Ruth Ann Macklin,'s Blog

Advanced Twitter Tips and Tricks For Real Estate

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:19:29 -0500

Now that you have learned the basics of tweeting on Twitter, Why Tweeting On Twitter Is Good For Your Real Estate Business, its time to learn about some of the not so obvious features to make your tweeting life easier.

1. Advanced search.

Twitter likes to hide some of its best features, such as the ‘Advanced Search'. Scroll down to the bottom of any Twitter.com page. Click on ‘Search' then click on ‘Advanced Search'. Here you can search specific people, date ranges, places and phrases.

2. Tweet by texting.

Twitter limited tweets to 140 characters so they could be sent as a short message text service (S.M.S.). When you login, go to ‘Settings', then ‘Devices' and add your phone. The Twitter interface will add buttons next to each user you follow so you can turn update on or off. You'll want to use this feature sparingly so you don't run up your bill.

You can tweet form your phone by texting a message to 40404.

3. Twitter/Facebook integration.

If you use both Twitter and Facebook, You can add only one status update and have it go to both networks. Go to Twitter.com/widgets/facebook and click on ‘Install Twitter in Facebook' and work your way through the configuration.

This will work in both directions, but it is a good idea to send your tweet to Facebook. It takes fewer steps and you know you are within your 140 character limit.

4. Favorites.

Want to save a tweet? Mouse over it and a star-shaped icon appears. Click the icon and it will link to Favorites on your Home page.

5. Share photos.

You can't send photos, but you can send a URL for a photo hosted on a website. TwitPic will store your photos and create the URL. Go to TwitPic.com, use your Twitter user name and password and upload your photos. Share your photo by going to the photo page on TwitPic and tweeting from there.

6. Desktop apps.

Instead of going to Twitter.com to send tweets, you can use a desktop app which is more like using AOL Instant Messenger.

For Windows users, Digsby displays Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and your email accounts in a long, tall window. Mac users will want Twitterrific.

TweetDeck works on Windows and Macs and displays in multiple columns.

7. Phone apps.

There are numerous apps for smartphones. Try Twitterberry for Blackberry devices and Tweetie for iPhones. These applications make it easy to post photos from your phone.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Learn how a Real Estate Virtual Assistant can change your life!

Why Tweeting On Twitter Is Good For Your Real Estate Business

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:42:00 -0500

"Why is Tweeting on Twitter good for your real estate business?" you ask. Because that is where the people are!! Twittermania began last month when Oprah ‘tweeted' for the first time. For the week ending May 9, HitWise ranked Twitter.com as the #6 social networking website. All those young ‘20 and 30 somethings' who are first time home buyers hang out there. Like all buyers, they want to know you and trust you before they do business with you.

The next question most people ask is, "What is Twitter?" Twitter is a micro-blog that allows posts of no more than 140 characters. As with other social networking sites, Twitter is not the place to sell, sell, sell and jam real estate down people throats, but a place to be yourself, be real and let people get to know you. Can you slip real estate in there once in awhile, sure, but don't make it all about real estate. Camouflage your business related info and have some fun.

So how do you get started? Below is a Beginners Guide to Twitter to help you out:

1. Sign up.

Go to Twitter.com, click on the large green button that says, ‘Get Started - Join!'

Enter your name, user name, password and email address. Pick a user name that isn't too cutsey. You want people to know who you are, but using your real name is better than sellyourhomefast.

2. Send your first tweet.

When you log in you will see a large box in the top left corner that says, "What Are You Doing?" Type anything you want here but don't go over 140 characters.

3. Settings.

Click on? Settings in the top right corner and personalize your account. Add your photo and other information about yourself.

4. Find people.

Search Twitter for your friends, invite other to join, and check to see if friends from other email services have a Twitter account.

5. Follow users.

You choose who you want to follow. Click on the user's photo or name to go to that person's page. There is a list of suggested users to get you started.

6. Protect your updates.

You can protect your updates by only allowing people you approve to follow you. It is a good idea not to put anything on the Internet you don't want your Mother to know about.

7. Search.

Click on the ‘Search' button at the bottom of your screen to search all tweets on Twitter like you search on Google. You can also bookmark search.twitter.com.

8. Notices.

Twitter can remind you if you haven't tweeted in less than 24 hours, email you when someone starts following you, and email you when you receive a direct message (private message just to you).

9. Apps.

There are numerous Twitter applications so you can easily find out what your friends are doing. TweetDeck puts a widget on your desktop so you can follow tweets without logging in. It shows you everything you want to see all at once. There are lots more you will want to check out.

Consider jumping on the bandwagon and being where the action is. My user name is ruthannmacklin...I'd love you to follow me!

Don't have time to set up a Twitter account? Contact me at info@myreassistant.com. As your real estate virtual assistant, I'm glad to do it for you!

4th Quarter Foreclosure Statistics Reported by Certified Distressed Property Institute (CDPE)

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:14:48 -0500

Alex Charfan of the Certified Distressed Property Institute (CDPE) reported on the 4th Quarter (2008)foreclosure statistics put out by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Take a look at the numbers:

All Mortgages
3.30% in Foreclosure
7.88% in Default (30+ days late)
11.18% Total in Default

Prime Mortgages
1.88% in Foreclosure
5.06% in Default (30+ days late)
6.94% Total in Default

Subprime Mortgages
13.71% in Foreclosure
21.88% in Default (30+ days late)
35.59% Total in Default

FHA Mortgages
2.43% in Foreclosure
13.73% in Default (30+ days late)
16.16% Total in Default

VA Mortgages
1.66% in Foreclosure
7.52% in Default (30+ days late)
9.18% Total in Default

Note the dramatic difference between the number of homeowners who are actually in the foreclosure process compared to those who are 30 days or more late in payments. The FHA figures jump from 2.43 % in foreclosure to 13.73% in default...an 11% increase. The VA figures increase 6%, Subprime...11%. These numbers are a strong indication that the foreclosure crisis is going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

If you are continuing to shy away from working with homeowners in distress and short sales, you may want to reconsider. This segment of the market will be with us for quite awhile. The good news for Realtors is Fannie May has instructed their servicers NOT to negotiate your commissions up to 6%.

If you need help building and managing your short sale business, a real estate virtual assistant can help. My Team and I have earned our CDPE designations so we have the background necessary to support you. Take a look at our Short Sales In A Box and give us a call...we're glad to help!!

