Members of NFSTI have a very unique opportunity to go down in history by telling their true, uncut stories from the field.  There’s still time to be a part of a National Bestselling book based on the real lives of real estate agents.

Stories include:

A client who jumped out of a penthouse balcony during a showing. An agent’s first sale:  $43,000,000 (and he was on both sides of the deal) An agent who closed $110,000,000 in sales (in one day!) An agent, who mistakenly let out the Seller’s dog, only to bring back the wrong dog. Home buyers race home to their brand new purchase, directly from the closing, and find their garage missing. A broker who shows bug infested home, and runs out discarding all his clothes. An agent who shows up at wrong brokers open house, and gets arrested for breaking and entering. A home inspection that went very wrong (inspector falls through ceiling). Unusual commission payments:  all cash, sexual services, expensive cars, exotic travel, cabaret ownership, etc…

 

HURRY!!

Send in your best story. It could be an interesting listing story, incredible experiences, closing fiascos, inspection nightmares, maybe a humorous showing or even a tragedy.   If your story is selected, your name will be published along with your website.  Imagine being a contributor in what is surely going to be a “must read” with your peers and clients.

Email your story (stories) to:
theotherdonald@aol.com
by June 30, 2011

They must be true and
between 300-1500 words!

You are being notified of the public auction of www.NFSTI.com and all of it's components due to your relationship with it's current owner.  All interested parties of this business have 10 days to bid.  No side deals will be made.  Please use the following link to view the listing:

https://flippa.com/140691-5-letter-domain-real-estate-social-network-2300-users-6-5k-net-first-5-mos?sms_ss=gmail&at_xt=4de011a95c78f3c3%2C0

This online social network is a sure-fire way to rapidly drive much-desired REO, BPO, and default servicing traffic and knowledge your direction.  Acquisition and maintenance will be standard protocol.  All transactions will take place within 3 business days of final bidding.

Sincerely,

Dan Waterman

We've developed the 2011 REO Guide to Success. Here is a brief synopsis. Members of NFSTI can go download it free at www.nfsti.com

FREE TO NFSTI EXPERT MEMBERS:

NFSTI, in partnership with other incredible organizations, is proud to present QuickSEO – a guaranteed, proven marketing program to increase business, boost leads, and simplify daily marketing tasks.

NFSTI has utilized the QuickSEO system for several months now to boost its “Website Grade” and its Search Engine Optimization.  After years of research and trial-and-error we were finally able to successfully boost our Website Grade to a 96/100!  

What does this mean?  It means that we are climbing up the ranks and place within the top 10th percentile out of millions that are scored on Hubspot’s Website Grader.

Now that we’ve perfected this system within our own organization we’re looking to boost the marketing, search engine optimization, and overall business success of SELECT NFSTI Expert Members.  Here’s who qualifies for the QuickSEO program AT NO EXTRA COST!

Candidates Must Have the Following to be Considered for the QuickSEO System:

1. Be an Expert Member of NFSTI.
2. Be in GOOD standing with their local/state real estate commission.
3. Be up-to-date on E&O Insurance.
4. Have  a website other than a subdomain (examples:  http://yourname.kw.com, http://yourwebsite.topproducer.com).
5. Be willing to participate in the recommendations during the Diagnostic, Enhancement, and Promotion phases of QuickSEO System.
6. Allow NFSTI administrators to assist you with each phase of the QuickSEO System by phone, email, and/or webinar.

Follow these Instructions to Participate

Getting good rank on Google is the key to raking in new real estate leads.  With the number of Americans using Google (and now Facebook) growing by the day it's pretty obvious that some effort should be put on search engine ranking.  I've always believed that getting organic ranking is far superior to doing a pay-per-click campaign and now the numbers are backing that theory up. 

There are a couple of reasons that I dislike pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.  First of all, I don't like the idea that other companies pay to have their services jump to the top of a search engine.  That defeats the purpose of finding a result that is "relevant".  Secondly, as a company owner I don't like spending more than I have to for that service.  So, I found 3 ways to increase our search engine rank that has allowed us to really propel up the ranks in a short period of time.

