Real Estate Blog - Active Rain INSTRUCTIONS: How to Post your Listings

Active Rain INSTRUCTIONS: How to Post your Listings

THESE ARE NEW INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE READ!! I suggest printing this instructional page for reference,
when placing a new listing, or updating an existing one here on Active Rain and Localism.com websites.

STEP 1: First Join Group:
                Activerain MLS Online

                STEP 2: Create a NEW POST:
           What Information Should I Include? (The Order Below is Recommended)

1.  Your Title: ALWAYS Use the Address, City, State, and Zip. This will help Buyers and Sellers Find Properties
2. Your Entry: A Catchy phrase or "Value Statement" about the Property (All on 1 Line 1)
3.  2-4 small photos side by side, with space in between ( 1in. x 1in. ) NOTE: ***Not Too Big***
4. Property Bedrooms, Baths, Year Built, Square Footage and Price is all you need on this line
5. A Brief Description of Features, Ammenities, Community etc (No more than 2-3 lines)
6. A link to the property webpage or virtual tour

See Sample below:

=========================================================================
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                      SAMPLE:

(TITLE) - 2130 Havenhill Drive, Benicia, Ca 94510

(CATCHY PHRASE) - Benicia Waterview with detached studio/workshop

2130 Havenhill Drive

4 bedrooom, 2.5 Baths. YrBlt. 2002 SqFt. 2850 $ 749,500.00

One of a kind property with a large detached workshop and office/studio. Ample storage with a 4-car garage,
RV and/or boat parking. Floors include marble, ceramic tile and new carpet. Solid granite countertops in kitchen,
updated cabinetry. All bathrooms have been upgraded. Two fireplaces. Professionally landscaped yard with Jacuzzi spa.

Click HERE for more Details

____________________________________________________________________________________________

==============================================================

INSTRUCTIONS CONTINUED:

FYI - TIP: Photos can be saved right off your Local MLS, and maps can be obtained online at www.mapbuilder.com , http://cyberhomes.com and www.earth.google.com

Be sure to add a link to your local MLS listing URL address or ie: 123AppleDrive.com, even the Virtual Tour, wherever you may have it posted on the web. Use the hyper link tool to prevent long and unattractive URL addresses in your listing.

STEP 3: Once you have your listing all put together like the sample above, you are going to want to post it in Active Rain. First off, you will want to make sure that you do the following:

Use pertinent Tag words for the search engines...
The Visability should be set to Public
Put a check in the box that says for Consumers
Then check the one that says "Advertise A Listing" (Region Required)
DO NOT PUT A CHECK IN THE BOX THAT SAYS "For Real Estate Professionals!!
Put a check mark in the box to add it on the Activerain MLS Online Group

See Sample of How to Post Below:

At this point, you want to select your Region:

It is important to take it down to the Neighborhood level
Another idea is post it initially in the City, and then move it to the Neighborhood later on

Now select POST BLOG ENTRY and you're done!!

Lastly: What should you do when your listing expires, sells, gets withdrawn, or cancels?
YOU MUST KEEP YOUR INVENTORY UP TO DATE! JUST LIKE YOUR REGULAR MLS!!

My recommendation for now, is to put the "Status Word" in the Title of the Post:(as seen below)

I don't feel that listings should ever be removed at this point, they are your blog and as long as you update them and post the status in the Title Bar, this should work ok for now. We are all open for ideas, suggestions, comments or concerns. I Hope this information helps you.

Finally, keep your posts neat and clean! The worst thing you can do is have clutter, sentences that run on for 6 feet past the screen, photos the sizes of postcards, and links that are not hyperlinked properly, and posted to groups where they don't belong.

There are many support documents and blogs on how to use the AR editor effectively. I suggest you try a search if you need additional help beyond this. You can also leave a comment here if you need additional support. Good luck to you, and thanks for joining the Activerain MLS Online Network.

Here are some additional helpful links:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/18495/How-to-Add-Pictures
http://activerain.com/blogsview/15195/Ultimate-guide-to-building

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount

Posted by Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager on 03/05/2007 09:57 AM

Comments (320)

activerain mls online, real estate, listings

320 Comments on Active Rain INSTRUCTIONS: How to Post your Listings

MAR

2007

Here is a comment I received from another sample listing that used maps. Just FYI.

I can do this with www.mapbuilder.net and have all of the properties on the Google map API with a detailed property listing information. What are you using? Is this Google Earth with screenshots?

03/05/2007

by Elizabeth & Justin Thayer

Delete

MAR

2007

Brad, Thank you so much for the info. I understand everything much better now. Thanks again

Sorry for the late response, I'm glad it's working out for you now. Be sure to post any success stories that may come from this group, I sense some really great things happening here! I have already seen results in just the 3 days the group has been running. It's taking a life of it's own and it's ALL GOOD! Thanks!!
Let me know if you ever need help, my door...I mean blog is always open to you. :-)

MAR

2007

brad thanks for the information and the know how, I had posted some listings before but not in that format. I will re format my listings for advertisement/mls group and continue to post that way. I like the consistency also. Hopefully we can all make some money threw localism and direct listing pots like this,thanks again chrishill@remax.net

as always i'm here to help............

brad what would the trick be to get our listing to show up directly on google or Yahoo. meaning that if a consumer entred the exact address (not a specific URL) how could we get that to pop up thru a search engine. When I Add a post on active rain/Localism I alays try to use very specific key words prior to posting but do you have any comments ideas or tricks here,thanks again for the active rain MLS

As always I'm here to help at any time.... ChrisHill@remax.net

Thanks Thomas, and welcome to Activerain MLS Online, a great place to network, post your listings, refer and be referred business, and have a little fun doing it. I too am here to help if you ever need it....There are some great properties posted, pass the group link on to others, if you think they have a buyer interested, or another agent interested in joining us. Thanks and happy posting!

