Recently, I discovered these two sites:  LifeAt & Fatdoor.  Both are related to the social-networking features that we enjoy on ActiveRain and could be beneficial to your clients.  They seem to be like Angie's List. but for real estate.

However, LifeAt & Fatdoor seem to be limited to certain cities.  Has anyone in those cities used these services?  If so, did it really make a difference after moving into your new community?  Did you learn more about your neighbors? the city? or just the pros & cons of your new residence?

The LifeAt "About Us" page states:

"LifeAt creates private, password protected websites for exclusive use by members of residential communities. Residents use LifeAt sites to communicate with neighbors; post classifieds; and rate and review local retailers, restaurants, & delivery services. Property managers and building developers use the sites to post news and updates for residents and to attract potential buyers and renters. The success of each site is fueled by the active participation of its membership."

The FatDoor "About Us" page states:

"fatdoor is a Community Network that allows you to get to know your neighbors. Looking for a golf buddy in your neighborhood? Perhaps looking to form a volunteer group in your community? Or, do you have a recommendation to share with your neighbors? Why wait? Discover new friends in the neighborhood on fatdoor!"

Are these sites helpful or competing with Home Owner Association websites?  How many HOA websites are interactive in your area?  As a home owner (or realtor researching area(s)), how much do you use your existing HOA website?

Could these sites grow as much as Angie's List which seems to be nation-wide?

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant

 

Hello,

How many of your clients are concerned about their potential Home Owner Association?  Do they view it as a friend or an enemy?  Do they base their buying habits on the HOA's guidelines? 

I have a friend who recently painted his home a terracotta color.  In the HOA guidelines, there were forms for building external sheds & fences but no criteria for the paint color.  Last week, a stranger took pictures of his house and he is worried he'll receive a notice from his HOA.

With my clients I always remind them to review all HOA documents.  When buying a new home, it is easy to be concerned with moving & decorating.  Reading a long document may not be their priority.  However, it is important that new home owners take the time to review it.

You don't want to get in a situation like my friend...not only does he have to worry about new complaints, but the painter he used was not apart of Angie's List.  The painter's crew used inappropriate tools to scrape the access paint off and ruined most of his windows.

Remind your new home owners that Angie's List provides discounts to members.  It is also a great resource for creditable painters, plumbers, etc.

 

Angie's List - Where thousands of consumers share their ratings on the local contractors and service companies they hire. Learn more.

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant

Have you heard of Brightcove???  I stumbled upon it this evening and HAD to blog about it!!  I've been trying to find new ways to market my services as a Real Estate Agent.  My focus has been on blogging, website content, and press releases - but look out world!  I've found BrightCove!  And you don't have to be a Real Estate Agent to use it!

Initially, BrightCove looks similar to YouTube.  However, BrightCove focuses on video "channels."  Meaning, website owners can place your video "channel" on their website if you approve it.  That means, you can become a video publisher and your videos could be placed on websites around the world!  Sort of like widgets.

What?  You don't want to make videos?  I don't either...but I've found a couple of friends who don't mind helping out being in front of a camera for 3 minutes.  As long as I create a brief presentation for them and have cue cards...they are good to go!  Also, I haven't purchased ANY professional video equipment...www.rocketboom.com has daily videos and they use amateur equipment (don't even ask me how much they make!).

Did I also mention that you can sell your videos ??? And you determine the price?  You can also include ads in the video "channel" you create too!  Ad revenue that comes back to you?

So, how does that not sound like a good deal????

Has anyone created a video "channel" yet?  Here are some tutorials.

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant

Hello,

I became a Squidoo Newbie this week!  Such strange language - lens, modules, SquidU!  I was curious to discover what Squidoo was all about, so I decided to join for free! 

Lens are like web pages - I like that name, "lens."  I thought it was a very creative name for potential clients to view information about me through a "lens."  Modules include connections to websites like: Amazon & Flickr.  Other modules include a Guest Book (my favorite), RSS Feeds, YouTube videos, and more!  SquidU is a section of the website where you can learn tips & tricks about Squidoo.

But the most interesting feature to me (besides the Guest Book), is the SquidOffers.  Has anyone used this service yet?  I haven't signed up for SquidOffers because I'm not sure I am reading this feature correctly.  It seems it is geared toward marketers as well as Squidoo's user base.  Instead of selling advertising space on their main pages, they have SquidOffers. 

