Real Estate Blog - The Real Estate Market - Is Now The Best Time To Buy?

Home : Blogs : Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager : Active Brads Blog

The Real Estate Market - Is Now The Best Time To Buy?

This post is a Video interview with Jeff Dennis from Coldwell Banker, a 30 year veteran in the Real Estate Industry, giving his opinion of whether we have hit the bottom of the Real Estate market or not, and if now is the best time to buy or invest in Real Estate. Jeff is the past President of the Solano Association of Realtors, and is also the Author of the book, "To The Letter."

Should I Buy or Invest in Real Estate Now?

Click Here To See Video Interview

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount
RainCamp™ - "Because The Way We Do Business Online Has Changed!"

Posted by Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager on 04/12/2008 02:01 PM

Comments (41)

real estate market, buying real estate

Originally posted at: Real Estate 2.0 Technology : The Real Estate Market - Is Now The Best Time To Buy?

This post has been included in California Information Solano County, CA Information
Post is included in group: Podcasting and Vidcasting
Post is included in group: Online Marketing Help Center
Post is included in group: 1st Time Buyers
Post is included in group: Target Marketing

41 Comments on The Real Estate Market - Is Now The Best Time To Buy?

APR

2008

Brad can anyone use mixpro??

Interesting theory, though I am skeptical. Nice how you got that search for homes pop up.

Jeanette - Mixpo is available only to ActiveRain members. There is a monthly fee, but if you are interested, let me know and I'll see that you get setup and at the ActiveRain discounted price. I'll be back in town on Sunday evening, have a great weekend! :-)

Patrick, you are not alone I'm sure. There are some really cool tools in Mixpo that you won't find anywhere else, the pop up to search homes is just one of the many very cool and useful tools Mixpo has to offer.

Good post Brad! Was wondering, is there a way to hook up a microphone to the flip camera? I think if so it would really help when doing interviews with the people with soft voices like Jeff's

Thanks for the tip Brad, I will definately check that out.

Brad, thank you for the post I found it to be very interesting.

Don R.

Jeremy - I haven't tried to hook up an external mic primarily because I don't have one, I'm not sure you can with the flip video, but I was definitely too far from Jeff when I did this video. I need to get closer next time. My bad! Jeff is normally not too soft spoken, it may have been the ambient room we were in too! Thanks for the corrective suggestion, I'll have to check now, you got me wondering if there is a jack for a mic...but I don't think there is. :-)

Patrick - let me know if you have any questions about Mixpo, be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Don - it was that if nothing else! I think Jeff may be right, at least in our area. We are starting to see fewer listings,and they are moving faster with multiple offers! We'll have to wait 30-60 days to see if this is truly the bottom of the market! :-)

Brad,

Even though I believe strongly in the 'local' nature of real estate and real estate markets, I would have guessed we in our area of PA had hit bottom around January or February of this year...pretty much in line with Jeff's assessment! Thanks, Fran

APR

2008

Brad- Jeff's voice was very hard to hear. Your interview series is a great idea. With this Flip Video Camera there are just So many ways to creatively create videos for our blogs. Thanks for sharing more ideas.

Brad, Another great video interview! I too thought about the microphone so if you find out about it please let us know...first I have to get a flip video!!! Next Sale! I also love the little mixpo compliments in there. I think the peak of the market down here in Florida was Katrina and we are pretty close to bottom now if not there already. Buyers are starting to come back. Thanks Brad and your son was awesome...Its a precious thing to see a father and son bond like that!

Nice job as mentioned the voice was too soft to get the benefit of the presentation but the use of the camera in our business can be very useful.

Fran - I agree that Real Estate in each geographic area is unique for that area compared to what the National Real Estate news always reports. That's what makes AR such a great platform for other members and consumers. Real time, Real Estate news and market conditions provided by our members for consumers. "Real Time!" It's great to know that the market in PA has possibly hit bottom too. :-)

Katerina - I am still working on the distance and volume thing. Hopefully practice will help perfect it. I should have placed the camera closer to Jeff and further from me. A work in progress as it were. Once I get the whole volume thing under control, I will post the optimum settings and camera placement to hopefully help others that may be having this same issue. It also depends on the persons voice and how well it carries. There are so many ways that we can use video, but for interviews, getting some of the quirks like volume worked out is essential. :-)

Sara - the Flip Video does NOT have an external microphone option, I just checked. So it will take some practice finding the optimum positioning when doing interviews. I have found that depending on what you record, the digital audio built into the camera is excellent. Check out the video we did for my son's post featuring the guitarist Joe Satriani. The audio on that video came out excellent! Practice will hopefully make it better. I could have gone in and used a software application to correct the audio, but I want to use it in the same manner that other members might. I think 2-3 feet away from your subject will be better than 6-7 feet like I was with Jeff. Also reminding your subject to speak loud and clear will help. I know you already saw my son's post, but for those who want to check out the audio this camera can provide, here's the link to that post: Video Audio that Rocks! Thanks Sara, enjoy the rest of your weekend! :-)

Terry - no reason for me to reiterate that the audio on this video was my fault. This is my 4th interview, and you think I'd get it right by now. Being closer would have definitely helped to pick up Jeffs voice better. Thanks for taking a listen and view, and for commenting, that's the only way these things will get better. Your comments, suggestions and feedback are very important to helping make these Flip Video interviews a success. Thanks again. :-)

Brad, Your interviews are getting better and better. Does the Flip campera have the ability to put a sock over the mic? AJ

Brad, the commet section came up funny when I wrote the previous comments. I was wondering if AR was having a AP install. AJ

APR

2008

Hi Brad, As I was watching, the constant pause as it was buffering seems to be a great distraction in the use of longer interview videos. Yet the short 60 sec pieces don't really have much interests. What's the answer? Is there a way to get some wat to accelerate the download time?

