Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent's Blog

Humboldt County, California November Real Estate Statistics

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:19:25 -0800

I'm a little late getting these stats our, but the real estate market in Humboldt County, California is hanging in there during the month of November!

There are currently 568 homes on the market, which is just a hair higher than our "normal" 500- 550, and close to our recent low of 550. Fewer homes on the market, of course, supports prices and keeps them from falling. That's good.

The bad news is that we only sold 57 homes in November in Humboldt County, a recent record low for the month. Fewer homes sold puts downward pressure on prices. Perhaps these 2 figures balance each other out?

We'll have to wait and see, because there were 6 homes over $500,000 that sold in Humboldt County in November, one for $2.2 million! That really skewed our average sale price up to a 30 month high of $325,809!

And the median home sale price in Humboldt County jumped up to $250,000, which is right in line with the average median home sale price all year!

Overall, this report, like so many others this year, points to a bottoming out of the market. When is the market going to improve? Nobody knows, but there's only one direction to go from the bottom; up!

What Are "Closing Costs"?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:16:34 -0800

First time home buyers often ask about closing costs, and it can be very confusing, especially when they have limited funds to bring into escrow for closing, or when they are shopping multiple loan products with different costs structures. It's important for all home buyers to remember that there are 3 different types of closing costs.

Title and escrow fees, and county (or city) transfer taxes comprise the first general category of closing costs, often know simply as escrow fees. These are fees that must be paid to sell a home; and all three items are specifically addressed in the California Real Estate Purchase Agreement. While the responsibility of paying these fees is completely negotiable, in Humboldt County, California these fees are most often split 50/50, with both the buyer and the seller each paying half.

The second general class of closing costs is prorations or prepaids, most often taxes or insurance payments. If a home is sold on Nov. 30, but the seller has paid his taxes through the end of the year, then the buyer must pay the seller back for the December taxes he has already paid; these are paid back on a prorated basis. Similarly, lenders often require that a new home owners insurance policy be paid up a year in advance. This is prepaid at the closing of escrow. In Humboldt County, these are typically thought of as buyers expenses, as they go to service the home during the period after the buyer has taken ownership.

Similarly, the third class of closing costs is the buyers' loan fees. Each lender will charge a variety of up-front loan costs that range from small administrative fees up to much larger commissions or origination fees to pay the loan officer. These are fees a buyer pays for the privilege of getting a loan; a cash buyer would not pay any of these because he's not getting a loan. Therefore, in Humboldt County, they are most often seen as a buyers' expense.

Prorations and loan fees are not specifically addressed in the California Real Estate Purchase agreement, but they, as well as title and escrow fees, can be negotiated in the contract. The buyer can pay them all, or the seller can give a credit to pay them at the close of escrow, or they can be split in any way agreeable to both parties. It is important for a buyer to know what the different closing costs are and how much they will cost so that they can have confidence that they can meet all of the terms of the agreement.

If you're not sure whether you have enough money saved up to buy your dream home, give me a call at (707) 499-7111, or email me at Jeff@RealtorJeff.net, and we can discuss options. Our check out the additional resources on my website at www.RealtorJeff.net!

October 2010 Humboldt County Real Estate Market Statistics

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:09:53 -0700

What do our October 2010 Humboldt County, California real estate statistics look like? We seem to have started a downward trend in prices again in Humboldt County, California. The number of active homes on the market, while not a huge number, is creeping up in relationship to previous years. We now have 677 homes active on the market; that's much closer to 2008 levels than 2009 levels. And more homes on the market will mean downward pressure on prices.

Especially when the number of homes sold is down as well. At 72 homes sold, we're just a hair below 2008 levels, but well below the 88 homes sold in 2009. While not by much, this is the lowest number of homes sold in the month of October in recent memory. This, too, will put downward pressure on prices.

The average home sales price for the month of October was $256,572; not the lowest of the year, but the lowest for any October in a long time. It also continues the downward trend started from the most recent peak in July.

And the median home sales price in Humboldt County was $236,375, which does represent a new low for the year and for recent history.

It seems that the large number of short sales and bank owned properties, or REO's, in the market is causing our downward trends. 26% of the homes sold in October were either short sales or bank-owned properties; that's up from 18% for all of 2009. And not only do short sales and bank-owned properties sell for less, they compete with regular sellers, thereby putting downward pressure on all real estate prices. While the rest of the country has been dealing with this level, and even higher levels, of bank controlled sales, this is a first for Humboldt County. Is there a bright spot in the clouds? Yes: it is a great time to BUY real estate!

What questions do you have about short sales or bank-owned properties? Give me a call at (707) 499-7111, or email me at Jeff@RealtorJeff.net.

A Lesson for Victorian Homes from the Eureka, CA Earthquake

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:20:12 -0700

Many of you will recall that Eureka, California made national news on January 10, 2010 when a 6.5 earthquake rocked the city. We counted our own blessings, and were promptly forgotten by the rest of the world, when 2 days later when a 7.0 earthquake destroyed the country of Haiti. We in Eureka were truly fortunate, as there were no injuries, and relatively little property damage. My family lives in a 1902 Queen Anne Victorian home in the Henderson Center neighborhood of Eureka, and we sustained some property damage as our home rolled with the ground - lots of broken glasses, some dumped bookshelves, and our spice rack got de-alphabetized. (tear, sniffle)

Like all Californians, though, I know the "big one" is coming, so I immediately vowed to put a concrete perimeter foundation under my Victorian as soon as I could afford it. When a friend asked me how we had fared during the earthquake, I mentioned my plans. He gravely told me that was a bad idea, as the rigidity of the concrete perimeter would transfer more of the force of the earthquake to my home, thereby causing more structural damage; but the original post and pier foundation would allow the home to roll with the ground wave, and minimize the structural damage. "Why in the world do so many other updated Victorian homes have concrete perimeter foundations?" I thought. Hmm. What to do?

A couple of months ago I was visiting with a local civil engineer, Neale Penfold Sr., about the home of a client, and it was evident to me that he was in the talking mood after a long day. I decided to make it productive talk, so I asked his opinion; "Which is the better foundation for a Victorian home to survive the next big Eureka quake, a post and pier foundation, or a concrete perimeter?" He said, "Neither." Mr. Penfold confirmed that post and piers allowed a home to flex, and that a concrete perimeter did indeed transfer more shock to the home.

He went on to explain a 3^rd way. He said that lots of folks in the Eureka area have had lots of luck with a reinforced, braced post and pier system, whereby the posts are set on structurally enhanced concrete footings much bigger than the originals. The house is then attached to the posts, and the posts to the piers. Finally, the piers are cross-braced pretty extensively to one another. He said that this combination had the flexibility of the post and pier foundation, and the strength of the concrete perimeter foundation, and with the added bonus of being cheaper to boot!

Any other California Victorian owners out there? What experiences have you had with your home and earthquakes? Send them to me at Jeff@RealtorJeff.net!

Humboldt County, California Real Estate Market Update - September 2010

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:29:55 -0700

What is the state of the real estate market in Humboldt County, Califorina? Our "Active" homes, while starting out the year lower than last year, crossed over 2009 in August, and have been tracking slightly higher than last year since. While this certainly isn't bad news, it does neutralize one of the good pieces of news we had through the first half of the year. If real estate inventory is down, it would certainly seem to put upward pressure (or neutralize any downward pressure) on home prices. Moving from under to over 2009 just removes a little reason we have to be optimistic.

Similarly, our monthly "Sold Homes" numbers were running higher than last year until July. They dipped under 2009, and started tracking pretty closely with 2 of the 3 most recent years. Again, this isn't bad news in itself, but it does take away one of the main market factors for keeping home prices flat or rebounding. It seems to indicate that the same ooze south we've been seeing for the past 2 years is not finished.

Sure enough, while it's not a lot, the average home sales price insists on tracking just a bit below last year. Indeed, our real estate sales prices do seem to be going ever so gradually lower.

Our median home sales price is a little more decisively lower. It has been below our psychological $250,000 floor for over half of the months so far this year. It is pretty clearly indicating that Humboldt County home prices, while not falling dramatically by any means, are in a pattern of gradually lowering.

Does any of this worry me? No. One day in the future, you will be sitting around with your friends, and someone will say, "Dang, I wish I would've bought real estate in Humboldt County back in ____." And there will be a date in that blank. It could be September, '10. It could be October, '10. It could be January '11. It could be May of 2013. We don't know, but I am relatively sure that, with the elections coming up in a month, that both the Federal and California state governments will be making some changes that will improve our economic situation, and with that improvement will come a bottom and a turn up for the real estate market.

Basic SEO Tactics That Most Realtors Suck At Implementing

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:36:12 -0700

Great stuff! The essentials to generating more website traffic!

Via Lisa Udy Realtor Utah Real Estate Specialist (Logan Utah Real Estate The Platinum Real Estate Group):

Most of us Realtors are not SEO experts, but we can learn if we take a little time. There are some very basic SEO (btw, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization) strategies that most Realtors fail to use to get their websites showing up in search engines. Do you know what they are? Maybe you do know, or maybe you don't. Either way, now you'll know and have no excuse, and you better get implementing!

How To Stop Sucking At SEO

Step 1. - Determine Your Keywords

This step is extremely easy to do. A keyword is something a searcher will type into the search box in order to find what they want. Very basic.

Determining your keywords is all about determining what people who want your information are typing into that little search box. Let look at some basic examples.

I live in Logan, Utah. People who want to buy real estate in Logan, UT will search phrases related to real estate with the term Logan Utah in it.

Examples: Logan Utah Real Estate, Logan Utah Homes For Sale, Logan Utah Properties. The same can be said wherever you live. If you live in podunkville, people are searching podunkville USA real estate just the same.

Okay, you have a couple of keyword phrases, now what? You optimize your page for those keywords. This is very simple and I can't figure out why so many people don't do it. It's mind boggling!

Optimizing a page means you put those keywords in the text on those pages. Do not spam these keywords. Make sure that people reading the page can still read it easily without puking on your overused keywords. No one likes to puke!

Basically, every 300 words, you're going to want to use your keywords once or twice. Some people say you need a keyword density of 4-6%, but I say that's to much. I have tested this. I write posts with very little keywords, and they still rank well for the keywords I was trying to target. The key to my strategy is title tags. This is step two.

Step 2. - Learn What A Title Tag Is And Implement It

I see this easy SEO opportunity missed way to much, even agents here on ActiveRain are failing to properly use a title tag. What's a title tag you say? It's the title of the page. Example - When you write a blog post, you put a title in that post, and that title is at the top of your internet browser. Here is a little picture to show you what I mean:

I put my mouse over the top of my browser, and you can see that it pops up my title tag for my Wordpress blog. It says: Homes For Sale Logan UT | Logan Utah Real Estate | Logan Utah Homes.

Do you know what this does for search engine optimization? It's one of the most relevant factors for Google to determine what that page is about! It's extremely important!

When you click on a search result in Google, you click the title tag. Did you know that? The title tag is the big bold lettering Google shows it's searchers to help them determine if that result is what they are looking for.

Your title tag is the first thing Google crawls when they visit a page. The title of your blog post, the title of your website, and the title of all of your web pages needs to be optimized to increase your search engine rankings. For those Realtors that just have their name in their title tag or just their brokerage are missing out big time.

Step 3. Optimize Your Title Tags With Your Keywords

It's time to put two and two together. Choose a keyword you want to rank for in Google. Once you choose a keyword phrase, write a page of content using your keyword once or twice for every few paragraphs. Add a couple pictures, and put some listings in that area on that page.

Now, when you're done with the page, put those same keywords you chose in the title of the page. That was simple right? It is very simple! If you can't change your title tag on your website or don't know how; you either need to get a new website or hire a geek to help you.

After you finish your first page rinse and repeat. Use this with multiple keyword variations. Make a page for podunkville real estate, podunkville homes for sale, podunkville properties, podunkville listings, podunkville luxury real estate, and so on and so on. The more pages you create, the more authority your website will build up, and the better your chances of obtaining a new client looking for your information online.

Step 4. Do Some Off Page SEO

Now that you have your optimized page, with your optimized title tag, it's time to do some off page SEO. Off page SEO includes link building, telling people to visit your website via social networks like Twitter or Facebook, writing blog posts about neighborhoods, and driving traffic to a page through social bookmarking or blog commenting.

This is where the pros leave the newbies in the dust. However, in many towns across the nation, Realtors are failing to take this step. Which is exactly why you should start now and blow them out of the water before they read this post!

