Fred 's Blog

* Get the competitive advantage on Non Rainers***

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:12:37 -0700

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas A. Edison
US inventor (1847 - 1931)

For those who have signed up and listed your homes and updated your bio for free leads on www.nationalrealestatepages.com, congratulations!

For those of you who have not, you can still beat your competition to the punch.

There is nothing like a good head start to get out in front of your competition.........

Don't let a little effort prevent you from taking full advantage of this FREE, new search technology, designed by a Top Producing Realtor, specifically for Realtors to help build their business and bring new leads.

Be an "Active Rainer" Go now and tell ten of your most prized service providers to take advantage of the exclusive, limited, interactive , cost effective, high impression, fixed cost, non-rotating, industry specific, $699 per year banner ads on www.Nationalrealestatepages.com,

Don't let someone else get your precious buyer and seller leads.

For Sale By Owners - List for Free **

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:04:30 -0700

Thanks to all of the AR agents who have taken the time to upload their listings and updated their profiles on www.nationalrealestatepages.com

For those of you that have your homes listed by owner, you too can list for free on www.nationalrealestatepages.com as well.

We now have agents in over 30 states that have signed up for our free listing service and the number is growing daily.

If you are a FSBO and are tired of trying to sell on your own, check out our site to find a great agent. We have over 1.4 million agents nationwide on our site. Go check out their profiles.

Continuing education......

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:15:45 -0700

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

John Adams
US diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)

Are we as an industry educating ourselves on what is really happening in the world of technology today?

Most if not all of the agents I have spoken with over the past 24 months have no idea of what is really going on regarding the direction of the industry and how the net is really affecting them. Addtionally, few of them really show any concern!

Another man before his time, John knew something about education. What can we learn from John?

Are we studying the Internet, so that our children may be able to study some other form of higher education?

Go to this link and learn. Call me if you are enlightened by this.

http://www.apartmentinternetmarketing.com/vc06/internets-impact-on-real-estate.asp

This is a must view presentation about our industry.

Why is active rain so successful?

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:10:09 -0700

There are over 1.4 million+ independent real estate agents who are all independent contractors in this nation,

who often felt that they do not have a collective voice in their business. Quite simply put, they are like the factory worker in one of the large auto makers trying to change company policy.

While they know they are providing a great service to their clients and they are great at what they do, they are constantly having to compete with each other day in and day out for their pay.

Who can they share their most intimate thoughts with. Not with others in their offices, they don't want hear their thoughts and complaints. Their brokers, well maybe, they may listen, but are not likely to change their brokerage policies and practices for them. Their local board perhaps, same deal, the others at the board meetings want to hear positive news, not what trouble us. The state or national associations, well, I think they care, they just don't have the time to listen to us all.

So, along comes a venue for social networking for real estate professionals. Professionals that are tired of not having a voice in our industry. A place where they can share what they think, how we feel, their inner most feelings and thoughts.

Would'nt it be great if this dialog could somehow have a positive effect on our future, or are we really just a bunch of production workers in a big housing factory?

Have you been "Googled"

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:36:24 -0700

Will somebody please tell me three things,

1. How many people that search for the terms real estate and homes are active home buyers looking for homes?

2. How many of people that search for the terms real estate and homes are agents looking for their own placement on the search engine

3. For anyone that has got to the top ( as I have ) , how many leads have you acquired and in what time frame, and how many have you converted into actual sales, and in what time frame.

I'm tired of all the hype. Someone please give me some facts, that will be proof, that all the SEO, SEM, Keywords, and Sponsored links actually work.

Also, if you have it, I would be extremely curious to know what the cost per lead actually is compared to the hundreds of other strategies you are using.

Do we have all the informationwe need as agents to make life and death decisions about where our precious ad dollars and more importantly how our extremely valuable time is being spent, trying to make "Top 10"

I've heard all the hype, but since Iv'e been there and did not get all promised benefits, I am now a doubting Thomas.

Somebody please show me a sign. I am a man of faith, but Google is not my savior!

Let's face it folks, there is a reason Google is making billions of dollars in profits, are you getting your fair share?

