You might say I am jumping the gun a little early, but you can never begin to prepare to early. This last week, I have been working on my business plan for 2010. Even in these tough times, most of us are still closing deals. Are you tracking where that business comes from? Why wouldn't you spend the time to figure out how you got each and every client that ended in a successful closing.
Valerie Spaulding presented me with a few sheets last week, kinda like a questionnaire. It allows you to see where you business really came from for the previous year. Wouldn't you like to know that all of your blogging on ActiveRain accounted for 55% of your business? Information like that website that you pay hundreds of dollars a month for has not brought you a single client can be super important.
$pend the time to figure out what has been a good investment. If your spending money on something that is giving you no return, why wouldn't you cut that expense? Or maybe that is something that your okay with because that expense is one of many tools that work together to bring you business.
Even in these tough economic times, it should be a top priority to know where your business comes from, and where your money is going. I have never seen a dollar or a coin with legs. Money doesn't walk away. Set your budgets and stick to them. If you just wing it, you might be surprised when you do your books and find out that you have spend way more than you ever thought.
Start planning, and hopefully 2010 is a good year for us all, We have made it this far, so hopefully by now you have figured out how to find business.
Picture this, Real Estate is SLOWWW. Where do we start?
With the first time buyers of course, we give them the confidence and incentives to buy. This stabilizes the bottom, and even encourages a little growth in the lower end of the market. I know in the Belfair Washington Real Estate Market, if you have a newer home under $200,000 3 beds, 2 bath with a decent lot, your home is gold.
If you as a seller, know that there is support for the buyers of your home, you are going to price it with a little slack. You know that all buyers have seen everything that is out there, and when your home hits, it will attract a lot of attention.
Would you tell a buyer to wait until after the credit expires? Could they save more than this $8,000 that they would be getting in the form of a credit.
All of the first time buyers are very motivated right now to find "something" so that they can get their 8grand. Will houses be priced more than 8k less after this credit expires?
Will house prices drop more than 8k once this credit expires?
I am not trying to be negative, but thinking as a buyer, would you be better of waiting?
I may be over thinking this, but what do you think about it?
The way that this whole thing works can be super confusing. Do the key words in your WEBSITE name have anything to do with how Google ranks you?
My market is Mason County Real Estate. Specifically Belfair Washington Real Estate. I want people interested in this to find me. I am getting ready to get my outside blog and I want to select an appropriate name for my website. However, my competition over the search engines, have names that have NOTHING to do with Belfair Washington Real Estate.
I have always understood Geographical locations are super important in your name. Then why are these other folks kicking my butt on page rankings?
Websites is something that a some of you guys know about. There are even more of us that are clueless and would love some help.
I am assuming that the content on your site is what gets you these rankings. So I am just wondering what is the importance of having a solid name for your website.
Give some insight on the strategy to selecting a name to your website.
Often when I start working with new clients, I google them. Call me weird, but it allows me to learn a little bit about the client, maybe I can find some things we share in common.
I have come across several clients that are on Facebook, during my google search. Should I add them? Is that a little crazy stalker like?
I am worried that this may make the clients nervous or give them the wrong idea about me. However it is also a great way for them to see my online presence after browsing about my Facebook profile.
Activerainers...here's the scenario. You meet a client on floor. You get their name and where they are from, you google them and find them on Facebook. Would you add them? Have you already added them?
Pros.
1. They get to see the Tech Savy Me.
2. They will be steered towards blogs and my online presense.
Cons.
1. They may think, this kid is super weird/ desperate. (definately not the case)
2. Maybe he has nothing better to do than be online.
Not everyone is a writer. Not everyone blogs for the right reasons. If you blog, SIMPLY to use key words, it shows. Big time. The writers on ActiveRain that are found by business, have earned it. A blog needs to flow, and be enjoyable to read.
There is a major difference between "Belfair has a good Real Estate Market and when you buy your home contact Josh Murphy."
and
"The market in Belfair seems to be picking up. With X homes for sale, X pending, and X under contract, this month looks promising. Homes on the higher end seem to be picking up. Waterfront has seen some large number homes go under contract this month as well, things are looking a little better."
Ten tips to attract readers to your blog.
1. Add content, useful, enjoyable information to read.
2. Be the source. Publish the stuff your clients want to know.
3. Be respectful when writing, it is the internet for goodness sake!
4. Your writing a blog, not a book, be precise and to the point.
5. Make your blog sexy. Give spaces between your paragraphs, and pictures when you can.
6. Allow your reader to catch their breath during your over rambled sentance that just keeps going and going and never really talks about anything. Break, it, up, a, little.
7. Build a following, be active on other peoples content, they will be curious as to who you are and what you are publishing.