AJ - you can put a sock over the mic, but this would also cover the lens! Hmmmm....LOL!~

AJ - it appears by both your comments that you are not logged into AR, try logging in before commenting and see if this fixes the problem. I am not aware of AR having any app installs. Let me know if you are still having a problem with this and I'll look into it further. :-)

William - there are many variables that may cause this buffering time. Not too sure why it is buffering in the middle of the video for you. Normally the buffering takes place before the video starts. Are you on Dial-up, DSL, or high speed cable? Also, how many applications do you have open while viewing? Are you using explorer or Firefox or another browser? Let's see if we can't get that working better for you. The optimum length for video in my opinion is about 3-5 minutes tops. Call or email me so we can get this worked out for you. :-)

Hey Brad, thanks for the opportunity to participate in your flip video project. The audio was problematic and moving the camera closer is one solution though a close up can be a little intimidating. Finding that mid-point (or tweaking the audio in the editing process) will solve that. I did notice the streaming (buffering?) problem and wondered if it was my internet connection. Others seemed to experience it as well so it may be more common and that should be taken into account when posting your completed masterpiece. I enjoyed the banners and links and I can see how this concept could be used increase exposure and add to one’s professionalism. Jeff Dennis

APR

2008

Jeff - thanks for the opportunity to use you as a guinea pig interview you and post it on my Blog. Practice will make perfect! :-) I think using the smaller video size (320x240) instead of (640x480) should increase the video streaming glitch you experienced. Also, closing some of those 40 windows you had open might help as well! LOL!~

Glad we had the chance to experiment here, and I'm certain that you are correct in saying that, "this concept could be used to increase exposure and add to one's professionalism." Thanks for taking the time to review the video and comment! Have a great week! :-)

Brad, enjoyed the video, and would like to get hooked up on "AR Mixpo."

Susie - I am putting up a post today or tomorrow explaining exactly how to do that. Please call me if you need more info sooner, otherwise watch for the the Mixpo Getting Started post. You know where you can always find me! LOL!~

Brad, great video, and good job!!!

I don't see - and forgot to ask you earlier today - if there is a volume dial or button anywhere on the flip video that I've missed? When listening back to the video on my camera, it is very faint - which, of course, makes it difficult to figure out how the sound is coming through until I put on my computer. What do you think? I have 30 days to return it, so need to know if it's defective or not.

Once you find that out Brad, let me know, because before I buy one, that is something to look into!!!

Teri - it was GREAT talking with you on the phone today!! Feels like I have known you for years! :-)

Try putting your video on the computer and check the audio there, I think you'll be quite surprised! I also did a post on how to use your Flip Video Camera the very first time. After that, it's a piece of cake. Just drag and drop! :-) Let me know if I can help you in any way! :-)

Brad, so I can upload the video without Mixpo? So I upload it and then put it here without Mixpo? I thought I needed that to put it on......Hmmmmm, another lesson here for me, I suppose. So, are you saying there is no volume control on the FLIP itself?

Yes, I agree, it was great visiting with you and brainstorming. I am always surprised to hear the voice after I speak via blogs...don't sound the same. ;-)

I also received a congrats on reaching 100,000 from Bob at AR via a FLIP video....very cool. I want to know how to do THAT one!! ;-)

Great video with excellent information. Thanks for sharing it with us Brad.

APR

2008

Between you and Jeff I think I've got it. But haven't taken the time yet to DO IT!!
It's on my list for this week!
Thanks for the tutorial, Brad.

APR

2008

Teri - you need mixpo to edit, produce, and host your video. Youtube and Google plus others host videos that will allow you to post them on your Blog, but only Mixpo will let you edit and produce them like the one here. How do you get Mixpo? That post will come out today! :-)

PS. The volume control on the flip video is the up and down arrow that is above and below the red record button. When you are in record mode, the up/down button is a zoom. When you are in playback mode, the up/down button becomes your volume control. There is also a jack (looks like a headphone jack) that allows you to plug your flip video camera right into the TV to watch.

Lisa - thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! They should get better as I learn how all the ins and outs of recording, editing, and producing video. As I learn and grow, I'll share so that others can learn and grow too! :-)

Nancy - anything you need, I got your back! Feel free to contact me anytime! :-)

Brad, thanks so much! I hadn't figured out that volume thing. You mentioned You Tube and Google the other day to. Thanks!!! Think you can make our meeting on the 24th now that you're official and all? ;-)

APR

2008

Teri - send me the information via an email, and I'll see what I can do...I'd love to come join you all. Thanks! :-)

MAY

2008

It was really informative. Thank you, Brad, for this interview. Pay attention to this resource. It contains lots of usefull information about Real Estate.

JUN

2008

Elena - I'll check it out. I don't usually keep comments with links, but yours may be relative to this post, so I'll keep it for now. Some people try to hijack posts by putting links in the comments, but I don't think that was your intention here. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, have a great week. :-)

This blog does not allow anonymous comments