10 Low Cost Steps To Jump Start Your Short Sale Business

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:17:57 -0500

You wouldn't be alone if you have been apprehensive of pre-foreclosure listings and short sales. These transactions are very often a long and drawn out process and are a ‘bear' to close! You also wouldn't be alone if your apprehension has given way to acceptance of a necessary evil or maybe even grown into embracing the opportunity to help families facing extreme financial distress. Wherever your thought process is, pre-foreclosures and short sales have become a part of mainstream real estate. Currently, 1 out of 10 homeowners is in some stage of the foreclosure process. Foreclosures are at an all time high and are expected to get even higher.

This being the case, how do you start to grow your pre-foreclosure and short sale business? Below are 10 low cost steps to jump start this new facet of your business:

1. Brand your short sale business.

Branding is developing a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials. It is a look and a feel that the consumer will associate with you when they see your marketing pieces. This concept is not new to many real estate professionals. We have heard about branding for years. Branding your distressed property business is just as important as the branding of your real estate practice as a whole. Quality Images for your marketing materials can be found on 123RF.com or IstockPhoto.com for just a few dollars per image.

2. Register a domain name.

Part of branding is the use of a keyword rich domain name to use on your marketing. One of the best keywords to use in real estate marketing is the name of your city or town. Combine your city or town name with words the consumer will use when searching for information about short sales, such as foreclosure or short sale. A couple of examples are: www.stopatlantaforeclosures.com or www.atlantashortsales.com. You can register a domain name at GoDaddy for less than $10 per year.

3. Create a short sale website.

Homeowners facing foreclosure are in desperate need of information. Most don't realize there are options other than foreclosure. Create a short sale website that provides information in layman terms, explaining their options and how you can help. And don't forget to include a call to action. A cost effective website option is a Standard Point2Agent website. You get 15 pages with the first three months free and then only $9.95 per month. A good example is ShortSalesCentralNJ.com. Another option is to create an additional page on your current website dedicated to short sales and foreclosures and point your short sale domain name to it.

4. Create a short sale business card.

Having a separate business card isn't necessary. Utilize the back of your current business card to promote your short sale business and let the world know you are a short sale expert. Be sure to include your new short sale domain name.

5. Place an ad on CraigsList.

Being free, Craigs List is one of the most cost effective marketing tools available. Place your ad under Real Estate Services for your area. If you haven't used the ‘Services section of Craigs List, there are additional hoops to jump through before you can post. You are required to provide a phone number associated with your ad. Craigs List then calls and verifies the number. There are any number of ways to create your ad, but one to consider is using Vflyer.com, which creates the code necessary for an HTML ad. Free personal accounts are available.

6. Write a press release.

Submit a press release about how you can help families in distress avoid foreclosure. Highlight any designation you have earned or additional training you have taken. Your local newspaper will print a press release for free and there are numerous online options, such as Free-Press-Release.com, PRlog.org and PressRelease365.com.

7. Advertise in local print media.

Your local newspaper and real estate magazines aren't as cost effective as online marketing, but it will set you apart from the crowd. Consider both classified ads and display ads.

8. Utilize social networks.

Blog about your short sale business and add it to Face Book. Put it on My Space, Linked In, and Active Rain and be sure to tweet about it on Twitter.

9. Send an introduction letter, email or postcard to your database.

Get the word out with a letter, email or postcard to your database informing them of how you can help families facing foreclosure. They may know you are a real estate professional, but they need to know of your expertise in the area of short sales and avoiding foreclosure.

10. Call your sphere of influence.

Last, but certainly not least, do what real estate professionals dread the most. Pick up the phone and call your sphere of influence. Sharing how you can save families from foreclosure is a great reason to call old friends and clients, as well as an excellent way to generate business. These days, most everyone knows someone struggling with making mortgage payments.

My team of Marketing Specialists and Transaction Coordinators have earned the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, making us uniquely qualified to assist you with growing and managing your pre-foreclosure and short sale business. We can create your website and marketing materials, call your sphere of influence, manage your listings and coordinate your closings. Check out our Short Sales In A Box...a turnkey solution to building and managing your distressed property and short sale business.

For more information on how we can help visit myREassistant.com or call 757.271.6047.

Recent Foreclosure Statistics From Certified Distressed Property Institute

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:37:19 -0600

The Certified Distressed Property Institute (CDPE) has just reported the most recent distressed property statistics form the Mortgage Bankers Association and I'll tell you folks, "they ain't pretty!"

The statistics below are based on 45,000,000 mortgages for the 3^rd quarter of 2008:

All Mortgages:
            2.97% are in foreclosure
            6.99% are in default
            9.96% total in default

Prime Mortgages:
            1.58% in foreclosure
            4.34% in default
          5.92 total in default

Sub-Prime Mortgages:
          12.55% in foreclosure
             20.02% in default
            32.57% total in default

FHA Mortgages:
           2.32% in foreclosure
             12.92% in default
            32.57% in default

VA Mortgages:
          1.46% in foreclosure
            7.28% n default
         8.74 total in default

As you can see, 10% of all mortgages were in default. Not just subprime mortgages but all mortgages! A number that has doubled since January 2007. These numbers are not only overwhelming, but also heart breaking knowing they represent 4.5 million families in crisis.

The real estate industry has the ability to help these families avoid foreclosure and regain stability in their lives. Most families in distress don't know they have options and think foreclosure in inevitable once they get behind on mortgage payments. CDPE training provides you with the tools you need to assist families in distress. As real estate virtual assistant who is CDPE certified, I can assist you with implementing the tools CDPE provides, growing your distressed property business, marketing distressed property listings and progressing to a successful closing.

Give me a call. I'd like to work with you helping families in need.

NOW Virtual Assistance for CDPEs (Certified Distressed Property Expert)

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:57:58 -0600

First let me say, if you haven't taken the Certified Distressed Property Institute (CDPE) course, you are missing out. This is an invaluable course, teaching you how to identify/qualify distressed property owners, effectively negotiate with the lender, getting to a successful closing.

Until I took the course, I thought the foreclosure problem was at its peak and the worst was over. This couldn't be further from the truth. 2.97% of homeowners are in foreclosure and another 6.99% are in default, meaning they are behind on payments but not in the foreclosure process yet. When I realized the foreclosure crisis is not going away any time soon, I knew it was time for my Team to earn our CDPE designations and offer virtual assistant services to CDPE designees.

We have put systems in place to help CDPEs with:

building a distressed property business
servicing distressed property listings
assembling your short sale package
and coordinating a successful closing

The primary goal of a CDPE is to help a homeowner avoid foreclosure and move forward with their lives. We believe so strongly is this goal that we are limiting our distressed property services to CDPEs only. This way we know we are all on the same page and are working toward the primary goal of helping those in distress.

If you are a CDPE in need of support services in building your business and assisting homeowners, visit our website, myREassistant.com or give us a call, 757-271-6047.

Real Estate Virtual Assistant: 10 Steps To Successful & Profitable Websites

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:46:23 -0500

10 website "must-haves" needed to ensure success a successful and profitable website.

With 78% of home buyers starting their home search on the Internet, real estate professionals have embraced websites and an Internet presence in a big way. Let's face it, you need to be where the consumers are and that means the Internet.

But how many of the hundreds of thousands of real estate websites actually bring in business and generate income. I don't have statistics, but my gut, along with discussions with agents I come into contact with as a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, tells me not many.

Rismedia.com published a great article about the 10 website "must-haves" needed to ensure success a successful and profitable website. I have included these 'must-haves' along with insights of my own:

1. Remember: There Is But One True Goal - Sales

If you have, or are planning to create a website, it is essential that you keep in mind that the only goal of a website, ultimately, is sales. Don't get caught up in the vanity or technology surrounding websites (which is all too easy to do). Make sure everything on your real estate website is oriented toward your "One True Goal."

In the early days of the Internet, websites were no more than an on-line business card with attention focused on the agent. We have learned the consumer doesn't care about 'you.' He cares about 'what is in it for me.' Today's websites need to give the consumer what he wants and what he wants is to look at homes.

2. Prioritize Lead Capture

If the "One True Goal" is sales, then focus on capturing leads. Don't waste your time (or the time of your visitors) on other objectives. Make sure your website includes calls-to-action and offers that will result in hard leads-on every page.

Call to action 'buttons' are much more effective than words. But your call to action on a highly visible button and make it the first thing the consumer sees.

3. Create a Meaningful Brand

Your name is your brand. Protect it at all costs. The goal of any brand is to ensure that it equates with a "value proposition" that is meaningful to your prospective buyer or seller. Make sure that your brand-i.e. your name-is clearly associated with attributes that will be valuable to your website visitor. (Suggestion: It's worth taking a pencil and paper and writing down what you think your value proposition is or should be.)

4. Keep Your Site Fresh

Keeping the content of your website fresh is important. Fresh content is more interesting to visitors and to search engines. Set aside a specific time and day, each week, to review and maintain your website's content and structure. Make changes accordingly.

One alternative to the customary website is a Blog. Blogs utilize Web 2.0 technology. They are cost effective with free platforms such as Typepad and WordPress. Content can be updated easily and they are search engine magnets.

5. Use IDX and Syndication

Again, if the goal is sales, the only way to achieve that is by helping your website visitor get access to any listing of interest and by making your own listings known far and wide. To achieve the former, make sure your website incorporates an IDX solution-not just framed access to the local MLS listings-but an IDX that truly adds value to your visitors' searching. To advance your own listings, syndicate all your listings with Internet real estate marketplaces like Google Base, Trulia®, and Zillow®. It's free, so what do you have to lose?

6. Create an Environment of Trust and Confidence

Capturing leads, and getting sales, depends on your visitor having trust and confidence in you. Your website will be the first chance your visitor has to find that. Make sure your website is accurate, informed, and useful. Make sure you include information about yourself that will help visitors identify with you and understand your values.

7. Use Specific Key Words for Optimal Search Engine Rankings

Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN are a source of free leads. Search engines do their best to ensure that people looking for information find what they need. You have to do your part. Do not water down your content with useless, generic terms or broad-brush terms like "real estate" or "home buyers." If you want to be found, use specific and relevant terms like "Chicago Real Estate" or "Philadelphia Condos" or "Walnut Street Homes" to help the search engines get you placed better and more appropriately in their listings.

Use tools such as Keyword Discovery to determine the most searched keywords in your market. Usually, the most searched keyword is your area name + real estate. Example: Virginia Beach Real Estate, Huntsville Real Estate, Bergen County NJ Real Estate.

8. Make Sure Your Site is User-Friendly

Like with you, a website visitor's time is money. Don't waste it. When someone visits your website, make it easy for them to find what they're looking for. This means that most of your content should be visible or accessible from the home page. It also means that you will offer information that is relevant and useful to the prospective buyer or seller. If you do not, if you waste their time, you won't get a second chance - they're outta there.

Keep it simple. Don't get caught up in technical real estate jargon. Write your content like you were talking with someone who knows absolutely nothing about real estate in your area.

9. Don't Post Bad Content

Not only does bad content waste the time of your visitor, it kills trust and confidence in you, confuses search engines, and reflects poorly on your brand. Likewise, old content is stale, uninteresting content. While most websites come with pre-packaged content of some sort, make sure you take the time to edit it and augment it with local information and comment that will make it truly useful. Freshen up your site's content regularly and always be on the lookout for tidbits of information that might be useful to your real estate website visitor.

10. Focus on Your Goals - Not Your Competitor's

Lastly, keep your focus on your website. Do not get distracted by the bells, whistles, or glitz of the website from the agent down the street. Simply because another agent has a site with really cool gadgets, doesn't mean it serves the 'One True Goal.' Stay focused on the results of your website. Your goal is to ensure that it works. If you ensure that you adhere to the first nine must-have's, then the 10th won't be necessary, and you will certainly arrive at the utopia of successful Internet marketing.

Need help with your website, adding content, creating call to action buttons, setting up a Blog or ghost writing? As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, I have experience in these areas and am glad to help. Give me a call at 757-271-6047 or email me at Info@myReassistant.com.

Real Estate Virtual Assistant: Do You Know The Neighborhood Drive Score

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:54:15 -0500

It was brought to my attention by a reader of my Walk Score post, that Drive Score is also available. Drive Score shows a map of what establishments are in a property's neighborhood and calculates a Drive Score based on the number of places within a convenient driving distance. With Drive Score, buyers can see how close establishments are by car. Homes are often located in an area where restaurants, libraries, grocery stores, hospitals and other businesses are easier to get to by car than on foot.

