Renee's Blog

New Launch! Off-Campus Housing Website www.CampusHomesOnline.com

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:38:28 -0600

It's one of those conversations that leads to an idea. A client asked me if I knew of any listing websites to promote a home near Notre Dame. I didn't. So I came up with one. Months later we have www.CampusHomesOnline.com. With nearly 33,000 listings we are the premier off-campus student housing website. We feature all campus on one site. Nothing compares.

Students can:

Save their searches and receive daily listing updates when new properties become available that match their criteria

Text properties to their friends/family

View mileage to campus

View all campuses around the country in one spot

Listings are FREE for a limited time and will then be $29 per listing with subscription packages available.

One is no fun

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:55:32 -0500

Two is Better than One!

My|Assistant is growing! To better serve you, we have added to our Virtual Assistant team! Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Kukla to My|Assistant.

Jennifer has been in marketing and real estate for several years and has a mad passion for design and color. Painting is her love, and in her free time is pursuing a Fine Art degree. Before coming to My Assistant, Jennifer worked alongside some of the best in the business where she honed her desire to help people become more efficient in multiple facets of business. She loves creating new ways to get information out to targeted audiences. She has a keen eye for detail and uses that to create marketing materials that exemplify each person’s individual worth and/or a company’s collective value. She is reliable, organized, and upholds a strong ethical value in all things that she does.

Jennifer is now building her clientele and is accepting new clients. We will be working as a team to best assist our current and new clients!

My|Assistant is a solid Virtual Assistant company focused on helping your business flourish. We are formed from a strong will to succeed and a determination to make sure our clients do as well. We take our work personally and put every effort forth we can into creating the best possible product and service for our clients. My|Assistant welcomes the opportunity to help you take steps toward greater success.

Font-Tastic!

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:15:26 -0500

Tired of the same old fonts available in your programs? Then check out this fantastic list of cool, high-quality fonts from Smashing Magazine.

Need help installing a new font? You can find a tutorial at Microsoft’s website.

Or, if you prefer a totally custom font of your own handwriting, you can do a YouFont. Simply fill out the template, upload the file and then they create a font based on your own handwriting. It’s $13 – pretty cheap for a custom font! Plus, you don’t pay until you approve the font.

See a font you like but don’t know what font it is? Trying to mimic a corporate font? You can upload a file with the font here and find out what font it is.

From RSS to Email

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:13:49 -0500

Want to stay on top of your favorite blog or news feed but don’t want to keep checking your RSS feed or visiting their website? Not even sure what an RSS feed is? I like to have these posts automatically sent to my inbox so I don’t have to remember to visit any other websites – I’ve got enough to remember.

www.feedmyinbox.com is a service that allows you to enter the URL (web address) of any site and your email address and you will be sent an email on a daily basis when new posts are available. I use this for things like a Craigslist search. Craigslist doesn’t offer email notifications when a new item is for sale that matches my search criteria (say ‘couch’). So I go to Craigslist, do the search for a couch, then copy and paste the URL (http://southbend.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=couch) into www.feedmyinbox.com’s form. I enter my email address and I receive daily emails with new couches for sale on Craigslist. Keeps me from missing anything good. Try it with my website! Enter www.myassistantcan.com into feedmyinbox’s form and stay up to date with me!

Have any questions, please let me know

March Template Postcards

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:11:42 -0500

You get two choices this month! Template postcards are only .12 each and have no setup fee. Small changes to the back are fine. No minimums! Postcards will print the last week of March for April mailing.

Who Owns Your Website? You Do? Are You Sure?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:10:55 -0500

I can't say it enough:

OWN YOUR DOMAIN!
OWN YOUR WEBSITE!

Most people don't realize that when you hire a company to build/design your website, THEY OWN IT.

Why have someone else register your domain and have them own it? What happens if you want to take over the control? Is it easy to do? You better make sure it is.

Why pay a company thousands of dollars to design a website for you only to find out down the road that the content is not yours? The US Copyright office has determined that web designers are considered ‘authors' and even if you collaborate with your designer on content that it is the designer's property! So if you want to switch providers down the road, you might lose your site. They can and will sue you for your content.

Make sure you get it in writing that after payment, ownership if your website is to be transferred to you. Do not sign a contract stating anything else. You paid the money; you keep the website. It's your company brand.

Branding on Twitter

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:40:53 -0600

What's your purpose with Twitter use? Are you looking to expand your network and hopefully gain some new business? It should be. You should be finding new people to follow and hope they follow you back. If you are using Twitter to gain a 'following' then you need to consider expanding your branding to your Twitter background. When people are searching for new people to follow they may come arcross your profile. What your profile says about you will result in a follow or having them pass you up. You'll need to create a file (I used Publisher) and save it as a photo to then upload to Twitter. I'd be glad to help you create one if you need help.