I'm wondering if any Real Estate Agents have purchased SquidOffers and have received more web traffic that actually converted into new clients.  As of right now, I haven't had any traffic to my Squidoo page.  I have added more tag names but I know I will have to invest time in SquidU!

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant

Hello,

There was some concern from my previous post about the customer reach the free press release websites have.  I decided to do some research of my own to determine how many potential customers visit the websites on a short-term and long-term basis.  My findings are below:

http://www.theopenpress.com/

1 Week Average - 76,376

3 Month Average - 80,762

http://www.prleap.com/

1 Week Average - 23,799

3 Month Average - 16,810

http://www.prweb.com/

1 Week Average - 4,087

3 Month Average - 3,135

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant 

 

Hello,

This week, I have been working with a family who contacted me through my participation in a city type forum.  I encourage everyone to review these forums below.  Each one has regulations (like no advertising) but some do allow for a "Real Estate" logo by your name as well as a link back to your website address.  Be careful when posting to follow the regulations as they do monitor the posts on a daily basis.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/

Forums include:

Cityscapes and skyline photos - if you are interested in showing off your city
Citytalk and Urban Issues - city development, discussing specific city issues, city life or urbanity

http://www.city-data.com - forums for each city, provides for a "Real Estate" logo, relocating information, no advertising

http://www.dslreports.com/forums/22 - I've seen relocating questions here

About.com also has forums such as:
http://kansascity.about.com/mpboards.htm

http://www.topix.com/

You might also google for county forums.  There might be some available for the counties you work in.

Enjoy,

Ronda Marchant

 

For those of you that don't know about http://www.zillow.com/, it is a website that focuses on estimating home values.  Some of my homes listed are close to their "Zestimates" while others are not.  I currently have one of their banners listed on my website but I am hesitant to do so. 

Have any of you experienced a home buyer who has used their service and believes the value of the home to be less than what the home appraisal was?  How do you explain the differences between the two?

Now, one service I really like about http://www.zillow.com/, is the Home Q&A.  What is Home Q&A?  Anyone in the community can ask questions about the home available and Real Estate Agents can answer the questions.  Buyers can search for local homes via zip codes, city, state, or actual street address.

You can have a profile on http://www.zillow.com/ with your photo, phone, fax, office address, and website information.  Check it out!  You might be pleasantly surprised!

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant, Realty Executives

 

Hello,

Looking for a fun, fresh website?  Tired of a single page with no interaction?  Websites are no longer one-way anymore.

Users enjoy:

• Videos
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• Forums
• Chat
• RSS Reader
• Recognition for participation
• Private Messaging with other users
• Comments

All this, too good to be true?  Not at all.  BIG names are checking out Community Server software for their own benefits.

For a $400.00 investment and somewhere to host it, all these features (although only Chat is extra) can be used to promote and build your own community.  And if you are savvy enough, you might get a return on investment with ad revenue.

Also, if your Realtor listings are like mine...there shouldn't be any problems routing more traffic to your new updated website!

Community Server has just released the Community Server 2007 software.  It allows non-technical users to customize it too!

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant

Has anyone researched using press releases to advertise special promotions?  One such press release I have found is related to my local community:

Realty Executives International Gives Top Honors to Kansas Real Estate Brokers

Some press releases I'm thinking about creating are:

• Buyer's Guide - For First Home Buyers
• Buyer's Guide - For Flippers
• Extreme Sellers
• Buyer's Guide - Kansas City Area

My website allows for embedded video but I haven't utilized the features yet.  But I'm all for generating more traffic to my website.

Some additional free press websites are:

• www.prweb.com
• www.prleap.com

Has anyone used these free services and received additional traffic to their websites?

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant, Realty Executives

 

Do many of you have your own websites like I do?  Do you completely rely on your hosting provider or consultant to make changes to your website?

How costly is it per month for you?  I was paying $80 per month for my http://www.rondamarchant.com/, however; I have recently switched hosting providers.  I've also been clued into a great resource for Real Estate Webmasters.

Some things are over my head, but others are very informative and have given me more ideas for my website.

Let me know what you think after reviewing their forum.

Thanks,

Ronda Marchant, Realty Executives