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Our 9 Year Anniversary on ActiveRain!

By
Real Estate Agent with The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services 13253167-SA00

We are celebrating our 9 year anniversary on ActiveRain. 

 

We joined ActiveRain in June of 2007. 

 

I have told our story a few times in our anniversary blog posts. 

 

Katerina Gasset Top Blogger ActiveRain

 

I learned about blogging and was looking for a friendly platform to blog on after having been in some online forums, ( that dates me:)). This is before Facebook went mainstream. 

 

One of the forums I was in there was a comment about ActiveRain. So I went to ActiveRain and started to read some blogs. That is when I found:

 

Sally Cheeseman's blog with all her local content about Hawaii. 

 

So then I started our blog. After I filled out our profile I discovered accidently that I earned some points. I had no idea what the points were for. Then I got some more points, and then some more. The point system is what really caught my interest. Dangle a carrot and I am hooked!

 

Here is my very first post I wrote on ActiveRain. If you are new and have a fear of writing your first blog post- think outside of yourself and you will get over your fear. When the focus is no longer on you... you can let go of the fear and start to blog. That is what I did: 

 

http://activerain.com/blogsview/131823/what-a-great-place-active-rain-is--

 

The second thing was the comments from members. I started to get comments which in turn motivated me to write comments on other member blog posts. I learned early to reach out to others and pay it forward. This in turn would build relationships. Relationships that stand the test of time on- line and offline. I would write between 30 to 40 comments each day to make the inroads. 

 

Then came my first featured post. This was during the time that there were volunteer moderators on AR. I believe people work harder for praises than for raises so this was another brilliant part of ActiveRain. 

 

At that time, there were not many members as compared to today. There was no ActiveRain University. There were no how to blog tutorials, there was no Q & A, there was not much at all in terms of support and learning the ropes in the rain. So we all kind of flew by the seat of our pants learning the ins and outs of ActiveRain. 

 

We made some very good friends. Many of these bloggers went off to blog solely on their own wordpress sites.  Without these friendships I don't think I would have stayed. Cyndee for instance, taught me who was in the "know" in ActiveRain at the time in order to get more visibility and also about which groups to join. 

 

So many bloggers here made it so much fun and rewarding including: 

 

Bob Stewart and Sally Cheeseman

 

Cyndee Haydon, Missy Caulk, and Lenn Harley 

 

Patricia Kennedy and Jason Crouch and Todd Clark 

 

Margaret Woda, Neil Bloom, and Sharon Simms

 

There are others who no longer have an AR profile, that were instrumental in my learning the ropes here on ActiveRain.

 

 It takes consistancy and work to get ahead on ActiveRain and here are our results in 9 years: 

 

Katerina Gasset top blogger ActiveRain

 

It was the worst time in the South Florida market that we had ever encountered.  


The same year we joined ActiveRain was the same year that over 10,000 agents in our board left real estate and did not renew their MLS and NAR dues. 

 

We had witnessed the worst real estate market crash and knew many brokers who were filing bankrupcty and closing down their offices. It was brutal. 

 

About 6 months before the crash Nestor told me that there was going to be a huge real estate bust. 

 

One of the first rules of business to learn is to be ready to shift.

 

He told me we had to figure out what we were to do in our business. Prior to the bust, we worked in land assemblages and with developers like Pulte Homes, Centex Homes and other builders and developers. Of course when there is a real estate bust, the developers stop buying land assemblages. They stop building. 

 

Nestor had experience in REOs and Short Sales when we worked in Houston. 

We decided to start working in short sales because we were not interested in niching in REOs. 

 

ActiveRain was the perfect match. That was the beginning of our journey in the rain... 


The rest is history... 

 

 

 

Posted by

Never miss an important post- follow me on my ActiveRain Blog 

In real estate we service Utah County, Salt Lake County, Wasatch County, Tooele County. This includes many towns and cities. Some of which are: Provo, Orem, Salt Lake City, Draper, Springville, Spanish Fork, Payson, Lehi, American Fork, Vineyard, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Pleasant Grove, and more. 

Katerina Gasset is a real estate agent who is also a digital marketing strategist, website designer and consultant for real estate brokerages, agents, entrepreneurs and small business owners. She is also the owner of Get It Done For Me Virtual Services. 

Katerina is a Certified AI Marketing Specialist. She can help you with ChatGPT, Content at Scale, Neuronwriter, prompting, and many other AI tools. 

She develops products and online courses to empower real estate agents to reach their marketing, SEO, social media and branding goals. Katerina Gasset is a blogger, author, podcaster, and keynote speaker.  

Text Katerina with your name + number to work with her:

 561-502-1577 

 

 

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Comments (21)

Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Nestor and Katerina - and what a ride it's been in the rain!  I remember learning so much from you and others when I first really got going in 2008. It's amazing to look back and celebrate all the gifts that AR has given over the years.

 

                                                                                                                

                                                      Featured in BananaTude

 

 

Jul 05, 2016 05:03 AM
Katerina Gasset

Thank you Anna Banana Kruchten ! HUGS!!! It has been an amazing ride! 

Jul 05, 2016 05:24 AM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Happy Anniversary to you!   You are a great contribution to AR, and a valuable member of the AR family.

