Back in May, 2010 I had the opportunity and pleasure of participating in the Grand Rapids Association of REALTORS Real Estate Bar Camp. The concept for RE BarCamp came from a technology BarCamp event held in San Francisco. Wikipedia defines a barcamp as: an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants.
RE BarCamp is a BarCamp for Real Estate (R.E. BarCamp). What that means- the event is not structured like a typical planned conference. Every session is not planned out in advance. Nobody is paid to deliver a session. Anybody can deliver a session and attendees are strongly encouraged to participate.
While I was there, I met 4 Grand Rapids real estate agents that are in the forefront when it comes to technology, social media and innovation for real estate. It is always exciting to see those who are helping to drive the message forward with this paradigm shift in our industry. There were many other talented individuals who spoke that day also. I would encourage you to follow these REALTORS on Twitter, FaceBook, or LinkedIn. You'll be impressed with the example they are setting for Grand Rapids REALTORS.
The reviews below were taken from the roster of speakers:
STEVE VOLKERS has been with Keller Williams Realty for the past 3 years. He specializes in downtown condos, but has a vast knowledge in all areas of West Michigan. Steve credits social media to much of his success, noting that his main communication tools with other realtors, professionals and friends are facebook and twitter. Steve is also very active in blogging and is always researching for the new trend in real estate. At least 50% of the closings Steve has done in the past year have been from leads that find him on the internet. Steve looks forward to seeing the real estate community grow and adapt to these tools, and being one of the people who helps that growth. Come see him at GRAR REBar to learn more about how you can use social media to grow your business!
LOLA AUDU is a real estate broker & blogger who uses social media to engage and inform her clients and readers. Her blogs, which started back in 2006, have garnered millions of hits resulting in many business leads and over $100,000 gross commission in closed transactions. Her courses on Blogging Basics & Blogging Ethics (L1061 & L1062) were the first to be approved for Continuing Education in social media for real estate professionals in the State of Michigan. Through her subsidiary Blogging Seminars, Lola provides seminar training, keynote speeches and individual coaching on Relationship Marketing and Social Media.
JOHN DOORN has been in the real estate business for over 18 years. Currently an agent with Five Star in Cascade, he started using video about three years ago to enhance his listings and promote his services. “Virtual tours make me nauseous, and I love the show, ‘MTV Cribs’,” says John. “Using video is a great way to showcase a home and get my name and face in front of the general public.” John has been happily married to his wife, Shayne, for 21 years, and together they have three children – Jake (16), Josh (14) and Elli (11). John will be at Rebar to help YOU learn how to use video in your own marketing plan to give your business a fun and creative boost.
JULIE GREVENGOED is a broker/owner at JGR Real Estate and has been in the business for 6 years. She runs her business almost exclusively by referral, using Facebook, Twitter, blogging and LinkedIn to cultivate and deepen her relationship with clients and prospects. With the help of a recently acquired iPad and other tech tools, Julie is currently in the process of making her office “paperless”. Got questions about the iPad and how it works, or about those many iPhone apps? Come and see Julie at Rebar, where she will also be speaking on leveraging time by use of social media and other fun techno gadgets!
I hope we have the opportunity in the near future to host a Real Estate Bar Camp in the Greater Lansing, Michigan area. When we do, these four agents will be on my list to request their presentations on how they're using technology, Social Media, and innovation to enhance their careers.
"Expect the Best" Mike
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