Step up your off page SEO using these tips:

How To Syndicate Your Real Estate Blog Posts All Across The Web

What You Ought To Know About Blog Commenting

What You Ought To Know About People Reading Your Blog

Use Your Analytics Tools To Take Your Blogging To The Next Level

Use Your Google Analytics Tools To Create A Gift Basket Full Of Longtail Keywords

If you spent time implementing keywords into pages, updating and optimizing title tags, and doing some off page SEO work.

Your leads will start to increase dramatically, your paychecks will start to come more frequently, and you will become the next SEO pro. It's worth the time to learn, it's worth the time to do, and it's worth the time to master. Start using these SEO tactics today and stop sucking at SEO!

Lisa Udy

Platinum Real Estate Group

Please Help Carolyn Capalbo

Getting Ready to Sell Your Home

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:05:32 -0700

So you're going to sell your home and you need to get ready. What do you do? The first thing is to call me ((707) 499-7111) so we can sit down together, evaluate the value of your home and your goals in selling, and then plan a strategy to accomplish those goals. After that's done, you can start on this list.

1) Go through your home room by room, inside and out, with 2 pads of paper. On one pad write everything you love about your home. Start with the physical features, but then go beyond them. How does the morning sun come through that window? Where do you put your Christmas tree? How does it feel to have your family over for Easter dinner? What are the neat things about living in your neighborhood? Think about the highlights of your home in each season of the year. I will use these items in preparing my marketing materials so we can hook those buyers' hearts and minds and give your home a competitive advantage over other listings.

2) On the second pad of paper, write down every problem or repair you've made on the home. You'll need this list for your disclosures. Under California law, a seller must tell the buyer about every known problem with the home, even the ones that have been repaired. And there's nothing worse than being dragged into court after the sale to confront a lawsuit over non-disclosure of some item. So disclose until it hurts. If you think you might, maybe, just possible need to mention something, do it.

3) Start packing. You ARE selling your house, so you will be moving. Start now. Pack up personal items first - pictures, trophies, all those quaint figurines that collect on our end tables. Next, move out all of the stuff that's not going with you. You can yard sell it, give it away, or take it to the dump - just get it out. Then, pack out those extra appliances and pieces of furniture that are cluttering up your home. De-cluttering can be the biggest money-maker you do in getting ready to sell your home. And don't put it all in the garage! Rent a mini-storage unit if you must. It will be worth it.

4) Clean, clean, clean! This is the 2^nd biggest money maker you'll do. Clean the carpets, the walls, the ceilings, the top of all the light fixtures, behind the fridge and stove, the windows - everything! Hire a professional if you need to. Not only will cleaning make your house look crisper, it will smell better, and feel better. Smells can be one of the biggest turn-off's to potential buyers, and they will touch things you never touch - window frames, door trim, bath-tub caulking. So get it clean so the buyers can focus on your positives and not get distracted.

5) Lastly, after consulting with me and our sales plan, make any repairs or improvements that will add to your bottom line. Some repairs will pay dividends; others will cost more than they bring in, so we must be careful. Full kitchen and bathroom remodels almost never pay for themselves. But fresh paint, in a neutral color, almost always turns a profit. Updating the landscaping can pay big dividends. Even flooring can be done relatively inexpensively. But call or e-mail me first. (707) 499-7111, Jeff@RealtorJeff.net

Getting the house ready to sell can easily make a 10% difference on the purchase price. For more tips, drop by the Sellers page of my website. Then, get started early, be consistent, and follow through. You'll be glad you did.

July 2010 Humboldt County, CA Market Statistics

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:09:08 -0700

The statistics show that July was a good news/bad news month for the Humboldt County, CA real estate market. First the bad news: inventory is up and sales are down.

As with the rest of the country, the expiration of the federal home buyers' tax credits has created a lull in the market, with many people that would have bought in July deciding to buy in April and May to take advantage of the tax credit. A month later, there are fewer buyers, leading to fewer sold homes, and more homes left on the market.

The good news is that it didn't affect prices much at all. The average home sales price actually rebounded from June, up to $287,939, the highest in the last 12 months.

The median sales price also rebounded, but to a more modest $246,000.

What will the future hold? There is still a great selection of homes on the market, and interest rates are at historic lows. One day we will all say, "I wish I would have bought real estate in Humboldt County back in _______!" What will be the date in that blank? It could be today! If you like the idea of buying at low prices with low interest rates, give me a call at (707) 499-7111, or search the available properties on my website.

Should I Use a Broker, a Realtor, or Someone Else?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:52:15 -0700

Who should you use to represent you in a real estate transaction? An agent? A broker? A Realtor? Here's a brief explanation of real estate agency.

An agent is someone who acts on behalf of another person. A real estate agent acts on behalf of his client to buy or sell real estate. In California, the "agent" is the agency for which the individual "agent" works. I am an agent, but I work for the agency, Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate. Ming Tree GMAC is the agent of record.

Per California law, each agency must be run by a Broker of Record. This is a person who has been licensed as a real estate broker by the state, and who takes responsibility for all of the real estate activities that occur under the license of the agency, or brokerage. A Broker of Record might choose to hire no one, and to operate as an independent agency. In that case, he is the broker of record, and the salesperson; he must keep up with the latest court cases and laws about real estate, the latest technology, the latest marketing strategies - he is a one man shop! He does it all.

Other brokers of record might choose to hire other real estate agents to work as sales people within their agency. These sales people can have a brokers' license (often they are called broker associates) or a salesperson's license. In this type of agency, the broker of record concentrates on the legal issues, institutional marketing, and support systems of the agency; the salespeople focus on meeting with clients and selling real estate. While a brokers' license does give a certain amount of additional credibility to a salesperson, it doesn't necessarily make them a better agent. One of the top agents in our office only recently got his brokers license, after he had a successful 15 year career as one of the top agents in the county!

Brokers of record, broker sales people, and licensed sales people are Realtors if they are members of their local Realtor association, like the Humboldt Association of Realtors, their state association (California Association of Realtors) and the National Association of Realtors. These associations are trade associations, and all of their members are designated as Realtors.

I am a real estate sales person licensed to sell real estate throughout the state of California. The agency for whom I work, Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate, has approximately 30 sales agent, an office manager, a transaction coordinator, an agent education coordinator, and a marketing coordinator. All of this help means that I can focus on my clients and meeting their real estate needs. Call me at (707) 499-7111, or drop by my website so I can help you with your real estate needs.

