Austin Texas Real Estate Blog (and other stuff)

Seeking Your Ideas and Perspective - Planning for 2012 and Beyond

2012-01-07T14:49:03Z

If you don't mind, I'd love to hear some input and perspective from you. I have a number of decisions on my mind with our company, and I would welcome any helpful advice/direction. Please note that I said "helpful". :) I'm editing this opening paragraph now that I've finished writing the rest of the post and I realize that some of the stuff I wrote below seems a little disjointed. Hang in there if you can.

Here's the thing: I've been selling homes full-time in Austin for 15 years as of this month. I started my own brokerage just over 7 years ago. We've had some very good years (thankfully, 2011 was one of them) and a couple of very lean years, too. As we begin another year, my business partner and I are evaluating things to try to determine the best direction for ourselves and our company. I find myself going back and forth between two extremes: big-time company growth vs. streamlining, saving money, and focusing on my own sales.

We're paying way too much for office space, so we're likely moving down the hall to a smaller, much less expensive space. Most of our agents work from home, so it seems silly to pay for a large space with lots of barely-used desks. This downsize in physical office space will save us $1700/month, so that's a no-brainer. We will be moving.

I could use some of the savings for additional marketing/branding, I suppose. Again, I'd have to think about the most effective use of these dollars. I've used just about every type of print and internet marketing technique over the years, and it seems that the internet is the only one that makes much sense, outside of handwritten notes (not a joke). Again, I welcome your input.

We have a nice system in place for the leads from our website, and a relatively substantial number of new prospective buyers sign up every day. I would love to increase our conversion rate for these leads, since I worked so hard to get the traffic in the first place. It seems that this would probably entail more accountability, and a different system, although I have no idea how much this might cost to design and implement. I could focus on SEO, but since we're getting ample traffic, perhaps the site needs a re-design to maximize its effectiveness? Here's our primary website: http://www.austintexashomes.com

I DO offer something that seems to be in short supply based on my conversations with agents: I care. I genuinely care about the people who work for us, and I am available pretty much any time to answer questions or provide advice. I've never been involved in a lawsuit or mediation of any kind, because we really try to head off problems before they grow into full-fledged legal issues. I value honesty and integrity, which might be a hindrance to substantial growth, although I'd like to think otherwise. Maybe I'm not cut-throat enough, and I'm okay with that.

There's no easy way to say this next part, so I guess I'll just be blunt. I promise it's not sour grapes, just an observation. I have seen other local companies grow to 50 agents and beyond with seemingly less to offer, other than possibly bravado and aggressiveness on the part of the managing broker/owner. I don't begrudge them their success, and I'm sure I could learn something from their recruiting efforts. Having interviewed a few agents who went to work elsewhere, only to be disillusioned, I just can't bring myself to over-promise to agents. Yes, we have leads. No, I can't tell you how many to expect, nor do I want agents who are dependent on me or the company to produce all or most of their business.

I haven't instituted minimum production standards for our agents, partly because it struck me as disingenous, since I wouldn't have been given a chance with my original mentor/broker if these were in place, but I think I was a great addition to his team for 8 years. It reminds me of the classified ads I used to see for Dell Computers that required a college degree and 2-4 years of experience, when the CEO was a college dropout. That being said, I don't think I want very many brand-new agents, partly because of the time commitment involved in training. What are your thoughts on minimum standards for sales production?

I've managed up to 20 agents in the past, and I think I could handle a lot more (40-50+), under the right circumstances. Namely, if I weren't so dependent on my own sales to provide the vast majority of my income, and if the agents were at least somewhat self-sufficient. I recognize that this sounds obvious.

I guess the bottom line is that I am torn between building an actual business that can provide income for me on its own vs. continuing to grow my personal sales. I am now 41 years old. I don't think I want to drive people around showing houses (even if they're nice houses) when I am 60 or 70.

I need a plan.

Feel free to chime in below with ideas. I'm all ears.

Thanks for reading!

Photo credit:Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr.com Creative Commons license

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If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!

A Few Thoughts on Influence

2011-12-20T15:16:15Z

It seems as though I hear more and more these days about the notion of "influence", both from sites like Klout and from various industry lists (Most Influential, etc.). My intent with this post is not to discount or disavow any such influence, but to provide some food for thought.

There are plenty of people I can point to throughout the course of my life who have served as good influences on me and my character. Of course, I also had a few that were...less than helpful.

When it comes to my own personal influence, there aren't that many areas that concern me. Here's a sample:

Am I influencing my wife and kids in a positive way? As a father of four, there are few things more important than the mental and physical well-being of my children. I love them all dearly, and I am fascinated to watch them grow and develop into really interesting people. I teach them about our faith, our love for one another, and how to relate to the world at large. I am incredibly thankful that I've been blessed with a wife who does a stellar job as my partner in this regard. I tell each of them that I love them...daily (yes, even my teenage son). I want them to know that I am always available to talk, and my love is unconditional.

Am I influencing my friends to trust me? I sure hope so. I like to think of myself as a very loyal friend, although I'm certainly not perfect. The people that I see on a regular basis are important to me, and I care about how they view me.

Am I influencing my clients to remain loyal, and to send their friends and family to me? Without this particular influence, I wouldn't make a living selling homes. I've been doing this for 15 years now, and 2011 was my best income year since 2006. Why is that? Well, part of the reason is that I focused on my clients and on providing the best possible service that I could muster for them. This has always been important to me, but I was more intentional about it this year.

Am I influencing the world? This is a tough question. I've seen examples of small actions that have long-lasting effects. Like the "butterfly effect" or the tried-and-trite ripples in a pond, we often don't really know what kind of impact we have on the lives of those around us. I've also had more obvious influence on three of my friends who credit me with saving their lives. Since I can't leave that last sentence hanging with no explanation, I will say that I talked two of them out of suicide (one on multiple occasions). The other told me that he was inspired by my 2010 weight loss and changed his lifestyle dramatically.

The bottom line is this: All I can do is try to be obedient to God and attempt to provide a good example for my friends and my family. THAT is the influence that matters to me.

Thanks for reading!

Photo credit: raspberreh via Flickr.com

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Do You Ever Miss Your Clients Once the Transaction Has Ended?

2011-11-05T11:43:27Z

Recently, I helped an older lady sell her north Austin home so that she could move closer to her family elsewhere in Texas. She was referred to me by an agent in San Angelo. He mentioned that she was recently widowed. I had a little trouble connecting with her initially, which was my own mistake. Basically, I waited an extra day to call her. By the time I did call, she was concerned that I might not want to help. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. During our first in-person meeting, we really hit it off, and I was excited to help her with all aspects of selling. She agreed to use my home stager and took my advice on pricing, and the home was under contract within 3 weeks.

We moved through the sale, despite a series of setbacks (repair issues, loan issues for the buyer, etc.). It was a roller coaster ride for a few days, but we closed on the original expected date, which was a minor miracle.

Having been "in the trenches" together, the seller and I became good friends and we even discussed praying for the outcome. She hugged me when the transaction was complete. She moved away to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.