Facebook Friend Status Updates RSS Feed

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:13:24 -0600

I can't get the time to log in to Facebook throughout the day but I want to know what my friends are up to. Logging in at the end of the day requires me to browse through perhaps 100 updates. I get lost. I get behind.

Well what did I find today?

Facebook provides an RSS feed for your friend statuses. This allows you to see all updates to Facebook without having to log in or keep Facebook open.

Log in to Facebook.
Click on ‘Friends'.
In the left-hand column you will find a ‘Subscribe to this feed' option.
Click on the link and you will be taken to the feed page.
Click on the subscription link and voila, you've got a feed.

Now how do you view your feed?

There are several ways but probably the easiest will be through Internet Explorer. You know how to access your favorites? That's how you get your feeds as well. Click on your little Favorites star and then click on the orange ‘Feeds' icon. That will display the feeds you are subscribed to. Click on the Facebook Status Feed and you will be taken to the list of all updates.

An Addiction to Lists

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:52:05 -0600

Lists make me happy. I like planning out goals I want to accomplish and things I want to do. Problem is, I'm addicted to lists. They are everywhere. And I can't find them. So, a lot of good they do me now, huh? Alas, the internet has come to my rescue! There are wonderful list-making, task prioritizing lists out there to help a list addict like me.

Ta Da Lists lets me keep track of all of my lists and prioritize them. An extra special feature for me is the ability to check off tasks and not have them disappear. One of the most fulfilling aspects for me of keeping lists is crossing them off. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment.

Cozi.com is a family calendar management tool that you can share with all members of your family. You can assign family members to tasks and set email reminders. Cozi also has a built-in list organizer but it isn't one that I felt especially fond of because I couldn't rename my lists. Probably one of the most unique aspects of Cozi is the ability to create a family journal. Had a really great family day? Want to jot down a particularly funny memory? Write it in your journal and everyone can save that memory for years to come.
Oh, did I mention both of these services are free? Take a few minutes to check them out and see if they might work for you.

Sitting Next to a Granola Bar

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:34:43 -0600

I went to my local grocery store for square orange cheese crackers. In particular I was looking for Cheese Nips because they were on insane sale.

Cracker isle. Found the Cheez-Its but where are the Cheese Nips????? Can't find them anywhere. But they're on sale. They must be around.

Cruise down the isle to the granola snack bars. Lo and Behold - there are the Cheese Nips. Why here???

This immediately gets my attention. Why in the world would Nabisco choose to put their square cheese cracker so far away from the other square cheese cracker? Why would they choose to put their cracker where the other crackers are not?

Now, this was like five days ago and I can't let it go. Something is significant here. Today, I think I figured it out.

Location, Location, Location!

You've heard it said before in real estate but it really is the best thing to consider in much of marketing, listings and otherwise. I don't like Cheese Nips as well as I like Cheez-Its. My guess is that most people agree with me or at least they recognize the red Cheez-Its box much faster than they recognize the orange Cheese Nips box. My guess is that Nabisco purposefully moved their product out of their competition's reach. Move it where there is no competition besides granola bars. The guilty indulgence may get the best of some people and they'll reach for the cheese crackers instead of the granola bars.

That's my theory.

What does it mean to you?

This can be applied to both listing marketing and agent marketing. If you can't get a house sold, what is the first thing you recommend to the seller? Price reduction. If you can't beat the competition, move away from it. Move away in price. Set yourself up with new competition. Sit next to a granola bar.

Same goes for agent marketing. Get out of Homes & Lifestyles and put yourself where the saturation is much more in your favor of getting seen. Where is that you say? Right now, it's in people. It's in social media. It's in getting yourself out there where the people are. It's about walking your neighborhood and talking to your neighbors. Ask for a referral. If you don't have the guts, get some. (psssst....you're in sales).Don't be afraid to move out of the cracker isle. (No, I didn't just call you a cracker). Hang out with some granola bars and you might find yourself with better exposure. At the very least, someone might start talking about you on some blog.

Create Your Own Animated Gifs

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:33:36 -0600

I get asked quite often to put animated graphics on websites. When I think of gifs (graphics interchange format) I think of dancing elves or cats licking their paws. I think of cheesy stuff. But now with great technology you can make your own classy gifs. At Picasion.com you can upload a series of photos with which you want to create an animated photo. For instance, I took a logo and saved it with one word missing, then two words missing, three words, and on until I was down to nothing. I uploaded each photo to Picasion.com and they generated a wonderful gif for me to use on a client's website.