How Much Is My Home Worth?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:25:27 -0700

Clients always ask me, "How much is my home worth?" The first step is remembering that neither you as the seller, nor I as the real estate agent, have the power to make your home sell for a certain price. It is the market that determines the fair market value of your home. What is the market? It is the price at which 2 buyers are willing to argue over your home. How can you ascertain what that price will be?

The most general way is to look at the asking prices of homes that are similar to yours. Go to the search page at www.RealtorJeff.net, type in the general characteristics of your home, including the neighborhood, and discount the prices by 10%. This will give you a pretty good rough estimate of the value of your home.

As you get closer to selling your home, give me a call (707.499.7111) and I will prepare a CMA, or Competitive Market Analysis. In a CMA I gather the most recent sold homes, pending sales, and active homes that compare closely to your home in regard to house specifications and selling features. I make adjustments, and am able to determine a price range where your home is likely to sell. In general, sold homes will tell you what you are likely to sell your home for, while homes actively on the market tell you what your home will not sell for.

I provide CMA's for my clients free of charge, so if you are wondering what your home is worth, give me a call at (707) 499-7111, email me at Jeff@RealtorJeff.com, or drop on by the website!

Opulence in the Redwoods!

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:23:36 -0700

This opulent, Ray Wolfe neo-craftsman home is spectacular! Stretch out in this spacious home perched in your own private redwood forest overlooking Humboldt Bay, California. Custom features and fixtures abound. See more information at our custom website, www.2972OldArcataRoad.com

Hall

From the moment you walk through the front door into the hall you feel you are in an exceptional home. A room unto itself, the gleaming hardwood of the hall provides a welcoming place to greet guests, to shed wet, outer layers from cold rainy days, and to emotionally arrive. The hall opens into the living room, the dining room and the stairs to the upper floor. The sun room to the right invites you to a separate little nook of sunshine and flowers. One gets a hint of the thoughtfulness and craftsmanship throughout the house from the period fixtures in the hall bath and the automatic light switch in the coat closet.

Living Room

The huge living room is great for entertaining or taking in the view of Humboldt Bay, between Eureka and Arcata, CA. Crank up a fire with the built-in fire starter in the large fireplace on cold winter days. Add the ambiance of music through the built in ceiling speakers. Built in bookcases keep books and photos handy, and add to the neo-craftsmen look. Storage under the built-in window seats is a great place for hiding games or afghans. Clean up is easy with the built-in vacuum that extends through the whole house.

Kitchen

The kitchen is more than a place to cook; it's a gathering place in its own right. The large island seats 4 or more while the chef cooks on the range top with a built-in exhaust fan. The walk-in pantry provides tons of storage space for non-perishables, as well as a beverage fridge for the wine collection. The breakfast nook features a great view of Humboldt Bay from the built-in window seats, each with storage underneath. A gas stove close by makes chilly mornings quite cozy! The built-in desk and mail center provide a great place to pay bills or make shopping lists. Two ovens allow the Thanksgiving turkey and the green-bean casserole to cook at the same time, and the warmer drawer keeps it all hot until time to eat. The refrigerator, dishwasher and trash compactor all have custom wood facings to match the custom cabinetry, which provide enough storage to serve the whole extended family.

Dining Room

The dining room can easily seat 12 for dinner. The recessed ceiling, chandelier and wall sconces lend elegance and dignity to the room. Switches for the china cabinet's lights allow family heirlooms to shine. Linen's are stored in the dining room cabinet, and food is served on the built-in, lighted buffet between the kitchen and dining room. For less formal occasions, the back deck is right outside with gas plumbing for the barbeque grill.

Sun Room

The sun room is great for soaking up the sun's heat and circulating it through the house. And it's great for your plants (even tomatoes!). And on those special mornings when you've got your coffee & the paper, and you're still in your robe and slippers, it's great for you, curled up in the sun room basking away in the warmth, no matter if it's December or July.

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is huge, with vaulted ceilings and windows that look over Humboldt Bay. The custom gas stove provides warm ambiance, and the luxurious master bath washes away the day to restful relaxation. The walk-in closet is a room to itself.

Downstairs

The 4^th bedroom, with it's own bath and exterior access, can serve as a mother-in-law unit or apartment for an older child.

See more information at our custom website, www.2972OldArcataRoad.com

June 2010 Humboldt County Real Estate Market Statistics

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:21:40 -0700

The numbers are in, and our real estate market statistics for June 2010 here in Humboldt County, California are hanging in there. Our "Active Homes," while rising, are still staying below the levels of the last couple of years. “Normal” for this time of year is up to around 650; we’re above that at 709.

Our level of "Sold Homes," 89, is as high as it's been in 2 years. The combination of lower inventory of homes on the market, and the higher volume of sales should support prices, keeping them from going lower, and perhaps even encouraging a modest price increase.

But not this month. Our "Average Sales Price" is down, considerably lower than any recent years, but at $261,265 it's still pretty close to the $275,000 to $300,000 range we've seen for the last 18 months. The trend line is erratic, and only time will tell if this is a downward “bounce” or a trend.

The "Median Sales Price" is down as well. I suspect these averages are down because of a higher rate of "starter home" sales caused by the government home buyer credits than any fundamental shift in the market. Only time will tell.

Sparkling Starter over the Bay in Eureka, CA!

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:11:22 -0700

This sparkling starter home in Eureka, CA has views of Humboldt Bay. The 3bed/1bath home includes an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, & wood stove with a large, open yard that overlooks the bay and city lights. The home shows real pride of ownership with upgraded cooktop & oven, & dual-paned windows. Close to everything, and off the beaten path, too. An absolute must see! More info at www.1202Gross.com

As a Buyer, Can’t I Save Money by Approaching the Seller Directly?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:12:31 -0700

Can a home buyer save money by approaching a home seller directly, without a real estate agent? A first time home buyer looking for a starter home in Arcata, CA called the other day, and we had a great discussion about first time home-buying. "Why would I want to use a buyers' agent," he asked, "when I can go to the seller, offer to save him the commission for the buyer's agent, and get a better deal?" I appreciate this client's honesty and directness! Many buyers and sellers of real estate don't really understand how the process works!

Typically, when a home owner wants to sell his home, he calls a real estate agent and signs an exclusive right-to-sell listing contract, in which he agrees to pay the agent a commission, 6%, for example, if he successfully sells his home. That real estate agent then enters the home into the local Realtor multiple listing service, or MLS, with on offer to split that commission.

