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My Advice to Consumers Reading ActiveRain Blogs – The Real Estate Industry has Lots of Positives

My Advice to Consumers Reading ActiveRain Blogs - The Real Estate Industry has Lots of Positives

I think it's safe to say we've all been hurt before - whether in a relationship, business, and just from experiences we've had. The memories that can come back to us when we relive those experiences can be quite painful and often leave us feeling cautious about trusting anyone. I know on many of my blog posts people have shared some of the negative feelings that they have experienced and are aware of when it comes to the real estate industry and how agents and real estate professionals are perceived.

My advice today is directed to consumers - people reading AR blogs, possibly in search of an agent who can represent them in what will be one the most important and life altering decisions of their life - selling or buying a home. Home represents many different things to people and can be a sacred and safe place for many. It's the place we feel safe and we draw strength from, a place where memories are created and a place we think of when we think family.

Are you a consumer that has a "trust no one" mentality when it comes to the real estate industry?

One faithful day last August while doing a Google search I stumbled across ActiveRain and discovered a whole new world of experience, knowledge, friendship, community and yes, trust. Yes, to my The front door of ActiveRain - a community ready to serve you great surprise my experience here has been a community that is meant to help people - the general public/consumers looking for real estate services and guidance and colleagues looking to share information about increasing their knowledge and improving their businesses.

Like me, you have stumbled upon a community that is eager and so willing to assist you. I know from personal experience - not only from my online and offline communications but my interactions of working firsthand with so many great professionals from the AR network that you will be in good hands. I can't specifically name an agent that will work well on your behalf but what I can say is that there are so many great agents and real estate professionals to choose from on this network so why leave it up to chance and choosing someone you know very little about.

My advice is simple:

Read the blogs and get to know the agent, broker, stager, etc - you will see and feel what they're about.
Investigate further - visit their website and get a feel for their strengths. Look for the kind of presence they have on the internet - do you get a sense that they will provide that level of service and marketing that you are hoping to receive?
Review their testimonials and hear from people who have worked with them and experienced firsthand the services they've provided
Reach out and interact with professionals from the network - subscribe to their blog via the RSS feed and take some time to discover through your interactions if they are the right agent or real estate professional to work with.

Give yourself some time and then take that leap of trust knowing that these re professionals are dedicated to getting you the results you are looking for - they are bound by a code of ethics and their own Are you sure? There are ways to find out code of wanting to do the right thing for their customers.

They dedicate a lot of time and effort to bringing you information about your community, the real estate industry and have put themselves out here in very personal ways for you to have the opportunity to get to know them. You owe it to yourself to take advantage of that.

I know in my heart you will find the right agent or professional here on this network - there are just so many that I would personally choose myself to represent me.

I wish you great success in choosing your agent or the real estate professional you are looking for and hope that you will drop me a note to share your success - knowing I have been where you are - a consumer looking for an agent to represent me.

I simply trust that you will have a great experience and you will discover for yourself that there are some great professionals in the real estate industry and positive experiences to be had that undoubtedly you will want to share with your friends and family.

Help is just a click away

Consumers:

Help, advice and knowledge are a simple click away for you - what are you waiting for?

Agents and RE Professionals:

Some of you have left comments about the negative feelings and perspective of the public when it comes to the RE industry - what are you doing to show there are positive aspects?

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If it's not evident to you by now, consumers are very knowledgeable and computer savvy and are using the Internet to not only search for homes but for real estate agents and real estate professionals who they feel are like minded and can lead them to the results they are looking for.

As we all know, there are only 24 hours in a day to get it all done...are you focusing on the right stuff to grow your business and meet your client's needs? Contact us today to get started!

Lets Connect and Stay Connected:

Posted by Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA on 10/26/2009 07:35 AM

Comments (47)

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47 Comments on My Advice to Consumers Reading ActiveRain Blogs – The Real Estate Industry has Lots of Positives

OCT

2009

I think this is a great place for consumers to meet some of the top agents in the industry. There is a lot of transparency right here on Active Rain. The agents I have met are definately stand above the crowd.

Anne Marie,

As always a great message to spread out there. Take that leap of faith after you conect with a professional! We all want a seller or buyer to to have a positive experience!

Anne Marie:

This is good advice to consumers who are looking for help in the home buying or selling arena. Reading an agent's blogs and testimonials is a good way to get to know something about them and you have presented this well.

What a great thing to read first thing this morning, Anne Marie. This really is the best online community I've joined. Such positive experiences with both the members here and consumers I've met as a result of ActiveRain. Great writing!

Wonderful post. I have been using Active Rain for a few years. Admittedly, I slipped away from it recently as I explored other online avenues/technologies. It is important to understand the pivotal role that Active Rain can play in a Realtor's® business plan. Simply, it works.

As you point out, this is a positive site and the community genuinely cares about each other and the consumer. I love the advice you offer, 'My advice is simple' followed by four key points. Excellent advice for both the consumer and the real estate practitioner.

Thank you,

Catherine in NY

Great way to start the day. Your advice to consumers is right on target. There are a LOT of positive and competent real estate professionals in the industry - and most activerainers fit that profile.

Thank you Anne Marie for posting this. I think people need to be reminded that most of us agents are good, hard working people just like them. :)

Anne Marie,

Wow! This is fantastic, I just don't know if many consumers know Active Rain exsists.. I like this soo much I have to reblog it! We teach a class to Realtors on Active rain and this is good reference material for the students to help get the word out

Paul Guenther

Good call Anne Marie. I love the rain myself. I love what it does for me....but I love the fact that I've received 47 referrals since joining. What does that mean to me? A lot of readers out there. But it does need to become more universally known to the consumer. It's happening, just not fast enough for me.

These are also good points to keep in mind when, as a Realtor, it's been a tough day. Since all real estate is local, we're all held accountable for our actions/attitudes in our own communities.

Anne Marie....WOW....what an absolutely great post.....everyone should start their day by reading this post....thank you....I'm a new member of AR(this is day #27)....love it....reading this post reminds me again of what a good decision it was to join.

A great place for consumers to really get to know an agent is through his/her blogs. I would pick an agent who blogs. That would show me that this person knows about the real estate industry.

I have found Active Rain to be a wealth of information and mostly helpful advice, not to mention getting to know people and what's important to them.

Anne Marie, This is an awesome testimonial for all of us in the REAL ESTATE profession. Thank you! I noticed one small word that may have been used incorrectly. You wrote one Faithful day last August. Did you mean to say fatihful or fateful?

Thanks for pushinh positive visualization. Isn't it great to celebrate what is right.

Very informative blog post. Thanks for the information. I am sure it will be useful to me down the road.

Anne,

A good, positive message. Of course, overcoming the defensive posture of clients can be tough. AR is a good place to get some insights into who you can work with. A feel of their character and how they act professionally.

Some who you'd think should be great have their achilles heel, and some casper milk-toats are really pretty hot. The blogs tell all.

Wonderful Anne Marie! I'm going to hit the magic re-blog button on this one. What am I doing to show there are positive aspects? It's all in the attitude! I had a gentleman walk in last week and he asked me how the market was. I told him how great it was. He said "I'll be you have to say that." I said no I don't and gave him examples of how great real estate is right now and what I'm doing to help clients take advantage of it. I think he left the office pretty happy and I'm sure I made an impression.

Thanks for this post, Anne Marie - It IS a positive career - we attract what we give... Cheers!

Great advice for consumers in their search for a real estate professional. So many experienced members with a wealth of knowledge here.

Hi Anne Marie -- Great post. I tell consumers that trust needs to be earned by an agent. An agent needs to demonstrably show how they add value. Everything should pass the sniff test, the gut check and make logical sense. Hype and spin have no place in real estate. Facts, strategies and techniques should be verifiable. Tons of references should be proactively given. If a consumer can't get a good sense of an agent after spending 10 minutes on their AR blog, the agent has failed in my opinion in their communications.

Hello Anne Marie,

It's a shame that one bad experience can color our opinions, whether it be related to doctors, attorneys, REALTORS or others. I think most REALTORS are great folk. I know around my area if I need somebody to trust it will be one of my REALTOR friends.

Let's all remember that people are watching us and be sure we do nothing to taint the reputation of our profession.

Great post. This community is fantastic. AR is just as valuable for Realtors as it is for consumers.

Anne Marie,

I think you are so right about the fact that many people have experienced a negative when buying and/or selling their home. Reading an agent's blog (and sometimes his/her comments) tells volumes about who they are and how they conduct their business. Thank you for promoting our AR family!! :)

Anne Marie - These are great points you make. Seeing the level of consistent/active participation on Active Rain in my immediate vicinity shows me the opportunity/challenge of sharing the benefits with more local bloggers so that our area consumers will find the resources they need. When I am contacted by a prospective buyer who found me on Active Rain, I want to share them with other active AR members! Makes sense to me to do this, since the consumer found ME that way...

Anne Marie..What a wonderful post..and great compliment to the ActiveRain community.I feel privileged to have met you.Your are honest, truthful, and have a down to earth attitude.You are easy to talk to ,not at all what I expected..I know I told you so too. This is a Quality to be admired and respected in a person ..Hope consumers reading this take your advise very seriously..

What do I do? Stay positive ..throw a little humor in there.. (we all can use a good laugh these days) video ..photos .. and talk about what's happening around me....Thank you

HELPFULHANNAH your friend in Philadelphia

Great post Anne Marie - with all of the negativity out there surrounding real estate, it's true that there are a lot of positive people in the real estate industry that are helpful and GOOD at what they do! It just takes a little digging...

In any industry there are the quality leaders and folks that just are not cut out to be in the industry. 80 percent of your realtor

Anne Marie - Excellent read to start the week and spot on in my opinion. The insight consumers can get from this forum is beyond what it ever has been. Let's only hope that consumers reading this heed your very sage advice.

Great post. I hope consumers find this and read it and take it to heart. You are so right.

Hi there Anne! An excellent post as usual with your gift being in FULL activation... I have NOT forgotten about you.... just trying to get Alex (who just joined) acclimated until we get out of our deficit! He has been doing a great behind the scenes service to us! Have a great day!

Active Rain is a great place to find all real estate-related professionals, including an excellent marketer. So, consumers and realtors, in AR you will find people like Anne Marie Malfi.

Anne Marie-

I'll be the first to say that, as a non-REALTOR®, it took my interactions on ActiveRain to fully separate the stereotypes of the profession from its members. As with any profession that couples low barriers to entry with great sums of money, a relatively small number of less-than-savory individuals have a way of harming the reputation of those around them. It's unfortunate, but resources like AR are integral to allaying these concerns.

Anne Marie, through blogs there are a lot of good people to be found out there for sure.

Anne

Thanks for sharing your wisdom, great post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Thank you to everyone for your great comments and feedback. I have been under the weather but will be back tomorrow morning to respond back to each and every one your comments. ~Anne Marie

What a great, positive light to shine. And, it's so true that there are many people here in the Rain who are ready, willing and able to help.

OCT

2009

Joan - I couldn't agree with you more and have had the same experience as you which is why I wanted to encourage consumers to engage and look into AR for exploring the right people to fit their needs.

Dorie - I think so too - who doesn't need a positive message and taking a leap of faith is a must in almost everything we do.

Claudette - I agree - I think it's a great way to get to know someone - I have discovered a lot about the agents and real estate professionals out here that I now not only think of as clients but friends.

Peggy - So happy I could help start off your day in a positive way. I'm with you - it's one of the best things I've ever done - joining and engaging with others on AR. Thanks for the compliment too.

Catherine - thank you and yes, while many explore other avenues - we all know AR works and has some wonderful benefits when we use it to reach out to the public and interact with colleagues to further our knowledge.

Margaret - So happy you liked it and I so agree with you - so many AR's fit the profile and like you have disovered how to use the power of AR to get your message and info to your consumers.

Jackie - I like that comment - we all have to remember just how similiar we all really are.

Paul - thank you :) So happy you reblogged this post - that was one of the things I was hoping someone would pick up to help further the message to the consumer. We are given the opportunity with the reblog to pass along information that can be helpful and I so appreciate you helping me to extend the reach to consumers - what a team we are!

Larry - WOW - that is truly awesome and congrats I being able to reach so many consumers. I know what you mean - we always want it to happen faster than it does but I encourage you and others to keep at it and keep putting out great content through localism - if everyone keeps doing that I know that the network will grow on that side.

Ray - Sorry to hear about the tough day but remembering that we are all held accountable is a great way to look at it.

Barbara - Welcome! So happy to have a new member reading this post and so happy you commented - that's part of the experience of being on AR and yes, you made a great decision in joining and you will see benefits from doing so - I just know it!

Harry - I agree with your point - it's a great way to get to know someone because you often just get a feel for a person and how they interact with people.

Colleen - Exactly! I am often overwhelmed with the information and knowledge of so many of the members and the pure generosity of info that is available to us all.

Sybil - So happy you liked it and yes, I guess I did mean fateful - it was fate that I discovered AR and now I realize how faithful I am to the network and the members of this network.

Joe - thank you and I agree - we should all be celebrating what's right with the industry and this network.

Aaron - thank you and I hope so too!

Mike - thank you and yes, this is true it can be a challenge to overcome but like you said AR is a great place for insight both for the consumer and in gathering information from your fellow colleagues on their experiences and how they dealt with them. Often we are given great examples and perspectives.

Erin - How nice - thank you - again you got one of my points with this blog. It really is about attitude and having a positive one and putting it out there both online and offline is what will stick with our potential clients. So happy you made a great impression and had the stuff to back it up- awesome!

Dana - Isn't that the truth - I am a firm believer that if you put positive out, you get positive back.

Patricia - thank you and yes, the wealth of knowledge is outstounding.

