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I've Been Bashed by the Best! And I still ignore them!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Success Realty

May you have 100 doors to blog about this year!Gasp...shame and after being hardily warned by both Dustin Luther and Matthew Rathbun, much as I respect these guys opinions, I've spent much time in the last couple of days blogging about my listings both here on Active Rain and my other blog at All About Athens GA!

Why?  Because it works for me!  I have both buyers and sellers who feel like they know me from the posts on my blogs and the NEXT thing they mention is "I love the way you market your listings on your blog"! 

Now Dustin, at least tempers his message, by asking you to tell a story if you blog your listing, but Matthew, bless his heart, actually removes agents from his ? (this orginally said "blog roll" but after review of the thread he just says removed 6 - I now believe this to be his feed reader - see his comment for more clairification of his point of view).

As a scared little new blogger, many of my first post were about my listings, because Gena Riede & Inez impressed me with their's over at the Listings by Address group on Active Rain.  It was an easy way to learn to write about something I actually knew about - houses - go figure!  I wouldn't want a blog filled with nothing but listings, but it all comes down to balance, you know, sprinkle your blog with equal parts:

  • community news
  • market reports
  • information & advice
  • cool things that may be happening &
  • listings!

"Consumers want to see houses and mortgage rates."  Thank goodness someone is willing to validate my crazed need to blog about my listings, see what else Brian Brady has to say about it all over at Bloodhound Blog

I think for now I'll just continue to be a REALTOR® who happens to blog, instead of a "blogger" - thanks Laurie Manny, you made me feel better about my decision.  What I've learned is that I can really respect someone, learn from them, and still not agree with them about everything! 

Now, who else is ready to join me me and admit that they like blogging about their listings and more importantly - that they can make money from blogging about their listings?

Michelle DeRepentigny, Broker - Success Realty, Athens GA - your local real estate expert

Update:  At a reasonable time on the morning after: 

I got carried away with this post last night and forgot to mention that I have had 4 sales this year directly attributed to people reading my blog - I guess that was a pretty important thing that got left out of the story.   :)  How many sales and/or listings have you had from blogging so far this year?

Update #2 on 6/25/08 at 12:12am eastern - after being swamped in AR love:  Just to clarify, neither of these guys were mean or nasty just strongly opinionated, which is their right.  This was just meat of a conversation quicky on twitter, a post of Dustin's, and my unresolved feelings at that time. 

Scott Daniels Florida Real Estate 2.0. Agents Earn 100% Commission.
Florida List For Less Realty, Inc. Broker/Owner. - Cooper City, FL

I always consider it an honor to be BASHED by some of the raving loonies on these other Blog Sites.

Many sell books, motivational CD`s and other Guru gibberish.

Many of them have huge ego`s which they need to protect.

When they start circling the wagons and attack you, than you have arrived..

Great job and GOOD FOR YOU! 

Jun 24, 2008 11:49 PM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

Joshua  - you have it in a nutshell:  "My job is not to write, it is to sell."

Michael S. - I'll be watching, we want to see those listings

Julie - thanks for the visit and keep on blogging :)

 

Jun 25, 2008 12:53 AM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

Terry - talking about what we know, isn't that an interesting concept?

Virginia - it is fabulous when you go out to a listing presentation and are all over page 1 of Google for many different things, including your actual listings!

Sally - thanks for stopping by & your support!

Jun 25, 2008 12:56 AM
Joshua & Kathy Schmidt
ERA Henley Real Estate - Cabot, AR

Michelle,

     Sounds like you have the right idea to me.  It looks like blogging about them is working out for you, so why listen to naysayers.  If you know it works, just do it.

Jun 25, 2008 01:49 AM
Joel Silberstein Brooklyn NY Certified Mortgage Specialis
The Silberstein Group - Brooklyn NY Mortgage Planning Team - Brooklyn, NY

Without commenting about the fact of posting listings i just want to say this.

It is better to be bashed by the best then being praised by the least!

Jun 25, 2008 02:12 AM
Michael "Mike" Miller
EXIT REALTY SERVICES - Moon Township, PA
My service will move you! Help me, help you!

Michelle,  I haven't yet blogged as I'm just now holding my hand out into the rain, but I would say that every blogger blogs for their own reasons and in their own way.  You should keep doing things the way that you'r comfortable with.  Right of Wrong, you'll figure it out...

Jun 25, 2008 02:16 AM
David M. Childress
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services - Akron, OH
I would love to be your Realtor® in Akron Ohio!

I don't get it! There are various places to post our listings and we should do it often. We ARE supposed to be selling our clients homes, right? Thanks for reminding me, I have 2 new ones I have not posted yet. I'm off!

Jun 25, 2008 03:37 AM
Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI
Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

YAY!  You can't care or do what other people say, you need to do what works for YOU YOU YOU!  If we all did the same thing would it be as effective?  I think not!

Jun 25, 2008 04:36 AM
Kathy Anderson
Arizona Luxury & Lifestyle Living - Cave Creek, AZ
Arizona Homes For Sale

I wouldn't be blogging if it wasn't about business, promoting & building.

Jun 25, 2008 05:00 AM
Anonymous
Matthew Rathbun

Michelle,

I actually found this in a google search while teaching today... I appreciate you throwing my name out there in a post where you KNOW you're going to get people who think like you to respond :)

Look, I am not trying to be public enemy number one on this topic.  I think if you recall (I barely do) my point about posting your listings on your blog, is that they need to be part of a story.  Just putting a mls sheet up and hoping that someone will come back to your blog isn't going ot work.  THe people who I removed from my reader were simply posting listing, after listing.  If I wanted a daily feed of listings, I'd go to MLS or ask you to send me homes that met my criteria.  To look in my RSS feeder and see that the only posts you make are about your listing, or that you've put a flyer there makes me yawn.

