializes in writing for the real estate profession.

Thoughts, ideas, insights, and tips on real estate copywriting and real estate marketing.
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