marketing: You aren't on Facebook? Really? - 03/29/15 12:21 AM
I know there are still those folks who are not interested in being on Facebook. I get it. Yes, face-to-face relationships are the bread and butter of the service industry. In the past 24 hours, however, I have used Facebook in so many ways that are about face-to-face relationships, that I thought it worth sharing and maybe asking the hold-outs to reconsider.
  Met with some clients (and Facebook friends) who want to buy land and build. We walked the land and met with a potential builder. I came back to the office and posted on several local Facebook Real Estate … (4 comments)

marketing: What does Facebook mean to you? - 11/07/14 05:54 AM
What does Facebook mean to you? I saw an advice column the other day where someone was complaining because all that one of their friends posted to Facebook was vacation pictures. It made him think that they did not work often and that they did not need the money generated from working. That gave me pause. It got me thinking about how and why I use Facebook.
  Facebook means many things to me. It is a way to share with distant relatives. It is a away to share pictures.  It is a way to reconnect with friends that I may … (6 comments)

marketing: September's Cloudburst of You - 09/02/13 06:57 AM
Who is up for a new challenge? The start of school always feels like a new beginning for me. I think I will take the challenge...will you?
It's starting to feel like Fall around here and I for one am not happy about it.  Don't get me wrong, I love the seasons and Fall is most beautiful but I'm just not ready to say goodbye to Summer quite yet.
Soon we'll see the yellow busses with their wheels going round and round, pumpkins lining our grocery store landscapes and seasonal lattes at Starbucks.  Let's make September a successful one.  Welcome to your … (3 comments)

marketing: What Were You Thinking When You Bought That House? - 01/22/12 11:33 PM
I see a lot of houses.  I see the light, I see the layout, I see the architecture and I see the stuff.  It is always interesting to try to figure out why people buy the houses that they buy.  Sometimes it is obvious and sometimes not.
When I am working with a client and they walk into the house they want, I can USUALLY see it their expression.  Not always, however, are the reasons for choosing a house so obvious.  Have you ever walked into a home and wondered, 'why would you have ever bought this house?'  Maybe the layout … (6 comments)

marketing: That's a Pretty Crappy Looking Sign! - 12/13/11 11:32 AM
A couple of super windy days have broken the tether holding up the name rider. It is dangling by a single connection.  Another couple of windy days and the name rider smashes through the  'By Appointment Only,' rider.  Now it looks really bad. The seller probably doesn't have the right tool to fix it, and they certainly don't have a new rider. So there the sign stands, very damaged. I drove by a sign like this today. This is a property that has been on the market for a while. Guess what? It is going to be on the market for … (3 comments)

marketing: Thoughtful Thursday: Change the Parameters - 11/16/11 11:01 PM
For years I had Violet plant in my house; it might as well have been an evergreen--not a flower on it.
This summer, I decided to switch things up and see if I could get  my plant to bloom.
What did I do?
Repotted my plant (fresh soil and the nuturients that come with that) Repositioned my plant (the current location was not procucing flowers, so why not try a new one?) Recommit to a watering and fertilizing schedule Guess what? It worked. I now have a beautiful violet plant that has been blooming for weeks straight. I had such success … (5 comments)

marketing: Is that really the best marketing approach? - 07/01/11 02:07 AM
Driving to a meeting today, I passed a real estate sign by the side of the road.  Nothing unusual there. But wait, what does that sign rider say? 'Ivy Chimney.' Hmmmm, is that really the best thing you can think of to advertise this home?I have always loved the elegant look of climbing Ivy. My husband, however, sees climbing Ivy and has visions of damaged mortar and invasive tentacles. He has finally brought me over to his way of thinking. When I saw that sign, it might as well have read, 'damaged chimney.' The chimney is probably in great shape, but … (5 comments)

marketing: Can You Explain the Marketing Process? - 05/11/11 02:21 AM
Can You Explain the Marketing Process? Dear Holly, We are listing our house! We had our Realtor over last night to sign the paperwork. I was so excited, however, that I did not really listen when she explained what to expect over the next couple of days. Can you Explain The Marketing Process? Thanks, Super Excited to Sell
Dear Super Excited to Sell, Congratulations on your listing! One thing to remember is that all real estate is local (process and local customs will vary) and every Realtor brings different skills, preferences  and experiences to the marketing process. In other words, I … (1 comments)

marketing: Creating My First Personal Marketing Video - 12/10/10 06:13 AM
I have long admired those of you who early on jumped in and created video explaining who you are and the services that you provide.
Personally, I didn't want to watch myself on video.
After attending RainCamp Philadelphia 2010,  however, I walked away knowing that I needed to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and 'shake up' my marketing strategy.
Yesterday, I sat down at my laptop and began creating my introduction video.  It was much harder than I thought!
First off, I waited until I would have some privacy in my home (I felt silly enough without anyone … (7 comments)

marketing: Hard work is the new BUZZ! - 11/09/10 03:51 AM
For those of you who do not live with a  14 year old boy, you may not know that Call of Duty: Black Ops went on sale at midnight. My son, thankfully, did not push to be one of those in line (so I did not have to say 'no'), but he told me last night that he is sure that at least one of his friends (and likely more) were in line!Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows  will be released on November 19, 2010. My son HAS asked to go to the midnight show. Like any good parent, I responded … (0 comments)

marketing: It's Time To Remind Ourselves Of The Basics - 09/21/10 01:46 AM
It has been a hard couple of years for everyone, but especially for Realtors. We have had to redefine ourselves and our areas of specialty. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the importance of consistent and persistent marketing and market presence.
Patricia Kennedy is one of my favorite AR bloggers and she wrote a great post about remembering the basics of the business. It is well worth your time--whatever your level of experience.
I have disabled comments on this re-blog, so feel free to provide them to Patricia...