Try it out and let your creativity flow. I'd love to see your results!

Add Social Media to Your 2009 Marketing Plan

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:31:00 -0600

Are you rolling in marketing dollars this year? If you're like a lot of companies you are forced to give a hard look to your marketing plan and rule out what is working and what is not. Here's what I'm hearing.

Not working:

Newspapers
Homes & Lifestyles
Open Houses

Working (in our area and across the country)

Websites
Postcards
Twilight Open Houses
Social Media Marketing

Social Media is the NEW internet. Have you heard of Web 2.0? That's what it refers to - social networking online. While we're in winter, let's not hibernate but amp up our marketing plans and pull new ideas into them.

Not sure how to get started with Social Media Marketing? It can be a bit overwhelming if you're just starting out. Here's an intro to a couple of the major social media sites. You will also want to check out this article by David Wilson, owner of Braveheart Design on why you need a social media presence. I'll work on pulling together more information on ActiveRain and Broker Social Network. Those are both real estate specific networking sites.

Twitter- a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real time. Basically, you create a profile, find people to ‘follow'. You get updates from them about what they are doing/thinking and vice versa. I've made 5 real life friends from Twitter and received quite a bit of paying business. I've also connected with other VAs and learned valuable tips. View my Twitter profile.

Facebook - Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet. You can also connect your outside blog (short for web log) to Facebook and your Facebook profile will automatically be updated with your new posts (are you blogging your listings yet? If not, winter is a great time to learn how). Visit my Facebook profile.

I offer training and profile set up for those who want to get started but don't want to do the set up.

FREE Microsoft Office Alternative

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:28:51 -0600

Microsoft Office is pretty much the norm in computer world. Microsoft has a monopoly. Until now. OpenOffice.org is a free alternative to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice is made up of 6 basic programs :

Writer - a word processor comparable to Word
Calc - a spreadsheet editor and creator comparable to Excel
Draw - a graphics editor similar to Publisher
Impress - a presentation program rival to PowerPoint
Base - database program comparable to Access

Already have an older version or Microsoft Office or at least have some files others have created in MS Office? The great thing about OpenOffice is that is can easily integrate MS Office's information into OpenOffice, meaning you can open MS Office docs in Open Office. If you are looking at purchasing MS Office, give OpenOffice.org a try? What do you have to lose? It's free!

Google & Page Rank Made Simple

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:27:42 -0600

Google's page rank system is virtually dead. Google is producing more sophisticated methods or ranking websites and are becoming better and better at weeding out dead sites. Sites that don't offer fresh content, sites that don't bring and retain visitors are going to suffer page rank. Google used to crawl sites by looking at the keywords in your website, finding other sites that linked to yours and ranking those sites as well in order to help determine the quality of your website. Now Google wants to see how others see your website.

Google is now going to be focusing on a deeper algorithm. It is no longer going to just track your hits each month but is going to take into account how long each visitor stays at your site. Say someone did a search and your site came up in the results. They click on your site and then quickly realize it's not what they were looking for of they just don't like your site and leave rather quickly. A person can bounce by:

clicking on a link to another site
typing in a new website
closing the browser window
remaining idle for too long, causing the analytics session to timeout
hitting the ‘back' button

Basically, Google wants to see that people like your site and want to stay there and look around.

How do you get people to stay on your site???

Videos
Record a video, upload it to YouTube, embed on your website. You want to try to keep your visitors around for a few minutes and have them check out other spots on your site while they are there.
Downloadable forms
Make clickable urls open in a new window, not in the same window
Sidebar widgets to entice visitors to look around your site (maybe Featured Listings if you're a Point2 member or real estate agent)
Blogs

Be prepared to revamp your website and to really take a leap onto the social networking bandwagon if you haven't already. It's a great way to share your website with the world, gain traffic, and make friends. If you don't have the time to blog, consider hiring a Virtual Assistant to help write your articles. Or, you could write them and your Virtual Assistant could post them all over the internet, driving traffic back to your site. Either way, now is the time to really consider getting involved before you lose

Create Your Own Animated Graphics for Your Website

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:58:58 -0600

Try it out and let your creativity flow. I'd love to see your results!

Add Social Media to Your 2009 Marketing Plan

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:55:39 -0600

Not working:

Newspapers
Homes & Lifestyles
Open Houses

Working (in our area and across the country)

Websites
Postcards
Twilight Open Houses
Social Media Marketing

What do you Heart the most?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:06:55 -0500

I need to know - what can't you live without in order to operate your business? What gets you going? Is it special software, hardware, tupperware? Tell me, please.