The chances of us ever seeing each other again are probably somewhat slim, and I think we both recognized that. This tends to make things slightly awkward when you part ways after the closing. In a nutshell, I will miss talking to her, partly because she really was a new friend, and partially because she was calm and centered most of the time, despite having been through a tough year after losing her husband suddenly. Her faith was inspiring to me.

I guess it made me reflect on the nature of our business, which really is all about developing relationships. I know that this is a little trite, but it sometimes goes beyond merely making people trust us. Often times, I end up with sincere friendships in this process.

Part of developing these types of relationships involves some measure of loss when my new friends move away.

Have you experienced this feeling during your career?

Part of the reward from treating clients in this manner is that they're typically very loyal and they will return if the need arises, and send their friends and family as well. I probably need to do a better job of reminding them on this last point (e.g. "If you know anyone else looking to buy or sell a home, have them call me. I'd love to help.").

Just a few stray thoughts on a Saturday morning. Thanks for reading!

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The Real Estate Mystery

2011-09-28T17:35:36Z

I've been selling homes full-time in Austin since 1997. I've trained dozens of local agents, and coached many others around the country. As a broker and owner of my own independent real estate firm, I've helped with hundreds of transactions. Through my online networking efforts and "in person" conferences, I'm thankful that I've met hundreds (maybe thousands) of agents.

Why do I mention this?

Well, it's pretty straightforward. Having encountered agents and clients of all types, I've noticed one trend:

Real estate is neither as easy as clients think, nor as hard as agents think.

Allow me to explain:By and large, I think the general perception from the public at large is that we real estate agents have it pretty easy. Show a home or two, help with some paperwork, then coast into commission town. I'm oversimplifying things, of course, but I know that I'm not far off here. I wish it were true that my job was that simple. It involves being really patient and diplomatic even in the face of major adversity, often from your own colleagues. Sometimes, clients aren't loyal. Often, lenders make mistakes that jeopardize sales. Frankly, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to real estate sales, and a lot of juggling has to occur.

Having said that, real estate isn't rocket science, either. When agents are struggling (I've been there), it's easy to blame outside factors:

"The economy is in the tank."

"Banks have tightened guidelines, so no one can get a loan anymore."

"The media won't quit talking about how bad things are."

Believe me, I've had the same thoughts myself at times, but the bottom line is this: In any given market on any given month, people are buying homes. They might be buying fewer homes than they were 5 years ago, but there is business to be had everywhere.

If you're a consumer reading this post, know that most agents work hard and a solid number of us are good at what we do and conduct business in a professional manner. If you're an agent, grab your share of the pie. The pie may not be as large, but neither is the number of people who want a piece anymore. Too much analogy?

There's the paradox as I see it, and of course it's just my opinion. I've always found it interesting how different the perspective is from the outside vs. the inside of our industry. In my own naive way, I think it's probably the opposite of how doctors are perceived by others ("Wow, being a brain surgeon has to be a really hard job.") compared with their self-perception ("Brain surgery ain't hard."). Alright, in fairness, they probably don't say "ain't".

What are your thoughts? I welcome your feedback.

Photo: rrenzoo Creative Commons 2.0

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Selling a Home? Here are Some Factors that you CAN Control

2011-08-20T10:48:52Z

When you’re trying to sell your home, there are things that you simply can’t change. If you bought in an awkward location, there’s not much you can do about that now. If the plan isn’t as functional/modern as most buyers would prefer, this is something that may cost too much to remedy. You also can’t really control which buyers are in the market at any given time.

However, there are three big items that you can and DO control:

Price
Condition
Agent

Pricing: This is a biggie. Make sure that you give this part some sincere thought. You and your listing agent don't dictate the market - buyers do. In fact, one definition of market value is the price that a ready, willing, and able buyer will pay for your home.

A solid agent can provide a comparative market analysis (CMA) that should give you a good idea where to begin when pricing your home to sell.

Also, give some thought to where the "breaking points" are with the homebuying audience. In my local market in Austin (and probably elsewhere), $200,000 is one such breaking point. What that means is that there are a lot of buyers looking UP TO $200,000, but NOT over. If you price your home at $202,500, you are hurting your chances of selling. Price it at $200,000 or $199,999 if you want to use the retail psychology trick. Either way, it's a big mistake to go just over one of these breaking points. Your agent should be able to help with this, too.

TIP: If possible, go with your agent to see a couple of the homes that you will be competing with nearby. This will allow you to see what potential buyers are seeing, and it often gives you a much better sense of how your home stacks up.

Condition: As I alluded to above, you probably don't want to spend a fortune remodeling your home, but you do want it to show in the best possible light. Getting good photos, staging, cleaning the carpet, and painting if needed are all inexpensive ways to improve the condition. If you have repairs that you already know are needed, do them now. If buyers notice them, they tend to assume that the home isn't well-maintained. I guess the best advice I can give here is to get your house in the best possible condition with your budget. This WILL make a difference when you're competing with other places.

Agent: I would like to tell you that this is the single most important part of the equation, but it's probably not. Price, condition, and location will largely dictate whether or not you get offers. That being said, if you have an agent who isn't reachable by phone during reasonable hours, or who is unpleasant or difficult to deal with, or who doesn't really make an effort to present your home well, this will hurt you. Additionally, make sure that you really like your agent, because you will likely be spending a good deal of time talking to him/her. Ideally, you want someone who can get you the maximum exposure for your home, and who is reasonably experienced and good with technology (at least the basics). Friendliness and honesty are two characteristics that are critical. You aren't paying your agent to tell you what you want to hear; you're paying him to tell you the truth.

There are a number of other intangibles that are part of the formula for home sales success, but these are the ones that you can affect. "Location, location, location" still applies, but these are probably the next three in line.

Thanks very much for reading!

Photo: Diana Parkhouse Creative Commons 2.0

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Despite What You May Have Heard, Some Realtors Do Have Integrity

2011-08-08T23:16:17Z

When dealing with real estate clients, one of the more difficult objections to overcome in the real estate industry is the fact that we are often perceived as predatory and unprofessional. If I had a nickel for every time I heard this phrase, "I haven't had very good experiences with REALTORS®", well, I'd have a whole lot of nickels.

My response? "Neither have I."

However, over the past couple of years, I am happy to report that I have rarely run across the types of agents who have traditionally given all of us a bad name. Yes, there are some who are still out there, but I get the feeling (I have no data to support this assertion) that many of the truly bad agents were driven out of business by the economic downturn we experienced here in 2008 and 2009.

As the broker and co-owner of a smaller independent real estate agency, I've trained dozens of agents on the sales process. I have tried to build my own business on a cornerstone of integrity and honest dealings, and I expect nothing less from my agents. If I have a client who's considering buying a property that seems like a bad decision, I say so. Conversely, if I see a buyer about to pass up the deal of a lifetime, I want them to recognize this, too.

Why?

That's an easy answer, and hopefully it's a common-sense one as well. If I do my job correctly, my clients will want to come back to me with all of their real estate needs. They'll also send their family, friends, and co-workers to me. Good service isn't always altruistic. It's good business, too.

Another reason that I strive to provide the best possible service is this: I will likely be called upon to help my buyers when they're ready to become home sellers later. If I helped them get the best property in the first place, it makes my job that much easier down the road. Again, not just a nice move, but helpful to my own bottom line also.

