If you've got a blog or a website you've probably asked yourself - What is that little icon in the browser tab that looks like a company logo? And how do I get one on my site?

When it came time for us at Ticor to get the word out that we are well equipped to facilitate short sale transactions, we decided that creating a micro web site was going to be the 'destination point' for our short sale conversation online.  We chose this for a few reasons:

We facilitate short sale transactions, but how does Google know that?  People doing searches for short sale information are probably not thinking to themselves, "I should google ticor".  Although we would like this, It's quite a long shot.  They're more likely to be looking for resources on the short sale process or lender requirements, or short sale benefits.  And as you can see from the links, we've provided useful information about those things on our site...

Secondly, from a basic search optimization perspective, having a micro site that is focused on one topic creates congruency between our domain name "ticorshortsale.com", our page names ('the short sale process', etc..), and our content. They all discuss various aspects of short sales.  Our goal with this is of course to be recognized as a specific resource and local authority on the subject in the eyes of our clients, the public at large, and last but not least our favorite search engines. 

Thirdly, when our sales reps are having conversations with clients about the ever changing market and the greater frequency of short sales, they now have an easy place to direct clients for more information.  There's no  hunting through our corporate hosted site for the info.  If you find yourself on ticorshortsale.com there's no question as to what type of content you'll find. 

On a technical note, we used wordpress as our platform and I'm very happy about it.  More and more people are moving to the blog/site model these days and for good reason.  It allowed us a rapid deployment and I think of it as the best of both worlds.  The blog content is obiously intended to be fresh, specific and interactive and the 'static' site pages are perfect for content that we want to be persistent and easily found. 

There you have it.  Two years ago we would have printed out a thousand fliers and passed them out one by one and that would have been totally fine.  Now we're printing less and facilitating a venue for education and conversation.  I feel good about that!

cheers!

Matt Sweet

Ticor Title

For this RTS, we analyized the data on a total of 5741 single family dwellings in the 98405 Zip code in Tacoma, WA. Of these homes, you can see that the total number of sales has gone up from 18 sales in April to 28 Sales during the month of August. The average price per square foot has held steady around $110/square foot with a slight dip in July. The average sale price has also held around the $200,000 range with a dip in July as well. If you look at the average year built of the homes we studied, you'll notice that this neighborhood is 80 years old on average and likely has quite a few opportunities for "fixer homes". With pricing below the $200,000 mark, there is also plenty of opportunity for people purchasing their first home comfortably here.

	The data used in this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Ticor Title cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. © 2004-2009 Ticor Title Renton WA 98057

As I spend time spreading the good news of Ticor Title and Escrow throughout Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and beyond, I still run into people who are looking for evidence that blogging can lead to relationships and business. This naturally has caused me to reflect on the many opportunities, relationships, and surprises that have popped up for me since I have been blogging and participating in various conversations online. Although I have had actual title orders come right out of the blue by way of my blog (I'll tell those stories later), one relationship (with Meri Walker - The virtual Meeting coach) in particular stands out as being a great model to illustrate what I consider to be the life cycle of social media. And it all started with a tweet...

The life cycle can be broken down into four basic parts as follows:

• Content attracts conversation
• Conversation cultivates trust
• Trust strengthens relationship
• Relationship translates to business

Let me illustrate with a brief story if you will...

Content attracts conversation
Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about Vyew.com. It's a virtual meeting platform that we have been using for meetings and collaboration across our region at Ticor Title. I simply wrote about how we use it and why I liked it. After blogging I did the usual tweet that said "Just blogged about vyew.com web conferencing site. I'm a big fan. http://tinyurl.com/88uspd". No big deal, right? Except there happened to be a virtual meeting coach that saw my tweet, read the blog, and decided to ask me if I'd be willing to chat. I had no idea who she was but I was willing to have a quick chat with her to find out if this was legitimate or not.

Conversation cultivates trust
So I had a quick chat with Meri via Google Chat. I don't remember exactly what was said, but through our brief exchange, we established enough trust to progress to a phone conversation which in turn cultivated a bit more trust. From there we decided to collaborate in an interview online and feature the results on each other's blogs. That was just the start. And honestly, I wasn't sure if anything would actually come of it. We had merely agreed to a good idea.

Trust strengthens relationship
Over several conversations, I had the opportunity to discover more about Meri's business, history, philosophy, etc. And I also had the opportunity to share with her my experiences collaborating with René Fabre on social media projects, marketing, and research. I should have known it would happen when she asked if René would like to be a part of our interview. Duh! At that moment our conversation got much bigger. Our single interview became a series of four interviews over the span of a couple months covering topics ranging from our Lego Theory of internet marketing, to online profiles, to the Dandelion theory of social media and other colorful analogies.

Relationship translates to business
Just over a week ago René had the opportunity to be the key speaker at several real estate social media-related events across Oregon(a.k.a "Brother Love's Traveling Internet Marketing Salvation Show"). Meri was at one of the events (she lives in OR and to this point we had never met in person). And of course, René took the opportunity to introduce her as our favorite virtual meeting coach - an example of how a friendship and working relationship had grown from a simple tweet.

So we have not merely benefited by collaborating with Meri. She is part of our story. Our connection is evidence that our words are like seeds and our conversations are like gardens.

Enjoy!