Here are some of my faves:

Publisher
Outlook
Constant Contact
istockphoto.com
ebay for toner
Dell 5110cn laser printer
HP Presentation 32lb glossy paper
Postlets.com
Craigslist
Overnight Prints for business cards
Google
Adobe Acrobat
Rapid Fax
AdAware
Pont2NLS

Harvest Time

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:21:34 -0500

It's harvest time - are you reaping a good crop? Yes, I'm talking about farming and want to focus on ways to farm in your own neighborhood. You are the agent that is most invested in the property values and quick sales of the homes in your neighborhood. Hopefully, no other agent knows your neighborhood better than you. Here are some ideas to get you started.

-Mail Holiday cards.

-Host a neighborhood garage sale.

-Hand out seasonal promotional items - walk your neighborhood to pass them out. (mini pumpkins, boxes of pencils, etc. - all with a card featuring a real estate theme)

-Take walks and talk to people.

-Need an ice breaker? Buy a box of popsicles and hand them out on a hot summer day to the kids playing (with their parents' permission first - this will get you talking to them).

Slow times are the best times to market and to get to know the people in your neighborhood. These times force us to focus on the much needed fertilizer that will grant us a good crop for years to come.

What is your favorite way to farm your own neighborhood? I'd love to hear your ideas.

How to Keep the Cobwebs From Your Listings

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:20:23 -0500

You want a fresh & clean listing that appeals to buyers. Here are some tips to keep your listing from looking like it's been sitting on the market:

Take the date off of the pictures. You may need to read your user's manual but for goodness sake - get them off. A fresh date is only fresh for a week. Then it's old.
Keep your pictures in tune with the season. I'm not even just referring to summer vs. winter. I mean, take spring, fall, etc. A listing someone is viewing in the fall still has a summer picture. Yes, the summer picture is nice but it immediately says "This house didn't sell even during the summer". Make a habit of going out 4 times a year AT LEAST and make a day out of taking all new pictures of all of your listings. No time? Hire someone.
Speaking of pictures, take good ones! Don't use your camera phone. Keep vertical lines straight so the house doesn't look crooked. If the incandescent lighting is overly yellow, use a photo editing program to fix it. Use a good pixel camera - nothing DOESN'T say 'home' like a grainy, yellow photo. Take a not-so-good photo? Fix it or find someone who can.
Remove outdated remarks, especially 'no showings until xx/xx/xxx'. Perhaps even if they don't want showings until a later date, don't list it until that date.
Wait until the house is clean and uncluttered to take pictures. Those are the pictures that will be syndicated to other websites (even if you don't do it yourself). Those are the pictures that go out to prospective buyers IMMEDIATELY when it's listed. Get the nice pictures first, then list the house.
Change the verbiage to match the season's desires. Play up football in the fall, baseball in the summer, etc. Appeal to the senses of the seasons. Buyers want to feel what it's like to live in the home - in every season.
Write descriptions under the photos on the MLS

These are all things you can do for cheap or free that can really enhance your buyer's experience and help get them into your listing. More tips? Please share!

Point 2 & Broker Reciprocity

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:18:48 -0500

I've had a few questions recently regarding the Point2 websites and their signature 'Handshakes' and how those apply to the rules of Broker Reciprocity. Broker Reciprocity is basically a program that is run by the MLS and that in which agents can select to participate or to not participate. It's a yes or a no option. In order to participate and use Broker Reciprocity you usually have to pay a fee and to agree to display other agents' listings in a very structured manner. Lots of disclaimers to display. Honestly, it's kind of scary.

With the Point 2 system, you load your own listings online; they are not harvested from the MLS automatically. You agree to allow agents (or not) to display your listings and you understand that your information will not be displayed except for a snippet at the bottom with at a minimum just your company name. There are no disclaimers. It's easy. Still, you may be cautious due to the number to times you have been warned about Broker Reciprocity and I understand your concerns.

Gary Walter, Executive Vice President of Southwestern Michigan Association of REALTORS, INC., explains SWMAOR's stance in more depth.

My understanding of Point 2 is the agent places their listings only on the site and then gives permission to other Point 2 users to display their listings on the other user's web sites. The MLS does not have any rules regarding where the Broker or their Agents send their listings or what information they decide to display for their own listings on the internet. As an agent, the only rules you need to follow for advertising your listings on the internet is your Broker's policies, the State Laws and the REALTORS Code of Ethics, Article 12.

The MLS only has Rules that apply to you if you participate in the MLS Broker Reciprocity program by displaying other Listing Office's active listings on your website.