Typically, in Humboldt County, California, that offer is a 50/50 split; both the seller's and buyer's real estate agents would get 3% each. Additionally, under California law, a real estate agent can't split his commission with someone who is not also a licensed real estate agent. So the listing agent will get a 6% commission, no matter who the home is sold to, and he will either split that commission with another agent, or keep it all to himself; he can't pass it on to a buyer who is not a licensed agent.

So, if the seller is not able to pass any commission "savings" on to the buyer, why would a buyer want to try to represent himself? The seller has agreed to pay a buyer's agent through his listing agreement; why would the buyer want to turn down professional representation by a Realtor that's already paid for?

My first-time home buyer has hired me, and we are looking for their first home as we speak!

Humboldt County Real Estate Market Statistics for May, 2010

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:56:12 -0700

Humboldt County Real Estate Market Statistics for May, 2010

Our Humboldt County, California residential real estate market shows continuing signs of stabilizing and recovery!

Our active homes continued our seasonal rise to 682, above our "normal" market of 650, but well below the 720-740 range of the past 2 years.

The number of sold homes in May of 2010 also increased to 81, well above the figures from the last 2 years, 69 & 65 respectively. 81 is below our "normal" range here in Humboldt County, which is around 100.

This lower number of active homes on the market and higher number of sold homes should encourage stability in the pricing of Humboldt County homes. Sure enough, the average sales price of a home was $279,724, right in the $275K - $300K range we've seen over the last 18 months. Our median home sales price was $255,000, well within the $250K - $275K range we've seen over the same time frame.

The next rock we need to navigate is the ending of the Federal home buyers' tax credit. With these solid numbers heading in the summer selling season, hopefully we'll see a smooth transition back to a stable, independently supported real estate market here in Humboldt County, California!

Good bye lead conversion. Hello engagement conversion?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:55:51 -0700

I like hard numbers and blunt evaluation.

Via Alex Chang (Roost):

I've been invited to speak at the REAL Trends conference this summer. The topic: Measuring the effectiveness of your online efforts.

That got me thinking...if the past five years have been about visitors, leads & conversion %...what will be the success metrics we use to track ROI of online marketing over the next five years and beyond?

And so you ask, why will the next 5 be any different than the last?

Well, if you've read my other recent posts you already know that I believe, given the amazing emergence of the Social Web (specifically Facebook - and Twitter to a lesser extent) online marketing as we know it for real estate is going through a fundamental change. A new platform is emerging, and with it we're going to start thinking about measuring our success on that platform very differently than we did in a world of SEO and SEM driven online marketing.

Here's how it was generally done the old way (replace with your own numbers and levers which I'm sure will be different, but hopefully you get the point):

√ Get 2000 visitors to my website or blog through SEO or SEM

√ Hope 5% of those visitors convert to leads by registering across they myriad lead gen traps on my site (forms, newsletters, email alerts, etc.)

√ Try to engage that 5% hoping three turn into active clients

√ Work with those three clients and get 1 deal

The results: A 0.05% conversion of website visitors to deals and a 1% conversion percentage of leads to deals (and a massive time sink in working 99 leads that didn't close to get to one that did).

Old way, bad. New way, better...

So the question is, what is the new way and how do you proceed as the Social Web becomes dominant?

There’s lots of chatter about how many visitors agents are getting (or not getting) to their website or blog from Social Media. Frankly I think that chatter is misdirected. Sure, traffic’s important and if you're publishing great blog content then the more people reading it the better. But those are not going to be the elements that matter going forward in terms of how effective you are with online marketing in a social world.

Here are a few ideas about what might matter more that and get you ahead of the pack. I'd love your thoughts and feedback because I believe that together we can crack this social web ROI thing wide open!!!

·       Number of new relationships created. How many new people "Like" your business page, "Friended/Followed" you today? Is this not the same as monitoring the growth of your prospect file or rolodex?

·       Your engagement conversion %. What percent of the content you publish in social media (this can be a quick post/tweet, a video you did, a poll you sent out, a teaser for a blog post) gets a reaction (comment, "Like", share, retweet, etc.) as noted in my post on Edgerank, this is the type of thing that matters when it comes to getting seen in the Facebook Top News stream

·       Referral deals generated. - The reason I value Social Media as a marketing vehicle is that it is not a lead generation dynamic. It is a referral sphere builder. So ultimately we'll measure it on how many referrals it generated

How are you thinking about measuring the success of your Social Media efforts?

Please share your thoughts - after all, that’s what this Social thing is all about...

Five Ways to Upgrade and Put the "Bam" In Your Real Estate Facebook Fan Page(Part I)

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:23:00 -0700

Via Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision):

Five Ways to Upgrade and Put the "Bam" in Your Real Estate Facebook Fan Page (Part I)

If you're a fan of Emeril Lagasse then you know that everytime he knocks down a great recipe in front of a live audience he adds a little spice, a little kick, a little something extra at the end of the dish so when everything is mixed together and the cooking is done....BAM.

Emeril puts the bam in every one of those dishes he makes so the results are scintillating. Voila, that extra special something really knocks out your taste buds.

Facebook has a huge audience of willing participants as long as you're serving the right dishes for their hungry palates. How do you make sure those participants visit, become a member of, and refer your Real Estate Facebook Fan Page to their friends and family? Over the next four days I will dish you up five ways to upgrade with ease and put the "Bam" in Your Real Estate Facebook Fan Page.

Download the FBML Static Application

The static fbml application will allow you to use html or fbml (facebook markup language) to create customized tabs for your Facebook Fan Page. Once you download the application (make sure you choose to install it on your Facebook Fan Page as opposed to your Profile page) you will find it under your logo on your Facebook Real Estate Fan Page.

Click "Edit Page" and you will see the static FBML application. Click on the "Edit" hyperlink and you will be able to create a customized tab for your Facebook Fan Page.

You will be brought to a screen that asks you for a box title "title of your tab" and a box for FBML. In the box for FBML insert your FBML or HTML. This is similar to when you create notes on Facebook or when you create a blog post and use HTML instead of the WYSWIG processor

Once you have added your content you will click the blue box titled "Save Changes" and then go back to your Fan Page. Click the "Edit Page" hyperlink under your Fan Page's logo again and then go to your FBML application which will look like this "name of your tab-FBML". Click "Application Settings" and then you will get a pop-up box that says "Edit Static FBML Settings".

Click the "Add" button next to the "Tab" option in the "Edit Static FBML Settings" pop-up box.

