Protect Your Credibility - Give Your Website A Checkup - 11/30/11 03:58 AM
Today I spent most of the day going over a client's real estate website - doing a "checkup."
I started with the tabs across the top - checking to see where each one went and if it matched the promise on the tab. Then I checked every link on the rotating header and in the sidebar blocks.
Most of them went where they belonged, but not all. One went to a "No longer available" message. None went to the newsletter that he's obviously paying for. I found that by looking at the site map.
Then I clicked every link … (10 comments)

Is This an Idea that Could Take Hold? Agents Rating Clients - 11/27/11 03:24 PM
This article at the Scottsdale Property Shop had me chuckling, but the more I think about it... why not?
The disgruntled real estate agent is setting up a website where agents can go to rate their clients - and he has the rating system all worked out.
One rating category I think he missed is the "Vacationing Buyer."
 
These are the customers who come back every year during tourist season. This year for sure they're going to find the vacation property they really want... of course.
But every year they go home without making an offer. … (8 comments)

Time Marches On - and Things Change - 11/26/11 05:53 PM
Last week I saw new real estate signs go up in our little town. Century 21 Riverstone replaced River Mountain Realty.
Nine years ago, River Mountain Realty replaced Cliff Realty.
Gee… has it really been THAT long?
Times have changed, so this time I expect their entry into our small town will be more successful. Back when Cliff Realty was a presence in town, residents didn't look too kindly on franchise real estate companies. There was an inherent distrust, as in "We don't know those people!"
So when our landlord kindly rented the space next door to … (17 comments)

Layaway... A good thing or a bad thing? - 11/25/11 07:58 PM
Stores like K-Mart and Sears (and probably many others) are offering "Layaway" programs for their customers so they can take advantage of pre-Christmas sales.
They started promoting this a few weeks ago - and TV ads are showing happy customers pushing full carts of merchandise toward the custonmer service counter.
It appears that they offer up to 8 weeks of layaway for a fee of $5. Customers must make a 10% down payment, pay the layaway fee, and then make payments every two weeks. If they're late by 7 days, the merchandise goes back on the shelf and their money … (14 comments)

Is This Taking Unfair Advantage? - 11/24/11 02:49 AM
I really don't like to hear the words "That's not fair!" It seems like the people who say them are always the kind who aren't pulling their own weight, and expect someone else to give them something.
We're hearing it and seeing it on the news all the time now. It's not fair that some people make more money than others. It's not fair that some people have lost their homes to foreclosure. It's not fair that welfare recipients in Florida now have to pass a drug test.It's not fair that someone else got the promotion at work.
It … (9 comments)

I'm a copywriter. I love words, but not this one! - 11/23/11 07:24 PM
First, let me say that most of the time, I think spelling is easy.
 
There have been a few words in my life that wouldn't "stick" but I've figured out tricks to get them in my head. For instance: Pend Oreille.
That's the river that flows past the town of Priest River, so when I was an agent I used to have to refer to it any time we had a listing on the river. I never could remember if it was Oreille or Orielle...
Then one day I remembered that all along the steep banks of Pend … (10 comments)

Writing is Difficult - Andy Said So - 11/23/11 02:41 AM
 Writing is difficult.I know this is true, because Andy Rooney said so.
Tonight I ran out of library books, and since I can't stand hanging around the kitchen watching food cook unless there's a book in my hand, I went to my book shelf in search of … something. What I found was an old Andy Rooney book filled with short essays on everything under the sun.
But it was the introduction that "had" me. 
Andy said writing is difficult because there isn't a right or a wrong. It's not like math, where the answer is the answer. … (5 comments)

I've Always Loved Mondays... - 11/22/11 05:13 AM
I've always looked forward to Mondays as a fresh start with new opportunities. Some of them don't quite make the grade, but today was exceptionally good.
First I found a phone message from a new client. Well, she wasn't a client just then, but she is now. And for that I have to thank some other copywriter - the one who didn't return her phone calls and took 4 days to return an email. Whoever you are - thanks for not tending to business!
My new client sounded astonished when I returned her call within an hour of the time … (8 comments)

Renters SHOULD Pay More for Housing than Homeowners - 11/21/11 01:18 AM
Browsing the real estate magazines today, I came across an article stating that the construction of rental housing is on the rise because renters are now paying more for housing than homeowners.
I wouldn't take one article's word for it, but recently, I've read that in many markets renting does cost more today than owning. The good news for would-be homeowners is that in some cases, where rental deposits are high and low/no down financing is available, it can cost about the same to get moved in.
The person who wrote the article I was reading today seemed to … (8 comments)

The Most Often Used Real Estate Copywriting Book on My Shelf - 11/20/11 03:11 PM
The Most Often Used Real Estate Copywriting Book on My Shelf
 
Actually, it never makes it to my shelf. This book sits at the side of my desk, always within reach. And the word "copywriting" doesn't even appear within its covers. It offers no advice, no insight on writing headlines or the psychology of marketing. And aside from the introduction, it has no complete sentences.
But still… I can't even tell you how many times in a week it helps me improve my real estate copywriting. It depends on what kind of copy I'm writing, but no week goes … (62 comments)

