I've watched a lot of trends and analyzed the Marco Island real estate statistics until I see double. There is just no denying that there is something positive happening in the Marco Island and Naples area. Case in point,
web traffic and qualified leads have increase considerably over the last year
Pending & closed sales are outperform the previous year's volumes
Buyers have become more proactive and aggressive in their searches
Value properties are receiving multiple offers at the same time
Buyers continue to queue into this summer's buyer's market
In the last couple of months, I've been in a few dogfights to position buyer's into top spot to get these hot properties. As well, there have been several cases where I attempted to submit an offer only to find out that it went pending the night before. This kind of activity on the low ends will certainly help the whole market as list to sell ratios shrink and price level out.
Although it will still be some time before we see any significant appreciation, we are seeing a shift in the buyer's mindset which will make these next several months very interesting.
If Marco Island is an indicator for Southwest Florida and Southwest Florida is an indicator for the rest of Florida then it looks like we are starting to turn the ship back in the right direction. I've posted some interesting figures on Pending Sales Remain Strong at MarcoRealtyBuzz.com that indicate that the buyers may be coming back to Florida.
We will continue to add more content, links and useful information to the site to assist residents and visitors. If you can't find it on the site. Let us know and we will do our best to provide it.
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From a practical standpoint, it doesn't mean much. However, it is an excellent way to understand why using RSS or ATOM Feeds to publicize your blog makes sense. These web feeds are the crucial component of web syndication. Unfortunately, it can be a bit overwhelming to get your mind around these concepts. If you are the kind of person that is still struggling with programming your VCR, comprehending web syndication may be a stretch. Thus, I thought I would break it down for you.
Think of it this way! Many years back Oprah Winfrey was a local talk show (your blog) in Chicago. The viewing audience (your readers) was limited to the areas that show was promoted in. However, Oprah's goal was bigger than just the Chicago market. So, the show was recorded (RSS feed) and sent out to a bunch of TV stations (RSS Aggregators / Syndicators) across the nation in hopes that other stations (Newsreaders ) would pick up the show. As more stations picked up her syndicated show, her audience grew.
Hopefully, this enlightens you as to the purpose of syndicating your blog. If your blogging on ActiveRain, it automatically supplies both an RSS and ATOM feed. Look for the Chicklet . Click the chicklet and copy the URL from the address bar in your web browser. You are now ready to submit your feed. You will need to follow the direction on these sites to submit the feeds. If you are using another blogging site, you will have to search the help system to find out how to activate your RSS/ATOM feed.
As to not reinvent the wheel, there are many good sites that provide information on RSS feeds.
Once you've built your plan and picked your blog platform, it's time to start adding content to your blog. You should make a list of topics that you think your audience would be interested. Keep adding to your list as new ideas come up. As you add the post to your blog follow these guidelines.
Remember your theme - Remember who your audience is and what you are looking to accomplish
Be informative - Readers will come to your blog because there is information that is relevant to them. Keep focused on what you think is your readers would be interested in. Advertising your new listings and open houses is OK but make sure that informational content outweighs the amount of self-promotional posts. Remember, by providing the information, you are identifying yourself as an expert in your real estate market.
Keep it current - Talking about things that happened months ago may not interest your readers. Content should be fresh.
Use keywords - Keywords are a critical part of the search engine ranking systems. Make sure you reference word that are pertinent to the topic of your post. For instance, if I were writing about a condo on the beach in Marco Island, I would make sure I included the words Marco Island, Florida, the condo name, beach, beachfront and Gulf of Mexico in the post. This way, the search engine can index these words when someone searches on these words.
Be clear and concise - Spend some time putting some structure to what you post. Writing random thoughts may be good for some readers but will likely confuse most readers and sending them looking for somewhere else to find the information. Retaining your audience is key to success with your blogs.
Correct errors - If your posts contain a lot of typo's or poorly worded sentences, it shows that you are not very concerned with what you are publishing. Not to mention, it's downright annoying. With technology today, it takes minutes to spell check and a another few minutes to proof read your post. Take the time to do these thing and you won't lose your audience because of carelessness.
