Not long ago, I was asked by my friend Mike Price to host the "Carnival of Real Estate", which is essentially a gathering of blog posts each week about our industry.  Sounds like fun to me, so I said a hearty "Yes!".  Since I've held lots of contests during my blogging career, I have a little experience in this arena.  :)

First of all, if you took the time to submit something this past week, I thank you all for your submissions.  We all take pride and a great sense of ownership of our writing, and I know firsthand that it can be a personal thing.  With that in mind, I appreciate you all giving me a chance to review your hard work.  This is my first time judging this particular competition, and I consider it an honor.

There were just over 20 submissions, and there were six that I felt really stood out:

First Place -  Searching for Real Estate Made Easy: Geo-Fences Plus Mobile Phones by Chris Thorman of SoftwareAdvice.com.  This is simply an awesome blog post.  It has many solid elements:  it’s informative, current, and well-written.  It has helpful graphics and good organization.  The anecdote at the beginning makes the post more interesting and draws the reader in.  Everyone loves technology, and the internet is certainly the best place to come up with new ways to use it.  Kudos.

In Second Place, I would put this rant (if I may call it that): Can I get proof of a competing offer? The answer may surprise you by Jay Thompson, the Phoenix Real Estate Guy.  For those of you who know Jay already, it should come as no surprise that he wrote a terrific post on a compelling topic.  If you haven't had the situation Jay describes come up yet in your real estate career, you will!  I myself have written/ranted on the same subject, and I think it’s a topic most of us have some opinion on.  That fact, and the opener mentioning “slam my head into a wall” draw the reader into the story.  Jay also expresses some strong opinions in his post, which makes it more interesting and comment-worthy.  His structure and grammar are clear and accurate, and he makes good use of the medium with his tone and subject.

Third Place: What are Mortgage Accelerator Programs? by Jim Wang 

This is an article-type post that is truly informative.  It’s conversationally written and Jim doesn't talk down to the reader.  It seems well-researched, and the advice it gives seems wise.  It's also well-structured and well laid out.

Fourth place goes to 10 Most Common Mistakes of 1st Time Home Buyers by Robert Buchholz.  This is a very informative post that could actually help some new buyers, if they follow the advice therein.   If I were a rookie Realtor, I might print this out to give to my buyers, and Robert Buchholz’ name would be there, too, which can only help Robert’s business.  That’s part of the “big idea” of blogging!

Honorable mentions: Hey You Pessimists (Yes you, homeowners): It’s Not Quite That Bad… by Amy Bohutinsky and Investors: Should You Get Your Real Estate License? by J. Scott.  Both of these are well-written and informative posts.  “Not Quite That Bad” has some very interesting & encouraging research with a “killer” graphic.  Which of us could not do with a little good news these days?  “Investors: Should You Get Your Real Estate License?” attempts to give a brief yet through review of the issue, and seems very helpful.

All in all, there some terrific posts for the carnival, and it made my decisions difficult.  In fact, I had to call in some help (my wife read them, too).  I applaud you all.  Keep on making the RE.net a more informative, interesting, and helpful place.

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fleur-design/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelzimmer