Mandee's Blog

Client Contact Programs

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:33:13 -0500

5 more days till my due date!! (In other words, any day now!!!!!)

Okay i need some help. I am currently a Top Producer user. I don't feel that i am getting my money's worth from the program. I am looking for other Client Database/Contact managers. The only other one that i have looked really in depth at Xsellerate with A la Mode. Does anyone have any input to price vs. value of other programs that are out there. I am currently paying $50/month for Top Producer. $600/year seems a bit pricey to me for a program that i don't feel is giving me much value.

Thanks for the input. It is greatly appreciated!

Market is picking up!

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:18:07 -0500

26 more days till the wee one!!

Well, i know that it has been a while since i am so darn close to this baby popping out! I really don't think it can grow any more in the next few weeks. There is no more space in there!!! Business has really picked up here in the State College Area. We have buyers coming in from every where and sellers chomping at the bit to get their properties sold. It is all very exciting. This is my first "busy season" in Real Estate. I also have my first closing the end of this month and my second closing the first week of May! I have been to closings before for our team but never for one of my very own clients, and now i have two in one week. I am moving up in the world. :)

I have also recently done something that i have wanted to do for a while. I have been growing my hair for several, several years and had it down nearly to my butt by my wedding last July. With the baby coming and new beginnings, i decided to CUT IT ALL OFF and donate it to "Locks for Life". My Aunt is a surviving breast cancer patient, my Nan is a surviving lymphoma patient, my husbands grandmother passed away a couple months before our wedding with ovarian cancer, and i have had several friends pass away from leukemia throughout the course of my life. It was a very liberating thing to do. I don't know if i picked the best time frame since i am so hormonal right now, but it is nice to have all the weight off my shoulders, literally. My hair is now shoulder length. This is the shortest i have had it since my sophomore year in high school. I feel great and i can't wait for some lucky child to be wearing my several inches of hair!

I would love to hear stories from new mom's, or advice from seasoned ones! Also, if anyone has donated their hair, i would love to hear your story as well. It is a wonderful thing to do and i definitely recommend doing it to anyone who has been teetering back and forth!!

Take care and next time i write, i will hopefully have my bundle of joy out of my womb and into my life!

Posting Frustrations

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:42:36 -0600

3 Months and 12 Days till the wee one!

How many people here post a blog when they really have a question that they need answered, OR when you are really trying to find out other people's opinions on certain topics? I know that I do!

I find it really frustrating when people post blogs on AR that are absolutely pointless. They find information that they rip off of the internet and copy and paste it into a blog, JUST TO GET THE POINTS FOR A POST! Please stop wasting the time of all the individuals who are on here trying to network and improve our business by getting opinions and real life situations from people who have lived it! Go create your own webpage where you can send you own clients to read your "facts" about nothing relevant and stop wasting our time just so you can show up in the top five REALTORS® in your area under points! Real people, with Real issues and Real questions about Real Estate belong here. No one cares if you are number one in your area as far as blogging points. We want Real blogs that we can respond to and create discussions about.

I am sorry about my rant. I just get to sick of reading "facts" from other REALTORS® that aren't relevant or true in our area. Or about blogs that have nothing to do with Real Estate!!! I will open this blog to all rants and raves about this or similar topics. If no comments are necessary, thank you for listening.

Real Time Leads via Text Messaging

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:47:47 -0600

January is almost over already! 3 months and 3 more weeks till the little one! (They think it's a boy!!)

Now down to business!

I received some information about real time leads via text messaging. With over 1.4 BILLION mobile phone subscribers world-wide, i was wondering if anyone has tried this and if they have found it successful or not?

The way that it works: A buyer drives by a house that catches their eye and notices a hanging sign saying "Text 'Info' to 'Realty Co.'" The purchaser sends the text message and within seconds they have received a text message with all the essential property information for that home. At the same time, the Realtor receives the phone number of the cell phone from which the text message was sent and an indication of which property the potential purchaser was interested in. The Realtor can then initiate contact immediately, even while the individual is sitting outside the home! (Can you say, potential showing??)

This program keeps a record of all of the numbers that have sent a text to you about a certain property and creates a data base. At a later date you can send out a text alert announcing an open house at 2:00pm to multiple people, a price change, or status change.

They claim no set-up fees or no monthly maintenance fees. The only charge is the traffic generated by their hanging signs. 10cents per text. $.10 them to you, $.10 you to them, etc.

Has anyone ever done a program like this or even this one? Let me know what you think. I am very into the latest things and want to know if it is worth any of our time. I would appreciate any feedback!

Internet Advertising

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:18:06 -0600

Being so new to the business i was trying to find websites on-line to post listings to. Our company is looking at paper advertising v. Internet advertising and the pros and cons of both. We currently advertise on several websites through our Team Webpage: Oodle.com, House.com, YahooClassifieds, Trulia.com, Vast.com as well as local websites such as StateCollege.com and CentreDaily.com. I am also aware of websites like Craigslist.com but haven't heard much of the hype about it for Real Estate purposes in the State College Area. And of course I can post listings to ACTIVERAIN.com, but am unaware of how to do so. Help?

But being new to the blogging and Internet advertising, outside of our company's websites and Our Team Webpage, I have no clue where to look and what websites to post listings to. I have checked out Zillow.com and am absolutely appalled at the responses to posts i have seen on there. Check out what Melissa Sieg had to say about Zillow. http://activerain.com/blogs/melissasieg

But anyway, i am not here to trash other websites, simply looking for help. Can someone help me figure out how to advertiselistings on AR and if you have any ideas of where to advertise on the World Wide Web please share your ideas. I would love to hear them. Being in a college town (Penn State University), i know that people are all over the Internet and i am just looking to reach the most amount of people in an effective way. State College is also becoming a destination point for Alumni. The wonderful "baby boomer" generation that graduated from PSU is looking for second homes.

I would appreciate any help i could get. Especially those from College Towns.

I am excited to join the community!!

Mandee Davis (Prudential First Choice Realty) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:52:04 -0600

I have heard so much about Active Rain and am excited to become part of the community. I have never blogged before and thought it would be a good way to get out there and expand my client base. I am rather young still and understand the power of the internet and all the different websites.

In July of 2007 I married my husband. I am in Real Estate and he is studying to become a personal trainer. In September we bought our kitten, Leela and a week later we found out we were expecting a child. Our child is to be born in May of 2008. We are both VERY excited and so are the grandparents. This will be their first grandchild for all of them. Baby will be very loved and very spoiled I'm sure. :)

Down to Business: I am a fourth generation REALTOR working for my mentor, my mother, Melissa Sieg. We specialize our business in the Centre County Area. I work as her Client Coordinator/Buyer's Agent/Marketing & Technical guru. My father owns our company, Prudential First Choice Realty and works as our broker. I get to work hand in hand with two of the people I respect the most. I am currently working on my Accredited Buyer Representation (ABR) designation to better serve our clients. I am always looking to expand my education and keep up with the changing market.

Please feel free to contact me or visit our website for our featured listings!

mdavis@prudentialfirstchoice.com