The Difference Between Keywords, TAGS, and Categories - 11/20/11 01:13 AM
Tammy offers a clear explanation of the difference between keywords, tags, and categories... and how to use each of them.
I find her advice on using keywords in titles easy to do with web pages, but more difficult with blog posts. Just have to keep working at it!
Via Tammy Emineth (Personal SEO - Website SEO and Real Estate Marketing):
The Difference Between Keywords, TAGS, and Categories This is probably one of the biggest questions I get. These three types of SEO terms can get confusing and many don't know the difference much less the point of them.
KEYWORDS - A keyword … (8 comments)

Politics and the One that Got Away - 11/17/11 10:08 PM
About three weeks ago I had an inquiry from a real estate agent who is breaking into real estate after being in a similar occupation. He spent a LOT of time telling me about his past experiences and what a fantastic salesman he is. He also talked a lot about what he owned, the businesses he'd built, etc.
Some of his comments struck me as odd - like telling me that he has someone who writes his checks and he has a rubber stamp to sign them. (In other words, throughout this process I was a little nervous about him. … (22 comments)

What my Neighbors think of Thanksgiving... - 11/16/11 06:48 PM
As everyone has heard me whining about, I've been working at getting all my files out of my old computer and into the new one. Moving the photographs is taking a long time, because I keep having to stop and look at them. (It's a rule, don't ya know?)
And that's how I came across this picture a couple of evenings ago.
I remember the day I took it. My neighbor had a habit of feeding the wild turkeys and she had worked her way up to a flock of about 40, so I decided I could get some … (4 comments)

Do You Even WANT to List Homes in December? - 11/15/11 01:19 AM
Some agents don't.
I know several who deliberately take the month off to go shopping, bake cookies, attend holiday events, and just goof off.
They tell me that there's nothing going on anyway, so why bother working?
If that works for them, that's great.
But, if you like to know you have money coming in January and February, it's not a very good idea. So I doubt if many Active Rainers will be following that plan.
Meanwhile, at least in our market, folks have repeated that "nothing going on" statement so many times, that many would-be … (11 comments)

More people would read your blog posts if... - 11/14/11 05:55 PM
More people will read your blogs if…
 
...your layout makes it easy.
 
Posting blogs and commenting on other people's blogs is good for your exposure, good for your SEO, good for networking, and good for your expanding education. Here on Active Rain, it's also good for points. So of course you want to do it, and so does everyone else who understands the value.
 
But how do you (and your potential readers) choose which blogs to read when there are thousands to choose from each day?
 
Everyone has their favorites, but most of us also … (67 comments)

An Attitude of Gratitude - God's Provision Thrift Store - 11/11/11 06:03 PM
Plenty of churches and other groups have thrift stores, but God's Provision, in Priest River, Idaho is a bit different. When I think about it, it warms my heart. 
Led by a wonderful woman named Carolyn Sherman, this thrift store collects money and supports a variety of other causes, including missionary work. As well as operating their own "My Father's Pantry" to help provide for those in poverty, they donate part of their proceeds to the West Bonner County Food Bank.
Of course, the fact that they offer good quality used clothing (sometimes brand new) and household goods at a … (8 comments)

For Mortgage Lenders Only (or not) - 11/09/11 06:44 PM
Several months ago I got into a conversation with a mortgage lender who promotes interest buy-downs to help her buyers qualify for their home loans.
She explained how asking the sellers to pay a fee of 2% of the loan amount could save the buyers far more than if those sellers reduced their selling price by 5% - or even more.
I wondered why more lenders didn't suggest it to their buyers, and then it occurred to me: Perhaps because they don't talk with the buyers until after the contract has been negotiated. At that point, they don't want … (5 comments)

What is Poverty? What is Homelessness? - 11/07/11 03:37 PM
A few weeks ago I read a report explaining the meaning of "poverty" in the U.S. I forget the income figures it quoted, but it went on to give the percentages of people living in poverty who owned:
2 late-model cars or trucks A VCR A DVD player A computer A wide-screen plasma TV A smart phone - or more than one Gym membership More items whose identity I've forgotten In most cases, the percentage was well over 50% and generally closer to 75%.
It then said that of those who were considered poverty-stricken, 93% said they had never … (30 comments)

The Be Thankful Challenge is BACK! - 11/04/11 04:40 PM
Hooray for the Be Thankful Challenge.
In spite of the economy and other things we don't like. We all do have much to be thankful for - and it's time we gave those feelings as much "air time" as we give to growling and complaining.
Let me begin this with being thankful that Joni - and many others - are back to using that "C-word."
We celebrate Christmas and we're happy about it!
I have no ill will toward anyone who celebrates something else - but I do object mightily to anyone telling me not to say or celebrate Christmas.
So … (6 comments)

Gaining Motivation from Nature - 11/03/11 12:01 PM
The furry critter outside my office door has not ceased to amaze, entertain, and motivate me over the past few weeks.
He's decided that my wood shed will be his winter home, and he's been rushing back and forth all day every day for many weeks now. At first he was bringing in pine nuts and cones from the tree he lived in all summer. Now, apparently, he's finished with that food source and has moved on to acorns from a tree farther from the house.
I wish I had some kind of motion detector to count and tell … (10 comments)

 
Forar Rainmaker_large

Marte Cliff

Priest River, ID

More about me…

Marte Cliff Copywriting

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

Office Phone: (208) 448-1479

Email Me

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.
Locations of visitors to this page


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog