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ActiveRain Blog Posts: The Top 10 of 2011 - Pro to Consumer Edition

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Real Estate Technology with ActiveRain

ActiveRain Blog Posts: The Top 10 of 2011 - Pro to Consumer Edition          

We had such a good time at our earlier Pro to Pro awards ceremony, and now it's time for the Pro to Consumer edition.  I hope we don't see any outfit repeats as that would just be the disaster of the year!  Keep it fresh ladies and gents and you're sure to dazzle your fans!

The following 10 posts were not necessarily written in 2011 but they do have the most pageviews from January 1st to December 31st of 2011.  It's important to realize the power that one post can possess for years to come.  Like a Chanel suit...it never goes out of style!

We couldn't get Billy Crystal to host this year as he is busy filming City Slickers 4 so AR will just have to do.  Everyone please be seated, the awards show is about to begin.  Quiet in the back (you know who you are)!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Top 10 Pro to Consumer pageviews of 2011!

#10) Rounding out the list - Tips to Building the Perfect In-Law Suite Penny Hull of Raleigh, NC

With more and more families living with multiple generations under one roof this information is heavily searched upon.  Tip-toeing through the living room to get to the kitchen so as to not wake grandma must get old and people want to add more space.  Penny talks about everything from budget to resale value. 

#9) Keeping it real with 5 Reasons You May Not Want to Counter that Offer Tni LeBlanc of Santa Maria, CA

Why wouldn't we counter?  The title grabs those curious minds and clearly outlines the 5 reasons.  Bolding, photos and clear paragraphs are a great outline for any post and tend to keep the reader engaged.  Tni knows what she's doing here; catchy title, nice flow of the blog and great information.

#8) Tell us how it is mate VA Condo Approved - No Sweat - Tell You in an Instant Bruce Bourgault of Honolulu, HI

In one instant, Bruce teaches us how to tell if a condo is VA approved or not.  Few tasks are short and sweet in the world of real estate so it's refreshing to find one that is.  Written in 2007, this post continues to receive view after view. 

#7) Sharing the wisdom How to Respond to a Low Offer on Your Home Herb Johnson of Florence, KY

Herb does a wonderful job of playing teacher here.  In order to keep your interested buyers engaged, he reminds us to put aside our emotions and focus on the facts when responding to low offers.  Reminding the owners of the home to focus on the facts is crucial; a tough market makes for emotional sellers.

#6) Give us our kicks The Ultimate Pre-Listing Kit for Home Sellers Jeff Dowler of Carlsbad, CA

This post is for agents and consumers alike.  Not only is Jeff sharing with us his vast knowledge of important pre-listing kit tools but he does it in a way that educates agents as well as sellers.  Now when an agent comes to a listing appointment, the sellers know what to look for in order to find a valuable rep. 

#5) Do the jive BB&T's 100% Financing Cheryl Powell of Concord, NC

The CHIP program was new in 2009 as Cheryl points out.  Loan limitations and requirements are clearly layed out for potential parties.  She even includes links to see if the property is located in a HUD area or not.  Consumers can do the simple math to see if they qualify before getting excited.  I wonder who they're going to use as an agent in Concord after reading this post?

#4) This isn't a bore Living in Wilmington NC: "Coast Home to North Carolina" Ginger Sala of Wilmington, NC

New and soon-to-be residents of Wilmington check this post out often.  Positively layed out are the dining, schools, climate and cultural ways of this city.  Can you say local expert?

#3) We can't wait to see Austin Texas Relocation Package Jason Crouch of Austin, TX

Job opportunities constantly keep people moving and Austin is one of them.  This manuscript if you will, is jam-packed full of information for everything Austin.  Clearly an expert on the subject, Jason freely lets us inside his head and provides new Austiners with imperative information.  Family fun stuff, place to eat, schools...you name it, it's included.  Written in 2008, Jason alerts us that this post is a work in progress and he intends to update it often. 

#2) Keeping it true Short Sale - Sample Hardship Letter Rosemary Brooks of Stockton, CA

With the unfortunate market of some, it's not surprising that a post like this comes in at #2.  Consumers most likely have never written a letter of this kind and scour Google for a good example and in comes Rosemary.  Excellent title, and she's providing exactly what her title promises.  Hopefully her phone rings with interested parties in her area to get the job done!

May I have the envelope please?  *deep breath*  And now, the winner of the most pageviews for Pro to Consumer 2011 is......


Michele Cadogan of Brooklyn, NY with NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder: Brooklynites Find Out if You Live in an Evacuation Zone!

What a wonderful, time appropriate, hyper local post.  Not only is Michele proving she is the mayor of her city, the go-to-gal for everything Brooklyn but she does it in a way that captures clicks.  Her title promises readers important information.  If you blog about your area, current and timely happenings are sure to get maximum exposure.

 

Thank you everyone for coming tonight, the talent in this room is just overwhelming!  Big shout out to the tables hooting and hollering for their colleagues!!  Yeah, whoop whoop!!  We have one more awards show coming next week, the Just for Fun edition is sure to bring a smile.  Have a great night, love each other and we'll see you next time! 