The greater number of businesses nearby, the higher the Drive Score. It is really very important for home buyers to be aware of nearby infrastructure to make their choice. This option will enable home buyers make searches with much more confidence. Directions are available by clicking on any icon shown on the map.

Drive Score does disclose that it is just an approximation of a convenient driving to places in your neighborhood.

Similar to Walk Score, Drive Score offers a widget to place on your website or blog. Just more information you can offer the consumer, encouraging them to return to your website again and again.

Real Estate Virtual Assistant: WalkScore Rates Neighborhood Walkability

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:40:39 -0500

It has been awhile since I first told you about WalkScore.com. This is a fun website that helps people find walkable places to live. You type in any address and Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby - stores, movie theaters, parks, restaurants, schools and more. It then calculates a Walk Score (or 'walkability') from 0 to 100.

The reason I bring up WalkScore.com again is because of an article on Inman.com the other day talking about this website. With gas prices surging over $4.00 a gallon, the 'walkabilty' of a neighborhood has renewed interest to home buyers.

From Inman: "WalkScore.com was developed up by Seattle-based, environmentally and socially conscious "civic software" developer Front Seat, which hopes people will use the site to find homes and apartments in 'walkable' neighborhoods.

Front Seat is making a Walk Score tile available to real estate professionals -- or anybody else who wants to embed the tool in their Web sites -- that's been embraced by sites like postlets.com and is now generating 100,000 views a month.

Walk Score looks at the distance to 'walkable' locations near an address, calculates a score for each location, and combines all of the scores into a single measurement. Lerner said research shows that the average person is willing to walk less than a quarter mile to destinations they visit frequently, such as a grocery store.

A Walk Score of 25 or less means you'll probably need to get in the car to take care of the smallest errand, while a Walk Score in the 90 to 100 range indicates a "walker's paradise" where just about everything is in walking distance and many residents get by without owning a car.

What makes a neighborhood 'walkable'?

According to WalkScore, 'walkable' communities tend to have the following characteristics:

A center: 'Walkable' neighborhoods have a discernable center, whether it's a shopping district, a main street, or a public space.
Density: The neighborhood is dense enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to be cost effective.
Mixed income, mixed use: Housing is provided for everyone who works in the neighborhood: young and old, singles and families, rich and poor. Businesses and residences are located near each other.
Parks and public space: There are plenty of public places to gather and play.
Accessibility: The neighborhood is accessible to everyone and has wheelchair access, plenty of benches with shade, sidewalks on all streets, etc.
Well connected, speed controlled streets: Streets form a connected grid that improves traffic by providing many routes to any destination. Streets are narrow to control speed, and shaded by trees to protect pedestrians.
Pedestrian-centric design: Buildings are placed close to the street to cater to foot traffic, with parking lots relegated to the back.
Close schools and workplaces: Schools and workplaces are close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.

WalkScore offers a widget or real estate tile for your website or blog which allows visitors to compare the 'walkabilty' of properties and see a map of what is nearby. With gas prices being top of mind for most Americans these days, having this information on your website or blog will probably bring visitors back again and again.

The Lazy Realtors Way to Effective Communication

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:55:29 -0500

Branching Out offers a custom weekly drip campaign service.

Real estate is all about relationships. It seems we have a never ending challenge to communicate in a meaningful way with our clients and prospective clients. Providing real estate information is the easy part. It is constantly communicating on a more human level and allowing others to see us as real people and not just as a name on a website, that becomes challenging.

You may be familiar with the former service, Monday Morning Coffee, which provided weekly inspirational articles that could be added to your website or blog. The articles were always uplifting and positive...a great way to start out the week. They weren't too long, just a couple of paragraphs, which encouraged readership. When I was actively selling, my clients loved getting their weekly Monday Morning Coffee email and let me know if I missed sending it one week.

Unfortunately, the MMC people retired, but there is a new service, Branching Out from MyWordTree.com. Branching Out offers a custom weekly drip campaign service that provides you with a new article to send out to your email contacts every Monday morning, and also includes a custom-designed webpage that gives you the ability to add a personal message to each week's article.

You have a choice of themes for your weekly articles.

General - Weekly thoughts to help inspire and add a smile to your day.

Faith - Weekly scripture meditations based on the Lectionary calendar.

Real Estate - Weekly thoughts about Real Estate.

Your weekly articles can be copy/pasted into your website or blog, sent as a link or accessed by a button to your website.

The best part is that you can take advantage of this service for $129 a year - that's less than $3 a week.

As a special offer during the month of June, you can get a discount off of their already low price.

When signing up for Branching Out through their website, MyWordTree.com, enter the promotional code "PROMO1" and you will receive an additional thirty dollars off of your annual subscription.

With this discount, you receive your full year-long custom drip campaign service for only $99 - less than $2 a week.

If you are ready to take advantage of this special offer you can sign up today, click here.

You can also sign up for their FREE monthly electronic newsletter, click here.

Branching Out is a wonderful service! I hope you will check it out!

Is Your Email Signature Memorable?

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:18:40 -0500

As a real estate professional, your email signature is as important as your business card. It may even be more important, if you think about how many emails you send in a day compared to how many business cards you hand out.

You probably wouldn't hand out a plain white business card with simple black lettering...no color, no logo, no photo. And you shouldn't send a plain email signature...no color, no logo, no photo.

If your email signature needs a little help, you might be interested in this new product I came across last week...eCards being offered at www.EmailIdeas.com.

eCards are an electronic business card that goes in your Email. It contains links to any websites you wish, and your contact information. The site has loads of free templates or you can customize for a price.

Additional features of eCards include:

• Statistics on link traffic

• Personalize your email

• Promote your TextMe or RealPing

The eCards are eye catching and you sure can't beat the price.

As a real estate virtual assistant, I like to tell you any down side I see. When I tested the links for any of the samples on the EmailIdeas.com website, they worlked just fine. A friend of mine sent me an email with an eCard in it and the links opened another window with the following text:

You have reached this page because some email programs (e.g. Outlook 2007) do not supply full support standard HTML. Please click the link below to continue...

I opened the email and links in Outlook 2003, so this may be something you might want to ask about before using the product.

Except for the above glitch...which hopefully can be overcome...eCards look like a nifty product giving you a memorable email signature without breaking the bank.

Need help implementing this idea into your real estate practice? As a real estate virtual assistant, I'm glad to help. give me a call at 757-271-6047 or visit my website, www.myREassistant.com.

Im Mad As Hell-You Will Be Too When You Read About Vlad Zablotskyy and ePerks

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:48:24 -0500

First, let me say that I am a fairly low key person. It takes a lot to get me riled up. I also don't get wrapped up in what is going on in the real estate blogosphere and pretty much just do my own thing.

Reading a blog post today by Mary McKnight of rsspieces.com, telling the saga of real estate blogger, Vlad Zablotskyy, being sued by ePerks got me riled up. The more I read, riled up turned to mad as hell...and I hope it does the same to you!

The first thing that gets your attention in Mary's post is her offer to give a free Blog to anyone writing a blog post in support of Vlad. This is another whole story, so visit Mary's blog for details.

Back to this story...Mary's offer for a free Blog got my attention, but not enough to actually write in support of Vlad. As I said, I pretty much do my own thing. But it did get my attention enough to start reading.

ePerks is a 3^rd party lead generation website. Real estate professionals buy a zip code for a monthly fee, get the leads generated from that zip code and then pay ePerks a referral fee when a closing takes place. ePerks rebates a percentage of the referral fee to the buyer/seller lead and pockets the rest. Nothing new, we have all seen this scam...I mean scheme (you get the picture) before!

As a startup, ePerks paid real estate bloggers to write about nice things about them. There are those who think this is an underhanded tactic. I happen to think it is an interesting marketing tool and this didn't bother me at all.

Read: Real estate rebates and referrals with a twist

Vlad's article generated much attention and comments from real estate professionals, some had positive experiences with ePerks, others did not.

Vlad then wrote a follow-up article in response to reader comments questioning what type of company ePerks really is.

Read: ePerks- A Scam or A Gem?

Then, as they say, the shit hit the fan.

When you read the post in question, there is no slander involved. Just a blogger giving his opinion in response to his readers, which unless there has been a change in the constitution I don't know about, Vlad has the right of free speech.

I am not going to get into the details. They are included in the following articles:

Get the story: ePerks Sues Real Estate Blogger, Blogosphere Unites to Destroy the ePerks Brand

Read also: Eperks: How to kill a startup

Too make a long story short, Vlad was presented with a cease and desist letter, has been personally attacked and called a child molester and is now being sued. I never heard of Vlad Zablotskyy until today, but anyone who is being slandered and sued for exercising his right to freedom of speech deserves my support...especially if he belongs to the real estate community.

Gregg Swann, BloodHoundRealty, has set up a legal defense fund for Vlad. Clicking on the 'Donate' button is helping to defend, not only Vlad, but all of us!

Support Vlad Zablotskyy's Defense Fund
Defend your own right to free speech!

This entire story is despicable, highlighting the worst of the Internet. I encourage everyone to talkabout it, write about it, get angry about it and demonstrate to ePerks the best of the Internet...the banning together of the real estate community in support of their own.

For me, the story doesn't end here. While reading about Vlad and ePerks, I saw a video ePerks has on YouTube, advertising the ePerks website.

Of the 34 comments on YouTube, 33 thought this video to be funny. I don't think it is funny at all...it is vile, crass, disgusting, repugnant, and an insult to the very community ePerks' business model is dependent on...real estate agents. I hope any real estate agent seeing this video would think twice before giving ePerks a dime of their hard earned money.

Supporting Vlad's defense fund is important and I encourage you to donate. I also encourage you hit ePerks where it hurts...their pocketbook. If you are considering subscribing to their product...DON'T. If you are a subscriber, end your subscription NOW! Let ePerks know, You are mad as hell...and won't take it anymore!

To learn more about me, visit www.myREassistant.com or www.realestatevirtualassistant.net.

What Happens When Your Real Estate Assistant Is On Vacation?

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:11:27 -0500

Last night about 9PM, I was working on marketing a listing (Listing Coordination) for one of my clients. Why so late? I have a Team of four real estate Virtual Assistants that work with me. One of them is on vacation this week...something well deserved! And the husband of another is in the hospital. Understandably, she is not focused on her virtual assistant work this week either.

If these women were working as in-house assistants or maybe even working on other virtual assistant Teams, the real estate agent, whose work needed to be completed, would be working on the marketing his listing at 9PM in the evening. NOT so, is this case!!

Because this real estate agent hired myREassistant as his real estate Virtual Assistant, the work was getting done by other people on our Team. The agent didn't have to worry about it. He knew it would be taken care of.

Do I advertise I work at 9PM in the evening...heck NO. My advertised hours are 9-5 EST, Monday through Friday. But, when there is work to be done that is time sensitive, it gets done one way or the other.

I promise my clients a 24 hour turn around time for listing coordination. My 17 years as a licensed Realtor come into play here. I understand the urgency of getting marketing done in a timely manner and if I promise you we will do a job, by golly, we will get it done!

What happens with your work when your current assistant is on vacation, sick or taking personal days? Do you end up working at 9PM to get everything done? If so, give me a call at 757-271-6047 to learn how I can help with your listing coordination work as your real estate virtual assistant.

Real Estate Virtual Assistants Manage Transactions Giving You More Time!

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:56:49 -0500

Let's face it, shuffling paperwork, scheduling inspections and tracking down addendums is not something most real estate agents like to do. The good news is, you don't have to! Real estate Virtual Assistants can manage your transaction, giving you more time to concentrate on dollar productive activities...listing, selling and negotiating.

It has been awhile since I wrote about transaction management and figured it is time to give you an updated list of the basic services myREassistant.com provides when coordinating your closing (we are not limited to these, however):

Brand our communication and software to your business.
Review contract and addendums for accuracy & completion.
Provide copy of contract and addendums to your office, clients, lender, settlement agent and co-op agent.
Personalized contact with all parties introducing our services.
Weekly follow-up with all parties and especially with YOU, keeping everyone informed!
Arrange for appraiser's access to the property and follow-up with the lender to obtain a copy of the appraisal.
Ensure all deadlines are met.
Follow up on required disclosures.
Scheduling of all required inspections.
If your client is responsible for providing the termite report, coordinating the termite inspection with all parties and following up to insure the clear letter is sent to the settlement agent. If the other party is responsible for providing the termite report, follow up with the co-op agent to make sure the inspection is done and the clear report is sent to the settlement agent.
Verify loan pre-approval with lender.
Maintain a communication and correspondence log.
Contact lender regularly for updates on buyers financing.
Be available by phone, e-mail and fax to all parties during business hours.
Follow up on completion of work orders and inspections.
Assist in obtaining insurance information, power of attorney, wiring information, etc. in preparation for a timely closing.
Pre-closing reminder to the buyer/seller including utility transfer information, walk-thru time and date, notification to bring certified funds to closing, reminder to bring keys, garage door remotes, repair receipts, security system codes, time and place of closing, etc.
Schedule walk-thru with all parties.
Arrange for HUD to be faxed to agent prior to closing, review for accuracy if there is time.
Coordinate closing details.
Verify funding and recording with settlement agent and inform all parties.
Be available to your client to guide them through the closing process and answer their questions.