Thomas, there is no "trick" to getting your listings posted in yahoo or google. You are doing exactly what I think you are suppose to. If you list them on your local MLS, push them to Realtor.com, post them here on AR, (which posts to localism.com when done correctly), I think that is all you can do on this end. Google and Yahoo will pick them up, in time. Key words and tags are important, blogging is important, and probably the best way to push them into, and up in the search engines. That is how I am doing it. There are many group members and AR supporters within the network who have way more experience at these things than I, however, I am always around to help if I can. We are always looking for ways to share and improve. Thanks.

MAR

2007

Brad,

Thank you for the helpful posting on my first listing on the mls. I didn't have anything done right to fit the group but you and Gena both posted to my listing with help. It took me a while to get back to it. I was away from my main computer and didn't have any pics etc on my laptop to work on the listing. So I had removed it then reposted, then finally got back to my desktop in my office.

Thank you again for the help and for posting this post with the guidelines. I know that I will be back to this one rereading before I post the next one.

Judi

APR

2007

I have only been in the Rain for about a week and I have just started to post Blogs and everytime I read instruction it helps me a little more. Thank you...And I am going to make sure I keep them updated that is part of our job after all.

Chrissi, I will be adding to these instructions as modifications and updates are needed. Next will be an addition of some graphics you can add that will say "SOLD, CANCELLED, WITHDRAWN" We probably won't have expired for obvious reasons. Thanks for your comment, you are very welcome, and we're all here if you need us. :-)

MAY

2007

Brad - wow.....thank you posting this....extremely helpful as i am just starting out.! ron

MAY

2007

Ron - Glad this was helpful, once you dig in and get comfortable on AR, you'll find that navigating around is pretty easy. Use the "search" feature to find anything or anyone you want. It's a great tool. Also, post everything on your blog, not just listings. After you read someof the featured posts, you'll see what I mean. The power is in your posts!! Thanks Ron!

Rob - You're welcome. This MLS has taken on a life of it's own. The only thing I do now is just remove the posts that aren't listings. My next post for the group will be how to edit your listings and add the SOLD or NO LONGER AVAILABLE icon to the listing. I don't think anyone should ever remove the post from their Blog.

Brad,

Thanks for the update. Had not got that far for when a listing is sold!!

Melanie - your listings WILL sell, when they do, you can place SOLD at the end of your title or add a graphic to the post. Either way, I think it will help others know the current status of your inventory. Enjoy your weekend. :-)

Here are two graphics you can use when your listings change status:

Just save them to your desktop, edit your listing post, and add either of them to the top of your post!

MAY

2007

Hi Brad - Just finding this group here. Question - I already have been posting to Listings by address. I am confused if I should be posting them to both of these groups. Is there a pro or con for that? Thanks, Steve

Steve - can't think of any pros or cons, just more exposure being in two places I guess. Some members have joined one or the other, and some have joined both! It's only a matter of putting a check mark in a box, so it's not too much additional work to submit your listings on both. There are so many groups on AR, some members may never find either group. It does not affect the localism.com post as long as you are selecting State, County and City when you post. I think these groups were probably created around the same time, I did do a search for "MLS" and "Listings" before I created "Active Rain MLS Online" at the time, I was un-aware any other group like ours existed. Great question Steve, let me know if I can be of any further assistance. I hope this answers your question and concern. LMK...Thanks!!

Yes it does answer my questions. Thank you very much.

Hey Steve, I stand corrected, I see the "Listings By Address" group was establishedby Gena back in November last year, it definately was up and running before our MLS group, I guess my search didn't show it back when we set this group up. My feeling was that people searching groups would be likely to type "MLS" and find us.....so now there were two! Gena is awesome and I endorse her group 100% as much as ours. Funny thing is, both groups are on the West Coast. Maybe this needs to be looked at and broken down by regions or Central, Pacific, and Standard time zones etc. (just thinking out loud) hmmm...

No problem. I think I will probably post to both as well, I will look into that in the morning.

I brainstormed with her about what to do with Expired, and I decided to make it Members Only. Just thought I would throw that out there since it was being discussed. I think another option someone brought up elsewhere is changing it to Draft.

MAY

2007

I like the idea of changing listings to (members only), that will remove them from Localism.com (I think), or would it be better to include a graphic that says sold or not available. Our group is looking for the best way with the tools that are available in AR. We know it's not really setup to be an MLS, but it sure has been successful for many. Here's one idea we were tossing around:

2130 Havenhill Drive, Benicia, Ca 94510

Benicia Waterview with detached studio/workshop

2130 Havenhill Drive

4 bedrooom, 2.5 Baths. YrBlt. 2002 SqFt. 2850 $ 749,500.00

Click HERE for more Details

or something like this for expired, cancelled, withdrawn etc:

2130 Havenhill Drive, Benicia, Ca 94510

Benicia Waterview with detached studio/workshop

2130 Havenhill Drive

4 bedrooom, 2.5 Baths. YrBlt. 2002 SqFt. 2850 $ 749,500.00

Click HERE for more Details

Brad,

Another succinct and useful post! I'm going to go ahead and sub to your blog, you consistently turn out great material. Thanks again for sharing!