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Cheryl Ritchie
RE/MAX Leading Edge www.GoldenResults.com - Huntingtown, MD
Southern Maryland 301-980-7566

This is neat. I just bookmarked so I can come back and read through the Winners. My Mom goes to see all the movies that are nominated so I can go see all the posts!

Jan 25, 2012 11:17 PM
Cindy Edwards
RE/MAX Checkmate - Johnson City, TN
CRS, GRI, PMN - Northeast Tennessee 423-677-6677

This is a great idea highlighting the top viewed posts.  As I'm reading the titles and your short synopsis, I'm trying to think like a consumer, Realtor or browser and figure out what made people click on it.  Very fun.

Jan 25, 2012 11:32 PM
Barbara Michaluk
Weichert Realtors | Phone Direct 240-506-2434 | 301-681-0550 office - Silver Spring, MD
Leisure World Specialist / Full Service REALTOR

Thanks for sharing these best blogs.  I am inspired to see such a variety of topics and encouraged to think outside the box.

Jan 25, 2012 11:32 PM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

It's award season, so ActiveRain passes out it's own version;

And the Precious Droplet goes to.............................

 

Jan 26, 2012 12:02 AM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Congratulations to all the winners! Bookmarked to come back and read. Good blogging pointers here.

Jan 26, 2012 12:44 AM
Ritu Desai 703-625-4949
Samson Properties - Chantilly, VA
Northern Virginia,Washington DC & Maryland Realtor

Congratulations to all the winners. Definitely a lot to learn from all the winners. Thanks Activerain for provide this valuable compiled stat information.

Jan 26, 2012 01:13 AM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

LOVE this!  I knew Jason's would be at or near the top--he gets tons of leads from that series.  What I'm incredibly proud of is that 3 of the 10 are North Carolineans!  WooHoo!

Jan 26, 2012 01:39 AM
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Congrats to all Top 10! Thanks for posting - I missed some of these.

Jan 26, 2012 01:49 AM
Sandy Acevedo
951-290-8588 - Chino Hills, CA
RE/MAX Masters, Inland Empire Homes for Sale

Thanks for letting us know about these. More great reading for me!                                    

Jan 26, 2012 03:16 AM
Nico Hohman
Tampa, FL

I couldn't agree more with #10.  That is something we saw a lot of in 2011.  We are still expecting to see some of that this year, just not as much though.

Jan 26, 2012 08:31 AM
Kasey & John Boles
Jon Gosche Real Estate, LLC - BoiseMeridianRealEstate.com - Boise, ID
Boise & Meridian, ID Ada/Canyon/Gem/Boise Counties

Well, I guess that is proof that those consumer posts really are important.  Guess I better do more of them this year -Kasey

Jan 26, 2012 09:59 AM
Suzanne McLaughlin
Sabinske & Associates, Inc. (Albertville, St. Michael) - Saint Michael, MN
Sabinske & Associates, Realtor

I still find it hard to believe that one of my posts that got 100 comments and 971 views never got a feature.   

Jan 26, 2012 10:22 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

great list of great post.  Thanks for the update.  It is nice to get traffic in the rain.

Jan 26, 2012 01:01 PM
Cheryl Powell - The Powell Team
Southern Homes of The Carolinas - The Powell Team - Harrisburg, NC
Concord,Harrisburg & Charlotte NC Area Real Estate

Thanks for including my blog post about BB&T's CHIP loan program.  It is just one of the great loan and downpayment assistance programs I share with my clients!

Jan 26, 2012 02:50 PM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Congratulations to all ten.... now I have a lot of reading to do this weekend.

Jan 26, 2012 03:07 PM
Tni LeBlanc, Realtor®, J.D.
Mint Properties, Lic. #01871795 - Santa Maria, CA
Tenacious Tni (805) 878-9879

Very cool to be included.  That one sure did get a bunch of comments.

Thanks for the shout out AR. 

Those how to and consumer advice blogs do get noticed. 

Jan 26, 2012 04:17 PM
Stanton Homes
Stanton Homes - New Home Builder - Raleigh, NC
Design/Build Custom Home Builder in North Carolina

Thank you so much for including my "in law suite" post!  I love to write about topics that folks are asking about, and many of our posts are inspired by client questions.   Love the other "top" articles here too - what a great round up!

Jan 26, 2012 07:50 PM
Kerrie La Guardia
ActiveRain, Community Manager - Kirkland, WA
Let it Rain!

Thank you everyone for coming!  It's good to see the acceptance speeches from all the winners as well! 

*in a whisper*  Did you see who just had to be escorted out for having a bit too much bubbly??  OMG....get it together!

Jan 27, 2012 04:01 AM
Bob Miller
Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL
The Ocala Dream Team

Hooray Active Rain.  Thanks for a great list to send to contacts and review for myself!

Jan 28, 2012 11:40 AM
Jason Crouch
Austin Texas Homes, LLC - Austin, TX
Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)

Happy to see that my post from March of 2008 is still going strong. I just checked the statistics, and it's had 103,575 clicks since I originally wrote it. I do get quite a few calls from it, and it's #1 on Google for the phrase "austin texas relocation package" (imagine that).  :)

 

Thanks for the recognition. Cool stuff!

Jan 30, 2012 04:13 PM