It took about 3 years to figure all of this out, and I'm sure it'll all change again next year so I'll have to keep learning.  Here are the tips in order of importance:

1. Own your own Wordpress website hosted through Godaddy and buy your domain name for 3+ years.   This will cost you under $100 and will get you started with minimal effort.  Having a domain name for more than 1 year is a HUGE plus in Google's eyes.  Also, if you get the right customer service rep at Godaddy they'll do all of the set up for you.  Just tell them you want to buy a package that includes:  Domain name, Linux economy hosting, and PHP 5.x.   Ask them to set it up for you and then install the Wordpress Application.  
   
2. Install "Greg's High Performace SEO Pack" into your Wordpress plugins.  Not much configuration is necessary and it turns your Wordpress site into a Google all-you-can-eat buffet of keywords, meta tags, and perfect code layout.
3. Load your new Wordpress blogsite up with as many blogs about your target audience as possible.   Don't do it all in one sitting since that will set off a trigger that you're "content dumping".  There are even some sites on the Internet where you can find pre-written royalty free blogs that are very well written and can help you provide some helpful, relevant content.  (Example:  http://freearticlehq.com/.)  Be sure to combine this with some of your own original content.

If you do these 3 simple things I guarantee you'll see a spike in your online search engine ranking within 90 days (unless you've already been doing this, in which case you should be taking your Wordpress site to the next level).  Don't expect much increase in search engine ranking prior to 90 days.  Also, drive your business to your Wordpress site.  Put it in your greetings & salutations on emails, postcards, and brochures.  Let other ActiveRainers know that they can visit your site for some good information.  

Lastly, it would serve you well to track your performance with Wordpress's latest, most addictive plugin called JetPack.  I find myself on JetPack more than any other plugin.   Check out a demo of it here:  http://jetpack.me/

ARE YOU ON THIS VIDEO????

Only a few real estate agents have worked out how to use Internet technology to their advantage. Most agents still operate in the pre-Internet mode. Things are slowly changing but it is taking some time to catch on.

Simply creating profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter does not constitute "using Internet technology to your advantage". This is merely the starting point of what should be a large marketing campaign. In a language that a real estate agents can easily understand, this is like posting a "For Sale" sign in the front yard of your listing. Yeah, you'll get a couple of calls from neighbors driving by the house, but you're not going to sell the property that way. Instead, you typically take the next step of marketing your listings in the MLS along with other online marketing platforms such as Trulia, ActiveRain, and Zillow. In the same sense, you should be taking the next logical step of marketing your online presence by making others aware of your existence. This is achieved through interaction.

There is more than one way to use the Net to your advantage when dealing with large numbers of people through both the listing and selling stages of a real estate transactions. Building and maintaining a good database can be, to some extent, set on auto pilot as people can opt-in and opt-out of the process. While you’re working in the field drumming up business, managing properties, attending classes your database is receiving automated updates through tools such as AWeber, Constant Contact, or Relenta. Just remember that you will have to devise a marketing strategy to keep your emails in front of your audience. A great way to do this is to write a weekly blog of relevance about your area of expertise.

Agents and marketers are now waking up to the value of using video to showcase properties via their websites. Although this has been around for a while Youtube has made things much easier. Websites such as www.NFSTI.com offer a blogging platform for agents and real estate professionals to post their video footage in front of a targeted audience. This gives agents a big advantage over many traditional classified-style websites since blogs offer many more options when it comes to details and features. By networking among agents homes are shared on a quicker, more real-time basis allowing clients to receive rapid updates on inventory or to get that home they're selling under contract quicker than the competition.

All of these tools also offer instant benefits in search engines and allow for quickly syndicated data for users to subscribe into. Many agents are only now working out the real advantages of the platform, making it a very good time to get in early and stamp your authority on a niche area via a blog, social network, or video account. None of this stuff is rocket science. It just takes a little patience, perseverance, and dedication to understand the inter-connectivity between each component.

Real estate is still a person-to-person business, but in order to reach the top the smart agents have adapted quickly to the new marketing angles enabled by the Net. What kind of agent are you?

To help better understand the various components of Internet technology and its purpose here’s a quick-reference chart: *SEO = Search Engine Optimization. This is the “organic” way to get better online ranking with such sites as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. If you can figure out SEO, you’ll be your own lead generator.