The Real Estate Food Chain Realtor Referrals - Lenders - Service Providers

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:06:34 -0700

In a recent blog many in our industry commented on and even suggested that the Real Estate agent is at the top of the food chain when it comes to referral business.

If this is true, and I believe it very well may be...... Are large segments of the industry in danger of extinction?

I have talked with thousands of real estate agents, lenders, pest company owners, roofers, carpet companies, title companies, real estate broker/owners, home warranty companies etc. over the past 7 years and they here is what I discovered;

With few exceptions, real estate agents referrals were the main source of new business (Up to 90%) for lenders, title companies and industry service providers. The major exception being the refinance business for lenders and title companies.

The overwhelming majority of real estate agents felt that great service for their clients was all that they were expecting for their client referral.
Lenders, title companies and industry related service providers felt that simply providing great service to real estate agents referrals was adequate reciprocation to earn the agents business.
Lenders, title companies and service providers overall lacked confidence in their abilities at acquiring new clients to refer to real estate agents. Most if not all responded that " we just don't get that many people asking us if we know of a good real estate agent"

So let's run the clock ahead a couple of years and see how this landscape might look given the above to be true.

Should the housing market continue to decline, there will be less homes sold.

Less homes sold = fewer transactions

Fewer transactions = fewer referrals

Fewer referrals = less business for lenders, title companies, service providers

Fewer transactions = fewer real estate agents

Fewer real estate agents = larger market share for those that survive

Larger market share for survivors = less sales for those not in the survivors referral pool

Well, I think you get the idea! Where and when will this end? Who knows!

One thing is for sure. With advertising costs on the rise, transactions and commissions on the decline for real estate agents, the food chain at the top is getting very thin.

Referrals! Are we on a one way street?

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:30:15 -0700

Over the past 7 years as a top producing RE/MAX agent, I have given my loan brokers and service providers hundreds of referrals for my client's to use their services. In return, I have received very few if any over the same period of time from them .

Why is this?

During the height of my career in 2004, I literally had lenders and service providers lining up to get my referrals.

When asked, most of them said, I don't get that many people asking to buy a house.

My reply was always, I don't get that many people that ask me for a loan or a roof inspection or pest inspection etc.. either.

They usually said, well, it's different for you.

I always wondered, what makes us so different. Do we as Realtors not have many choices of who we deal with?

Do we as Realtors provide the same great service to our lenders and service providers customers that they provide to ours?

As the market has changed, I often wonder what many of the support businesses in our industry were doing while we were out in the trenches. Were they out prospecting for clients for us, as we were for them? Who gets their referrals, or are they asking for them for us?

In all the other businesses I have owned and managed, in 5 different industry segments, mutually rewarding business relationships were the foundation of success.

I rarely see this happening in this business at all. It seems to me that in certain parts of this business, "it's every man/woman for him or herself.

What do you suppose would happen if we all worked together as an industry, rather than for ourselves.

Is this even possible?

Could mutually rewarding relationships exist in our industry too?

I think we would all be better off if everyone felt this way in our industry, don't you.

We better all stop and think about this, or perhaps this will be the sign of the times!

An interesting perspective !

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:12:23 -0700

"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think."

Edwin Schlossberg

Great read for those that are interested.

Interactive Excellence, Defining and developing new standards for the 21st century!

http://www.amazon.com/Interactive-Excellence-Developing-Standards-Contemporary/dp/0345423712/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8527511-0927953?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190992489&sr=1-1

Is it worth the effort?

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:51:54 -0700

They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigor.

Eric Hoffer
(1902 - 1983)

Those of you who would like to get more exposure for your client's properties can do so by listing them for free on www.nationalrealestatepages.com

10 photos

virtual tour link

national exposure

direct sales force

It's Free!

Where's Waldo?

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:54:37 -0700

Is finding out where all your leads are goinglike finding Waldo in a sea of information. Come join in on this action packed web-ex presentation that will show you exactly where and more importantly how, you are losing 10's of thousands of $ in new business.

Fred Miller invites you to attend this informative and shocking on-line meeting.