Chris - Great points! I'm with you - it must be earned and we earn it by providing great content that fulfills a client's needs and they should be able to get a sense of someone very quickly and hopefully making the decision to at least engage with the agent and discover if they are the right person to work with.

Marian - It's so true - we all have those experiences and yes, a great reminder that our online interactions are being watched - it does matter what we say and how we say - they leave a lasting impression don't they?

David - thank you and yes, you are so right - it's a great resource for both the consumer and real estate professionals.

Sonja - You are so right and just like I said back to Marian - they all leave a lasting impression.

Karen - That's awesome and what a great way to utilize this network of professionals to benefit the consumer - love it!

Hannah - Thank you for those heartfelt comments and compliments that have truly touched me. It was wonderful meeting you at ReBar Philly and believe me many consumers will know you are a person with true heart, humor and are willing to do all she can for her clients - its shows in so many ways. I love all that you're doing to reach and reach out to your potential clients and yes, who can't use humor especially during a stressful time when buying or selling a home - awesome!

Emily - thank you and I agree we all need to put some positive out there about the industry and the people who make up the industry.

Andrew - Very true - in any industry and profession there will be good and there will be not so good - my advice is simple find the person that works for you - that speaks to you and will handle the things the way you need them to - it's different for every person.

Jason - Thank you my friend for the compliment. I hope they will read and trust my advice as well.

Arizona - thank you and I too hope they will take it to heart and know from my previous posts that they can trust what I'm sharing.

Diane - thank you - you are always so complimentary and I know you haven't - nor have I you :) We will connect even further one day - I'm sure of it!

Jane - thank you for that wonderful compliment - you have filled my bucket for the day. This network is simply busting with great professionals in all aspects of real estate and I'm blessed to simply be a small part of it.

Ian - I like your comment and hope many real estate agents will see that opinions can be changed by how they put themselves out there (here.)

Gary - I agree and we can find countless examples of how we've been found and the great things we've been able to do for consumers who have found us - the internet and AR have provided us with great ways to extend our reach and it's up to us to put great info and vibes out there that will truly make a difference to our business and especially to the lives of our clients.

Lou - thank you my faithful reader/friend - I always appreciate your visits, comments and positive vibe you give back to me.

Christine - Your words are absolutely true - there are so many members here on AR who are ready, williong and able to help and I hope consumers find the right person to help them with their real estate needs.

Everyone,

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment - intereact and engage not only with me but with the consumer. You see - while some might think they were simply responding to my blog post in fact the consumer can/will see these comments because as we all know the comments are indexed and become a part of our on going effort to reach the consumer and leave a lasting impression on them - I think from these comments they will get a truly great picture of what I was talking about when I wrote this post.

I hope you all have even more great experiences with consumers and want to encourage you to keep putting out great and relevant content to reach them - speak to them - and allow them to get to know you - knowing you are doing so to fulfill their needs.

~Anne Marie

Anne Maria - Great advice to consumers. There is many positive aspects of real estate. AR is a great place to get acquainted with this. As you rightly pointed out their are many wonderful professionals are here who will but their client's interest first.

Anne Marie, What a post! I am ethical and genuinely care about my clients and watching every part of the deal, from beginning to end. I'll do the other real estate agent's job if I have to - just to make sure everything comes out a win-win in the end. Although your post was really for the consumer - I want to say "Thanks" because it was a pat-on-the-back for me as well!

Thank you for such a great post Anne Marie. Active Rain is a great community for realtors and I'm sure the consumer can use your advice!!

OCT

2009

I've just discovered Active Rain a few months ago and I can say that this is a great place for buyers, agents, brokers or anybody who's interest in the real estate business. Kudos to everyone! By the way, I know a <a href="http://www.coachingbypeter.com?a_aid=ron">real estate coach</a> who could also help many in the real estate industry make money despite the current crisis.

OCT

2009

Jennifer - thank you and I completely agree with your comment - there are so many great professionals here ready to help.

Susan - thank you and you're so welcome for the pat on the back - well deserved.

Ilyce - you're welcome and we seem to agree on the kind of community AR truly is - I hope they will :)

Janney - happy you discovered the network and find it a great place to be!

NOV

2009

How can we get a feel for how many realtors and consumers have been matched on Active Rain?

MAR

2010

Thanks for the info. AR is a great way for consumers to get to know an agent before calling. It goes beyond the agent client relationship and lets the consumer know more about the agent before even picking up the phone.

Have a wonderful day, jay

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Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA

Yardley, PA

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Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals

Office Phone: (267) 793-0373

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A “Marketing” Virtual Assistant that will partner with you to increase your online and offline marketing. This blog is where I will share everything from helpful marketing, branding, time management tips and solutions to tons of advice, motivation and inspiration so that you are working smarter - not harder! I look forward to getting to know you and your business more.

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