The best agents I've encountered are those who are good communicators, and unafraid to say, "I don't know, but I'm sure we can find out." There's no shame in not having encyclopedic knowledge, as long as you're willing to expend the effort to get the answer, right?

At any rate, my overarching point is that there are still plenty of "good guys" when it comes to real estate sales. And by "guys", I mean both men and women, just to clarify. Don't be frightened by any negative stereotypes that you've seen portrayed on TV or movies. Just because you had a friend or family member who was burned before, it doesn't mean that it will happen to you, unless of course you use the very same agent, in which case you're kind of on your own, eh?

I do have a couple of pointers which come in handy, if you're a consumer looking for a real estate agent:

Make sure that your agent sells homes full-time. Part-timers probably don't have the necessary experience or skill set to help if things get dicey during the transaction. Full-time agents have probably seen more scenarios in their career, and they can finesse things better.
This is a big purchase for you, so dump your agent if he/she makes you uncomfortable. You'll be spending a lot of time with this person. If you get a weird feeling, move on.

I could go on, of course, but those two items strike me as supremely important to mention.

I hope you find the agent of your proverbial dreams. Thanks for reading!

Photo credit: contemplativechristian - via Creative Commons (found on Flickr)

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Perception Is Reality in Our Industry, Too

2011-07-20T14:16:10Z

I started a small marketing company in 1996, leaving behind the fascinating and glamorous world of retail and restaurant management. I was 25 years old, and I was tired of working for someone else. Much of our focus for my fledgling venture was on selling marketing and printing services to real estate agents. I quickly realized that many of our customers were making really good money, and some (most?) of them weren't even that sharp. Real estate couldn't be rocket science, right?

Right.

The truth is, real estate isn't all that difficult, as long as you understand a few key concepts, namely:

It's an emotional decision when someone buys a house, whether it's their first or their 51st home.
People want their agent to communicate with them....often.
It's important to be flexible. Things don't always go as you might think they will.
It's critical not to take things personally. Some "clients" will take advantage of your time and expertise. Period.

But I digress. I have a larger point I wanted to make here.

I was thinking about the current apparent upswing in our market, at least here in Austin, and the old advertising and marketing adage certainly applies to our industry:

Perception Is Reality.

What does this mean, though?

Well, in the world of marketing, it means that whatever your potential customer or client perceives to be the truth becomes the truth about your business. If you're considered to be reputable and service-driven, your business will likely grow accordingly. Conversely, if your company is known to be filled with ripoff artists, I'm sure you can guess what your long-term prospects will be.

There's one thing that I've witnessed for years in this business, and it's intriguing to me. I'll do my best to explain it within the confines of this post. Basically, our economy is simpler than pundits would have you believe. I don't intend to simplify it to the point of inaccuracy, but local and national economies often rise and fall based on one simple item: Perception.

If people think that the sky is falling, they retreat into their home and stop spending money. This applies to real estate, perhaps even more than the majority of other industries. I saw this most clearly in the wake of 9/11, when just about all non-necessary moves were put on hold for months. The stock market fell precipitously as well. Why? Perception. The infrastructure of our country wasn't destroyed, but people were understandably afraid, and it sent shockwaves through the economy.

Conversely, when the home buying public perceives that "things are getting better or "the market is picking up steam", they begin to buy again, or even to invest in property (side note: you might as well invest in real estate - it's better than any bank return out there today). When people spend, it magically gets better. Amazing, huh?

I'm not the type of real estate broker who always tells my friends and clients that things are going well. We've made it through a really rough patch and survived a downturn, and we're not out of the woods yet. Old-school real estate training taught me to always say, "Great!" when asked about how the market is going. I can't do that. I can now say, however, that things are truly busy for me right now, and I hope it continues.

Thanks for reading!

Photo credit: Aristocrats-hat via Flickr.com

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Please Consider Helping This Family in Crisis

2011-07-11T10:21:03Z

In the past, those of you who read my blog have all been very attentive and considerate when I've posted about people who were suffering or in need. I hope to impress on you today how urgently your prayers and/or support are needed in this case...

For as long as I can remember, I've been sensitive to the pain of others, especially children and the elderly. Now that I am a father of four, three of whom are girls, it's very difficult for me to see kids suffer. A local friend of ours posted on Facebook about some friends of hers (the Strodes) who are living in a nightmare right now. Their 4-year-old daughter was badly burned while they were trying to have a nice family evening with S'mores at their home, and her recovery will be a long one. This family actually lives very near the ActiveRain headquarters, in Kent, Washington.

Here is a letter from the Strodes themselves to their friends about the accident:

"Many of you know, and some may not, that we had a terrible accident at our home last night (Saturday). After an awesome family day of summer shopping and yard work Dave and I and the kids all spent dinner on our back patio and then decided it would be a wonderful night for our first s'more campfire. We waited and tried and tried for twenty minutes to get this fire going. We tried everything. Paper, kindling, wood, pine cones. Dave decided to get some sort of fuel to the fire. He added some and nothing. He added more and the can caught on fire causing a huge flash fire towards Tommy, Brooklyn, Addison and I. Immediately there were screams I saw Brooke's hair on fire and scooped her up and patted her till the fire was out. Dave had already run Addie inside to the sink as her hair and clothes were on fire. By the time I got into the house, maybe 30 second later, there were still flames. I grabbed her and patted her down with a towel on the kitchen floor. Dave scooped up Brooke as I sat with Addie on the floor. Tommy saw all of this and was screaming and crying. Dave called 911 and the paramedics were there withing just a couple of minutes. They took Addie immediately tot he ambulance and started working on her. The second set of paramedics to Brookie. I was able to kiss Addie goodbye and the shut the door telling me they were having her airlifted to Harborview. Dave took off with Brooklyn in her ambulance as they thought they were taking her to Mary Bridge.

Ray and Sally arrived about 20 minutes later. Sally took care of Tommy and our foster son (who had been sleeping peacefully the whole time in his room). Ray took me to Harborview. On the way Dave called me from the ambulance told me Brooke was sleeping soundly in his lap and they decided to keep the sisters together and take Brooke to the same hospital as Addison.

Fast forward to today (Sunday). Brooklyn's burn were superficial. She was discharged this evening and went home with Grandma Sally. Addison is in the Burn Pediatric ICU. She does not look like Addie. She is swollen from her burns but mostly from all the fluid they give burn victims. We will know more tomorrow. They had to intubate her, she has a feeding tube, her face, ears, hands and arms are all burned. For now they tell us that her burns are worse on the wrists. They think her face should heal on it's own. She is sedated. She can wiggle her precious little toes when asked.

This has been Dave and my hardest trial by far. While we would never question who God is and His almighty work we are asking "why?" We know there is no answer. Our beautiful babies have been hurt. Dave feels awful and needs to know that I love him with all my heart. He is the best daddy. We don't understand any of this. It's a nightmare that replays over and over in our minds.

This was a horrible accident. It took 2 seconds to change our entire lives.

Please pray for a quick recovery for Brooklyn. They say she will be as good as new soon. She was running around the halls being her sassy self all day. Please pray for Addie. She is in pain. Pray for wisdom of her doctors. Pray that we can see our sweet little girls face the way we remember it soon.

