I had a quick interview today with Matt Rains about the upcoming REtechSouth event in Atlanta.

Here's a bit of that conversation...

It's the day after Christmas and I'm trying to finish up my business plan for 2009.  In fact, I bet a lot of other real estate folks are doing something similar.  Some of us have very detailed plans.  Others, no so much!  But, that 's another post all-together.

One of the "big rocks" in my business plan is to decide which industry events to attend.  I go to a lot of events because I want to stay ahead of the information curve AND I want to get connected to lots of other real estate peeps from all around the US and beyond.  I think Diamond Dwellings is doing a lot of things right, but oh man do we still have a lot to learn/implement/improve!  I may not attend quite so many in 2009, but not to save money or anything like that (although that's a nice bonus).  I'd go to everything I could possibly attend in 2009 BUT for the fact that I attended everything I could possibly go to in 2008.  If you didn't make it to at least a couple events last year, you owe it to yourself and your business to show up in 2009 and find out a bit more about what's new.

Today, I ended up posting several comments on Bloodhoundblog behind a post that Brian Brady wrote.  He was talking about their upcoming Unchained event set for April '09.   He also commented about an event that I host in Atlanta (along with Brad Nix) called REtechSouth.  Brad Coy and others were also involved talking about REbarCamp, which is a series of really cool events around the country.  The next REbarCamp is happening in NYC the day before Inman Connect.

All that dialog over there made me think even more about the subject of industry training & conferences.  So, I thought I'd write some more about it here.  Then, I discovered that AR now has a channel specifically about conferences - but very little has been posted there so far. (now that I'm trying to actually post I don't see that catagory?)

Well, anyway, here you go...

This is a brief list of upcoming events that might be of interest.  Not the whole year - and NOT a complete list either...

REbarCamp NYC | Jan 6th | New York

My 2 cents:  Very casual format | fun & relaxed | FREE

NOTE: They do want you to RSVP if possible.  So, here's that link.

Inman NYC | Jan 7,8,9 | New York

My 2 cents:  Really great way to kick off your year | Global dialog | not cheap to attend at all.

NOTE: If you don't go to NYC then you HAVE to go to Inman Connect SF.

REtechSouth | March 20 | Atlanta

My 2 cents:  Really great networking | Very low cost | Tons of information

NOTE: OK, i'm very biased about this one.  I'm one of the organizers of this event

(hummm, where did that arrow come from?)

Bloodhound Unchained | April 28 - May 1 | Phoenix

My 2 cents:  Intense, structured format | "Get it done" style | Quite Expensive

NOTE: I was at the Orlando event in Nov 2008 which was a totally different format.

Inman SF | July '09 | San Francisco

My 2 cents:  I think this is the #1 event of the year | "everyone's there" | Cost is OK if you buy early

NOTE (same as NY): If you don't go to NYC then you HAVE to go to Inman Connect SF.  Don't miss both.

REblogWorld | October 15 | Las Vegas

My 2 cents:  Very different from all the other events | Totally different perspective | Cost is higher but includes BlogWorld

NOTE: This is the broad view of the entire online / social media marketing world - not just RE

NAR convention & Expo | Nov 2009 | San Diego

My 2 cents:  Lots of stuff for sale | Many classes are "so 1995" | Good networking - huge crowd

NOTE: CRT and other factors are making this conference better & better for technology.

There's another REbarCamp coming up in Los Angeles.  I think the date is in February? and, I imagine there will be several more barcamp locations throughout 2009.  If you know any details about that, please post in the comments here.

In fact, if you know about any other conferences of interest, please post a link in the comments here.

Thank,

Matt

fyi, here's my comments from BHB today...

Today was just another example of how I can get way off track playing around with a new tool or a new idea on the web.  I just love to find a great gadget and test it out.  Maybe I can use this one to map out all my other tools and gadgets!

Yesterday, Rick Frissell was on twitter and he tweeted something like "playing with some mind mapping tool" or something like that.  Well that was all it took!  I've heard people talk about mind mapping, but I had not done it myself.  I always thought it was a great way to get ideas and concepts on "paper", so today I jumped in.

