I'm writing an unauthorized autobiography.

 

Marriage is like witness protection. You get a new identity and a new home, and you're not allowed to see your old friends anymore.

 

Money is the root of all wealth.

 

Money is the root of all evil. For more information, send $10 to me.

 

Man: A creature made at the end of the workweek when God was tired.

 

Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to. Mark Twain

 

Last year for Christmas, I got a humidifier and a dehumidifier. I thought I'd put them in the same room and let them fight it out.


It's been so long since I've had sex, I've forgotten who ties up whom.

 

It's bad luck to be superstitious.

 

I'm having amnesia and Deja Vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.

 

If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses sidesaddle.

 

If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?

Join us for LOL FRIDAY on The Optimist Group!


 

Fannie Mae announced Thursday it is launching a “Deed for Lease Program” which will allow homeowners facing foreclosure — if they qualify —to lease their homes for up to a year.

To get that option, homeowners have to deed the property to Fannie Mae.

“The Deed for Lease Program provides an additional option for qualifying homeowners who are facing foreclosure and are not eligible for modifications,” said Jay Ryan, vice president of Fannie Mae. “This new program helps eliminate some of the uncertainty of foreclosure, keeps families and tenants in their homes during a transitional period, and helps to stabilize neighborhoods and communities.”

The program is designed for borrowers who do not qualify for some other loan workout program.

Borrowers transfer their property to the lender by completing a deed in lieu of foreclosure, then the owner leases the house at a market rate.


*NOTE: Not my writing, but breaking news I wanted to share with you asap.  Here is the link to the story:

Fannie Mae Getting into the Rental Business

Fannie Mae launches 'Deed for Lease' program

 

 


 

I Tweet My Blogs, Do You?

 

 

Now that Twitter and Bing are married, your micro blogging can actually score you some major SEO brownie points.

 

I tweet my blogs to increase my web presence.  I simply go over to my outside AR blog roll on a regular basis, pull up an old post, shorten its browser address by using the bit.ly service, then Tweet it with an enticing by-line.  I go back afterwards and analyze my statistics (Bit.ly will show you exactly how many people have clicked on that particular link). It works!  Here is an example:  Price it Well. Stage it well. Watch it Sell! http://bit.ly/E2xqT #RealEstate #p2

Bing & Twitter married?

 

Now that your Twitter presence gives you Bing exposure, it’s a shame not to use it to drive traffic to your ActiveRain blog and to your website.  BTW, if your blog roll is still called “Annie’s Blog” (or Suzy, or Stan), it’s time you change it to let people know what you do and where.  Mine is Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte.  Yours should certainly denote your area of expertise and your location.

 

How do I know this works?  For starters, you can “Bing” Myrtle Beach Connection and find me on the first Bing instead of Google?page.  I got there by using this method.  Easy recipe: Blog on AR.  Tweet your blogs.  Watch your business explode.  Just today I got two new leads from my Internet exposure.  You want to know the best part about it?  It is the most cost effective marketing I have in my arsenal! 

 

For those of you still on the fence about paying the AR monthly dues to become a Rainmaker, think again!  For every hour you’re wasting, there goes another potential client!  No more excuses!   Become a Rainmaker NOW!  If you have no clue what Twitter is, here is a link to a blog where you can learn all about it.  Please come back here and let us know just how well this works! 


Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection            Join The Optimist Group!

 


 

Realtors what does your car say about you?


Do you know what car your dentist drives?

Do you know what car your attorney drives?

Do you know what car your Realtor drives?


Which one of these choices do you think most people know the answer to?  Exactly!  Real Estate Agents are the only ones whose vehicles are ‘out in the open’, sort of speak.  Realtors, what is your vehicle saying about you? 

cheap car = bad agent?

Is your car a mess because you work all the time, or is it always freshly detailed, showing that you are organized and careful?  Is your car on its last leg, because finances are not quite what they should be, or is it an expensive vehicle denoting that your Real Estate business is thriving?  Do you drive a ‘green’ vehicle, showing concern for the environment, or do you loaf around in a gas guzzler? 