Internet Technology Marketing Quick-Reference Chart

Technology Name	Type of Technology	How to Use it
Facebook	Social Network	Connect with potential buyers and sellers through friendships. Create a business fan page to share updated info such as listings or mortgage rates.
Twitter	Micro-Blog	Locate key words which people are discussing on Twitter through search.twitter.com and interact with people using these key words. Example keyword lookup = “Atlanta House”. Express your expertise. Connect an RSS feed into your twitter account for daily automatic updates.
Linkedin	Business Network	Post a spit-shined resume online. Connect with industry professionals. Join groups to share information, tips, and leads. Seek out asset management companies.
NFSTI	REO Network & Blog	Network with other default servicing professionals, asset managers, and tech experts. Get insider tips on how to move faster/better in each market. Get certification. Create your own blog and piggy-back off of the strong SEO* ranking of NFSTI.
ActiveRain	Real Estate Blog-O-Sphere	This is a virtual gold mine of tips on navigating every real estate niche in existence. SEO* is great and you will boost your search engine exposure through their hard work.
REOPro	Network & Forum	Interact with other REO professionals. Get a thorough understanding of most of the asset management companies and BPO companies in the industry. Network with other REO agents.
Trulia/Zillow	Listings & Network	Post your inventory on these free marketing websites. The tools are getting stronger and stronger every year. Both have networking potential as well after you create a profile.
YouTube/Vimeo	Video Share	Create and post video footage of your listings on your own “Channel”. Post “Vlogs”, otherwise known as Video Blogs. Talk about latest trends and post them to your website or email them through an email contact management system.
WordPress	Blog & Site Creation	Create a powerful blog or website on this platform with endless potential. There are millions of developers contributing to the platform daily and its free, safe, and powerful.
Constant Contact/AWeber	Email Management System	Post a web form on your web site, blog, or social profile allowing people to sign up for free reports, news, or documents. Capture their contact information, then keep them informed on a regular basis with pre-scheduled emails.

Here are some of the highlights from REO experienced through NFSTI in 2010. We had a LOT of fun, great experiences, met a lot of new and incredible people, and built our businesses together.

Can you spot yourself in this video??

 

  NFSTI:  REO Training, Certification, Social Media Optimization, Networking, and Lead Generation

 

A lot has changed over the past year.  We've been through more down-turns, additional bills/laws being signed, bank acquisitions, and more emphasis being put on short sales.  This, however, is set to change in 2011.  Just recently a notice was sent out to Fannie Mae approved REO agents that they should expect the release of REO assignments toward the beginning of the new year.  This will certainly shift the environment of troubled assets and real estate yet again.

In early 2010 NFSTI went to an open forum model online in order to accommodate 2 needs:  (1) Allow those who've never been exposed to NFSTI's content, training, and resources an opportunity to access this material with no major investment/risk, and (2) to gain valuable feedback from the user community about what's most important in their ongoing REO training. Since this campaign started we found it very successful.  There were daily increases in members, participation, and downloads.  Also, the feedback we received was invaluable.  Here are the core results:

1. Basic, entry-level REO training and certification is very important/valuable.
2. Ongoing updates to industry changes in law and guidelines ranks at the top of most important items for experienced agents.
3. Social media marketing is a very hot topic and training/automation for the REO community is very important.
4. BPO automation has steadily improved over the years and has become highly favored with top producing REO/BPO agents.
5. The REO conferences were, for the most part, not as important to the REO agents as they have been in years past.
6. A need for more/improved asset manager relations/communication is valued highly.

With all this in mind we (NFSTI) are revamping the www.NFSTI.com website to match as many of these needs as possible.  You'll see the changes begin around January 1, 2011.  The website will have a new feel to it, and will hopefully be much more user friendly.  We're expecting to close off the membership to those who've registered by December 31, 2010 and then installing an annual membership once again.  The cost will be nominal in the grand scheme of things, but it will provide the much-needed financial support to keep the membership running with high-quality technology, support, service, and industry participation.

Also, I would expect to see some live courses (click link for photos of past courses) back on the docket for 2011.  These were curtailed in lieu of webinars for the sake of overhead costs, however; it seems that the feedback we received was that the live events were more impactful.