Shai

Hey Brad - I think I would keep sold's as active blogs, not members only because I want people to see what I have sold, done, etc. I just added Sold to my titles and then added a little update to the blog saying it was sold and the date. The one I am referencing in particular was a quick sale, so its nice to show that.

As for the one that was expired, I went with the Members Only as I didn't feel the need for the public to be able to view it anymore since I was no longer going to be selling it at all.

I am definitely open to all ideas though - The Sold graphic is nice, I think Gena has one like that too.

MAY

2007

Thanks Shai, I recall you did a post and started your blog, but now it's gone. Please start posting again, I am anxious to see your valuable contributions as well. Don't think about it, just blog! I'll subscribe if you post too. Thanks for the compliments and for subscribing to my blog. :-)

Steve -

Great info and excellent point regarding solds. I think all group members should do it that way. As far as expireds etc., I think "Not Available" would be best for those (if they remain public) , you're right...why advertise something you're not selling anymore. Would it make more sense to just delete that post from your blog? Been a long day, so I don't want to break my brain thinking too hard about that one tonight.

Like you Steve, we are all open to ideas and suggestions on how to make this work best for the AR members and group users.

I have the Nor Cal RE Expo tomorrow and Sat. at the Fairgrounds, Mothers Day on Sunday, so I won't be back to activerain till next week. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for your comments, support and contributions. Very appreciated. :-)

The reason I decided not to delete the expired one is I wanted to be able to show everything I ever did to market that home in case it was ever questioned by the owner. I just figured if it was deleted I couldn't neccesarrily show it if the need arose. I just like having a history of everything sometimes. If you delete a blog, poof, its gone. That was really the only reason.

An excellent point Steve, and for that reason, I'd leave the post on as well, but mark or stamp it not available and (members only). This is great stuff, and I am sure our group members will benefit from this. (if they are comment readers and not just post readers). Thanks Steve.

MAY

2007

Brad, Now I know everything...or almost some things...or at least a few more things than I did! Thanks for keeping me updated with timely updates!

Lizette, just doin my thang... :-) Hope you had a great mothers day weekend!

MAY

2007

I appreciate the info! Bookmarked this so that I can refer back to it on each occasion. So much useful information.

thanks!!

Brad, thanks for the information. I've bookmarked this so I can refer back to it -- I'll have to refer to it everytime I post a listing. Oh, and wouldn't you know I got the dreaded Elderberry!!!

Sharon, thanks for the kudos, glad you find the info valuable. This group seems to just keep growing! :-)

Hi Judi - Posting listings gets easier each time. Thanks for joining and posting in our group. By the way...
I hear "Lychee" is the coveted graphic!!!! :-) Wouldn't ya know, I got LEMON!

MAY

2007

I think I now have two jobs: 1: Realtor 2:AR reader, doer, blogger, etc. Fantastic post. BOOKMARKED for helping me add my listings. Thanks so much............

Brad, another note: I see listings entered all over the place. Just where can/should we enter them? Want to make sure I do this right. Thanks,

Hello, Brad! I just joined your group. Thank you for the Sold and Not Available signs, as well. Another great tool from the AR community. Thanks!

Yolanda

Teri - just create listings as a new post and check the box for our group when you post it. You can only select 5 groups to put your post in now, they have limited that recently. You should also post these in Gena's "Listing By Address" group. (if it's by address). The more exposure to your sellers listing, the better for all. Let me know if you need any additional support. That's what I do!! :-)

If you view the instructions and something does not work or seem right, please let me know.
The current instructions may need updating.

Thanks Yolanda, my hope will be that you'll get to use alot of the

graphics here in this group. (BIG SMILE)

Welcome to the Active Rain Online MLS Group, we're happy you've joined
our Networking Group! :-)

Thanks for the info. I've been trying to figure it out.

MAY

2007

Anytime Tamara - just let me know if you need additional help. :-)

MAY

2007

Hi Brad,

I know there must be some instructions on how to upload pictures, but I guess I am a little impatient to read through all of the instructions and posts.....could you help me?

Thank you,

Geri Murphy

Geri, you can use the tool bar above to import your photos.
The icon you want to click on

This allows you to select a photo or graphic from somewhere on your computer, and upload to your post. Be sure to resize the photo so it doesn't take up the whole page. For your listings, I recommend 150 x ??? (about 2in. x 2in.) for best results. Let me know if you need any additional help with this. Thanks!!

JUN

2007

Brad: Thankyou very much for the information. I will give it a try. Your post took a lot of care and time and it shows. Very much appreciated.

Thankyou Brad for the help. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my email.

wondered how that worked...thanks-

JUN

2007

Donna - anytime, glad I could help!!

Bill and Barbara - if you're ever wondering through the rain, possibly needing some help, please let one of us know, we're glad to try and answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your comment. :-)

JUN

2007

Brad,

You did such a good job helping us with this. Perhaps you can answer my (dumb?) question. If I am in the middle of writing a message but cannot finish it right then how do I save it? I looked at all the little icons and didn't find one for "save." Can this be done so I can finish the blog later?