Our use of Settlement Room web-based technology allows you and your clients to view the status of your transaction 24 hours a day. We work with your preferred vendors and provide regular e-mail updates. We don't not have to use Settlement Room. If you have another program you would like us to work in, we are happy to do so.

As your real estate virtual assistants, our goal is to provide seamless service to your clients. We want them to think we are sitting at a desk in your office taking care of the deteils for their closing.

One of my favorite stories about transaction management is when we were manageing a closing for an agent in WA state. The buyer asked us to join her for a celebratory glass of wine after closing. This is something we would have loved to do, but being located in VA made this rather difficult. The buyer had no idea we were thousands of miles away. All she know is we were there every step of the way to ensure her closing happened on time and to guide her through the process.

Also read:
What Is A Real Estate Virtual Assistant?
Benefits Of Ruth Ann Macklin As Your Real Estate Virtual Assistant

10 Ways To Spend Less Time On The Phone

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:44:23 -0500

We have all had one of those days...the phone the phone rings off the hook. You put out one fire after another and at the end of the day, you feel like you haven't accomplished a thing.

I was having one of those days when I read an article on NationalBusiness.org, 10 Ways To Spend Less Time On The Phone and take control of your day. Being in sales, phone calls go with the territory, but there are ways to control those calls so they don't eat up all your time.

Bill Lampton Ph.D., communication expert and writer of the article gives the following suggestions:

1. Budget (yes, budget) your phone time.

Set aside a certain amount of time to make calls. This time constraint will discipline you to get to the point, cover the point and hang up.

2. Set aside a block of time to make calls.

Block out time in the day to make all your call. You'll shift into a telephone mood, comparable to what athletes call the zone. The second call becomes easier than the first, the third call even easier. Your efficiency escalates, and you accomplish more sooner.

3. Rely on e-mail more consistently.

E-mail allows us to send messages at our most convenient time and avoid playing phone tag. It takes less time to send an email than to talk on the phone.

4. Make calls from your cell phone.

Unless there are laws in your state against driving and using a cell phone or you are in horrific traffic, make calls while driving or waiting of an appointment. Tell someone: Hi, Ted, I've got a couple of minutes to chat as I'm driving into downtown Atlanta. Say that, and you will trigger them to get to the heart of the call instantly.

5. Outline what you intend to cover in your call.

The outline keeps you from rambling, and from having to call again to cover an item you forgot to mention-embarrassing as well as time consuming. Ordinarily, I use a key word outline that resembles a grocery list. For example, in calling to get details about my next speaking engagement, my notes might include: time, duration, microphone, handouts, number attending, introducer, convention theme.

6. Have someone interrupt you at a specified time.

So when the co-worker enters your office you can say, quite honestly, that your assistant has signaled that he needs your attention, so we'll have to conclude for now.

7. Delegate outgoing calls to others who can make them as well as you can.

With good judgment, we can assign more calls than we are in the habit of assigning.

8. When you're leaving for two hours or two days, give staff members the information that's necessary to satisfy callers you're expecting.

Say, for example: When Judy Johnson calls, ask her if we can change her committee meeting from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. This way, Judy hears what you want her to hear, and that's one less call for you to return.

9. Call people just before lunch and just before closing time.

They will keep the conversation as short as possible.

10. Summarize the conversation and say goodbye.

Example: Barbara, it's my understanding that you have given me permission to exceed two or three budget items as long as I stay within the total departmental budget. Thanks for the clarification. That's all I needed to know. Goodbye.

Using these principles consistently will free time in your day for more important activities.

When looking to delegate phone calls or other office duties, consider delegating to a real estate virtual assistant. We are trained professionals who specialize in supporting real estate practitioners. You may already have an assistant and need someone to supplement an in-house person or are a sole practitioner need part-time help. Either way, a real estate virtual assistant is the perfect answer.

Are you generating leads from the Internet, but hate calling those leads? Don't let them fall through the cracks. Let a real estate virtual assistant call and nurture them until they are ready to buy.

Want more information? Give me a call at 757-271-6047 or visit my website, www.myREassistant.com.

Also read: Internet Lead Conversion or Do I Really Have To Make That Call

To Advertise or Not To Advertise…That Is The Question

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:18:53 -0500

To advertise or not to advertise your listings in your real estate blog...that is the question. Many real estate bloggers tell you not to advertise your listings in your blog. Why? The purpose of a blog is to build relationships, not to sell. This may be true for your community blogger talking about community events or your political blogger ranting and raving about current events, but not for your real estate blog. The keyword being real estate!

Who visits real estate blogs?

Visitors who enjoy a particular community or political blogger will most likely visit that blog on an ongoing basis...probably until they get pissed off at something the blogger has to say. On the other hand, real estate blog visitors are transactional visitors. They only really care what you have to say while they are buying or selling a house. They may visit for a few months and then are gone. And what they really want to do is look at homes for sale!

RssPieces.com did a survey of their 2500 blogs and found that buyers spend an average of 15 seconds reading a blog post before clicking on a call to action button...15 SECONDS! What buyers are most interested in is looking at homes. What you are most interested in is selling homes. Why wouldn't you post your listings on your real estate website? Post away and don't forget the photos...buyers are more interested in the photos than the story you have to tell about the house. It is a good idea to include the MLS# also.

Need help with your blog? As a real estate Virtual Assistant, I am at your service. You can contact me by visiting my website, myREassistant.com, sending an email to info@myreassistant.com or calling 757-271-6047.

What's In A Name?

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:21:17 -0500

What's in a Name?