Lately, there have been a lot of posts on Active Rain … (0 comments)

marketing: What is the 'Service' in Your Full-Service Real Estate Career? - 03/18/10 07:38 AM
I am sitting here texting back and forth with the Realtor on the other side of my transaction. Home Inspection items? Contingencies? You would never guess...pricing for furniture that my sellers want to sell and his buyers want to buy.  For this moment in time, I have become a used furniture sales-rep! Earlier today I was doing some on-line research for another client about painting ceramic tile. Two days ago, I met a prospective Piano purchaser at one of my clients homes when they were unavailable to be there. All of these activities are a day in the life of a … (9 comments)

marketing: Put Away the Valuables--and the Panties--We're Having an Open House! - 03/15/10 09:24 AM
This is a very serious subject, thefts which occur at Open Houses, but this story struck me because it is just so funny--and sad!
Recently a man was arrested after stealing panties from an Open House. He was caught by the Realtor, rummaging through the homeowner's drawers. Later when detained by  the police, they  found 8 pairs of women's underwear in a plastic bag. Upon further investigation, they found over 50 more at the home that he shares with his parents. He moved in with them  following his divorce.He said that he stole the panties because he missed his ex-wife.Realtors have … (18 comments)

marketing: Selling Your House Series: Money Doesn't ALWAYS Talk - 02/02/10 06:42 AM
Nearly every listing I have ever marketed has initially had at least one item that does not operate correctly or is not in desirable condition. Examples include, but are not limited to, broken ice makers, stained or damaged carpeting, broken Jacuzzis, wall paper (a big problem for most buyers),  and unattractive light fixtures. In virtually every situation, the seller has asked me if we can just offer a credit at closing. In virtually every situation, I recommend against this for a couple of reasons:
Lenders don't like credits for repairs. They like to know that the house they are taking … (2 comments)

marketing: Sellers--Trust Your Realtor, But Don't Bury Your Head in The Sand - 01/31/10 12:57 AM
I have an automatic search that I run daily on my MLS. Last weekend a new property came up and I contacted one of my clients to see if she had any interest in seeing it. There was no picture, so I described the home to her and she drove by to do a quick check.  It was not in an area of the neighborhood that interested her, so we did not pursue a showing. This morning, running my search, the property came up again due to a change in the listing. In reviewing the change, it seems it was a … (3 comments)

marketing: Everyone knows someone who loves a...Realtor - 10/25/09 01:53 AM
The hallmark of a strong marketing campaign is  a slogan that sticks with you.  Honda's new marketing campaign, 'Everyone knows someone who loves a Honda,' is one such campaign. Every time I hear one of the commercials or see one of the ads, I think of people I know who have Hondas.  There is a lot of truth in the campaign; Honda owners are a loyal bunch! I had some friends over this week for a get together. The group was all women and I co-hosted the event with two girlfriends.  During the party, no less than 2 people mentioned to … (80 comments)

marketing: Why Am I Twittering? - 10/16/09 01:41 AM
About a month ago, I put up a post about Twitter: My Twitter Challenge To Myself . The idea was that I would make a concerted effort to Tweet on a daily basis and see if I could significantly increase my Twitter followers and drive consumers to my website and blog. The original personal challenge was for two weeks.  It has been about four weeks.This is what I have found so far:
Two weeks is not enough time to make a significant change to an on-line presence My Twitter followers increased from 52 to 68.  I have no idea which … (11 comments)

marketing: The Best Marketing is FREE Marketing! - 10/06/09 12:52 PM
I am involved with one of our local boards, the Dulles Area Association of Realtors. One of the great percs that DAAR has is an agreement with the local paper, the Loudoun Times Mirror to print articles written and submitted by local members of the board. These articles are brief, approximately 250 words. I have been able to write several of these articles over the years (previously the agreement was with another paper).
Here is a link to one of my articles that was recently published (both in print and on-line): Go Green in Three Easy Steps.
I love to write … (3 comments)

marketing: My Twitter Challenge to Myself - 09/14/09 07:42 AM
I was an early registrant of Twitter.  I got it.  I did not, however, jump on the Twitter bandwagon. Frankly, I was focused on ActiveRain and did not want to get distracted. I really never cared what Ashton Kutcher was doing and I get my news soundbites  from TV, Radio or computer.
THEN ActiveRain added the Twitter feed.  Soon I was Tweeting with the best of them--only not really.  Yes, I was sending out Tweets with  links to my blog, but I was not using Twitter the way others were. I wasn't sending out Tweets.  I felt good though; when people … (14 comments)

marketing: Getting Your House Ready to Sell Series: What is that SMELL? - 05/22/08 04:34 AM
I cannot tell you how many times I have taken a client in to a house only to be told that it 'smells.' This can be a good smell or a bad smell, but anything that offends the senses will be noted.
The obvious offendors are cooking odors.  Some that come to mind are fish, anything that has burned, fried foods, curry, and even cookies and cakes (suspicious buyers think you are hiding something with a good smell). This is a great time to eat out or grill your food outside...anything that keeps the food odor out of the kitchen and the … (9 comments)

 


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