We have faith in God. We know He is the great physician, He works ALL things together for good. But our hearts are broken.

Dave and I love all our children so very much. We were called to be parents. We have been blessed with our children and we know they are our gifts from God.

Sincerely, The Strodes"

You can read blog posts about Addison's progress by her family at this site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/addisonstrode

(There are photos there as well, but I didn't feel comfortable sharing those publicly without their permission.)

If you would like to donate to help defray the cost of Addison's stay in the burn ICU, please make checks payable to Addison Strode and mail to the following address:

Addison Strode Medical Fund

PO Box 5847

Kent, WA 98064

If there are any questions or issues with making a donation to this account, please email Giancarlo & Tamara Papini at papinig@gmail.com.

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Take 5 Minutes to Do This

2011-06-22T17:05:52Z

I lost two more friends to cancer recently. One of them was a hilarious girl I knew in college. She was 42 years old, and she had a phenomenally good attitude about her illness. The other was a friend I made originally on Twitter, then through a number of phone calls. She was also a guest on my radio show, and she wanted me to go into business with her at one point. She was funny, creative, and interesting. She was 59.

One of the downfalls to knowing and caring about a lot of people is the fact that you also get to experience a lot more loss than the average person. I know thousands of people, and I have hundreds of friends. I'm not tooting my own horn - it's simply true. I consider it a huge blessing, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am energized by people. My wife tells me that this is the very definition of an extrovert. I have no doubt that this is the case.

So, since we all know that we can't predict the future, and our lives are delicate, why don't we take more time to let people know how we feel about them?

If you love someone, tell him/her. Do it right now. I've never been shy about expressing my feelings toward my family or even my close friends. I don't want there to be any doubts about this, should I die unexpectedly.

"I love you" is a powerful phrase, especially when it's sincere.

"I appreciate your friendship" is another meaningful thing to say, and I guarantee that it will be memorable to the recipient.

I had a friend that passed away three years ago who used to call me JUST to encourage me. No agenda. He didn't want anything in return. He just wanted to be my friend.

Do that.

Be a friend. A real friend, not a friend who expects reciprocation. Ironically, we probably each communicate with more people than ever before, but it's often on a more shallow scale than it used to be.

Have you called anyone lately to tell them how much you appreciate/love/respect/care about them? Why not? Are you concerned about making yourself vulnerable?

I've tried to make it a point to do this more often, and it's very liberating. The saying, "pay it forward" is more than a little trite, I suppose, but it's the quickest way to explain what I'm suggesting.

Take five minutes and call someone you know and like and just say something nice or tell a friend you were thinking of them. Do it daily. This isn't even completely altruistic, because it will make you feel better, too.

If you need some practice, call me. I promise it will be a good time for all involved. :)

Thanks for reading!

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One of My Most Active Days in Ages, and it had Nothing to do with Real Estate

2011-04-30T22:29:24Z

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Today was a pretty long day, frankly.

All morning, I watched my four kiddos while my wife ran some errands. At noon, we went to McKinney Falls State Park (about 30 minutes from our house) to meet some friends from my 10-year-old daughter's girl scout troop. Despite the fact that it's located about 5 minutes from the Austin airport, it felt like we had traveled to another state. Densely packed with towering shade trees, it was like driving into a forest. Now that I think about it, I guess it was EXACTLY like driving into a forest, because it WAS a forest.

We were planning to take our travel trailer yesterday for the first time ever, but the wind was too strong, and one of the main warnings I was given when I purchased it last year was, "Never drive it in strong winds, because it could pull you off the road." Um...I'll wait then. So, the inaugural trip will have to wait. I do think we'll return to this particular park because it's both inexpensive and very close to home, which are great benefits while we're learning the ropes.

We had a great time all afternoon, and we went on a hike to a large pond near what appeared to be a lot of volcanic rock. Later, we heard that two snakes were spotted during our visit, one black (water moccasin?) and one white. I'm thankful that I didn't know about that when my three daughters were playing in and near the water.

The troop leader helped the girls to find a hidden "treasure" via something called geocaching, which basically means looking for a box with trackable items inside via GPS coordinates, then exchanging them for items you bring along. It was fun, and the box was found without too much difficulty.

Our two-year-old girl was pretty worn out from the short hike, so I carried her back to the car, which was a workout in and of itself.

Lest you think our day was over, it was just getting started. We went directly to a birthday party for a 4-year-old girl who is friends with our 5-year-old daughter. We spent about 4 hours in the general chaos and girliness at our friends' house, then returned home. I don't think I've seen my kids that dirty in a long time.

I have a feeling that they will sleep very soundly tonight. I bet I will, too. :)

Thanks for reading!

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Twitter for Dummies, Trust Agents, Now Revolution - dozens of experts - live - free

2011-04-23T16:56:47Z

I've been blessed to be the co-host on Social Media Edge for 2.5 years now. Here's Ken Cook's post explaining what our show/podcast is all about. Join us if you can!

Via 877-7000-KEN (536):

It has come to my attention that Social Media Edge has had only about 100,000 listeners because it is not widely understood what it is. When questioning a few people I trust who are not regularly listeners it was soon obvious they had no idea what the 3 year old podcast is about.

When I stared naming some of the guests people were stumped at why they did not know and how they could have missed 3 years of some of the best social marketing training, for free, available in the world. In fact let me drop a few names: Laura Fitton author of Twitter for Dummies, Chris Brogan author of Trust Agents, Jay Baer author of Now Revolution, Shel Isreal author of Naked Conversations, Shane Gibson author of Guerrilla Social Media Marketing with Jay Conrad Levinson and the list goes on and on and on ...

It's my fault you don't know. I have never really posted here in Active Rain about what Social Media Edge Radio, the podcast, is all about. After three years it's probably time. So here is all you need to do.

Subscribe to Smokin' Hot Social Media News at http://eepurl.com/bypV1

"Like" our new Facebook page at http://facebook.com/socialmediaedgeradio (even if you like our old page you need to like the new one - the old one is no longer in use) thanks to Mike Mueller

Save time on Tuesdays at noon eastern to listen live and get in the chatroom or listen later at iTunes

The short history of Social Media Edge

I founded the podcast in August of 2008 as "Twitter Tuesday". In December 2008 Jason Crouch joined me as a guest and I invited him back to co-host the show regularly. In March we switched to the name Social Media Edge (which belonged to my friend Brian Person) and we've had 100's of truly amazing guests since then. The list, in fact, is much too long to publish here but you can see all of their faces at the Facebook page.

In summer of 2009 I invited Mike Mueller to bring a regular tech report about some tip or trick with social media. For a while he hosted his own show on Monday's on our same JCKC network.

Our first big time regular listener AND show sponsor was Clint Miller of Real Estate Client Referrals.

Later I invited Jeremy Blanton to contribute as a community builder and he still does to this day.

For a while we also had Real Estate Round Table and Twitter Queens Radio with Maya Paveza (thehiproof.com), Diane Guercio and Lesley Lambert.