What's in a name? EVERYTHING when it comes to the domain name for your blog! Actually, it is only EVERYTHING IF you want your blog to make you money...and of course that is the point, isn't it? Your blog domain, title and site description need to be keyword rich in order to please the ‘Internet Gods'...search engines. Blogs can be search engine magnets, but only if they are keyword rich. You may be asking yourself, what constitutes keyword rich? Generally speaking, your best keywords are your farm area plus the words ‘real estate.' Example: Virginia Beach real estate, Orange County real estate or Tampa Real Estate.

You can research the best keywords at KeywordDiscovery.com. The site says there is a $49.95 subscription fee, but click on the Free Trial button (center page, near the top). My free trial has lasted 3 weeks now. If I am your real estate virtual assistant, I have probably already done this for you. Or contact me and I am glad to research this for you, 757-271-6047 or info@myreassistant.com.

You may want to consider having a keyword rich domain name and having a secondary url, pointed to your keyword rich domain for marketing purposes. I mentioned in my last post that I have a new blog ‘under construction' with RssPieces.com. My keyword rich domain will be RealEstateVirtualAssistant.net, but I will be using VAGrapevine.com in my marketing. Have questions? Need help with a new or existing blog? Need a real estate virtual assistant? Let me know. I'm here to help.

Is Your House Made Of Bricks? (Why Your Blogging Platform Matters)

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:03:04 -0500

Blogging became popular in the real estate community about 3 years ago and we have come a long way. One thing I have learned is how important your blogging platform is.

Just like it mattered to the 3 Little Pigs if their house was made of straw, wood or bricks, it matters to you what blogging platform you are on. For this example, I have broken down blogging platforms into 3 types: website integrated, free platforms and paid platforms with SEO optimization built in.

1. Website Integrated
Website integrated platforms do not have a separate, keyword rich url of their own, but are internal pages on a website. This blog is a good example. There is a url, http://www.vagrapevine.com/, but it is merely pointed to an internal page of my website, www.myreassistant.com/blog. Yes, I am guilty as charged and am not doing what I am suggesting you do, but as you will see, I am remedying the situation.

After a year and a half of working in these platforms and not seeing much in the way of results, these platforms are like having a house of straw. You can say you have one, but page views are at a minimum and they really aren't generating you business. The main reason for the poor performance is the content and links are embedded so deeply into the website, the search engines never find them.

2. Free Platform
Free platforms, such as WordPress, are definitely a step up from website integrated options. This is a platform made of wood and if done right can be extremely effective. What makes them effective? Good keyword rich content and SEO work on your part.

3. Paid Platform
As you can imagine, the paid platforms are your house of bricks. BUT, not all paid platforms are created equal. I will use my husband's (Dave Macklin) real estate blog as an example. Dave had a blog on a VERY expensive platform for 1.5 years. He wrote keyword rich content and the most page views he ever had in a day were 84. He put much time and effort into a mere 84 people reading his posts. To give credit where credit is due, the blog did pull his website, http://www.bulterteamhomes.com/ up in the search engines.

Dave is now using an http://www.rsspieces.com/ platform, http://www.allvirginiabeachrealestate.com/. It has only been online for a month and is not ranked by Google yet. He is writing the same keyword rich content and his best day, to date, for page views is 337. Certainly better than the previous 84 page views. With the SEO built in this platform, the results in a few months should be even more dramatic.

I am so impressed with Mary McKnight and the RSSPieces.com platform, I am in the process of moving this blog over to them...so stay tuned!

Questions about blogging platforms or how I can help you with your blog as your real estate Virtual Assistant? Visit my website, http://www.myreassistant.com/ or give contact me at 757-271-6047 or info@myREassistant.com.

What Are The 3 Most Important Words In Real Estate?

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:44:03 -0600

The "NEW" 3 Most Important Words In Real Estate is the title of a recent post on Real Estate Radio USA Blog. Location, location, location immediately comes to mind, but this is being pushed aside by the words conversion, conversion, conversion.

Barry Cunningham reminds us not to lose sight of the fact that Web2.0, Real Estate 2.0, the blogosphere, etc. is to make money and is not merely an outlet for frustrated journalists.

It is not enough to have eyeballs reading our lastest blog post. We also need to be looking eyeball to eyeball with those folks.

Barry reminds us to know our numbers, concentrating on how many of those web visitors actually turn into buyers or sellers.

My husband, Dave Macklin, is a Realtor and he just changed blogging platforms, AllVirginiaBeachRealEstate.com. This current platform is with Mary McKnight at RSSpieces.com, whose philosophy is your blog should make you money.

Mary puts an enormous amount of effort into training her clients how to blog to make money. I can't tell you how much I have learned from her in the past month and after only a few week's Dave's posts are being seen by more eyeballs than 1.5 years with the previous vendor.

‘Conversion, conversion, conversion' also got my attention because I have a previous post concerning Interent lead conversion and how we often concentrate all our energy on generating the lead and drop the ball on the follow-up to convert the lead to business. I also talk about the success my Team of real estate Virtual Assistants has had helping agents convert their Internet leads into business. Give us a call at 757-271-6047. We'd like to help you convert your leads, too!

Internet Lead Conversion or 'Do I Really Have to Call?'

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:12:19 -0600

As I was logging into AR, intending to write my post, I was sidetracked by Laurie Manny's post this morning on Lead Generation. Great article, which I happen to agree with 100%. We tend to get pulled in so many directions, without a plan we just end up spinning our wheels with no results. Laurie set the stage for what I wanted to discuss, which is lead conversion.

We tend to put our efforts into generating leads and not much real effort into converting that lead into business that actually puts money in our pockets. We are all guilty of letting leads fall through the cracks because we are either too busy or because we really think that the drip email campaign we set up will do all the work for us. My experience as both a licensed Realtor and as a Virtual Assistant (myREassistant.com) tells me this is not the case.

When I was out in the trenches selling and had a buyer in my car or was sitting at a prospective seller's kitchen table, I would always ask, "Why are you in my car and not some other agent's?" or "Why am I sitting here in your kitchen and not some other agent?" The answer was always the same, "Because you called me and no one else did."

I may have been lucky and made an appointment after 1 or 2 phone calls or it may have taken calling for 1 or 2 years. But, I never gave up. I always remembered what my first managing Broker ever told me when I asked, "When do you stop calling?" She said, "When they buy, they die or tell you to stop."

I keep hearing that in this slower market we need to get back to basics. Phone calling is basics!! and it works.

