There are so many benefits to being a member of the ActiveRain community that I have experienced first-hand.  In addition to the wonderful friends I have made through A|R, one of my favorites is the visibility that blogging on ActiveRain has brought me among prospective clients and other Dallas Real Estate agents.

This week I received a call from buyers I have been working with.  They thought they saw a home that would be perfect for them and someone had just put up a "coming soon" sign in front of it.  I checked MLS, no record of it, so I called the agent whose name was on the sign.  I did not know the agent personally, so when she answered, I gave her my name, and before I could get any further, she interjected "Oh wow!  Are you Steve Shatsky, the blogger?

I laughed.  I had never received such an enthusiastic response from an agent I didn't already know.  I responded that, yes, I was that Steve Shatsky, and that when I am not blogging, I also sell Real Estate in Dallas.  We had a nice laugh and visited about Blogging and ActiveRain.  She has recently started blogging and I offered her my assistance if she needed any pointers.

Anyhow, I asked her about the home and she explained that it was not in showing condition because the owners were in the process of moving out but that it would be available in a few days and she would give me a call the moment she had the OK to show it.

I called my clients and when I told them that they would have the opportunity to have the first showing on this home, I looked like a hero to them.  The Dallas Real Estate market can be a very competitive one, so an agent who is recognized and connected in the community is an invaluable resource.   I have always kept a visible presence professionally, but it is clear that while making connections on A|R with agents across Texas, the U.S. and Canada has benefitted my business, as more local agents join the ActiveRain ranks, the effect on my local visibility in Dallas has risen as well.

How has your ActiveRain or Localism blogging increased your visibity locally?