Whether you want to accept it or not, your car, as the extension of yourself and your business, can help you land that next deal, or nix it for you.  What are your thoughts on this subject?


Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection             Join The Optimist Group!

 


 

 

Via Kate Wheeler CCIM Murphy NC Real Estate for Sale (Country Homes and Land Murphy NC Realtor ):

 November is here and traditionally it's the time to begin preparing for the holidays.  For most of us, it's like taking on an additional part time job - shopping, cooking, decorating, wrapping gifts, entertaining. 

 Since joining Activerain, I've already taken on a second full time job... writing market reports and hyperlocal posts, revamping my website and attending online courses in Internet marketing and technology, otherwise known as reading blogs.  The homework level is crippling.

 As I sat down at the computer this morning, I found a note to myself scribbled on a scrap of paper:

"Edit your life as though you're a writer or a filmmaker.  Cut out the chaos and the clutter.  Keep only the very best."

So with this extra hour on the first day of November, I'm taking stock of how I want to spend the other 24 hours today and every other day.  This isn't going to be a blog about cleaning out your closets.  It's about getting back to the basics.  Which of your daily activities brings you joy or enriches your life and the lives of those around you?

 Starting the morning by sharing a cup of cowboy coffee with my husband as we sit on the deck and greet the sunrise is one activity I'll never give up.  I'd much rather miss an extra hour of sleep and have that special time together to start my day.  

 Baking an apple pie is an acivity that takes a great deal of time.  But for me it's a way of bonding with my daughter.  The time we spend talking and laughing together is priceless.  So I'll be keeping that chore.  I'd rather have those memories years from now than to recall dashing to the store for a frozen dessert because I spent that extra hour on the Internet.

But I've made the decision to delete negative people from my life.  That's one of the toughest things to do, especially if it's someone who has been in your life for a long time, but it can have the biggest payoff.  Listening to complaints, backbiting and gossip every time you take a coffee break at the office or run into your neighbor at the store drains the soul.

Another group I'm getting rid of are the drama queens.  And I'm not just taking about women here.  Sorry, guys, but some of you are the biggest drama queens around.  I don't care how big your deal is - real estate is not a life or death matter.  And I don't need to spend MY time listening to your endless tales of triumph and tribulation.

 

 So as dawn breaks over the mountains in Murphy, I've decided that today, I'm going to look at eveything I do with two questions in mind -

  •  Does this bring me joy?
  •  Does it enrich my life or the lives of those around me?

 

Looking for your dream getaway in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina? Visit the country homes and land website to see all the latest listings.

Enjoy a preview of our scenic mountains in the YouTube video Murphy Mountain Nights

 


 

Via Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision):

How to Choose the Right Days to Market your Real Estate Services Online

Effective real estate marketing online has a lot to do with timing.  There has been a lot of research conducted, mainly for industries outside of real estate (i.e.retail, hospitality, automotive) on the best days and times to market services and products online.  Implementing the right timing to deploy marketing campaigns into your online marketing strategy is an effective way to ramp up your results.

Here are 5 tips on choosing the right days to market your real estate services online

1.  Tweet Midweek-


 You can tweet everyday of the week but for maximum effect make sure to tweet on Wednesdays and Thursdays as they are the most active days of tweets and retweets as found by HubSpot's State of the Twittersphere June 2009.

 



State-of-the-Twittersphere -
State-of-the-Twittersphere -
State-of-the-Twittersphere -



2.  Publish Your Most Important Blog Posts Midweek


Frequency of great original content is still important in building your readership and traffic to your blog.  I recommend to my clients that they blog a minimum of 3-5 times per week to be considered as a true content provider in the eyes of their readers.

That being said when is the best time for a blogger to publish their meatiest, most important blog posts?  Darren Rowse of Problogger addresses the timing factor in When to Publish Blog Posts-Timing Considerations,

"If I have a very important post that I want to get as much attention as possible I generally will publish it on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (my time)."

Rowse's post also gives some advice as to publishing posts on weekends and holidays that is worth the read as well as the comments on the post (82 so far).