Beth - you can save your posts in a "draft" mode and then return later to finish them. I always save my initial posts in "draft" and in MS Word, this allows me to check typos, proof, and correct anything I may have overlooked on my initial post. I hope this helps you out, let me know...you got my number, don't ever be afraid to use it!! :-)

Visability:

Draft

JUN

2007

Thank you Brad for taking the time to post all this information. The sample entries are perfect! We are fairly new to AR (about 4 weeks). We learn something new everyday! Thanks for sharing!

Rick and Lynn - you're welcome. I have only been out here since Feb 27th, 2007 and I have to say, I learn at least "ONE' or more new things everyday. I love it!! Thanks. :-)

JUN

2007

Brad-

Thank you for the very helpful instructions. I posted my first listing today and I couldn't have done it without your help. I made a few mistakes, but I'm sure I'll get better with practice. Thanks Alot!

Lisa - glad these helped...I'm off to check out your listing now...maybe we can have it "Featured" I'll go check it out! Oh, thanks for the nice comment! I do appreciate it very much!

JUL

2007

Greetings Brad, Everywhere I go on the Rain, there you are! Great stuff here and as a member of Listings by address, also, I will post to both............cannot have too much exposure......Regards, David

David, you mean everywhere you go, there I've been!! LOL! Here's one that will keep you thinking, always remember that before you go, there you are!! Welcome to Active Rain MLS Online, we're happy to have you with us. You're right about exposure, you can never have toooo much!

BTW - You should also check out our "Active Rain Virtual Tour" Group. Brand new and will be a huge success soon, but not without members like you. Thanks David!! :-)

That's what I meant to say Brad, there you've been......btw, I joined the Virtual Tour group already, I am not too far behind you my friend! David

Thanks for the valuable tips!

Sorry David, I see you have already been there and joined! My Bad...guess I got a little ahead of myself there... :-) How'd you like my little video in the group description box?

David, glad you found them to be valuable, thank you! B-)

Thanks Brad. Your information is most helpful. It will help keep my future postings clean, concise and in front of the right audience. I can appreciate your tip about placing post in city for a while and then moving to neighborhood. Quite ingenious. Thanks for sharing. Oh and I tried to rate your post to say thank-you, and when I did so, it came back and said post not available? Go figure.

Thanks Ann - I have seen that happen before to me. It's weird. I go to give to poster of the blog a 5 and I get back some RED text, saying invalid, members only, try logging in text or something like that. I just refresh and then click it again, that has seemed to work in the past! Thanks for your kind words...I especially liked the ingenious part!! LOL! (smiley) B-)

JUL

2007

This is great, explains everything, thanks a lot.

JUL

2007

Fidan - glad you could join us. If you have any questions about this in the future, just let me know. You should join the "Virtual Tour" group as well. :-)

AUG

2007

Brad,

Thanks so much for this post - I am very new To Rain and just figuring out all it has to offer. I had my listings posted on all the traditional online sites - zillow, trulia, realtor.com, my own site etc. - but had no idea that you could also post them here - couldn't figure out how to do it until I found your Blog. Thanks again for taking the time to do this and also for the graphic images of the "sold" and "not available" -Erica : )

Erica - you are too kind. Thank you for your very grateful and kind comment. I'm glad you find this post to be helpful. It is one more way to promote your clients property and hopefully get it sold. You'll find Active Rain to be a great place to learn, network, and grow your business. :-)

Great information! One quick question - how do I print out your instructions but not print out the comments? Thanks!

Now here comes Brad, the man!!!! Helping people while he is on vacation!!!! You da man, Brad W., DavidC

Hope you are having fun with your family, but I know you are!!!!!! Be safe, my friend......watch out for the racoons!!!!

Where IS Brad???

A new game, where in the world is Brad Andersohn?????

Brian - just cut and paste the intructions into a word document or notepad, then you can just print what you want and need. Let me know if that works for you. :-)

Mr David C - I am actually not on vacation, I am chasing raccoons away in the back yard!! My cat won't come down out of the tree, and some member on AR thinks my middle name is wolfgang! Go figure!! LOLOLOL!!

I will however be taking a vacation this month, so let the games begin! Where in the world is BRAD ANDERSOHN?!?!? :-)

AUG

2007

Hi Brad,

It's been a week for me now and I am loving this network. I finally added my listings to Active Rain and realized I needed to find out the best way to do it - wouldn't you know that not only did you have the answers, but I had stumbled upon this blog the very first day I was on and in full information overload mode, I had forgotten it (I even left a comment that day...lol) Thanks again

AUG

2007

Erica - great to see you back. Glad you are getting more comfortable navigating around in AR. The MLS Online group is growing so fast, and has some great exposure to other members, and to the public. I hope it will help you as a tool to get your sellers homes sold. If you ever need any assistance, my company is international, and is always happy to assist you. Thanks, and keep on blogging for success!

AUG

2007

thanks for the instuctions, will follow next time

AUG

2007

Malika - these are just basic instructions for adding your listings to Active Rain and the MLS group. Feel free to take it up a notch...BAM, if that's your desire. Always looking for new qand better ways to enhance the group and take it to the next level. Thanks for the comment, let any of the group members know if you need any help whatsoever! :-)

SEP

2007

I would love to know how much "action" you have been receiving from Localism.... Is anyone getting any prospects from it?

