Just wanted to share a quick post here about the upcoming Xplode Conference in Austin Texas on February 10, 2011.

We're pretty excited about it.  If you're in the Austin area, we hope you'll join us!

A pretty amazing list of speakers are coming.  It will be the best real estate technology conference in Texas!

Active Rain members use the discount code 'Rain' to save $50 off access passes

If you click through to my blog, you'll see that I haven't written ANYTHING on Active Rain for a long long time!  It's not that I wasn't 'on active rain'.  I've been a member since forever.  Back in the day.  When blogging wasn't cool and social media was just some weird word that Pat Kitano said!  And, it's not that I don't blog. I've actually got more wordpress blogs that you'd want to shake a stick at (if you'd actually want to do so).  For example, right now my personal blog is ForwardSlashlife.com

But, today, I went to visit Raincamp in Charlotte.  It was my second time sitting in on a Raincamp (I was also in Orlando).

I had real concerns for my life.  What if everyone finds out that I'm... NOT blogging on AR!  (GASP!)  I tried my best to pose like a 'rainer'

We'll I'm about to change all of that.  I got so fired up at Raincamp that I am jumping back in here at AR!

Hope Y'all will welcome me back?  The Prodical Son returns!

As a start to my work here, I'd like to say great things about Ben Kinney and about Raincamp. (and I'm sorta hard to please cuz I've built some RE events too).

Raincamp is delivering great stuff that can help drive your business for sure.  Hats off to Ben and the gang.

Special awesome shout out to Kerrie.  They way she said it I just HAD to get back on AR :)  Thanks Kerrie!

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.

Real Estate Market Cycle

Not sure if I ever posted this here on AR (don't think so?). Anyway, I saw this amazing video about 5 or 6 months ago. i posted it on one of my sites, but now that site has been replaced with "the new MattFagioli.com site". I didn't want to loose track of it or forget about it so I'm posting it here so I know where I put it!!

This is a few minutes long and it takes a minute to get to the point. BUT, it's worth the wait. If you hang with Louie to the end, you'll get the blessing! It's amazing to see how Jesus literally holds it all together. Enjoy.

I spent the last few days in western North Carolina talking with folks about Diamond Dwellings and gaining perspective on the local markets up there. Our new real estate franchise model is really the perfect fit for some of these unique towns. I guess it's because there seems to be so much content to write about. There's no limit to the subject matter and it all seems so inviting.

Some of the places I visited included Asheville, Waynesville (and some other "villes" too). I got to spend some time with fellow Tomato blogger, Susie Blackmon. She introduced me to so many great people while I was there too. I also drove down through Franklin, Cashiers and then stayed for the night in Highlands, NC at a pretty amazing place called The Old Edwards Inn.

To call it an Inn just doesn't begin to describe it though. It's more of a "compound" or a resort. The old "Inn" sits right on the corner of the main road in downtown Highlands. But then the rest of this sprawling spa complex extends for a huge city block to the east (I think) and then for a block to the rear. I guess the whole area is not more than an acre? But, to have a hotel/spa complex that covers an entire acre sitting right in the downtown area of a resort town like Highlands, NC is pretty amazing! I'm on a life-long quest to find the best possible room -- and then get it for the absolute lowest possible price. This place was a smokin' deal for the price -- given the fact that I enjoyed one of the finest rooms I've ever had in my life! Next time I'm in Highlands, I'm sure to come back.

I shot this photo near Highlands, NC. I have to say that the area seemed to have some of the most interesting terrain & dramatic water features. It might just be that I happened to find it there, but Highlands seems to have been blessed with some things you just can't build! The fall colors are just starting to peek out -- as you can see. If I was a betting man, I'd bet that Oct 15th or Oct 20th will be the absolute best time to visit the North Carolina Mountains if you want to see God's amazing work in the trees.