8. Post your new blog links to your networking sites.
9. Blog actively, you will get better, and so will your ideas and content.
10. Provide fresh, interesting content and the readers will come.
With real estate ever changing, the need for an office will always be a hot topic to dispute. Will there always be a need for a physical location of an office? I think so, but not everyone does.
With clients doing the majority of their homework online regarding their real estate needs, where does that leave your office? Do you get many walk ins? What is the demand for a physical office?
Some of us have already started working from home, and some beleive that is the way of the future. I do not like this idea, but who knows, with real estate offices going virtual it is becoming more common.
Where do you stand with this topic? Are you going to snag up your brokers license and operate "joe schmo realty" out of the comfort of your own home? Some of you probably have a client list big enough to do so, or already doing so. That's awesome.
I live in a very rural area. Belfair Washington has TONS of homes for sale, a lot of the cleints in our area have homes in mind when they call, because they have been looking, most of them for a while. At my office, Windermere Peninsula Properties, we have a huge diversity in our office agents, and that allows us to be most accommodating. We have agents who love their office time, and others who we never see because they are working from home.
Google Analytics is a free tool, that requires a very simple registration. This tracking system allows you to see where your website hits are coming from, and what people are looking at on your site.
This allows you to be more constructive and see what the visitors are liking. There might be a specific listing or content that is getting tons of hits.
Start by going to the Google analytics site. Register your email and the website you want to track. Google will provide you with tons of information, where the visitors are coming from, how long they are staying. This key information eliminates the wonder.
I am sorry Windermere, but your basic, typical website just is not going to cut it.
Lately I have the desire to kick it up a notch and create a fully custom interactive site as we progress towards virtual real estate. I would like to launch it for 2010. Much like agents to real estate, there are SO many people/ companies that build websites.
So ActiveRain, this is where I need your help.
1. Is it difficult to explain over the phone what you are looking for with a designer? (For some reason I have this desire to actually sit down with them, but is that necessary?)
2. Price, my goodness price is all over the board, I understand you get what you pay for, but I know I need to set a budget.
3. What advice do you have for someone starting fresh on a custom website?
4. What are some solid do's and don'ts?
What I am looking for- A website that I can fully tune and update often. I want to be able to en bed video and display pictures and links, that I can change as often as I want.
Any advice you have would be great before spending some bucks on a site. I appreciate your input.
Today I attended RE Bar in Seattle Washington. One o the guest speakers was video expert Ian Watt of Vancouver B.C. Such a nice guy. He has very strong opinions on the lock box and I wanted to know what you thought about it.
My opinion, lockbox's help a ton. They do two things.
1. I feel they give me the opportunity to be out working with buyers and not setting up appointments to be at 20 listings of my own.
2. It gives the buyers the opportunity to view the home in their privacy at their discretion with their selected buyers agent.
On Tuesday September 8th of 2009, myself as well as a few other select agents from will hop the Bremerton Seattle Ferry, bright and early, to attend the Seattle RE Bar Camp at the Lake Union Armory Building in Seattle Washington.
If you are local, or willing to travel, Seattle will be hosting a second RE Bar camp, scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th of 2009. I will be traveling about an hour and a half to attend, which will include a beautiful ferry ride across the Puget Sound.
RE Bar Seattle will be a great opportunity for you to learn and grow with your online capabilities. This is an opportunity for you to get some true insight from some of the top agents and web masters.
"Real Estate Camp is a casual, open, and fun way to learn about cutting edge real estate marketing ideas.
These events are loosely based on BarCamp.org principals.
BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants.
What that means, is lots of great people sharing their ideas. You can come just to listen, or interact, or lead your own discussion.
What kind of topics are covered at RE BarCamp?
Past events have covered everything from building blogs, to real estate digital photography tips, to using social networks like Twitter. For most of the day, you'll have multiple sessions to choose from. Sessions may include dozens of people, or even just a few. If you have an idea for a session, just bring it up in your RSVP.
RE Camps are all about the open exchange of ideas. Everyone is welcome to contribute."
The Details
What: A gathering of passionate real estate professionals. A casual, open, and fun way to learn about cutting edge real estate marketing ideas.
Why:Become a better marketer. Understand brand new technology. Develop a unique message. Learn from the professional community at large.
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.
Valerie Spaulding
Would you tell a buyer to wait until after the credit expires? Could they save more than this $8,000 that they would be getting in the form of a credit.
My market is Mason County Real Estate. Specifically Belfair Washington Real Estate. I want people interested in this to find me. I am getting ready to get my outside blog and I want to select an appropriate name for my website. However, my competition over the search engines, have names that have NOTHING to do with Belfair Washington Real Estate.
I have come across several clients that are on Facebook, during my google search. Should I add them? Is that a little crazy stalker like?
1. Is it difficult to explain over the phone what you are looking for with a designer? (For some reason I have this desire to actually sit down with them, but is that necessary?)
;)
;)