Kim - seeing how this is an instructional post for how to upload your listings to the Activerain MLS On-line Group, I don't think you're going to get the answers you're looking for here. You can either do a post in regards to this or I can d one for you to see what kind of response we will get. I do know that many have gotten leads for prospects and actual deals from their posts on Localism and Active Rain including myself. Let me know if this is something you would like to pursue, or if you'd like me to, I'd be happy to help anyway that I can. Thanks Kim! :-)

SEP

2007

Thanks for the info....I'm a newbie to Active Rain and just posted 3 listings....I think I'll print your post and make sure I did it properly.

Regards, Ed

Ed - I'll check out your listings, good luck, I hope they sell quickly. Welcome to the MLS group, let us know if you need any help here on Active Rain.

SEP

2007

Brad, Thanks for all this information. I will work on this with my current listing which I am preparing to post on a blog.

I've only been using Active Rain for about a month and it's pretty confusing but so far, very interesting. Anyway, how many of you get buyer responses from your listing postings? Are there a lot of buyers on Active Rain looking for listings? (Sorry if this is a stupid question but I've been a Realtor for about 5 years and only heard of Active Rain a few months ago.)

SEP

2007

Pat - Welcome, if you need any help with that, I am here for you and we have over 400 other subscribers to this group that I am sure wouldn't mind lending a hand if you need one. Just give a hollar, and we'll all come running! Thanks for joining our group, you're gonna love it here, and hopefully your sellers will appreciate the hard work you are putting into getting their home sold!

Shari - AR is only ayear and a half old with over 50,000 members now. Do buyers see these listings? Yes. They get posted out to a site called Localism.com, check out some areas of localism.com and you'll see what I mean. Placing your listings here also exposes them to a National Network of Industry professionals, not just a local MLS. I think you'll find the power here to be very beneficial to not only your sellers, but to you as an agent. The networking and referral opportunities alone make it worth the time, the effort, and certainly the cost! FREE? Hmmm

Great question, I hope I've helped, let me know if there is anything at all you need. We are happy you're here and looking forward to your posts...and closings! LOL! :-)

Brad, Thank you for your offer to help - I'll take you up on that. How do I subscribe to your personal blog?

09/30/2007

Pat Hommel, Annapolis, Maryland

I just posted but after I hit post I never got a chance to do Step 3 with the tags and sending to the public.

Pat -

To subscribe to my Blog, just go to the bottom of any of my posts, and click on the "subscribe Button" or even easier yet, just click on this one here: Also make sure you are logged into Active Rain before you do. I noticed your comment above but you weren't logged in. You also miss out on the points when you comment if you're not logged in. Login first (always), then come back here and click on subscribe. You'll find your way around the rain in no time at all! :-)

Shari - you need to do that before you submit the post, you just needed to scroll down a little further and you will see the option. Not to worry, just go back into the "Edit" mode for your post and select or put a check in the proper boxes. Let me know if that helps. It's not too late to just go back and correct it. When you're looking at your post, you'll see the edit option at the bottom where the tags are. :-)

Hi Brad! I subscribed to your blog. Catching up on reading your great tips and tech stuff. I went to your TechKnowBabble - very impressed with your site. I got the glitch on my name not appearing. I was responding to the comments through my emails, so I was not signed in through that route, even though I was logged into AR on another tab. Learning every day.........

Pat - that's awesome. The welcome Mat doesn't always work, Karen is working on that. Feel free to poke around all my posts, they might save you a ton of time here on AR, that's why I write here, and to help my clients better understand blogging and the tools I've created here for them. Others just get the benefits of what I'm really doing for my local customers and target customers...like you! LOL! Enjoy your day, and have fun in your journeys!! :-)

OCT

2007

Great Info - Thanks. I am working on my first Visual Tour and will have it up soon. This info will really help in the process.

Steven - looking forward to your virtual tour! Let me know if you need any assistance beyond this post! :-)

OCT

2007

Brad,

I have just signed up for ActiveRain a few days ago so I am "green" once again. I followed your instructions for posting my listing but as I read on I confused myself. You said not to remove a posted listing because it is our Blog but while I was just posting my listing a warning came up that this listing will NOT be a blog on my home page. I'm a little lost, wasn't I reading instructions to post on Localism and if so can I post that on to ActiveRain? Or did I post on ActiveRain? From what I have read so far it seems the posting of a new listing is to go on Localism NOT ActiveRain. Is this true as well. Long question I know. Anything you can do to help will be appreciated.

Steven Federico

OCT

2007

Steven - you want to post to Localism and not Active Rain Professionals. Select the State, County, City even the neighborhood, and then submit. Your listing will show up on Localism.com in that city. Active Rain does not need to be moderating every single listing in the Country on Active Rain. Sorry for the confusion, I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any addirional help or support ok? Thanks!

OCT

2007

Brad, I am concerned that posting the MLS listing may be a copyright violation, and I'm not convinced that posting the mls listing is worthy of 200 ActiveRain points. I hope you can convince me otherwise.

OCT

2007

Hi Margaret, I can certainly understand and appreciate your concern of copyright violation. I think you should speak to someone who is a bit more qualified to give you that type of advice. I surely don't want you to get in any hot water for trying to advertise your sellers property on other sources than your local MLS.