Click the >> sign next to your tabs if you don't see your new custom tab on your fan page. Your fan page will allow you to display six tabs- 2 predetermined- wall and info, and 4 custom. If you want to rearrange the order of your tabs, right click your mouse and drag your tab to the position you prefer it to be in on your wall.

If you want to create more than one custom tab, scroll to the bottom of your existing application page and click the hyperlink that says "Add another FBML box". You will do this each time you want to add custom tabs to your Facebook Business Page.

You now know how to create custom tabs and upgrade your Facebook Fan Page. In Part 2, I will discuss which custom tabs will accentuate your Real Estate Fan Page and how to get rid of or mask some of those Facebook tabs that just don't have that "bam".

If you enjoyed this post about Facebook, then check out these social media marketing and blogging how to's:

How to Re-Purpose your Real Estate Blog's Content to Grow Your Email List in 5 Simple Steps

How to Cut Your Real Estate Blogging Time in Half and Re-Purpose your Content Three Ways with the Time Saved

The Top 5 Ways to Prune Your Real Estate Blog

Subscribe to Blogging In The Rain, A Real Estate Marketing Blog

*************************************************************************************

Rebecca D. Levinson of Real Skillz is a real estate marketing consultant with 18 years of experience serving real estate professionals. Real Skillz Real estate marketing services include,

Blogging- See my Blogging Tune-Up Website for Details

Social Networking

Niche Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Branding- See my Branding Sanity Website for Details

Offline Marketing

Online Marketing

Special Events Promotion and Marketing

Holiday Marketing

Marketing Campaigns

Email Marketing (Content and Design)

Reputation Management

If you treat real estate as a business then Real Skillz is a desirable real estate marketing solution. Call #262-745-0715 or email rebecca@realestateskillz.com.

Marijuana Co-ops and Distribution Centers in Eureka, CA?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:08:23 -0700

I'm on the Planning Commission for the city of Eureka, CA, and on Tuesday, June 1 from 2:00 - 4:00 we are looking at a city planning ordinance to deal with medical marijuana. The ordinance has 2 parts. Part 1 is about individuals with a Prop. "215" card growing their own marijuana in their own homes; it's pretty straight forward. State law and subsequent court cases say we have to allow them to grow their own pot, so the ordinance sets up guidelines about how that can be done. I encourage you to read the text of Prop. 215.

The 2nd part of the ordinance, though, is more controversial. There are those 215 permit holders who aren't able to grow their own marijuana (health impediments or lack of permission from landlords, for example) so we are discussing whether the City of Eureka should allow for 215 Cooperatives to grow marijuana on larger scales, and whether they should be allowed to set up distribution centers for their members.

Theoretically, the 215 card holders would set up a cooperative that would grow the marijuana in an industrial building somewhere, for example, and then set up a distribution center in some place like an office complex for their members to pick up their marijuana. The questions are 1) Does the City want marijuana cooperatives and distribution centers at all, 2) Does the City want to allow a limited number of them, or 3) Does the City want to allow an unlimited number of them.

The first time this came before us we had a lot of "unlimited" proponents, folks who have 215 cards, and some health professionals that promote the use of medicinal marijuana. We didn't have any of the following:

1) Health professionals that don't support medical marijuana

2) Community members concerned about the sociological impact of marijuana coops and distribution centers

3) Law enforcement folks concerned about crime associated with marijuana coops and distribution centers

4) Youth/Education folks concerned about access for young people

So if you or someone you know falls into one of these categories, either pass this on to them or give me their name and contact info so I can contact them directly.

Also, if you have strong feelings on this issue, show up at the City Council Chambers in City Hall on Tuesday, June 1 at 2:00 to voice your concerns.

Get ready to care about "EdgeRank" more than SEO

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:12:43 -0700

One thing is always true: the internet rules are always changing!

Via Alex Chang (Roost):

You've probably never hear of "EdgeRank." But if you're serious about online marketing, you need to get your mind around it quickly. It's more important than SEO and will make or break you on the most important place on the web: Facebook

SEO as a marketing strategy for Real Estate is dying. Here's why:

#1) For the the vast majority of Real Estate agents and brokers it is already dead on arrival, and has been for several years.

Let's face it, only 5-7 players consistently win on any local keyword string. Are you one of those? Long tail you tell me? How much traffic is that really sending you? And how much business is that traffic really turning into? For the vast majority of agents, business is done the old fashioned way through networking. Not through SEO optimization and lead generation. How much mindshare have you put into SEO? And what has your return really been?

#2) Google's only making it tougher.

Have you done a search for CITY, Plumbers on Google lately? Look at the results that get returned. Google Local is taking over (those are the small results with phone numbers). Can you get in Google local? Sure. How? Who knows. Checked out Google Maps lately? It is already a robust place for consumers to search for listings. Why do they need to go to your site?

#3) Google's losing its position as the gateway to the Internet...to Facebook.

Facebook has surpassed Google in traffic and crushes them in engagement and customer relationship. Yes there is a lot of hooplah around privacy, etc. But if you think Facebook's momentum is going anywhere but up...you're in for a surprise.

What is EdgeRank & why should I care? (skip this section if you don't care & just want a tip on how to optimize...)

EdgeRank is the algorithm that Facebook uses to decide what goes in the "Top News" feed. You can learn more in this great write up by TechCrunch, but at a high level, Facebook provides its users two "streams" of information. The default Top News Feed, and the Most Recent feed.

It's easy to understand the Most Recent feed. That's where all posts from your network go (friends' status updates, posts from pages you "like", etc). Here's the problem with that feed - it's overwhelming (kind of like the Twitter feed IMO). So Facebook created the Top News feed to attempt to filter content/posts in a way that they think will make them more meaningful to you.

The Top News feed is the default feed everyone sees and that's where you want your content posts to end up. As an end user it's a subset of posts from your network - essentially it's what Facebook feels is going to be most interesting to you. And so to determine what goes in that feed they created an algorithm called Edgerank.

Before we get to the algorithm - what you need to understand is what an "Edge" is in Facebook parlance. An Edge is what's created when anyone interacts with a piece of content ("Likes", Shares, Comments, etc). Creating a content post itself the first time also creates an Edge.

Let's pause there...

The fact that the algorithm is called EdgeRank, and that an Edge is all about interaction - tells you something very insightful about what Facebook thinks matters to users. While Google cares about relevance of content and external popularity via links...Facebook cares about interaction and engagement. This tells you a lot about how to leverage Facebook - create engagement and interaction.

Back to EdgeRank...

Now, remember that creating a piece of content in and of itself creates an Edge. But how much more EdgeRank that content gets (and therefore how likely to make it into the Top News feed) depends on three things according to what Facebook shared at f8 - a) affinity between creator of the Edge and viewer b) some weighting by the type of Edge (like, share, comment) c) How long ago the Edge was created.

Any math guys out there? Don't worry if not - you don't need to understand the equation below. You just need to read the last part of this post)..

If you're confused, TechCrunch did a great job of summing this up.."In other, hopefully less confusing words, an Object is more likely to show up in your News Feed if people you know have been interacting with it recently."

The good news - EdgeRank optimization appears to be an order of magnitude than search engine optimization...

Does this sound familiar? To be good at SEO you need to do effective keyword research, optimize unique content for the keywords you're attacking, structure your pages and optimize them for google crawlers, avoid duplicate content, drive one way anchor text links, avoid obvious linkbait, and so on, and so on.

Meanwhile, it appears that to be good at EdgeRank you need to create content that people want to engage with (by sharing, liking or commenting) and do it with some frequency.

Let's compare the pay off of SEO (assuming you're one of the few who actually get to the payoff) to that of Facebook EdgeRank optimization. SEO is going to drive random eyeballs to your website/blog which you'll hope to create to a lead someday and eventually turn into a deal. Facebook is going to create relationships with friends of friends, partners, previous clients, and so on.

Which would you prefer to spend your time on?

Long Tail Keywords Power Hyper Local Content

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:57:46 -0700

Great thoughts for us Realtors.

Via Mark Menzella -We build websites for Realtors (RE/Advantage):

Long tail keywords are the fuel that powers hyper local content for your real estate website—so why aren’t you taking advantage of it to its fullest? Long tail keywords mean hyper relevant content, which can get you more buyers/sellers and more income, read on to learn more.

So what are long tail keywords?

Long tail keywords are very specific variations of root keywords that have lower competition, are more relevant to what the user is searching for and can mean great passive traffic to your website.

What is hyper local content?

It’s content that is, just like long tail keywords, extremely targeted and extremely specific to what the visitor is looking for. Hyper local content is relevant to the visitor’s immediate area in most cases, making the content extremely relevant and valuable. That’s all well and good, but how can you use it to your advantage on your real estate website?

Putting it together...

If you run a blog or a website you should be using long tail keywords to pull in visitors and traffic from people who want hyper local content or any content that is specific to their interests and area. No matter the niche you’re in, especially if you’re in real estate where competition online is fierce, you want to use long tail keywords so you can fight in lower competition search results, get more targeted traffic and get better results—it’s just that simple.

Long tail keywords get more traffic in the long run since you can rank more readily for them. What’s a good example of a long tail word that could draw in traffic? Let’s say you’re in real estate and you want to attract more visitors to your blog or website, instead of trying to attack a high volume, high competition keyword like “real estate florida” you might want to go after a keyword like “real estate in florida keywest homes.” A keyword like this is going to have significantly lower search volume but it will be much easier to rank for and it’s also extremely targeted. You can choose to either optimize your blog posts for the long tail keywords or simply article market with those keywords to drive traffic. Another good idea is to purchase the domain name as a long tail keyword and build the entire website around the long tail keyword. Your website can then become an authority in the niche or keyword its based around which means better traffic, ranking and it might even become the “go-to” website for your niche (if applicable). One thing is for certain: if you use hyper local content you will have better success generating traffic and beating your competition. The more saturated the niche you’re in the more valuable using a tactic like long tail words are.

RE/Advantage builds and maintains Internet solutions for the Real Estate Industry. Our flagship products; Agent Central Max, Board Central, and IDX 3.0 all deliver powerful tools to the Real Estate Professional.

Is Print Advertising Dying?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:26:44 -0700

One of the hot questions in real estate is this: "Is print advertising dying?" While many think so, I don't. What is dying is "traditional" advertising. What's the difference?

Traditional advertising is more of a mindset rather than a medium. Take the standard glossy real estate magazine. It will have 48 pages of ads from different Realtors, each page filled with a small photo of a home and 20 words or so of text. The debate rages about whether addresses should be added or withheld in order to get the buyer prospect to call the Realtor. Can a small photo and 20 words of text, address or not, really help to sell a house?

Similarly, many agents use a local real estate cable channel to advertise their listings. Ours uses 3 photos and a 21 second voiceover. Certainly 3 photos are better than 1, but could you adequately describe your home in those confines?

I practice "Non-Traditional Traditional Marketing," a concept I've developed to use traditional media in a non-traditional way. With the advent of the internet, I can use a traditional newspaper ad, a Home Magazine ad, or a real estate cable ad to direct potential buyers to a custom website of your home, where we have all the time and space and photos and floor plans and virtual tours and voice-overs...anything we want to tell buyers about your home, we can tell them! And all beginning with one photo, a couple of selling features, and a web address in a print or broadcast advertisement. Heck, I can put more information about your home, via a web site address, on the back of a business card than a "traditional" Realtor can put in a full page magazine ad!

So the question is, "What kind of mindset do you have?" Are you happy with "traditional" real estate marketing, or do you and your home deserve cutting edge, "Extreme Marketing?" I'd love to visit with you and share more of the difference.

Do a Floor Plan; Make Your Client Say “Wow”!

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:03:07 -0800

One of the first questions buyers often ask after seeing photos of a house is, "What's the floor plan like?" A custom 3-D Floor Plan answers that question, and makes buyers say "Wow!"

A 3-D Floor Plan enables a buyer to "move into" your home; they can assign rooms, move their furniture in, and envision a lifestyle - family dinners, birthday parties, barbeques with friends, etc. It lets them see how the individual rooms fit together to form an organic "whole." And it provides a great outline on our web sites and our flyers...

Every listing I serve has a flyer box out front filled with dual-sided flyers printed on glossy, extra-heavy paper, and featuring full-color photos, a floor plan of the home on the back, and key selling features. The best part of the flyer, though, is the web address to the property's custom website, where potential buyers can get every last view and detail of your home. Many buyers have started viewing my websites on their internet-connected smart phones from inside their cars in front of the home after getting the website off a flyer from the flyer box.