We have now had over 100,000 listens and most shows have listens in the 1000s. So, why haven't you subscribed and started listening? Should we call it a weekly live webinar featuring some of the very VERY top names in Social Media Marketing and Technology or can we just leave it as Social Media Edge?

Social Media Edge Radio - seriously true professionals who won't misguide you with some crap they made up to sell more books and seminars. Every Tuesday at Noon eastern.

REtechRadio - part of the REtech family. Great tech information and updates from people who have the answers, people who speak and product and service users.

Ken Cook - Community Outreach Leader Southeast Region (I make friends, handle social media, SEO/SEM/SMO that's my job :) - We do FHA, USDA, VA and Conventional Home Loans (678) 439-8683 NMLS ID 208452

My employer: AmericaHomeKey, Inc., 2300 Windy Ridge Parkway, 8th Floor North Tower - 840N, Atlanta, GA 30339. NMLS ID 102930. Georgia residential mortgage licensee 23191. Equal housing lender.

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Yes, I'm Still Alive

2011-04-03T23:06:20Z

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Okay, fine, so no one actually thought I had died. Either way, I haven't been blogging much lately. I have a good reason, though, I promise:

I've been selling homes.

In fact, I've been selling a LOT of homes.

This is the busiest I can remember being since 2007 or thereabouts. My business partner is busy, as are the agents with our company. Someone asked me today if there was an "uptick" in the real estate market locally. I laughed out loud, not to be mean, but because it's been far more than an uptick. I got multiple offers on a listing the other day that I was starting to wonder if I could even sell.

I do intend to return more to this community in the upcoming months as I can carve out time, and I hope to make blogging a regular part of my schedule again, but I have to admit that I would rather be closing sales than writing posts, so real estate is definitely my priority right now. I have six mouths to feed (including me and my wife), so I intend to make hay this year while the sun is shining. I hope the sun continues to shine for a very long time, so I am also in the process of initiating a few new marketing ideas.

For those of you who subscribe to my blog, I'm sorry to have left you sans content for a full month. I promise to do better sometime soon.

I will say that the blogging I've done here for the past 3 or 4 years has paid off, with many referrals and clients coming from my posts here on ActiveRain.

Thanks very much for reading, and for your friendship. This place means a lot to me.

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Prayers Requested for AR Member (and my good friend) Clint Miller

2011-02-15T23:57:07Z

I don't have a lot of details to share at this point, but my good friend and fellow ActiveRain member Clint Miller is in an ICU right now fighting for his life against cancer. His wife tweeted about this earlier tonight from his account. Based on information I received today, Clint was diagnosed a few weeks ago with stage 3 testicular cancer and been undergoing treatment. He rallied recently after a brief hospital stay, then went downhill again and ended up in the hospital this afternoon. He is in critical but stable condition.

I have often referred to Clint as the "most transparent" person that I know in social media and blogging, and I mean that. He has always worn that as a badge of pride, and he is never afraid to share even the roughest details of his personal history with his friends online.

This post that Clint composed during this past Thanksgiving should give you a sense of who this man is and what I mean by my label/compliment:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1986442/thankful-for-everything-

Clint was the first "guest" we had on our BlogTalkRadio show when we started back over two years ago, and he was the first person to step up and bring his company as a sponsor for many months thereafter. He's always been a loyal friend of mine, and a supporter. He and I are almost exactly the same age, so his illness hits especially close to home for me. Having lost one of my best friends to cancer in early 2008, I hope Clint will fight through this.

I don't want to belabor the point here - he needs your prayers desperately. Pray for Clint please.

UPDATE: A site was set up today to allow for direct donations to Clint's family. There is also a mailing address there if you would like to send a card to him: http://clintmillerbenefit.wordpress.com/

If you would like to see more "real time" updates about Clint, I would encourage you to check out this newly formed Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_173126609400592&ap=1

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Pleasantly surprised to be dealing with a good agent

2011-02-03T23:22:48Z

I hate to say this, but I guess I've grown accustomed to mediocrity in our business. Below average is often the norm. It seems like most tranactions that I've handled over the past year or two have been with agents that seem less-than-interested in making a good impression, or even in making the deal work.

The past couple of weeks, I've been very pleasantly surprised to be dealing with a broker who is, simply put, easy to get along with and pleasant. Why is that a surprise, rather than business as usual?

I've been to a good number of real estate conventions and gatherings over the years, and the people I meet almost always seem amicable enough, friendly and outgoing. There's really no reason to think that they would be difficult when conducting business, but for some reason, these friendly folks turn serious and inflexible when there are sales to be made.

Dealing with this particular broker (whom I may name later, once the deal is funded) has been a breath of fresh air. He is invariably upbeat yet laidback, which is probably partially just his personality and partly from his own experience as a business owner dealing with hundreds of transactions over the years. We work well together, and it barely even seems like work.

One of the biggest differences can be expressed in one word: COMMUNICATION

When I call him, he is available or quick to respond. I give the same courtesy to him. Thankfully, I haven't felt he need to screen his calls, because he doesn't belabor every point, and he's not rude in expressing them. I would actually recommend that his clients use him again.

Along with this good agent/broker I've been fortunate to have terrific, motivated clients on both sides of the deal. No drama. No weird personalities. No odd requests at the last minute.

Kinda feels like 2006 again.

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How to Get Over 100 Comments on Your Blog Posts - The Sequel

2011-02-01T10:46:27Z

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called "How to Get Over 100 Comments on Your Blog Posts - A Retrospective". It was featured, and it received a lot of attention, then it was hijacked by my friends, and it ended up getting over 3,000 comments. At some point, it wouldn't load anymore, which is why I didn't include the link. Since I don't have access to that one, it's not a great teaching tool when I'm working with newbie bloggers. With that in mind, I decided to write another one, in an effort to illustrate which of my posts have received the most attention within this community.

(In case you were wondering, yes, that's the typewriter I use to compose each and every post, while seated in a patch of clover.)

To date, I have 73 posts that have topped the 100 mark on comments, including the one I mentioned above.

I am thankful to each of my 1,935 subscribers, and to the AR staff for paying more than my fair share of attention to what I write, and perhaps most of all, I am happy to have received just over 44,000 comments on this blog since I started back in August 2007.

So, without further ado, what types of posts bring the most comments? Here are the categories which seem to garner the most remarks, at least for me:

This last group of posts got tantalizingly close to reaching the three-figure mark, but fell a little short. :)

How much disloyalty will you accept as an agent? My relocation buyer experience - 91

I Toured the New Localism Today! Here are my initial impressions - 94

Sign of the Times? A new experience for this real estate veteran - 90

ActiveRain Gathering in Austin Yesterday - The 20th Anniversary of my 18th Birthday Party! - 92

I am writing TWO offers today! (Pssst! One of them even came from Localism) - 92

Is it a boy or a girl? Our big news - FIND OUT RIGHT HERE! (Photos, too) - 95

Just a Few Suggestions that Might Help - Real Estate Sales Tips - 94

"Sounds Like a Good Problem to Have" - Results from ActiveRain - 93

Are ActiveRain Points Fun? Absolutely! Are They Critical? Not Really - 97

How Soon Is Too Soon? Handling Inquiries From "Early Bird Buyers" - 95

Please help me find a new next-door neighbor (or move in yourself!) - Special offer for both agents AND consumers - 92

Extra Transaction Fees for Clients - An Open Forum for Discussion - 95

The Deal Closed In Spite of You, Not Because of You - 91

So there you have it. I hope this list or the categories are helpful to you. If you're new to ActiveRain, or if you have any questions that I can answer, feel free to call or email anytime. I can be reached at 512-796-7653 (cell) or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

Thanks for reading!