Roger Parker of blogforprofit.com recommends that if you were to only blog twice per week to publish those blog posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Clearly publishing your most important blog posts midweek is a winning strategy.


3.  The Weakest Link for Email Marketing is Saturday

You may have several email campaigns in your real estate marketing campaign:  email flyers, email follow-up, email newsletters.  Email marketing is a heavy hitter for real estate professionals but when is the most effective time for you to deliver your messages to your prospects and customers?

According to EMarketer.com the best days of the week to send email marketing are Mondays and Tuesdays and the least effective time by nearly 50% is Saturdays.

Email frequency and times to send

The best advice I found and agree with is to survey your email subscribers and ask them when they would like to receive emails from you. 

We are approaching the holiday season so it is important to consider the times that people are online and actively shopping.  Study these deployment times statistics provided on the emailstatcenter.com website before launching any niche holiday real estate marketing campaigns.


4.  Engage your Fans on Facebook on Tuesdays

In findings from Virtue SRM (Social Relationship Manager) the best days to post on your Facebook Business Page is Tuesdays, followed closely Wednesdays with Mondays coming in #3.

Social Click Thru Rate By Days of the Week

**Allow me one deviation~ What I find more or equally fascinating is the 6.49% CLR (Click Thru Rate) of marketing campaigns such as polls and incentives that are run on Facebook business pages.  Fans are clearly interacting with their friends on Facebook in a big way and their interactions are also being seen by their friends.**

 


5. LinkedIn Users Are Active In the Morning

According to a small study by SenderOK Statistics report which was based on a sample of 440 anonymous users the most activity on LinkedIn occurs in the morning.

"LinkedIn use is predominantly an 8AM-Noon activity with very, very little activity in the evening. Of particular interest is that LinkedIn users tend to arrive at work earlier than Facebook users do....Those serious early morning LinkedIn users will spend an average of 29 minutes reading real Email before they get around to checking your connection request which they could have read first if they wanted to."

While this is a small sampling of members on LinkedIn and their behavior I can attest that this mimics my LinkedIn use.  The first online activity I do in the morning is to check my email(which of course includes my blog activity) and the first social network site I check is LinkedIn and this occurs normally between the hours of 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Take into consideration the times and days that people are online and engaging in these online activities when you create and implement your online real estate marketing strategy.

Once you taken action use an analytics tool to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.  Tweak the times you deliver your marketing messages based on your analytics and direct feedback from your recipients.

Get your game on and use the 5 tips on choosing the right days to market your real estate services online.

Subscribe to Blogging In the Rain, A Real Estate Marketing Blog

Join Me on Facebook. Tuesday I'll be posting a discussion about marketing to women.

***************************************************

Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 17 years of experience serving real estate industry professionals. 

If you need assistance with online marketing, offline marketing, social networking, or blogging contact Rebecca D. Levinson at #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@bloggingintherain.com.

 


 

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain):

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community.  While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.

ActiveRain points are earned based on a members individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the duration of the Calendar week which "Starts Monday morning at 12:00am Central Time, and Ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Central Time."

The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your Local Area.

  • 200 Points for each Blog Post
    (Max 10 per Week) (50 Word Minimum Required)

  • 25 Additional Points when Post is added to Channels with a Topic

  • 400 Points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com
    (Excludes Posts Featured in ActiveRain Groups)

  • 25 Points For Each Comment
    (Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on Your Own Posts Excluded)

  • 25 Points for Each Reblogged Post
    (Max 10 Per Week - These do not Include Your Own Posts)

  • ActiveRain Profile Points
    (Building Your AR Profile will Build points)

  • Received Comments on Blog Posts
    (No Blog Post to exceed 475 pts.)

  • 100 Points - Logging In To ActiveRain Each Day
    (This applies 7 days a week)

  • 250 Points When Someone Accepts Your AR Invitation
    (Must Sign Up under Members Invite Code)

  • 10% of Total Points Earned By New Members Invited By You
    (IE: Invited Member Earns 1000 pts. - You Earn 100 Pts.)