There is a wealth of information available on the Internet. Here are some ideas to get you started on your real estate blog
From a consumer perspective, you can write about:
market trends
news/events affecting your market
statistics (make sure you have proper disclaimers)
tips to buyers or sellers
new listings
open houses
events or activity
your charity projects...
From a networking perspective, you can write about: your real estate market
your real estate market
your area of expertise
your marketing techniques
how you solve a problem
trends in the industry
personal success stories...
One quick way to add content to your blog is to find something that someone else wrote and hyperlink to it in your post. It could be from another blog, website or an online news article. It could also something someone sent you via email but make sure that you have permission to use it. It's a good idea to get an email from the author confirming it's OK to use. Then, file it away with the rest of your blog information. When linking to another post/article, You should provide some brief commentary to let your readers know what your view is on the topic or at the very least introduce the topic.
Adding content to your blog is as easy as using a Microsoft Word (that is if you know how to use Word). Besides editing your blog from within your blog control panel, you can also post blog entries through email or even right from your Browser. The new Google Toolbar has a send to button that allows you to open a blog editor with a link to the page that your are browsing and publish your completed entry directly to your blog.
Now, your ready to get started blogging your way to success. Keep in mind, blogging is a journey, not a destination. It takes consistent and ongoing effort to reap the rewards of this new era in the real estate industry. Those who take the time to plan their blogging strategy and execute on that plan will help you get to the results that you wish.
There are many options to choose from when picking a blogging platform, often called a blog hosting service, and there are a lot of free services that will allow you to get acclimated to blogging without unnecessary overhead. Some options are:
One of the decisions that you will need to make is whether you are focused on consumer-oriented interaction or referral/social networking. ActiveRain provides an excellent network to learn from other agents in the field and create a referral network and as I understand is working on launching a consumer-oriented version of it's service.
I use Blogger.com for the Marco Island Real Estate Forum blog focused at clients, potential clients and preferred partners. My real estate technology blog on ActiveRain is directed towards other agents.
Having a good plan will definitely help in identifying a service that will meet your needs. If your intent is to expand and customize your blog's look and feel and functionality, make sure that the blog platform is one that provides the flexibility to address your current and future growth needs. Changing platforms can be painful if you outgrow it. Get it right the first time and you will avoid a headache.
Obviously, the first step in any business opportunity is to make a plan. Without a plan, your chances of succeeding with your blogging venture may be slim. In building your plan, you should consider these guidelines.
1. Let your personality show - People like to work with people they have things in common with. Letting your personality shine in your writing will create commonality with your readers and differentiate you from the millions of other bloggers out there. I'd suggest weaving personal stories into your posts while you address a topic. Give your readers something to connect too.
2. Update regularly - The frequency of update is key to catching the eye of search engine spiders that peruse the Internet looking for content. I would update your blog a minimum of once a week. However, more frequent updates will draw more attention to your blog because of the richness of content. Set aside time to blog regularly but be realistic with your time. If you can't commit to the 15-30 minutes for each post, you will just should be all it takes it
3. Syndicate your blog - By utilizing the RSS or ATOM Feeds that most blogging platforms support, you can maximize your exposure on the Internet. These XML-based technology created short summaries of each post on your blog. These summaries can then be picked up by other blogs, websites, blog syndication sites or used with newsreader software. You are basically saying "USE MY STUFF" to the Internet.
4. Stay on course - Occasional lapses in your plan will happen, that's life but makes sure that you are consistent in updating your blog and providing the content that keep your readers coming back.
With that said, let's talk about your plan. Your blog is part of your business, treat it like a business. Lay out a mini-business plan for your blog and stick to it. Here are some questions that you may want to consider when building your plan.
1. Who is your audience and what would they be interested in?
2. What are my goals?(i.e., simple vs. full-function, lead generation, informing customers, networking with other professionals,etc,)
3. How frequently do you plan to blog?
4. Will you enlist help from other professionals in related industry?
5. How will I will promote my blog?
Setting up your plan ahead of time will help to get you moving faster and eliminate the frustration of going in the wrong direction with your blog. Remember, running a blog is a long-term marketing vehicle. There is normally not a short-term ROI. However, as your audience grows, you are bound to experience the benefit's discussed in part 1.