I think that if there were copyright violations though, you'd probably want to pull them off Craigslist, MySpace, and any other forms of Internet advertising. I would see what information you are allowed to advertise and then run with it. There are close to 500 other members with almost 1400 listings here on AR in my group.

If you have some documentation that you'd like to share regarding this copyright violation here, I'd be happy to see that it gets the exposure it would need. I bet I can ge a featured post with that one. Let me know how I can help...if at all. Thanks Margaret. :-)

Thanks again Brad for a great post. I am several months late on this one. I will put it to use immediately.

Dionne - better late than never! Feel free to join the group and start posting your listings here. There are so many members and listings, it helps get them national exposure and not just to other REALTORS®, the whole industry can see what you and your sellers have available. It's a great network and marketing tool and group.

Nice and simple. Good post, one everybody should stop and look at.

Tara - thanks, it's only good for those who want to add their listings to AR and our group. Hope you're signed up and you'll join us there. Thanks for your comment, if you ever need any assistance, just let me or any of the other members know. We're happy to help if we can. :-)

OCT

2007

I have some listings that do not quite look like that. Is it still alright to post them here? They look very nice and they are on my blog now. I would like to post them here.

OCT

2007

Christopher - absolutely, GO FOR IT! Please make yourself at home, add your listings, and hopefully the added exposure here will get them SOLD! Let me know if you need any additional help!

NOV

2007

I should've taken the time to read through this earlier! I think I've blundered in my previous listing posts by including the real estate professionals. I guess that's what happens when trying to do things too fast and not reading the instructions. I'll try to follow your guidelines from now on! Thanks.

Candi - it's no problem. These instructions were written at the time I started the group back on March 5th, 2007, and as I'm sure you've seen, there are many formats being used. Postlets, VFlyer, etc. The key was to NOT Check RE Professionals because moderators at the time were having to sift through all the listings along with all the other posts. I am sure that AR still doesn't want listings posted to the RE Professionals Group. You can use the format I provided or any one that works best for you. Let me know if you need any assistance. B-)

DEC

2007

Brad- Sorry if this was already asked. To be honest I just didn't feel like reading all 104 comments. But here goes... I've started adding listings to my blog and posting to localism and listings by address. I include a lot of photos and description. To post here, would I need to write a second ad for each listing to fit the format in your directions?

Again, I apologize in advance if this has already been addressed.

Thank You

DEC

2007

Thank you Brad for the tutoring! I need all I can get. How do you get the pictures of the screen grabs? I wish you a wonderful Holiday! Stay safe and have a prosperous new year! Deb

this is also good information. Another excellent posting. Happy Holidays

Don

Again, I apologize in advance if this has already been addressed.

Thank You

Jackie - No! All you have to do when creating your post is add it to our group. Just join the group and then click the box next to our group name when you submit your listing to AR and Localism.com. You can post in up to 5 groups. These instructions were just for those who had no idea where to start!

Debra - Screen captures are standard on any computer, just use your "Print Scr/SysRq" key on your keyboard. Then you can use any program to add/edit/save. I use Paint Shop Pro and Adobe to do my graphics editing. Hope that helps. Happy Holidays to you and your family! :-)

Brad- Thank you! I will be posting a few today.

Thanks a lot-
Jackie

Don - glad you found this useful. It's great to have a group for listings, I think we need one now to capture some buyers! LOL!

Jackie - looking forward to seeing your listings in our group! I try to feature those that really stand out. I'm sure yours will! :-)

DEC

2007

Brad, This is an excellent post even though written back in March 2007. I found it because you were very generous with your comments of a new Active Rain member. You are a wonderful example of the caring and sharing that goes on in the Rain. Happy New Year!!

I can't believe this post has been around for 9 months and I never saw it! Great information. Of course, last week I posted a bunch of listings for the first time, but I didn't know about the mls group you mentioned, so I'll be adding that for sure. I also liked the tips about using the address as the title and follow with the catch phrase....

Margaret - thank you for noticing! I try to welcome new members as often as I can, I include as many links to the things of value I wish I found when I signed up. I probably need to update some of the links as there are so many more useful and helpful posts added to AR now. This one just helps get them started with posting their listings.

Your listings and flyers are so professional and laid out so well, I'd love to link them to one of your instructional posts if you have one. Let me know, and thank you again for your very kind comment! Have a safe and Happy New Year! :-)

Dan - Welcome to the AR MLS Online Group! We're glad to have you here! Let's sell those listings and keep your sellers and buyers happy and coming back for more. I am using Real Estate 411 to link to these listings and other networks to try and drive consumers here. Keep em coming my friend! :-)

Great post, very helpful info.

Brad, Thank you for your kind comments. No instructional posts at this time. Just tried to call you but see you are "off" til Tuesday. Enjoy

Roger - glad you liked it and found it to be helpful! :-)

Margaret - sorry I missed your call today, I have been in and out of cell service all week. I will be back to work on the 2nd of January, feel free to call me anytime befoe or after that, I always try to make myself available for good clients, family and friends!! :-)

FEB

2008

Brad: Thank you for the detailed instructions. I need to utilize this group and the virtual tour group you mentioned. There are so many groups, it's easy for me to get lost in the abyss.

Donna - you just let us know if you need any help, I'd be happy to assist you any way I can. This is a great group and the exposure we get for listings is fabulous!! :-)

MAR

2008

I'm New to posting and to this site. I have followed all instruction up until Step #3. I can't seem to find where to do this. After I created my listing, I only saw the button to "POST" at the bottom. Could someone help me?

