Who Doesn't Love a Good List?

Just about any 'how to be a better blogger' tip sheet you will come across suggests that people use lists in their blog. I can't be the only person out there who will click on a 'Top Ten (fill in the blank)' list when I see it.

I think the reason I do it is because I want to see if the author's top ten is something with which I agree. If it's a national list of some kind, I'm always interested to see if one of my local establishments/cities/companies/etc. make the list. If it's a local list, I want to know if there's something great in my own community on which I might be missing out.

As a real estate blogger, blogging for business, what kind of 'Top Ten' (or top five, or twenty, or seven) lists could you incorporate into your blog? Let's come up with some ideas together......

• Top 10 Home Bargains in Bellingham: Do a list of what you believe to be the X (pick your favorite number, mine was 10) most well priced homes in your market
• Top 6 Locally owned Businesses in Saline: Do a list of locally owned business that you believe are worthy of support from the people that live there. It'd be great if you had written about each of these businesses so you had a review to which you could link
• Top 4 Neighborhoods in Seattle: Do a list of the X (you pick your own number) most desireable neighborhoods in your market. This is another one where it would be great if you had posts about the neighborhoods to which you could link for more information, or (GASP) so someone could look for a home in that neighborhood.
  
• Top 5 Condo Complexes in Bellevue: Do a list of the X most well maintained condo complexes. Or maybe a list of the X complexes with the best amenities.
• Top 7 upgrades to add value to your home: Do a list of the upgrades most likely to add value to the home
• Top 9 things to do with your Kids in Ann Arbor: Do a list of things in the local community that people can do with their children. When I'm with my son, I'm always looking online for stuff to do with him in our local community.
• Top 8 Historical Homes in Gettysburg: This one is for Gerry.....
• Top 11 Little League Sports Organizations in Seattle: I'll be looking for this one soon, as will anyone with kids getting ready to start competing. (And please, for the love of all that is good about this country, don't include organizations that don't keep score. Kids need to learn at an early age that in life, there are winners and losers. While it's great to always be a winner, it's just as important to learn how to cope with losing and be able to bounce back from it. If you're convinced kids learn something from sports leagues where 'everyone is a winner' I say you don't understand sports and your kids should be in the band....of course, that's just my opinion)

If you farm a small community or subdivision, you could even use this as a chance to reach out to potential clients in your area. What about:

• Top 5 Gardens in Wallingford Seattle
• Top 6 Views in Queen Anne Seattle
• Top 7 Garages in Gwinnett County Georgia (that one is for Lane)
• Top 8 Decks in Hunters Ridge of Saline (that one is for Missy)
• Top 9 Well Maintained Yards

I'm sure you guys can come up with much better lists. These were just a few of the things floating around my head. If I was targeting my neighbors or an area I was farming, I probably wouldn't rank them, as I wouldn't want #5 being upset because he thinks his garden is better then #3. It would just be a list of the 5 coolest gardens. You probably don't have to use something bland and boring like I did.....'Top 6 blah'. You could use better adjectives, '6 Stunning Views and The Homes That Accommodate Them'.

I'm sure if I gave you 1000 points for every list you'd crank out a ton of lists. Not this time. Just consider adding a few lists to your blog because people like to click on them and they have the potential to generate debate, engagement and traffic.