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Fairways of Blackhawk - Pflugerville, TX - Market Report for January 2011

2011-01-30T17:07:47Z

As an eight-year resident of the Blackhawk area and a 16-year resident of Pflugerville, I like to keep an eye on the market values here in our neighborhood. When the toll roads first opened in the fall of 2006, the prices started trending upward, then they flattened out somewhat, with some tough economic factors at play. Since the fall of 2010, the market has been very active again in this area. As a fellow homeowner in Blackhawk, this stuff is important to me, too!

Currently, there are 5 resale homes available on the MLS in the Fairways, with an average asking price of $235,760. The average square footage for these homes is 2,700, for an average price per square foot of $88.55.

Presently, there are 4 homes under contract in the subdivision, with an average listing price of $212,075 and an average square footage of 2,706, yielding an average price per square foot of $78.85.

In 2010, there were 23 sales closed within the Fairways of Blackhawk. The average listing price was $225,468, and the average sales price was $216,678, which means homes sold for 96.1% of the asking price. The average square footage was 2734 s.f. for these.

OTHER AREA NEWS:

Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of the aforementioned toll roads (45 and 130) and about a half mile from Blackhawk, Stone Hill Town Center will eventually have over 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment. Home Depot, Best Buy, SuperTarget, Verizon Wireless, Mattress Firm, Chick Fil-A, Bealls, Rack Room Shoes, Dick's Sporting Goods and several others are open now. In May 2011, a new Cinemark theater and a 24-Hour Fitness are slated to open as well.

HOW TO REACH US:

If you are a consumer living in another area around Austin and you are interested in seeing the trends in your particular neighborhood, please don't hesitate to contact me, and I can create a custom report for you. All of my contact information is below.

If you are considering selling your home in the Fairways of Blackhawk (or anywhere in the general Austin area), please feel free to give me a call. I would love the opportunity to help you get it sold quickly. Also, You can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. You can also reach me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com. Thanks for checking out this brief analysis!

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"Mind Wide Open" by Steven Johnson - Book Review

2011-01-29T19:45:53Z

One of the better and more interesting books I've read in recent years was "Everything Bad is Good for You" by Steven Johnson. This past week, I finished reading another of Johnson's works, "Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life".

When I was younger, I had a handful of professions in mind, none of which actually ended up being my chosen career. I thought of being a pediatrician, comedian, or perhaps a psychologist. With regard to that last one, I suppose I've always been curious about how people think, and what motivates them. Instead of psychology, I've been in sales for 15 years now, and understanding decision-making and the emotions and factors behind this have always intrigued me.

"Mind Wide Open" explores the science behind laughter, hormones, music, love, fear and more. Johnson's writing is stellar. Without a doubt, this man knows how to craft a sentence. He even spends part of the book discussing an MRI that he underwent in order to see what his own brain does when he is writing. Johnson is both mildly self-deprecating and genuine when including anecdotes about his own fears and personal stories.

If you've even been curious about why certain people seem destined to abuse drugs, that's covered here as well. In a nutshell, it comes down to brain chemistry. People who end up addicted to drugs are probably predisposed because of something natural which is lacking within their specific brain and its receptors.

I do have a couple of criticisms, which probably reflect my own preferences more than anything else (what reviews aren't?). Namely, I felt that some of the examples/chapters were longer than necessary to get the point(s) across, and I thought that the use of Darwinism was a little heavy-handed, considering that there was no mention of intelligent design (i.e. God) at all. I suppose this is to be expected in scientific writings, but I did tire of hearing about Darwin and the evolution of our brain from lower life forms.

My complaints notwithstanding, the book is worth the read, and I did learn a good deal about brain science and even a little about reading others' thoughts, which could always come in handy. :) You can find "Mind Wide Open" on Amazon or at your local bookstore, more than likely. If this subject holds interest for you, this book would make a nice addition to your collection.

Thanks for reading!

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Looking forward to 2011 - Snapshot of our business and my thoughts

2011-01-28T22:35:25Z

Ever since November, we've been busier at our company than we have been in years. November was my best sales/income month since 2007, and it appears as though February will be even better.

I'm hopeful that the market in Austin will continue its upward trend this year (and beyond). Typically, we don't see this much buying activity in the winter. Even since I can remember, the market begins to pick up in February. Instead, I find myself with multiple daily appointments with clients. I've hired a handful of new agents at Austin Texas Homes, LLC, and I'm looking to expand further this year.

I guess it just plain feels good to be truly busy again, with buyers and sellers both. I sense that there's a lot of pent-up demand for housing, as many people waited on the sidelines or chose to rent while waiting for other properties to sell. Our market took longer to turn south than most areas of the country, and it seems like it's rebounding earlier as well (at least I hope that's the case).

Having been through a couple of downturns in my career, especially with this particular rough patch, I feel more prepared to handle the good times. If/when I get back to the income level I had in 2006, I am confident that our family will be able to save (and likely give away) a good deal of money. At a company level, I am prepared to invest more in our marketing and brand-building going forward.

After meeting recently with my business partner, we identified three strategies that I think could take our real estate business to an entirely new level. I can't share any of them here, however, since they're just too darn good and creative. :)

What's your market like right now? I've heard anecdotal evidence that other markets are also improving. What do you see?

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Want to be my best friend for a day and help my daughter, too, all from the comfort of your home/office?

2011-01-27T22:21:09Z

Last year, I blogged about this topic with solid results. I hope to do so again. If so, I can help out a good cause and my daughter at the same time.

If you live in the general Austin area, let me know if you would like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies. My 9-year-old daughter Aleah is selling them for the second time, and she wants to sell enough cookies this time around to win a tent.

If you buy at least three boxes ($10.50 or more, as they are $3.50 per box), and you live/work in the Austin metro area, my daughter and I will deliver them to you at your home or office (your choice).

As a longtime salesperson, I am of the opinion that this could help Aleah to hone her burgeoning sales skills. If you're nice, we might even hang out awhile. :) If you live outside of Austin, keep reading below.

By the way, I already know what you're asking yourself. YES! They are still just as delicious as you remember them. In fact, you might be doing my waistline a service by getting them out of my house. They are really, really good, and I don't want to gain back any of the 56 pounds I lost this past year.

if you want to support our cookie sales efforts, but you are:

worried about your diet
too far away, OR
a crazy person who doesn't like the taste of the cookies

I have another idea for you.

It's called "Operation Cookie Drop". Basically, you donate $3.50 for each box of cookies, and they will be delivered to our troops overseas.

Cool, huh?

I have already bought and consumed cookies myself, but I think I may just go ahead and donate some extra money for this very special cause.