A 3-D Floor Plan serves as a great tour guide on my custom property websites. When buyers hit the site, they see the layout of your home, and as they click on each room of the floor plan, they are presented with a slide show displaying the room from every angle, and focusing on the special features of the room. At the same time an audio track shares the special features and unique charms of the room. (For an example, go to http://www.2972oldarcataroad.com/)

As buyers view all of the photos, the virtual tours, and the floor plan, and as they hear of the special features of your home on the audio track, their hearts and minds are engaged, and they will begin to see the value in your home that you see. Then they will be more likely to pay the price you want for your home.

Are Humboldt County Home Values Falling off a Cliff?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:26:38 -0800

I just shared statistics for sold residential real estate in Humboldt County, California, and it seems that prices, both average and median, are plummeting. Is this really the case, or are there some anomalies or structural changes affecting purchase price?

A while back I explained the different layers of homes available in the Humboldt County market, and how each is responding to the different economic conditions in the marketplace. (see http://humboldtproperties.blogspot.com/2010/02/starter-homes-fixerswhats-in-name.html) You might recall that I divided the segment into 5 key layers.

2009 Humboldt County Housing Market Segments

Fixers - up to $225,000 24% of the market
Starters - $225,000 - $275,000 31.3% of the market
Mid-range - $275,000 - $400,000 29.7% of the market
Executive - $400,000 - $500,000 8.2% of the market
Luxury - $500,000 and up 6.8 % of the market

As I explored the details of our Humboldt County market for January and February 2010, I discovered the following details:

Jan-Feb, 2010 Humboldt County Housing Market Segments

Fixers - up to $225,000 41% of the market
Starters - $225,000 - $275,000 15.2% of the market
Mid-range - $275,000 - $400,000 32.4% of the market
Executive - $400,000 - $500,000 4.8% of the market
Luxury - $500,000 and up 6.7 % of the market

The huge movement from the "Starter" segment of the market into the "Fixer" segment, as well as the significant drop in "Executive" homes sold, are the best explanations for the significant change in average and median home sale prices in the first 2 months of 2010. So, rather than seeing this new data as the beginnings of a new slide in real estate prices, I'm thinking it's an anomaly in the market, one that will be corrected over the coming months. It sure does emphasize the opportunity for killer deals in the bottom segments of our market, though!

You Trust Your Realtor, but for What?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:52:08 -0800

When I visit with people about selling real estate, they often tell me that the number one factor in working with their Realtor is trust; they've had a relationship with their Realtor for many years, and they trust him. I always want to ask, "What are you trusting him to do?"

Most people mean that they trust their Realtor to deal with them honestly and to look out for their best interests. And I agree! Integrity is the number one criteria I recommend that clients look for as they search for a new agent. Without it there is no basis for any business relationship. Clients must have confidence that their agent is putting their best interest ahead of the agent's own desire for a paycheck.

But, I have never met a Realtor that said up front, "I'm not trustworthy, and I will put my own paycheck ahead of your best interest any day!" Every agent sees themselves as having integrity, or at least wants you to see them that way. You can get a glimpse into the true trustworthiness of an agent by looking at other things they do.

Can you trust your agent to go above and beyond the call of duty in marketing your property? Almost any agent will take a half dozen photos for the MLS and put a sign in the yard. Will he put 30 or 40 photos? From the inside and outside of your home? Will he put a virtual tour together, so buyers can walk through your home at their convenience? Will he put a flyer box on the property, filled with custom flyers to show the selling features of your home? Will he produce a 3-D floor plan for the back of the flyers, so buyers can see the layout of your home? Will he make a custom website for your home? And will he advertise it on the internet, on cable, and in local print publications? Will he hold an open house for your home? Can you trust that your agent is giving your home a competitive advantage next to other homes for sale on the market? If he's willing to work this hard to service your listing, you can probably trust him to look out for your financial best interests, too. (For samples of the above, go to http://www.realtorjeff.net/_files/marketing.html)

Can you trust your agent to give you a weekly update on the sale of your home? One of the most common complaints I hear from clients about Realtors is that they don't ever tell the client what's going on. Can you trust your agent to call with showing feedback? Can you trust him to e-mail you new, competitive listings that come on the market? Can you trust him to update your competitive market analysis with the most recent sold comparables in the MLS? And when an offer comes in, can you trust your agent to tell you how low of a price is too low, rather than trying to sell you an offer just because it's going to close quickly?

Trust in an agent is of supreme importance, but what are you trusting them for? Get a written guarantee for the concrete, specific things he is going to do for you, and trust him for those, as well as his integrity. If you can't trust him to do the concrete, specific things required to sell your home, can you really trust him to look out for your best interests over their own paycheck?

What’s so Great about Property Websites?

Jeff Ragan, Northern California Luxury Agent (Ming Tree, Realtors Real Living) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:35:48 -0800

With upwards of 90% of homebuyers using the internet to search for homes, marketing your home on a property specific website is a great way to gain a competitive advantage over other listings. http://www.2972OldArcataRoad.com/ While property search sites and MLS services must put limits on the data about specific features, a website dedicated to your home provides unlimited – and I mean unlimited – space to display as many of the selling features of your home as you desire. With a website, I can show people your home through photographs, interactive virtual tours, 3-D floor plans, diagrams, maps, aerial photos, text, video...our creativity is the only limit to the features we can show! Virtually no selling feature of your home needs to be sacrificed because of other people’s space limitations. With a website, I can show a potential buyer the selling features that other homes just can’t show. For example, I had a client with an elderly mom, and when they remodeled her bathroom, they made the towel racks into stud-mounted grab rails. You can’t take a photo to show a stud-mounted grab rail. If your space is limited, you won’t waste it to tell a buyer about a stud-mounted grab rail. If you tour the home you can’t see that it’s a stud mounted grab rail. But on a website, we can tell about the stud-mounted grab rail, and the multitude of other similar features that just can’t be explained or shown in the limitations of traditional marketing media. We can tell about the brilliant color of the tree out front that will bloom 5 months from now. We can tell about the way the sun comes through a certain window in the evening. We can tell about the custom, hidden features that a proud owner builds into his home. We can show the perfect spot for the Christmas tree. The list is, literally, limitless.

http://www.420Mckinley.com/

Additionally, a website with such rich content invites potential buyers to spend hours searching through your home, while they are spending only minutes looking through our competitors! All the while our selling features are becoming implanted into their hearts and minds. When they finally tour our home, they feel like they’ve already been there, and they recognize the features we’ve already told them about. When they tour our competitors’ homes, they don’t even notice many of the features of that home. The end result is a home sold more quickly, and for a higher price than similar homes marketed in the traditional way.