Thank you!

Kim - you have to scroll down further for more options. But Let me know specifically where you are running into challenges and I will assist you. :-)

All: I have figured it out. I posted my listing w/in this site. Have it straight! Thanks.

Kim - AWESOME, I'm off to check out your listing now... :-)

Brad, Thanks so much. I found where to put my listing for the public to view. I do have another question though...Where does one get all of this information to post a blog about? I have so little time and feel overwhelmed with all of the options available to market my business. Learning most of this on my own, so its taking a lot of time. I sure have enjoyed it though.

Brad, I read your response to my listing, thanks...but I can't find it here..only in my email...Am I looking in the right place? (told you I was new)..

Kim - click on the link at the top of your screen that says "MY HOME" (above your photo) and you'll see all your comments, and all the others you've received there.

Kim - we can discuss your previous question in a bit, I am running out the door to go teach a class right now. Be patient, have fun, and manage your time to include posting and blogging, trust me, there are countless success stories here! Ciao for now... :-)

Thanks Brad!

MAR

2008

Kim - are you still looking for Blog Topics? Let me know....

MAR

2008

Brad: Thanks, as always, for the valuable post. I have learned more from you on AR than anyone else. (No offense intended to "anyone else"...I've learned a lot from you too!!)

Kim - I have learned from so many here too, thank you for the compliment, I do have to give credit to many that I have learned from too. If you want to see who those mentors are, just click on this link to see my "Most Subscribed Bloggers" these are the folks who have the readers and a ton of experience in Blogging! :-)

ACTIVERAIN TOP BLOGGERS

If the link doesn't work, here's the URL: http://Activerain.com/TopBloggers

MAR

2008

Yes, Brad, still looking. Have some other questions too, not related to this post, not sure where to go...RE: agent/broker commissions (between the two, not with sellers).

You are always so generous with your time and expertise. Thank you very much.

MAR

2008

Kim - shoot me a detailed email, let me see if I can help or direct you to the right sources. In regards to topics to right about, there are hundreds. We can brainstorm those thoughts too. Evenings PST are the best time to reach me. Email anytime, I'll try and reply same day. Thanks Kim. :-)

Susan - thanks, I learned long ago to give what has been given. Time is precious and priceless, that makes it the greatest gift we can give! :-)

Brad, What a great comment..thanks for all your "gifts" of time to AR. Just left you a message on your cell phone.

Thanks Margaret, I'll call you right back in a bit! :-)

Well it was a bit more than a minute but well worth the wait! Really enjoyed speaking with this evening. And yes,Brad, you made my day!!

Margaret - My minutes are not always mine.....that's what makes them so precious! (Big Smile) Thanks , I'm looking forward to hearing more about your WCR presentation. If you have a .ppt file, I'd love to see what I could do to mess it up I mean, add some "Escrow Guy" tech to it....with your blessings of course!! :-)

Enjoyed very much our chat today! Congratulations on all your successes and may all your dreams come true...

MAY

2008

Thanks for info. I just joined this group and am going to start posting my listing. This is a great guide to follow.

Brad, Once again you have provided great, detailed information. Thanks. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Muldowney Team, we welcome and look forward to your postings here in our group. Let me know if you need any additional assistance. :-)

Shannon - thanks, that's sweet of you. Have a wonderful day as well.

MAY

2008

I just listed a home in this group. I am not sure how to do "Step 3". I don't see the area where to put in tags, visability, etc. Could someone please advise as to what I may be doing wrong? Thanks

JUN

2008

Ben - when you are in the edit mode of a new post, you'll see options underneath that allow you to put in tag words, select groups, post to localism and specific states, counties, cities, and even neighborhoods. Look at the screen carefully to see all your options available. Call me if you need any help with this. Thanks. :-)

JUN

2008

Brad,

I'm not sure where all I should put a new post. How many places is too many? Do I put listings in other places?

Connie - you can only add your posts to 5 groups max. If it's a listing post, I only know of two groups, ActiveRain MLS Online and Listings By Address. You can place them where you want as long as you read the groups guidelines and then comply.

A most useful blog...

Kurt - a most apreciated comment... :-)

JUN

2008

Brad,

Thank you for your help. I hope to get them all on today and tomorrow. Nice to know that there's someplace to go for help. I'm always amazed at how someone somewhat smart can feel SOOO dumb.

Connie - don't forget that Sunday is Fathers Day. Always here to help if you need, except on Fathers Day! lol~
Have a great weekend!! Never feel dumb about anything you do, it's the smart ones that continue to seek more information and knowledge on a daily basis. :-)

JUN

2008

I didn't expect to hear back from you yesterday. I stopped in the office to do a little work between Church and my Open House.

I had put a couple of my listings on a couple of weeks ago - before I knew about these groups. Yesterday I tried to tweek them but I'm not sure how to resize the pictures. I'm going to go read the group rules too. Don't want to be a bad group member.

I keep getting emails everytime there is a new comment to this blog entry. Is there any way to stop them? Thanks.

Connie - you can resize your photos by using the appearance tab when uploading them, or just click on the photo in your post, then use the corners and sides to drag to the size you like. Call me if you need help. :-)

Ben - To stop getting emails when comments are made on any post, do the following:

1. Don't check the box that says "notify me of comments" when you leave a comment on a post.

2. If you have checked the box, you'll need to go back to that original comment, click on "Edit" and then uncheck the "Notify Me" box. This will stop the email infiltration my friend.