Matt Sweet

Ticor Title

For the past six years, I've spent a lot of time driving all over Pierce County meeting with realtors and lenders to discuss the value that Ticor Title & Escrow brings to every real estate transaction. A lot of that driving has been to and from Puyallup where a lot of the action has been for us. So over the years I have developed a short list of favorite places to stop for lunch or a snack along my route.

There's one in particular that is one of a kind in Pierce County. It's the Blue Max Sausage company. They're located on Canyon Road between River Road and HWY 512.

In my eyes, they're the butcher with the most. I can't remember the first time I stopped in but I can always remember the last because it's usually pretty recent. Are you a fan of 'artisan' beef jerky? How about pepperoni sticks that are a foot long and full of spice and flavor? Have you ever seen a butcher with restaurant style Hawaiian short ribs? The list goes on and on from smoked pork chops to WSU cheese. If you're a fan of quality meats, this place is a wonderland. And if you've never had beef jerky from a butcher, you have no idea how good it can be. And to top it all off, the best thing about Blue Max Sausage is the service. The guys behind the counter are always friendly and willing to chat about their product, the weather, or whatever. It's got a nice hometown vibe.

So if you're in the mood for a hearty change of quisine or want to impress your buddies at the next barbeque, check them out! You won't be dissapointed.

Enjoy!
Matt Sweet
Ticor Title

Recently, I was at a round table discussion group with a dozen or so realtors. And as we talked about what it means to bring our 'conversation' to the web, the inevitable happened. Someone chimed in with the question, "How much time do I have to spend on all this stuff?" He continued, "I don't have all day to play around online..." This question comes up quite often when someone is introduced to the idea of establishing their presence on the web. It seems overwhelming... It seems like it's a job for geeks... It's going to take over my life...

And for some, a little bit of fear lurks behind this question. We are confronted with the unknown. We must recognize that we have our old habits. We are challenged to do something different in order to get different results. We begin to wonder what activities equate to productivity? And at the heart of the question for a businessperson is, "How is this going to tie to the deal?" That's a logical and reasonable question. I mean, if I'm going to put in some effort, I want to know what kind of results I can expect in return.

So what is my take on this question? First, I believe being present online and having an ongoing conversation has everything to do with community and thus 'the deal'. Secondly, I believe that like everything in life, we reap what we sow.

Like Rene Fabré so aptly puts it, "Conversations are markets... Conversations create community. Communities consist of people participating in conversations." We are in a relationship business. People prefer to do business with people that they know and trust, right? So the big question is how will people find you and trust you except through communities? With the majority of the people searching for real estate online, doesn't it make sense to be present and participating in communities and conversations about real estate there?

Another way to think of it is like this. Let's say there's a very seasoned, skilled, knowledgeable, and personable realtor named Pat that has been doing business successfully in the northwest for 20-years. Pat may be a stellar agent but how does the rest of the world know that? The 200 million people on Facebook would only know that if he's present and engaged in conversation there. Google searchers would only know that if Pat is part of a conversation anywhere else online. After all, Google can't read minds (at least there's no proof of it). Google needs to see strong evidence of who Pat is before it will reward him with a high rank. The evidence will be found when Pat becomes present and engaged online by contributing content that explicitly reflects who he is.

So, in response to the big question above ('how much time do I have to spend on this stuff'), finding the answer requires another question. How big and of what quality do you want your presence to be?

It's helpful to think of your internet presence as if it were your own garden. The content and conversations you have online are like seeds. Some of them will take root, grow and and bear fruit in the form of new relationships, trust, and business. Others will not take to the soil and will be forgotten. But either way, like a garden, your presence online won't necessarily bear fruit overnight. It is a direct reflection of what you have put into it. It takes careful planning, sowing, cultivating, early attempts at success (a.k.a. mistakes), and faith that something is going to grow from it. Because after all, we can prepare, plant, water, and cultivate, but how something happens to grow is a wonderful mystery. Is it not?

Enjoy,
Matt Sweet
Ticor Title

Cheers to the brave explorers who inspired the world by achieving the impossible!

Enjoy,

Matt Sweet

Ticor Title

For This Residential Transaction Study, we looked at a total of 6485 single family dwellings in the 98406 zip code and analyzed the sales trends over the last six months. A glance at the data shows that the number of transactions has increased dramatically and both the average and median prices per month have both generally increased.

The month of June shows the most activity with 32 sales, .5% market turnover, average sale price of $307,702, and a median price of $281, 925.

With forecasters expecting that first time home buyers making up the bulk of the home purchases in the next couple years, it's interesting to note that 36% of the population in this zip code is in their twenties and thirties.

	The data used in this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Ticor Title cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. © 2004-2009 Ticor Title Renton WA 98057

A quick glance at the stats below reveals what has been selling over the last six months in the Puyallup 98372 zip code. The statistical sample below includes 3000 single family residential homes within the 98372 zip code.

The average sales price has remained in the low $200,000 range with the exception of a spike in April. The prices here are well within the typical first-time home-buyer price range.

The estimated payment on a $225,000 home is $1682*.

	The data used in this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Ticor Title cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. © 2004-2009 Ticor Title Renton WA 98057

Payment calculation assumes a 5.75% 30-year fixed rate, $10,000 down payment, and other fees. Please consult a mortgage professional for an estimate based on your own financial and purchase information.

Thanks to Meri Walker for the kind introduction to our Third Conversation on Internet Marketing for searchers and explorers.  Or should I say "thanks for the yelp!"

Matt