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
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
or 
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?