Hope this helps to clarify and ease any hesitations you may have. Check with your local MLS if you still have concerns.

Widget Blidget Weeble Wobble

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:48:23 -0500

Fun words, huh, but not very descriptive. A widget used to mean a non-descript gadget and still does but with a web based application. A blidget is a combination of a blog and a widget. It enables you to create a widget (mini web application) that features snippets of your blog. This is a great addition to your website and gives viewers a sneak preview to what your blog is all about. Try it at Widgetbox.com. http://www.widgetbox.com/make_blidget.jsp

Marketing at 70mph

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:25:56 -0500

Being on vacation and in a city that is not my own has taught me a lot about how real estate agents market their listings and what works for me as a buyer. Calm down, I'm not purchasing but I am the public since I am not an agent. How do you make sure buyers can find you and your listings? Yard signs? Homes & Lifestyles ads? Those are good but you need to start thinking like someone who has never been to your area. Think like a foreigner. Use your vacation this year to get that feeling and try to figure out what you would do as a consumer to search for real estate. I've driven along I-80 in Salt Lake City and have seen huge banners strung across homes saying 'For Sale'. There's a phone number below it. But see, the problem is that I AM DRIVING 70MPH and can't really write down a phone number!! I drive by a listing and see a brokerage sign. Again, a phone number. Too many numbers. I pass on because I AM DRIVING! So, I go to my trusted friend, my computer, and do a Google search for 'Salt Lake City real estate'. I assume this is what a lot of buyers do, too. I picked the 2nd listing because it had the word 'Best' in the title. I did all of this without thinking about why I did it. I was not in analytical mode. I was in consumer mode. Here's what I want as a consumer. I want web addresses! I want an email address! I want simple and quick ways to get information on a listing on my own time, not during business hours. I'd like a website that's easy to remember and maybe a code to get me to the listing I just passed. Not a long 5 digit code but something I can remember without having to write it down. ListingDomains.com is one way to get me, the consumer, a short & simple way to access a listing's information and your webpage. Another way is through Point2. Create a professional account and create a unique domain for each of your listings.

No, I may not be buying immediately but you need to capture the buyers when they are non-committal mode. Turn them into buyers. It may take months but get them to your website and keep them there with a home search. Grab them while they still don't have a REALTOR. While you are on vacation this year, use the opportunity to think like a foreigner. Think like someone who knows nothing about real estate. Most importantly, think like someone who is driving 70mph.

FREE VA Marketing Pieces

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:53:47 -0500

Looking to get some marketing pieces out to your potential clients/current clients? I've designed these pieces and they are free for you to use. I can send you the files to edit yourself. #1) Flyer advertising my Postlets service. I also offer to customize this flyer for my customers to hand out to their sellers. Created in Word.

#2) Memo board services postcard to remind customers of some of the services I offer. You can customize with your own services on the post-its. Created in Publisher. 1/2 page.

FRONT/BACK

If you prefer to have me customize it for you I can do that as well for $7. Hope you get some use out of these.

Are you Twittering?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:13:10 -0500

I know. There are so many new programs/interfaces/networks popping up everyday and it's a daunting task to sort through them all. One of those new applications is Twitter. With Twitter, you can post what you are doing at any time throughout the day. My first thought was, "why would anyone care what I'm doing?" After giving it some thought I figured it could be a great way for me to subtly remind agents about what I could be doing for them as their VA. I am planning on posting the projects I am working on (without the customer's name of course). That way, an agent may think of hiring me for the same type of project or it may give them an idea. My second question was, "how could real estate agents use this app?" I can't think of any. Can you?

P.S. I've also added my Twitter to my website and blog.

What does your email address say about you?

Renee Crabtree (My Assistant) — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:34:54 -0500

What does your email address say about you? Does your email address end in 'yahoo.com', 'aol.com', 'comcast.net' or some other ISP ending? If you are using an email address linked to your internet service provider, then you are saying that you aren't taking your business as seriously as you could. I understand that using an email from your provider is easiest but it's not difficult to get a professional address. If you are using your ISP address then you seriously need to consider purchasing a domain name and email address to go along with it. It doesn't cost much (maybe $9-12/year) and will really help elevate your image from hobby REALTOR to full-time professional REALTOR. My suggestion, use your name (first@firstlast.com). It projects a very intentional image. See if your name is availabe. If you need help setting it up, let me know.

P.S. If you are using your broker's email address (remax.net; coldwellbanker.com; cressyeverett.com) then you may want to consider obtaining your own personal email address JUST IN CASE you ever switch companies. You still will want your clients to find you.