Ar_home_b_search
 



marketing: I Took The Plunge - Unflattering Photos - 02/15/10 09:22 AM
A couple of Blog posts ago I put the question out there:Since home buyers love to look at photos on the Internet and many buyers eliminate homes without photos is it appropriate to put photos of homes that need lots and lots of TLC?
The trend of the comments was:  Yes, it was a good idea to put photos of the house as it exists in the marketing materials.  The concept is to keep from wasting the time of both the potential buyer and the Realtor.  Who wants to go to a house that needs a lot of work when the … (11 comments)

marketing: Yard Sign Marketing - 06/14/09 06:36 AM
Every now and then I get a client who tells me they don't want a yard sign.  It seems they don't want the neighbors to know they are selling their home.  Maybe breaking up with the neighbors is too hard.  Maybe they just don't want to answer a lot of questions about why they're moving or where they're going and, oh by the way, how much are you asking? 
Who knows?  I've never really figured it out. 
What I do know is that homes without yard signs seem to sell equally as fast as home with yard signs, all else being … (13 comments)

marketing: Come on, 2009! - 12/31/08 02:01 PM
I know this is the day I'm supposed to sit down and write out all my resolutions and turn the page on the old year (2008) and look anew at 2009.  I only wish I were resolute enough to make resolutions I can complete.
Yeah.  I need to lose weight.  I need to focus more on my business and attract more clients (of the 5 star variety).  I need to clean up my office and organize my garage.  There's a lot of stuff if I sit down and think about it.
This year I have one overriding resolution:
I resolve to … (8 comments)

marketing: Buying a New 'Pooter - Step 2 - 07/28/08 09:08 PM
Well I got the new laptop this morning and I played around with it this afternoon -- 
getting it connected to my wireless network at home, downloading Outlook from my Microsoft Exchange Server service provider, configuring Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server so my laptop, my desktop, my phone (a Motorola Q with Windows Mobile) and the Internet base Outlook will all synch together when I add a contact or appointment or whatever,  downloading Firefox (which is way better than IE) downloading Sun Microsystems' Open Office (which is supposed to be like Microsoft Office but FREE) downloading all the Windows updates that … (9 comments)

marketing: A Real Experience With RealBird - 07/28/08 08:13 AM
As many of my readers know, I'm not shy about posting my experiences with vendors (see my series of posts on an experience with a service provider that was less than optimal).
So I'm very pleased to write about an experience that was, in my view, superlative.  In this case it's about RealBird.
I was first introduced to RealBrid by my VA, Virtual Business Solutions, as a way to get my listings out into the public eye complete with great mapping.  It was FREE!  So, since the price was right I told her to go ahead and post my listings.
It … (9 comments)

marketing: Open House Theft - 04/09/08 07:10 AM
I'm not a real big fan of Open Houses.  One of two things usually occur:
Nobody shows up regardless of the advertising or,The neighbors show up to see how your house compares to their home and to get decorating tips.There are other things as well:
Monitoring an Open House alone can be dangerous for the Realtor, especially if they're aloneYour things can get STOLEN! Here is an article in today's Washington Post about a woman in Loudoun County, VA who went around to Open Houses and took prescription drugs, credit cards, electronics and anything else she could get her hands on.  She also … (13 comments)

marketing: Death Knell for Marketing Bling Providers? - 02/21/08 06:58 AM
I've always gotten calls from people in the marketing biz that promise me that, if I only use their system or product, I will be a millionaire by this time next year.  Some are pretty reputable (but still won't really make me a millionaire by next year) and some are down right shams.
Lately, I've been getting the phone calls from the old standbys like print home buyer magazines, magnet and other promotional material providers.  I even got a call from one of my favorite people - BizBox - who provide moving boxes to my clients with my contact info and logo, … (5 comments)

marketing: Realtors and their Photos - 10/20/07 10:30 AM
Below is a question posted on the Blog for the tech support guy over at AdaptiveBlue  He was kind enough to feature me on the BlueBlog and it was there that he asked this question by providing a link to here.
AdaptiveBlue has great widgets and an interesting service.  You should check it out. 
It's a question I've always been curious about myself. Below is his question.  You can check out all the responses/comments on his Blog by clicking this link.
"I'm a curious guy. I often try to figure out why some random thing is the way it is.
Lately (and I'm not kidding here) … (7 comments)