Consumers who go online to start their search are looking for 93% are looking for homes, that's great.  They can find that on Zillow, Trulia or any IDX.  21% report that they want nformaiton about the area.  This is where the blogs are so successful.  Put a link on your blog to MLS and actuallly make your new listings a post about the house or area.  Make it relevant, so it doesn't just look like another MLS data stream.

That's my point. 

I WAS NOT BASHING ANYONE.  It's far from my nature.  I also don't consider myself the "best" at anything.  There are always those that are better.... However, my opinion is that I don't like MLS strings in my reader.  That's why I removed them.  The agent wasn't telling me anything I couldn't get from an IDX.  If I do sub to an IDX, than I can get more than just YOUR listings.

Hopefully that clears it up.  As I recall, I didn't go to your site and make a comment, I was talking to someone else on Twitter and you asked..  Please understand that it was never my intent to put down your buisness model, just discuss some other aspects to look at.

Jun 25, 2008 07:34 AM
#54
Anonymous
Li Read, RE/MAX Salt Spring, B.C., Canada

Hello, there!     Good post!     I think all information is good information, and there will be something for someone to glean.     Who are the arbiters of fashion in communnication?    Isn't the 21st Century about being a content provider?

Thanks!

Li

 

Li Read, RE/MAX Salt Spring, B.C., Canada

liread33@gmail.com

Jun 25, 2008 08:17 AM
#55
Elizabeth Ward Small
REALTOR & CEO The 3B Method Seminars - Burlington, NC

If it works for you it works for you. And, if you're doing something in your marketplace that others are not doing, chances are great you have a leg up!

Jun 25, 2008 08:50 AM
Mike Saunders
Retired - Athens, GA

Michelle - I think you should stop blogging listings until after I catch you on points;^)

On second thought, go for it.

Jun 25, 2008 09:04 AM
Fred Jaeger
High Lakes Realty and Property Management - La Pine, OR
Real Estate Connection - Central Oregon

I agree. 

Although one of my pet peeves are three sentence or less blog posts (that still get 200 points) I have to say that its a good marketing point for me as well to pitch a listing with the argument that the property will appear on my blog.

Jun 25, 2008 11:40 AM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

Josh, thanks for stopping by.

Joel - the guys mentioned above are and were gentle, but the discussions about blogging listings can become very heated and has on the past on Active Rain - no points were given for a while, which was actually ok with me.

Mike - AND ALL of the rest of you who are new to the Rain - I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to Mike Mueller's Practice Here Group - read the directions - write a post and we'll help you get it ready to meet the world!

David - exactly!

Renee -  I can see where a blog with nothing BUT listings would be pretty boring, but a few in the mix just lets folks know what we do and how we do and thank goodness we are not all alike!

Kathy - lol, neither would I, my writing skills are just not that good!

Jun 26, 2008 08:17 AM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

Matthew - I'm sorry you ran across this when/where you did, but as far as using an arena where everyone agrees, I know AR is not that place.  There are many who feel as you do that listings don't really belong on a blog and there have been some very heated post about the matter here on AR in the past.  As I stated somewhere above, I'm really surprised that none of them have visited. 

I had updated before you visited to make sure I told everyone that you really are a nice guy.  I really do respect your opinions, and your willingness to share your experience and I do consider you someone very valuable to learn from!  I have learned from you online and hope to continue to do so.  This post was really about celebrating my decision to blog about listings again and I still feed the need to defend blogging listings to newer blogging agents, as so many trainers and industry authorities disagree with the practice.  I have also made a correction, after your comment I went back and reread the twitter conversation again and realized that talking in 140 characters leaves something to be desired sometime.

Jun 26, 2008 08:33 AM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

Li - dear, be careful leaving you email and such in other people's comments, many AR members will delete your comment, as they consider it spam.  Thanks for stopping by!

Liz - it is very much a leg up, but there are not many agents blogging in my area yet - we'll see how it evolves as others jump on the wagon.

Mike - "I think you should stop blogging listings until after I catch you on points" = ROFLMAO! Just keep it up and you'll catch me.  Congrats on your first feature, also!

Fred - my pet peeve also, I really hate it when you look at someone's blog and the top five post are almost word for word - only the subdivision or market area is changed - but take heart, the consumer won't pay them much attention either!

Jun 26, 2008 08:38 AM
Anonymous
Not Yet Licensed

As a scared little new blogger, many of my first post were about my listings

Hi Michelle,

Keep doing whatever works for you.  On a side note, I discovered Active Rain because I saw some AR listings were coming up on page one of Google.  That's very impressive!  I wanted to learn how that was done.

Jun 26, 2008 01:37 PM
#62
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA

"Not Yet Licensed" - please join AR and share your experience with us, even though you are not licensed yet - we look forward to celebrating the day you are!  Your comment has made this post worth some of the flack I have taken - page 1 of Google is seriously great!

Jun 30, 2008 03:45 AM
James Wexler
wexzilla.com - Scottsdale, AZ

excellent article, and helpful to a new realtor/blogger ...  do you use AR in conjunction with an outside blog (like most of the poeple you mentioned) or just exclusively AR - thanks for sharing

Jul 06, 2008 04:51 AM