These days, my Virtual Assistant Team follows up on Internet leads for a number of our agent clients. I must admit, I wasn't sure how this would work at first. As I am in Virginia and my agent client is in Charlotte NC. But you know what? The buyers in North Carolina are the same as the buyers in Virginia. They have the same concerns, the same needs, and all they really want is for us to be attentive to those needs...no matter where we are located.

Let's face it, those first contacts with a prospect are about connecting and giving what my husband calls 'warm fuzzies' and it really doesn't matter if the call is coming from VA or any other place, as long as it comes.

The agent I started this experiment with is Active Rain's own Leigh Brown. Here is what Leigh has to say about our Internet lead follow-up program:

"The best investment I've made in my business-EVER-was in my virtual assistant team. They were great anyway, but we discovered an amazing opportunity when Ruth Ann and her Team started doing the initial contact and follow-up on the website leads. Since the incubation period is longer than ‘normal' leads, it's too time-consuming to do a good job when you're currently working with clients. They have allowed us to actually convert ‘B' and ‘C' leads throughout the year, in a seamless manner. In fact, our buyers are sad to learn that after talking with Ruth Ann and her Team for 8 months, they have to go find a house with me! Our conversion ratio on web leads is naturally higher than ever, and we are able to cull the leads before spending money on relocation packages.
I'm sure that some of the credit is mine, but I'm only as successful as the people who work with me as a part of my team. But the numbers do speak well-8% of my 2006 business was website related, in 2007 it was 23%."

So, I encourage you to pick up that phone, call those leads and don't give up until 'they buy, die or tell you to stop.' Or give me a call and my Team will do it for you:

Ruth Ann Macklin, www.myREassistant.com, ruthann@myreassistant.com, 757-271-6047.

Time To Get Stupid

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:47:32 -0600

I remember sitting in a Joe Stumpf, By Referral Only, seminar a number of years ago (I was selling real estate then), when Erick Blackwelder told how the BRO concept became wildly successful for him when he "got stupid." Erick was taking Joe's marketing ideas and tweaking them to make them more about 'him' with lackluster results. When Erick finally "got stupid" and just did what Joe told him to do, without the tweaking, the BRO system start to work...and work FABULOUSLY!

This week while attending online trainings with Mary McKnight of RssPieces concerning building your business through social networking, SEO and blog writing, I decided to 'get stupid.' I took copious notes and am in the process of doing everyhting Mary told me to do to generate business with my husband's (Dave Macklin) new blog, AllVirginiaBeachRealEstate.com. I'm not going to second guess anything, but just do it! The results aren't in yet, but I have a feeling they will be stellar!!

If you are one of my clients (I am a real estate virtual Assistant) and reading this, I'll be in touch with you about 'getting stupid' with your Blog.

Also read: Top 5 Social Networks Every Realtor Must Join (as recommended by Mary McKnight).

Good morning VAs

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:27:00 -0600

This is such a great place for us to chat and share ideas. Many thanks to Kim, Pam and Anna for all you do! I wouldn't ahve a VA business without you!!

Neighborhood Walkability

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:41:31 -0500

WalkScore.com is a fun website that helps people find walkable places to live. Type in any address and Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby...stores, movie theaters, parks, restaurants, schools and more. Then it calculates a Walk Score for this address.

Walking is good for our health and our environment. What home buyer wouldn't want to know the amenities that are close by. To quote Walk Score, "Picture a walkable neighborhood. You lose weight each time you walk to the grocery store. You stumble home from last call without waiting for a cab. You spend less money on your car—or you don't own a car. When you shop, you support your local economy. You talk to your neighbors. "

You can even get a widget to include in your blog or website, which yu can see on my personal Blog.

Know you need a blog, but don't have the time to write it yourself? As your real estate virtual assistant, myREassistant.com can help. Give me a call at 757-271-6047 or visit my website to learn how.

Writing Press Releases

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:35:55 -0500

As I was writing a Press Release for one of my clients, I came across the ‘Top 10 Tips
On How to Write a Successful Press Release' at FreePressRelease.com and thought you might find it helpful:

1. The first lines of your press releases shall include:
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or FOR RELEASE Dec 25, 2002) and "For more information, contact:" followed by your contact information.

2.Craft a compelling headline. The headline makes your release stand out. Keep it short, active, and descriptive. If you don't know how, read a number of compelling headlines till you get some idea.

3.Hook reader with the first paragraph. A first paragraph shall summarize the five W's: who, what, where, when and why. In fact, most readers will give up if you haven't "hooked" them in the first few lines.

4. Put the most important information at the beginning. This is a tried and true rule of journalism. Never hide golden points to the end.

5. Don't sell but answer questions! Making over-inflated statements is helpless to your business. Write a release that answers questions about your business, rather than piling flowery adjectives without saying why.

6. Don't say it, show it. Avoid saying something is "unique" or "the best". Instead, show how people will benefit - i.e. save time, save money, make their life easier, etc.

7. A ‘non- biased' source like university professor or software reviewer is very helpful.

8. Provide all possible contact informationincluding mail address, telephone, fax, e-mail and web site (especially for online business).

9. Proofread & Proofread! Do remember to proofread your press release for typographical errors before you send them out.

10. End your press release with "###" (without the quotation marks) after your last lines of text. This symbol lets the editors know they have successfully received the entire release.

Need help writing a press release, listing coordination, marketing or transaction coordination? Visit myREassistant.com or contact me at ruthann@myreassistant.com or 757-271-6047. As your real estate virtual assistant, I can help!

Test Your Security Knowledge

Ruth Ann Macklin, Real Estate Virtual Assistant and CDPE (myREassistant.com) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:29:48 -0500

Can you tell the difference between a legitimate website and one that is a scam? Test your security knowledge with this McAfee Site Advisor test. It is quite interesting and enlightening:

http://www.siteadvisor.com/quizzes/phishing_0707/

To take the test, view the two pictures displayed. One is real. The other is a scam. You can click on the sample images for a better view of the page...You will need to view each of the examples carefully to determine which one is the real site and which is the scam. When you've completed the test, your results will be displayed with an explanation of each of the ten examples. In the process you'll learn a great deal about how scammers can fool so many people.

A big thank you to goes to fellow Virtual Assistant, Anna Baron, for sharing this link with me. I only scored 70% which I wasn't very happy about considering I spend my day on the Internet, but I learned a lot. A common thread through the bogus sites is poor grammar and spelling. I will now proof websites more carefully when determining to visit them or not.