Topic: Lost Leads
Date: Thursday, September 27, 2007
Time: 6:15 pm, Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -07:00, San Francisco )
Meeting Number: 575 343 635
Meeting Password: leads123

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the on-line meeting
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://intersolutionshome.webex.com/intersolutionshome/j.php?ED=99932847&UID=0
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: leads123
4. Click "Join".

In a high tech world, can a old fashioned letter be the ticket........

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:11:40 -0700

Aboslutely,

Join me for a short webex to learn one of the most successful marketing strategies of my 7 year career.

Also, if you have not used web-ex before, I will demonstrate how this awesome technology might benefit you as well.

Hello ,

Fred Miller invites you to attend this online meeting.

Topic: A few good tips
Date: Thursday, September 27, 2007
Time: 3:30 pm, Pacific Daylight Time (GMT -07:00, San Francisco )
Meeting Number: 570 952 162
Meeting Password: tips123

Please click the link below to see more information, or to join the meeting.

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://intersolutionshome.webex.com/intersolutionshome/j.php?ED=99929277&UID=0
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: tips123
4. Click "Join".

The evolution of search!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:48:27 -0700

I am fascinated when I hear people talk about search and how it is changing / or not changing our lives.

When someone says search, the first thing that pops into their minds today is Yahoo or Google.

Search is not a new concept though, it has been going on since the dawn of man, and especially when it comes to searching for homes.

What do you suppose the first thing an 18 year old homo erectus male did when his parents kicked him out of their cave?

This is what I think happened.

He first went out and searched for a new cave.

Once found, he probably began his search for some food. Then he searched for some wood to make a fire for warmth and cooking.

Once safe in his cave, warm and well fed, he probably became bored. He probably went in search of a mate, I am sure he was lonely.

After finding a mate, she probably wanted what all the other cave gals had, so he went out in search of a new fox coat ( fur for warmth and beauty )

As the little homo sapiens arrived, they needed to search for a larger cave, more food, more furs, more wood.

As food and furs became scarce, due to the size of the neighborhood, each new resident of the valley of caves needed to expand their search.

Have we changed all that much over the past several thousand years?

Perhaps.

Now we sit in our caves and have a Realtor search for our caves, we have delivery drivers deliver our food to our cave; we can search for a mate right from our cave, furs- no problem, delivered right to our cave. Heck, we don't ever have to leave our cave if you really thought about it. Well, we do have to check out our new cave.......

You know the more I think about it, not much has really changed in the past several thousand years when it comes to search.

Or has it?

I guess that really depends on which homo sapian you talk to.

"That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind!"

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:20:49 -0700

Sending a man to the moon in the 60's seemed like such a physical impossibility to many in our country. Many a brave sole stepped into a rocket-ship and took the "leap of faith" in order to promote the exploration of a new frontier. Armstrong, Glenn, and many other brave soles risked their lives for a worthy cause, simply because they could imagine a new world. When they got there and sent back photos to all of us here on earth, we were elated and amazed.

Now, lets be clear, I'm not risking my physical life here, but like Glenn, Armstrong, Aldrin, and the other crew members of Apollo 11, I have dedicated my life to helping others for the benefit of mankind. I have worked 90-100 hours a week and invested over $200K into a website designed specifically for the real estate industry to market their homes for free and to allow those that make their livings off of the home buyers and sellers a targeted, cost effective venue for reaching not only agents, but also active buyers and sellers within a well defined and highly targeted market area ( County ).

I am offering this site free to residential and commercial real estate agents, property managers, homeowners and vacation rental owners to allow them generate free buyer, seller and rental leads.

Please take a minute and give me your honest feedback. It is by watching the launch of our new site and seeing the efforts of a nation, that we may someday make a change so extraordinary, that we will look back in history and remember the brave soles that took the leap.

www.nationalrealestatepages.com

If you like the idea, pass it onto every real estate agent you know. If they like it, they may pass it on to their buyers and sellers and who knows, maybe we can all travel into a new frontier in real estate.

"One small step a for man, one giant leap for mankind!"

Business and resource planning

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:11:34 -0700

I could really use some advice on how to manage resources when I get to the top of Yahoo and Google in the organic search, I have tons of leads and when I drop out, I constantly have to cut back resources. Do I just make hay while the sun shines and let the overflow leads go and not worry about them or is there some way I can staff up and take full advantage of all the leads?