I can't actually remember the name/site that Rick was testing.  I did some searches for mind mapping tools.  I briefly reviewed 3 or 4 before deciding that iMindMap looked the coolest.  Since that's the way I like to pick things, I downloaded their free trial and started goofing around with it.  I quickly deturmined that while it was cool, it was probably too expensive for me at $100 (since this is just a toy at this point).  Another friend on facebook also recommended MindJet so I took a look at that also.

The thing I was looking for was the most visually pleasing maps.  After all, Mind mapping is "all about" visual learning!  I wanted to be able to work quickly, develop complex ideas and add images & links.

So, i did a little more searching and found this awesome FREE & web-based tool (no app to download).  It's called Mind42

Here's the mind map that I was able to create in about 30 minutes (never used this thing before).  The green & orange text and arrows was added later using Skitch (my favorite mac app).  If you click on the map image below, it will take you to the actual hosted mind map on Mind42.com

I'm starting a long term project.  Hey, that is a really big deal for me because I'm usually working on stuff that's due 5 minutes from now.  I think this has something to do with my extremely short attention span?  To plan six months in advance is just NUTS for me.  (wow, maybe i'm growing! :).

Anyway, Brad Nix and I are starting to work pretty hard on the Atlanta Real Estate Conference we call REtechSouth.  Brad & I co-host the event.  Our first event last spring was a huge success and we can't wait to do it again even bigger!  It's gonna happen on March 20, 2009.  Here's a link to sign up if you plan to attend.

(note: there is a vicious rumor - that I'm spreading - that the greatest AR party ever will happen that weekend in the ATL)  (Just sayin').

So, my point...

I think the #1 thing that all of us RE.net agents get excited about is "the tools".  We're all pretty much total geeks!  Give us some new web-based tool and we get distracted for 30 to 60 minutes playing around with it to evaluate it's level of coolness.  

Oh wait, is that just me?  Am I the only one who will halt the most important project of my life for up to one hour to play with some new tool that I randomly find? OK, fine.  If you are not really like that (denial?) then you may not want to help me with my project.  If you're a geek-like-me, then please help me out.

So, here's the project...  

"To develop a list of the top 100 web-based tools that can be used in real estate to improve your business"

This list of tools will be presented at REtechSouth 2009 and I just bet that will be the most attended session of the day!  Of course, I also want to post the list here, there and everywhere.

But, I need your help.  What's your #1 favorite tool?  What other blog posts have you read about Great Online Tools?  Could be an AR post or it might be from somewhere else entirely.  Anyway, PLEASE COMMENT HERE and give me the goods.  If I add the tool that you suggested to the presentation, I'll also give you attribution for it as well (free link love!).

So, here's a couple of my current favorites to whet your appetite...

Skitch.com - perhaps the absolute coolest tool for marking up still images and screenshots EVER.  

Totally idiot-proof (an important feature for me).

Ustream.com - One of the new streaming video sites.  

We used this at NAR 2008 to stream our panel session.  (thanks to @realestatezebra :)

ooVoo.com - Video Chat, but so much more.  

My favorite part of this is the resulting "interview" video recording you can create.

So, what's the coolest tool that you've found lately?  Are you actually using it?  Or it is just "cool but useless"?

Lemme know...   and please reblog!

Earlier today, I had a fun "video call" with Reggie from My Tech Opinion. (he's also now working at Cyberhomes as their social media guru). We were talking about NAR coming up next week in Orlando.

Diamond Dwellings is hosting a panel discussion at 11am Saturday on Web 2.0 and social media. Our session is inside the expo - so you don't have to get a full session pass to attend. All you need is your expo pass.

We're really excited to be hosting such an awesome group of talented RE.net speakers. All the details are at DiamondDwellings.com

Here's my call with Reggie.