Here are a handful of benefits:

You can keep your girlish (or boyish) figure intact
You are directly helping our troops
You are benefitting the Girl Scouts
I will like you even more than I already do

Perhaps best of all, the donation is tax deductible!

In an effort to make it easier, you can pay via PayPal (any amount in $3.50 increments) by sending the money to our account at jasonpam@swbell.net. We will then write a check for the total and provide a receipt for your tax records if you like.

If you would like to pay by check (minimum donation of $14), you can make it out to "GSCTX" or "Girl Scouts of Central Texas" and mail it to my office at 3636 Executive Center Drive, #210, Austin, TX 78731.

The sale will be going on for awhile. They've even added some new cookies to the old favorites. Meet the cookies here (but buy them from us if you are in/near Austin): http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/

Help me demonstrate the power of social media and blogging. :) They also make great gifts.

Feel free to re-blog or spread the word in any way you prefer.

Thanks!

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Austin, Texas Named "Best All-Around City" on List of 10 Best Places to Buy a Home

2011-01-26T20:38:34Z

Having lived in the Austin area since 1988, I'm not surprised when I see our city making national "most desirable" or "best" lists, and a recent list from Walletpop.com is no exception.

On the list entitled, "10 Best Places to Buy a Home", Austin placed at #1 overall, garnering "Best All-Around City" honors.

Although we've experienced a tougher economy in recent years, Austin has weathered the storm quite well compared with most cities and local markets around the country, and for that I'm thankful. Since we've all been inundated with negative messages from the media about the "national housing market" (which is a myth - all markets are local and some are even hyperlocal), I feel like part of my job is to educate Austin -area residents about how good things really are here in this area.

More praise about Austin from the Walletpop.com article:

Texas' capital and a great college town, Austin is beautiful and the 12th-most-affordable American metro area. Job growth from 2000 to 2010 was 14.1%, according to Trulia; unemployment currently is 7.1%, compared with 9.8% nationwide. The city's population is growing too. These positive indicators are expected to continue in the coming decade. Fortune 500 companies abound here; it's home to more than 2,000 tech companies. Home prices are reasonable for the $73,747 median family income and let's face it, nobody does BBQ better than Texas.

To read the entire article, visit http://www.walletpop.com/2010/12/31/10-best-places-to-buy-a-home-in-2011/.

Photo credit: JDN via Flickr (Creative Commons 2.0)

If you're thinking of buying or selling a home in the Austin, Texas area, or if you have any questions, please feel free to call me anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com. You can also visit our Austin real estate website at http://www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

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"Should We Put a Deadline for Them to Accept the Offer, Jason?"

2011-01-25T21:03:04Z

I've received this question many times from buyer clients that I'm helping, most recently in an email, so I thought it would be a good idea to cover this in a post. Whenever I write up an offer for a home, there are dozens of questions that come up during the process before we even submit the paperwork to the listing agent. This particular question typically arises after we've parted ways and everything is signed.

So, is it a good idea to place a "fuse" on your offer, forcing a quick response?

In my humble opinion, it's rarely necessary to do so, although I can understand arguments in favor of this strategy.

My normal response is this: You certainly can restrict the timing for acceptance by forcing the seller to respond quickly (e.g. "Seller to respond by 5pm Tuesday, January 25th, or this offer is void."), but I feel that it comes across as pushy in most cases, since a typical seller is probably sufficiently motivated to respond within 24 hours regardless, unless they're traveling or experiencing a crisis of some sort.

With that in mind, give some thought to the message it sends when you opt to place a deadline on any offer. It might set the wrong tone during negotiations and during the entire process, depending on the personality of the seller. It also could come across as a little desperate, or weaken the offer and your leverage. Patience is your friend when it comes to negotiating.

There are really only two instances which immediately come to mind under which I would counsel someone to use a deadline approach:

You're pretty sure that there's another offer on its way (or more than one)
You have very limited time to choose a home, and there's a solid backup house in mind that you don't want to lose while you wait for a response

I suppose you could add a third category here if the listing agent is notoriously slow to present offers based on your agent's prior experience, but I've only had that happen once to me in 14 years of full-time sales.

The longest I've ever had to wait for an initial response was 3+ days, which was maddening for my clients, frankly, but also exceptionally rare overall.

Since the other question I hear often is, "When do you think we'll hear something about the offer?", I should probably address that here as well. As a guideline, if I send an offer in the morning, it's possible to hear something the same day, if the agent is able to get in touch and present it quickly. If I present an offer to the listing agent during evening hours, we'll probably hear back sometime the next day, either with a response or with clarification questions, etc. If it's a weekend, I typically tell my clients to expect to hear back by Monday.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you're looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in the Austin metro area. I would love the chance to help you find the right place.

Thanks for reading!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon_knox/4721752902

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Social Media Edge Radio - Guest Christine Perkett Tomorrow!

2011-01-24T23:51:29Z

Tomorrow, I hope you can join us live and in the chat room for Social Media Edge Radio (because the cool kids are always in the chat room!). Tuesday, January 25, at noon Eastern, we have the pleasure of speaking with one of the cream of the crop in Social Media Marketing.

We're also making a special announcement about a new series of awards with some actual value. Ken Cook and I have proclaimed 2011 to be "The Year of Snark" so you can bet any award given will be thoroughly investigated. We, the snarky, are amazed at the volume of worthless awards based on either self-glorification or simple popularity and we're setting out to do something about it!

Our very special guest tomorrow is Christine Perkett (@missusP on Twitter).

Christine founded PerkettPR in 1998. She has been named one of the ‘Top 25 Authorities Moving PR Forward' in a recent industry study (http://bit.ly/2DfKku), and consistently recognized as one of the most social media-savvy CEOs - currently ranked as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women on Twitter (by Hubspot: http://bit.ly/9OUzJ2), a "Top Influential Woman in Tech on Twitter" (by Google's Don Dodge, alongside such greats as Marissa Mayer, WSJ's Kara Swisher, and more), and featured two consecutive years in BusinessWeek's Social Media Special Report (keeping company of notable CEOs from Zappos, Virgin, Digg, HDNet, Mint and more: http://bit.ly/peioG).

Christine was also awarded "Best Communications, IR or PR Executive" by the American Business Awards and nominated as an Agency Executive of the Year finalist from PRNews.

PerkettPR, Inc., founded in 1998, creates effective public relations, interactive digital services and social marketing campaigns and content for technology, healthcare, business and consumer companies worldwide. Clients include Conduit, Litle & Co., LocationLabs, Mindjet, Northeastern University College of Business, Photobucket, Tumri and many more.

Tune in live here: http://blogtalkradio.com/jckc

Don't miss this one, but if you do, check out the archive recording at http://socialmediaedge.com/itunes.

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ActiveRain Continues to Work Its Magic for Me in 2011

2011-01-23T21:58:05Z

I just finished writing an offer for a client of mine who first found my blog here in 2008. We hit it off back then, and he and his family almost bought a home with a local builder, but the builder was a headache to deal with and didn't keep their word. Since then, he has continued to look at listings online on his own, and we appear to have found the perfect place. Time will tell with regard to our offer, but I was happy to realize that he has continued to read many of my posts since our original meeting over two years ago.