  • ActiveRain and Member Approved Contests - Points Will Vary
    (These show up as Bonus Points in your Point Summary)

  • Staff Awarded Bonus Points - These are issued by the AR staff
    (Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward,
    Helping Others etc.)

Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max Blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max ReBlogged posts.  The Weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include featured posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff awarded bonus points.)

Point Disclaimer: The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.


                 

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount


 

Via Tara Jones- Atlanta, GA (Reel Productions TV- Real Estate Video ):

We've been preaching it for a very long time...Real estate professionals need high quality video content on their website.  It helps with SEO results, it portrays a more professional image and retains viewership some 70-percent longer than a website without video.

But let’s get real.  Times are tough and high quality video production can be expensive.  Well, we have the solution.  The Video Connector , is sending out an early holiday gift... FREE VIDEO!! 

It’s simple.  Just log on to TheVideoConnector.com/FreeVideo and cut and paste the embed code, put it on your site and reap the benefits! 


 


 

A mother's love...



My children have always been the most cherished part of my life, my defining moments, my love, my joy, my reasons for it all.

 

My son is leaving for war tomorrow.  As a little kid he used to move his plastic soldiers across huge maps of the World I had bought for him.  When he was a teenager he went to the Citadel Summer camp every summer and at 16 he became a counselor there.  He later attended The Citadel, where he was a Summerall Guard and had several significant leadership positions.  After graduating magna cum laude from the Citadel he enlisted in the Marines.  After six months at Quantico he was commissioned as an officer.  As he reminded me a few weeks ago, he is first a Marine, then an officer. 

 mother and son

If I had it my way, war would be fought with paint guns.  I am probably the least military person you’ll ever meet.  I wasn’t happy about his decision to join the Marines, but I encouraged him to follow his heart anyway.  God, that was hard to do!  As parents, that is our main job: to encourage each child’s individuality to blossom, in spite of our own proclivities and fears. 

 My Kids saluting the American flag

My son is going to war tomorrow.  He will be joining the many honorable young men and women serving our country.  This is my son’s decision.  I raised him to follow his heart.  “I Hope You’ll Dance!” depicts exactly what I’ve always tried to instill in my children.  Follow your heart, dedicate yourself with abandon to your particular calling and allow your destiny to unfold.  I have to remind myself of this, as I swallow my tears and give my son a proud salute farewell.   

 

Mirela                                                 Alex &; Amanda = nucleus of my heart!

 

 


 

 

We should establish maximum age limits for our school bus drivers

The Maximum Age allowed for persons serving in the US Military is 60.

The Maximum Age allowed for Pilots, according to FAA regulation is 65.

The Maximum Age allowed for Air Traffic Control Specialists is between 57 to 61.

Even Federal Park Rangers have an age limit of 57.

Why then, do we not have regulation in place for a Maximum Age limit of School Bus Drivers?  Are our children less significant than the animals in our National Parks?

sad day for the Myrtle Beach Academy - one of its students killed by school bus

Yesterday, the Myrtle Beach Academy of Arts, Science and Technology, lost a bright young student to an accident involving a school bus.  The driver of that school bus is 76 years old.  Why did Horry County School district entrust the precious lives of our children to a 76 year old driver?

 

Many school districts have maximum age limit requirements for their school bus drivers.  Some of them have been taken to court because of these requirements.  Are we afraid of litigation so much that we are willing to put our children’s lives in danger?

 

47% of public school students ride a school bus to and from school every day.   If we are recognizing the value of a particular maximum age for various jobs involving public safety, why are we leaving out the safety of 25 million children?  I believe the Federal Government needs to enact a law addressing this issue.  What are your views on this and what are you willing to do about it?


Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                Join The Optimist Group!


 
 
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Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte

Myrtle Beach, SC

More about me…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection

Address: BUYERS' CHOICE REALTY, 702-3 Sea Mountain Hwy., North Myrtle Beach, SC, 29582

Office Phone: (843) 280-7283

Cell Phone: (843) 251-2378

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