Yesterday was a pretty wild day for me.  I got a phone call from a friend & business associate that really tripped me out.  On the call, my friend was questioning me about the boldness of my Christian faith and the way that I put that forth so strongly in the business world.  I don't mind the dialog at all, but I was just surprised that it came up the way it did.  He was specifically commenting about the Diamond Dwellings mission statement which proclaims that Jesus Christ is firmly at the center of our lives - and our business - here at Diamond Dwellings.

That dialog led to conversations with several other friends of ours in the RE.net world about whether religion (or politics) should be discussed in a business setting.  (NOTE: Religion and Faith are NOT the same thing.  I actually HATE religion and rules and guilt and "the law".  But, I LOVE God and love my faith)

Anyway, the discussion went on and it seemed to be the consensus of the others in the group that "religion" & politics should be left out of the conversation in business environments in order to appeal to the largest possible audience and I guess to avoid any sticky discussions about exactly what we do or do not believe about it all.

So, now I've had 24 hours to think about it (at length) and I have to say that I totally and completely disagree.  What's more, I think that it's ironic that open-minded, forward-thinking "2.0 people" would feel this way.  When I first drank the 2.0 coolaid about 18 months ago, everyone was talking about "The Long Tail".  The point was (and still is) that your online blogging & personna creates a very clearly defined impression for the world of exactly who you are & what you think.  As far as I'm concerned, that also includes religion, politics, sexual orientation, marital status and every other thing that defines "me".  All of it boils down to transparency - a trait that we all seem to pay homage to here in the RE.net world.  It seems to me that the more you limit your own transparency (to safe subjects?) the less you will benefit from the true "long tail"

In a perfect world, that long tail definition of who you are should lead you directly to relationships with exactly those customers and business partners who know who you are & want to do business with you, specifically, because of who you are.

I don't know about you, but that is exactly what I want.  And, I'm willing to take the risk of total transparency in order to follow the long tail search to it's conclusion and find "my customer(s)".

A note about being exclusionary...   ...I am in NO Way saying that you should only do business with those who think the way you do.  I would love to do business with anyone and everyone of all beliefs and backgrounds.  If I'm willing to accept what you think and believe, you should be willing to accept me no matter what I think and believe.  If you are not able to do that, I don't think I want to do business with you anyway.

To my friends who were on the call yesterday...  ...I love you guys & I'm not trying to stir up any ill will between us.  I just really think that this subject needs open discussion and debate. 

To all of you in the A/R world...   ...I'd really like to hear your opinions.  So please comment.

Thought you'd love this video. I thought it was great for Republicans AND Democrats alike. Just a lite laugh "at ourselves"

I watched a few videos this morning from the TED conference. I'm always tempted to make it seem like "I've know this for a while" (about any cool website or idea or concept) but - truth is - until this morning, I didn't know what the TED conference was! It was something that Seth Godin mentioned in his new book, "Tribes" (more about that in a minute). I checked out TED to see what it was. It is an invitation only conference of really smart people with the latest and greatest thoughts & ideas. What's cool is how all these thoughts and ideas are made available on this website. It's even more cool that the sharing of thoughts and ideas is happening at such an exceedingly high level.  It made me think about why we started Diamond Dwellings.  Why do we care about sharing ideas?

This TED video is about amazingly powerful "hacks" being done with the remote from a Nintendo Wii

That idea doesn't really have anything to do with real estate.  It just makes the point that ideas - especially technology driven ideas - are advancing rapidly.  My friend and new business associate, Lane Bailey, has a great knack for bringing analogies back to real estate. So, I'll attempt to do that here with this thought-line. Lane, let me know if you think I landed it AT ALL.

There's three thoughts here that all tie back to Real Estate -- and specifically what Diamond Dwellings is doing.

Thought #1

Ideas & technical advancement are exploding at an exponentially accellerating pace

Thought #2

The rate at which you can find, absorb, integrate and manage ideas has a huge impact on your business (and your life)

Thought #3

A Tribe (like AR?) helps everything happen faster and makes it easier & perhaps more fun for everyone.

Ideas & Technical advancement

We all see it.  In fact, that's why we're here on Active Rain and in so many other online environments.  We're trying to keep up with the thought leaders and have a sense that we "know what's going on".  That's what I want - to be connected to what's happening and always be with the leading edge of what's possible.