   Here's to 9 more years!

Jul 05, 2016 05:04 AM
Katerina Gasset

Thank you Fred Griffin It has been fun to connect with you on political rants:) 

Jul 05, 2016 05:25 AM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Wow Nestor & Katerina Gasset - 9 years here in 'Rain. (Actually I may be close to that - though I was 'inactive' most of the time...lol!)

Congratulations...

Jul 05, 2016 05:41 AM
Raymond E. Camp
Ontario, NY

Good afternoon Nestor & Katerina Gasset 

Congratulations on the milestone and always having a worthwhile blog to read.

Make yourself an astonishing day.

Jul 05, 2016 06:29 AM
Tom Burris
NMLS# 335055 - Baton Rouge, LA
Texas/Louisiana Mortgage Pro - 13 YRS Experience

Congrats on the milestone. I wish I had the drive you do to keep posting.

 

Jul 05, 2016 06:47 AM
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Congratulations on 9 years and even more important congratulations on your GREAT success! You have me beat by a year Nestor & Katerina Gasset and about a million and a half points.

Jul 05, 2016 07:24 AM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Love hearing how you came to be so involved in AR, Nestor & Katerina Gasset ... You're sure right about the evolution seen here on the Rain.  I personally didn't expect that AR would become so darn addictive ... or so beneficial to my business growth.  I see I'm not alone ...

Happy Anniversary to you ... hoping there are many many more years on AR ahead of you!

Gene

Jul 05, 2016 08:56 AM
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

Congrats on your nine year anniversary Nestor & Katerina Gasset. You are assets to Active Rain.

Jul 05, 2016 10:34 AM
Noah Seidenberg
Coldwell Banker - Evanston, IL
Chicagoland and Suburbs (800) 858-7917

What a great milestone, congratulations Nestor & Katerina Gasset 

Jul 05, 2016 12:29 PM
Katerina Gasset

Noah Seidenberg  thanks! 

Jul 05, 2016 12:34 PM
Patty Mortara | Hunterdon County (NJ)
Hunterdon County Homes - Flemington, NJ

WOW - you made me want to go back and see when I first joined AR and wrote my first post - it was November 7th 2007... Looks like I have a few more months till I hit the 9 year mark! But I certainly won't have the amounf of points that you do! Congrats Katerina & Nestor!

Jul 05, 2016 12:47 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Congrats on your anniversary.  What a wonderful journey.  I'm so glad you're here, and I've learned so much from you. Thank you.  And, I'm so glad I got to meet you in person at RainCamp.

At some point, I'd love to catch up w/ you on affiliate marketing.  I would love your advice.

I just started a new blog about 3 weeks ago and about to start a new one, hopefully in 2 weeks.

Jul 05, 2016 01:03 PM
Katerina Gasset

Yes, call me. We can talk about it. 

Jul 06, 2016 07:44 AM
DeeDee Riley
Lyon Real Estate - El Dorado Hills CA - El Dorado Hills, CA
Realtor - El Dorado Hills & the Surrounding Areas

Happy Anniversary to you both!   I joined sometime around there but didn't realize the value of AR until 2009 or so.  You've always been an AR celebrity to me!

Jul 05, 2016 01:11 PM
Gayle Rich-Boxman Fishhawk Lake Real Estate
John L Scott Market Center - Birkenfeld, OR
"Your Local Expert!" 503-739-3843

Gotta say, you did a TREMENDOUS job of getting me on the right track when it came to SEO. You taught me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much, Katerina and you have continued to be such a remarkable and willing mentor. I had a great time learning from you--you made it fun and accessible. You explained things so very well and gave us the foundational tools to help me really put Fishhawk Lake on the map. I try never to miss one of your valuable (and often FREE) webinars--they are priceless! 

Jul 05, 2016 02:07 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Congratulations on the anniversary. I enjoy reading you posts. Thank you for sharing.

Jul 05, 2016 08:28 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Congrats, some of those names are no longer heard from. 

Jul 05, 2016 10:19 PM
Katerina Gasset

Lyn Sims I know, I even had to search for their links because they are no longer here.  It was so much fun! 

Jul 06, 2016 07:45 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Nestor and Katerina, congratulations to you both, thank you for all your contribution to ActiveRain. I've learned a lot from you regarding SEO. Thank you!

Jul 06, 2016 11:36 AM
Nicole Doty - Gilbert Real Estate Expert
Zion Realty - Gilbert, AZ
Broker/Owner of Zion Realty ZionRealtyAZ.com

I've only been on Active Rain for a year and a half and the time has flown by! I can't even imagine 8 more years in to the future. I sure hope I'm still around! Happy AR anniversary!

Jul 07, 2016 02:18 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Katerina and Nestor -- I'm enjoying reading some of the recent AR anniversary  posts and yours is no exception.  

Jul 07, 2016 08:33 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Congratulations on the anniversary.  You have become a standard for the platform and I can recall you as a guest speaker at the Rain Camp, which I believe was Washington DC

Jul 07, 2016 11:38 AM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

Congratulations! 

This community is a better place because of you. 

Thank you!

Jul 09, 2016 06:08 PM