SEO advice needed!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:14:04 -0700

Does anyone know of a tool that allows someone doing their own SEO to identify how many prospects for a particular set of keywords are actually people looking to see their own position on Yahoo and Google.

How to get to the top 10 of Yahoo and Google!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:59:49 -0700

For many, this is the 64 million $ question. I would love to share with anyone interested in knowing how to do this for free. I am an ex top producing RE/MAX agent that has started an internet search company for Realtors. I might be able to assist a few struggling agents if you need help.

For those in doubt, type in the search terms "home mortgage rocklin" my goteamfred.com website is there.

New to Active Rain

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:38:04 -0700

Good Morning Bloggers, I joined AR on Tuesday and made a couple of posts and was surprised by how few of the 25,000 +/- members responded. I guess I don't fully understand how this works. How would someone that has a free internet listing site that provides direct leads to agents get the word out. Would love to hear it from the experts on AR.

Do you need more leads? Free - New Real Estate search engine!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:06:43 -0700

For anyone that is interested, there is a new real estate website that allows you to list your properties for sale for free and directs the buyer or seller directly to you. It is a new business model that is a cross between Craigslist and Realtor.com. The site is monetized by the service provider's ads that want to take advantage of the consumer traffic that the site will generate. This is a fantastic concept that creates a symbiotic relationship between the agents and the service providers that make a living off of the purchase and sale of a home. To list for free, go to http://www.nationalrealestatepages.com/ and click on list for free

IDX - Friend or Foe!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:49:52 -0700

Has anyone noticed that when you go to Yahoo and click on Real Estate, that Prudential has framed all the listings and is channeling them to a call center and selling those leads on our listings to their agents at a 35% fee! How in the world are agents supposed to compete with this type of business model. Would love to hear from someone on this.

I have been branding myself, my website, getting back to basics, doing farming, door knocking, and a host of other things that we keep being told will work. These are futile efforts to say the least.

I have over 300 clients that I stay in contact with consistently, but lets face it folks, very few people are buying homes today anywhere in this great country. Those that are looking to buy or sell surely will have difficulty finding one of our branded sites on Yahoo or Google. Is it just me, or are we being misled about IDX and how much it will help us.

Free advertising, you get all the leads!

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:13:04 -0700

For anyone that is interested, there is a new real estate website that allows you to list your properties for sale for free and directs the buyer or seller directly to you. It is a new business model that is a cross between Craigslist and Realtor.com. The site is monetized by the service providers ads that want to take advantage of the consumer traffic that the site will generate. This is a fantastic concept that creates a symbiotic relationship between the agents and the service providers that make a living off of the purchase and sale of a home. To list for free, go to www.nationalrealestatepages.com and click on list for free

A career in Real Estate

Fred Miller (National Real Estate Pages) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:19:59 -0700

I started my real estate career 7 years ago as a way to support my family. What I quickly learned was that the people I represented put 100% pf their trust in my ability to advise them in what is one of the largest financial decisions of their life. What an ominous responsibility this was, but one that I was determined to accept and excel at. Over the past 7 years, I have practiced real estate, researched the industry, the laws, the board rules and regulations, and the day to day interactions of my peers and the service providers that make a living off of purchase and sale of home. I have professionally represented over 300 clients and upheld my fiduciary to my industry.

Today, I am concerned over the future of the industry. I am not a fatalist that thinks that Realtors will be replaced by the Net, or one of those conspiracy theorist that believe that someone or some group is out to get us, however, based on my extensive industry research, I am convinced, that given the current state of client acquisition strategies being employed by real estate brokerages, billion $ multi-media conglomerates and dozens of independent internet marketing companies, including our own MLS boards and realtor.com (owned by Move Inc.) that the industry is headed for a consolidation of unimaginable proportion. I would love to share this knowledge with other real estate professionals that are concerned about their clients, their communities and our industry.

Thought for the day! How will independent real estate agents survive with large corporations, brokerages and regional MLS organization's current online marketing strategies? Would love to hear from you!

Fred