If you still need help, please feel free to contact me anytime. :-))

I'm still a tad confused: is the address supposed to go in the heading? I see more posts that don't, than do.

Thx.

Kat - I recommend the address for your title, this way if the seller runs their property address, your posted listing will show up on google or yahoo first. You can give it any title you like, but only you can decide how you want the power of your blog and posts to play out. Many pay for domain names by address, with AR, you don't have to and you'll get the same if not better results. Let me know if you need any additional help with this. I'm always here to help. :-))

Thx Brad... I get it now.

Kat - always here to help you out if you need, hope you know that. :-)

I do, Brad. Thank you. You're always a BIG help.

JUN

2008

Hi Brad I was wondering how long does a listing stay posted and what do we do when it sells?

JUN

2008

Jerry - it stays forever as part of your Blog. You can change the status to sold, pending, off market, whatever, but I don't recommend deleting them. Just add your status to the title, and then use it as part of your marketing and show your Blogs value to world! :-))

JUN

2008

Brad-Thank you for posting this great How To guide and also for the images of sold and not available. Too often listings appear i the wrong places or grouos and are deleted. Hopefully this help our members to get the best usage from ActiveRain.

JUN

2008

Allison - you are welcome, and I do hope you're right. We have grown now to the 13th largest group on ActiveRain, we need to keep the group alive, thriving, and valuable to both members and consumers. Thanks. :-)

JUN

2008

Brad - Is it acceptable to post a real estate listing in this group and also in the group "listings by address" at the same time?

JUN

2008

Sam - Yes! You can post in up to 5 groups as long as your content is within the guidelines of each group. These 2 groups are for listings ONLY. Feel free to place ALL your listings in BOTH of the groups. :-) We're happy to have you as a member of the group. :-)

Hello Brad,

The Guidelines in the State of Washington expect us to remove any Internet listings from public view within a reasonable period of time (up to 6 months) once the home is no longer under a listing contract (it has sold, expired, cancelled, etc., and no longer for sale). Such stale listings that are over 12 months old can fuel a complaint and audit by the DOL.

By changing stale listing posts to Member Only ought to remove them from "public view" however, it also removes the post from Google's view as well, from what I've been told. The DOL says we must take action on the stale listing posts. Any recommendations on how to both comply with the WA DOL and keep some Google juice with these types of posts?

Thanks! John & Kathryn

John and Kathryn - I wasn't aware of those laws in Wahington. I'm not sure what is the best way to address that one. Unless I see the details and can find loop holes (so to speak) it's hard to give a solution to that type of challenge. Is Washington the only state affected? Is this going to be a local case by case issue? Who will govern it? What are the other options? I guess when the time comes, we'll have to really take a look at that and come up with som ideas. This is the first I have ever heard of anything like this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, I will definitely be looking into it. :-)

JUN

2008

Brad, here's the link to the DOL publication: Washington State Guidelines for Advertising and Procuring Prospects on the Internet (adopted September 19, 2000.)

The DOL Auditor has told us that III a. is the crux for this discussion. To the DOL if a listing contract is no longer in effect, that listing contract has expired (whether the home sold or not). To the Audit department, removal of a listing from the Internet site(s) within 6 months is reasonable; longer is not reasonable; and over a year is clearly eligible for Audit Action.

I can see the wisdom in this Article, as I have seen sold listings on agent's websites that are over 5 years old. How is the general public going to know whether or not that home was sold 5 weeks ago or 5 years ago? In our market home prices 5 years ago were much less, even in this buyers market thus, even more reason to not keep these posted forever.

I hope this helps in understanding what we Washington agents must be aware of in our listing posts.

Thanks!

John & Kathryn

John & Kathryn - thanks for coming back to share that information. I hope your Board and MLS do as good of job researching and getting the word out as you do. I think for Washington, agents should know and understand this. They may already. I think that moving listing posts to members only should resolve the issue. They will not be seen by the public and google will no longer oick them up. Thanks for sharing your research and information on this post, I truly and sincerely appreciate it as I'm sure other members do as well. :-)

JUN

2008

Okay I just discovered this group and it looks great for marketing your properties. Thanks once more Brad you are the man.

Steve

JUN

2008

Steven - welcome to the group, we're happy to have you. One thing you might consider when adding a listing is to "talk" about the home and area. Tell a story. Seperate yourself from the standard vFlyer or postlet or MLS data card. Be creative, see what happens. I am hearing that more and more are starting to do this. It's blogging about a listing as oppossed to advertising it. Jst a thought, thanks for joining us. :-)

JUN

2008

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the tips, more info next time. You still didn't answer my question how did you become such an expert. What is your back ground. Just curious?

Steve

JUN

2008

Steve - I don't really claim to be an expert at anything, maybe a jack of all trades and master of none? lol~

I started in the RE Industry back in 1985. I worked for the title and escrow industry for 22 years. I spent many years trying to understand and find new technologies that would help my customers (Realtors® and Lenders) do more business. My experience comes from finding out their needs, and then discovering solutions. I guess we call it the school of hard knocks and learn by experience. Hope that short history pleases your curiousity. :-)

JUL

2008

This is very helpful advice! I will be using it soon!

JUL

2008