If this particular deal works out, it will one of many that I've closed as a result of my blogging efforts on ActiveRain. Since early December, I have received SIX referrals from other AR members around the state and country. Thank you to those of you who have trusted me with your referral business!

When I was in Houston last month at Raincamp, Bob Stewart asked me about how many referrals I get from ActiveRain. My response was that I probably get 2-3 per month, which has been the case for years. Here's the condensed version of our talk that Kelly from AR posted on YouTube a few days ago:

I had a brief exchange with someone yesterday who was wondering about the right time to "graduate" from AR to a stand-alone WordPress site. Although I have several WordPress sites (and I even sell them), I have no intention of leaving this community and the networking opportunities here. If you're thinking of getting your own WordPress blog, you can still post in both places with no issue (i.e. they aren't mutually exclusive). If you're concerned about duplicate content penalties from Google or harming your SEO efforts in any way, just change the title and some of the text a little bit to avoid this. I guess the SEO ramifications could easily fill another post soon.

Since November, the Austin market has been picking up steam and January has been no different. I look forward to a solid 2011!

If I can ever be of help to you in any way, let me know. My cell phone number is 512-796-7653. Thanks for reading!

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"Guerrilla Social Media Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson & Shane Gibson

2011-01-22T13:48:36Z

As part of my 2011 effort to read at least one book per week on average, I finished another book yesterday, "Guerrilla Social Media Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson.

Shane Gibson has actually been a guest twice on Social Media Edge, our BlogTalkRadio show, and he is also the co-author of "Sociable", which is another book I liked. Jay Conrad Levinson is the father of the guerrilla marketing movement, and his books have sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

I was excited that Shane sent me a free copy of the book, for two reasons:

I love marketing and books about marketing
I love free stuff

I found the book to be a relatively quick read, with an emphasis on specific social media tools/platforms, along with goal setting and planning. There are lots of worksheets and step-by-step plans that make it easy to develop a solid gameplan from the beginning.

I think this is a terrific book for beginners and intermediate users of new media. Chapter Four alone is worth the price of the book. Titled 'The Guerrilla Social Media Arsenal', it contains 126 different sites and tools for marketing online. Yes, you read that number correctly in the last sentence. Although I had heard of most of them (sometimes just in passing), I have to admit that I learned about a bunch of new and interesting instruments and ideas for gaining exposure.

Levinson and Gibson did a great job of making one critical point: It's important to know whom you're targeting with your efforts. I've seen agents in our local market who don't seem to test their marketing efforts at all, or even give much thought to who is reading their ads or posts.

There are many ways to hone your online marketing focus, and they managed to cover most of them within the book. One thing that I and others have struggled with is how to make the most of time spent on blogging and social media sites. They provide some tips in this regard which I found helpful.

This book is well worth the read if you intend to make a concerted effort to leverage online tools for your own marketing plan. Also, Shane Gibson is a terrifically nice guy, and I'm sure he would be happy if you picked up a copy of your own. :)

You can find "Guerrilla Social Media Marketing" at your local bookstore, or at Amazon right here:

http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Social-Media-Marketing-Influence/dp/1599183838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295721507&sr=8-1

Looks like it's on sale for only $13.06 right now. Bonus!

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Sorry, But I Don't Have Change for $100,000

2011-01-21T21:05:33Z

We had an interesting exchange with one of our clients today that I wanted to share here, partially because it's somewhat instructional and partly because it made me laugh.

We wrote offers yesterday for two duplexes for a cash buyer (investor) who is a past client of ours. Today, one of them was accepted, and we're waiting to hear about the other one.

The listing agent offered to pick up the paperwork from our client, since he lives nearby. He also said that he could pick up the earnest money and option fee checks. The earnest money was $2000 and the option fee is $100. My business partner told the buyer, "Write a check for two thousand to ______ Title and another check for a hundred which goes to ____________ (seller)."

Needless to say, the listing agent was surprised when he was presented with two checks, one for $2000 and another for $100,000! I guess the buyer thought that a rather sizable deposit was required? Thankfully, everything was corrected quickly.

Two lessons:

Make sure you communicate very clearly with your clients, and especially with cash buyers, since they might be thinking in different terms than you are.
Pick up the checks yourself to make sure that no problems occur.

Thanks for reading!

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Austin Texas Real Estate Blog (and other stuff)

Seeking Your Ideas and Perspective - Planning for 2012 and Beyond

A Few Thoughts on Influence

Do You Ever Miss Your Clients Once the Transaction Has Ended?

The Real Estate Mystery

Selling a Home? Here are Some Factors that you CAN Control

Despite What You May Have Heard, Some Realtors Do Have Integrity

Perception Is Reality in Our Industry, Too

Perception Is Reality.

Please Consider Helping This Family in Crisis

Take 5 Minutes to Do This

"I love you" is a powerful phrase, especially when it's sincere.

"I appreciate your friendship" is another meaningful thing to say, and I guarantee that it will be memorable to the recipient.

One of My Most Active Days in Ages, and it had Nothing to do with Real Estate

Twitter for Dummies, Trust Agents, Now Revolution - dozens of experts - live - free

Yes, I'm Still Alive

Prayers Requested for AR Member (and my good friend) Clint Miller

Pleasantly surprised to be dealing with a good agent

How to Get Over 100 Comments on Your Blog Posts - The Sequel

HUMOROUS POSTS

REAL ESTATE INSTRUCTIONAL POSTS

POSTS ABOUT ACTIVERAIN (including tutorials and milestones)

SOCIAL MEDIA/BLOGGING POSTS

POSTS ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE

PERSONAL STUFF

INSPIRATIONAL POSTS

OTHER

Fairways of Blackhawk - Pflugerville, TX - Market Report for January 2011

OTHER AREA NEWS:

HOW TO REACH US:

"Mind Wide Open" by Steven Johnson - Book Review

Looking forward to 2011 - Snapshot of our business and my thoughts

Want to be my best friend for a day and help my daughter, too, all from the comfort of your home/office?

If you live in the general Austin area, let me know if you would like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies. My 9-year-old daughter Aleah is selling them for the second time, and she wants to sell enough cookies this time around to win a tent.

It's called "Operation Cookie Drop". Basically, you donate $3.50 for each box of cookies, and they will be delivered to our troops overseas.

In an effort to make it easier, you can pay via PayPal (any amount in $3.50 increments) by sending the money to our account at jasonpam@swbell.net. We will then write a check for the total and provide a receipt for your tax records if you like.

If you would like to pay by check (minimum donation of $14), you can make it out to "GSCTX" or "Girl Scouts of Central Texas" and mail it to my office at 3636 Executive Center Drive, #210, Austin, TX 78731.

Austin, Texas Named "Best All-Around City" on List of 10 Best Places to Buy a Home

"Should We Put a Deadline for Them to Accept the Offer, Jason?"

So, is it a good idea to place a "fuse" on your offer, forcing a quick response?

Social Media Edge Radio - Guest Christine Perkett Tomorrow!

Our very special guest tomorrow is Christine Perkett (@missusP on Twitter).

ActiveRain Continues to Work Its Magic for Me in 2011

"Guerrilla Social Media Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson & Shane Gibson

Sorry, But I Don't Have Change for $100,000