Execution is everything

Success in business or sport or anything else is all about execution.  Sound obvious, but we don't talk about this nearly enough.  If you look at 99% of the agents and brokers out there, they have way more information and understanding compared to that which they have actually implimented.  Agree?  They may not know all there is to know, but they do know the "next steps" (whatever that is for them at this moment).  The question is "Can they actually make it happen -- or will they just talk about it".  I don't know about you but I find that actual execution is 100 times harder than finding and even absorbing the ideas.  It might be a great idea to have some help to execute.

The tribe is "where it's at"

Ever join a support group for anything?  People join in order to find like minded people who are dealing with the same "issues".  They form a tribe or a brotherhood, and they help each other through to the next level TOGETHER.

That's what Diamond Dwellings is doing.  We're building a tribe of RE.net brothers (and sisters) all united under one brand.  Working as a family of connected hyper-local markets and changing the way we do real estate sales & marketing.

One thing is real clear.  We don't have ALL the answers or ideas.  And, if we did, there would be new answers and ideas before the "ink" is dry on this post!  The trick is to part of the right tribe that's seeking the new information all the time and working together to execute the best of the best.

I thought twice or three times about writing this.  But, I absolutely hate NOT writing (or saying) what I feel & what I'm really thinking.  That's just part of my nature.  It's a blessing and a curse at the same time.  It's a blessing for me and for others around me in the sense that you always know that what's coming out of my mouth (or through my fingertips) is exactly what's in my head too.  It's a curse because I feel compelled to share things that others would not share for fear that they might be percieved as weak or "less than brilliant" or whatever.

This morning I just feel useless!!!

I get up probably 350 days a year and I'm "on purpose" and "on target" - probably way too much of the time.

But today, I'm thinking "Oh man, I'm not sure it matters what I do!  These problems are far too big for me to effect".

Before you get started with a helpful comment of encouragement, ask yourself if you ever really feel this way?  Do you admit it to yourself?  How 'bout to others?  How 'bout to all of Active Rain!

I really do have a point here...

This is some bad, bad stuff going on in our business right now.  I'm not suggesting that we all go put our heads in the sand and quit.  Not at all.  In fact, that's the last thing I would ever do or suggest that you do.  We need to keep up the fight.  Perserverance is everything.  BUT...

Is it ok if I don't feel like it today?   Is it ok to admit to myself and the world that I don't have the answers?  Is it ok to share my heart on AR?

I think it is!  and, even if you don't think so, I'm gonna do it anyway!

ps    If this resonates with you, be encouraged.  The Lord is in control and - no matter what - it really will be ok.

ps again... For those of you who like to write the "high and mighty" posts about how you have it all together, I challenge you to show your true self.

I've been involved with Gwinnett County Real Estate for over 5 years now. One of the things I've always found interesting is that transaction volume rises or falls FIRST - then prices follow (even if slowly). Even when things are going well, you still see seasonal and cyclical changes in volume and pricing. The trend holds true in any market. In today's crazy market, it's critical to know what to look for in terms of the eventual recovery (and yes, it will ultimately recover!).

So, the answer is absolutely this "watch for increased closing volume".

This is an awesome chart. Thanks to 3 Oceans Real Estate for the chart. I wish I'd found it years ago because it really illustrates the reality of all real estate markets. Not only the Atlanta real estate market or the Gwinnett real estate market but any local real estate market anywhere in the country. Right now we're in either a Phase 5 or a Phase 6 market. That's bad news but it's good news too. Bad news, obviously, because prices are down and volume is flat. But, it's very good news because we're moving toward a strong Phase 1 market again - hopefully soon! That said, I honestly think a Phase 1 market is 2 years away - given what I'm seeing today. However, there's lots of money to be made buying real estate in this market. It sounds cliche, but Phase 6 markets are the ultimate time to buy. The smart money is buying real estate right now.

Note: "sides" means 1 side of a transaction (i.e. buyer side or seller side). So, sides=volume.