Welcome to part 2 in a 5-part series on How to Get Started Blogging.
If you are looking to attract consumers there is no "Field of Dreams" in blogging. The "build it and they will come" attitude is a surefire ticket to the blogger's junk pile. Part of your plan must be to define how you will market your blog and then put the plan into action. Here are some areas to considered promoting your blog:
Current contact base - let your current contact base know about your blog. Particularly, if you are looking to provide information to your clients. It's an easy way to centralizing the information so that your contacts always know where to go. You can ever add a subscription service that will periodically email your blog posts to your subscribed clients. What a way to keep them informed without a lot of work, not to mention, get email addresses of new subscribers.
Advertising/Marketing Materials - the best thing to do is put your blog address on everything that promotes you. Be it:
· newspaper/magazine
· business cards
· marketing materials
· post card mailings
· anything that has your business name on it
Sooner or later, people will get intrigued enough to check it out.
Blog directories & Blog Search Engine - there are many directories that list blogs by category. These directories make it easier for potential readers and search engines to find your blog.
Posting on other blogs - Posting on other blogs is an excellent way to expand your audience. It is best to post on sites that the blog has related content as the search engines will rank your blog higher base on this blog you post on. Link back to your blog in your post.
Link Exchange - another way to expand your reach is to solicit other bloggers to link your blog on their site as you will reciprocate by link their blog on your site. Linking is one of the major factors in site ranking.
This is a continuation of Colleen Kulikowski's blog on ActiveRain based on the course that we jointly presented at the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors(MIAAOR).
Over the next 5 days, I will discuss how one gets started blogging, blogging guidelines as well as finding and posting content. I would suggest reviewing each day's topic and taking action on the step for that day. By the end of the 5 days, you should have all the pieces in place for a great blogging experience.
These practical steps will help you jumpstart your entry into the blogosphere: 1. Defining your theme 2. Promoting your blog 3. Building your plan 4. Picking a blogging platform 5. Finding your content
On to our first topic...
Defining Your Theme
Finding a theme for your blog can be confusing. Whatever your theme is, be specific as to who your audience is and what you want to accomplish? It's very easy to be too broad in scope and not hit the mark with your desired audience. Remember, real estate is a local business first. So, if you intend is to write to consumers, you need to make your theme relevant to their interest. The purpose is to get your audience to come back for more and refer others to your blog.
These may be the most important questions you will ask on your way to a successful blog.
Are you targeting: · homebuyers looking to buy in your area/community? · homesellers? · investors? · Golfers? · Boaters? · lifestyle group? · Other Realtors? · People interested in beachfront Condos?
Do you I want to: · generate leads? · generate referrals? · inform your clients? · become an expert in an area or topic? · help others? · change the real estate industry?
The point is to pick a theme that will give you enough flexibility to make your blog interesting but specific enough to target your desired audience. Don't make the mistake of mixing your consumer and business networking blogs. Posting a article about the seller from Hell is probably not a topic that your clients might be interested in but is OK for a real estate network blog. You will serve yourself best to focus on the audience that you intended.
If you are thinking about starting a blog, DO NOT READ THE NEXT STEP - Take time to DEFINE YOUR THEME TODAY it will be worth the effort!
Welcome to RETECHNOGEEK. A blog dedicated to discussing technology in the real estate industry.
My intent to provide a forum to discuss technology as it is today and where it could be headed. With over 25 years of software technology background, I have analyzed a lot of technology and am continually amazed at how far behind Realtors in our industry are in utilizing the technology that is available. It is my opinion that this industry will be changing even more as new and innovative technology comes into play.
Stay tuned and we will all benefit from the findings.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
. Click the chicklet and copy the URL from the address bar in your web browser. You are now ready to submit your feed. You will need to follow the direction on these sites to submit the feeds. If you are using another blogging site, you will have to search the help system to find out how to activate your RSS/ATOM feed. 
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