UPDATED - Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, hot off the presses and delivered right to your screen, the latest Active Rain Week in Review.
First of all, I apologize for not having the pretty template. Mark Flanders was generous enough to send it to me and offer his help, but, as things would have it, I did all my reading throughout the week and left the posting for Sunday night. Try as I might I could not get the template to work it's magic for me. Secondly, with so many great articles, it was hard to keep this one short. Here's my humble version of the review:
Active Rain has been growing by leaps and bounds. We hit 20,000 members on Saturday, March 10th. As I look up right now the number is at 21, 271. Wow! Who wants to bet we'll hit 50,000 by July? Having this many members means we have lots and lots of stuff to read. There's some great stuff out there! I apologize in advance if I read your blog, featured it here and did not comment on it. I was doing much reading. These posts are divided into categories but the order ends there. They're in no particular order apart from that.
Mortgage Articles - this topic was caliente this week. Mercy!
STOP SCREAMING ABOUT SUBPRIME by Brian Brady Brian offers his excellent insight into the subprime lender saga.
Subprime Fallout -- Are You to Blame? Nope. I am. by Rich Schiffer Rich tells us where the finger pointing ends.
My lender ran my credit report and now the whole world knows.. by Martin Rodriguez Martin has been a delightful addition to the Rain. Here he offers some practical advice for your customers.
A reverse mortgage stole my inheritance by Mark Flanders I read this excellent article on the SoundBiteBlog but was glad to see Mark share it with the Active Rain crowd. Apparently so was the Active Rain crowd.
Humorous Articles - Nick M. seems to be holding back on his outrageously funny blogs this week. Thankfully we always have a few others who can deliver.
Blogger showdown by Kristal Kraft Make sure you click on the links and follow the story. I think the Sheriff has tan lines. Matt Dillon would be horrified! UPDATED 3/22/07 I have just become aware that while I may have found Kristal's post humorous, the story behind it is anything but. My apologies if my mistake offended anyone.
It's St Patricks Day...So...Let's Pick On The Gentlemen Of Active Rain...ROAR! by Billie Tutas TLW (aka Billie Tutas) is 110 pounds of fun! Here she has a little (lotta?) fun with the fellas.
My MLS is Good for a Laugh. Is Yours? by Jeff Dowler. I knew I had missed some good stuff myself. Thanks Elaine for pointing this out. Sorry Jeff! And you're so good about showing up with engraved trophies for everyone. Forgive me...pretty please.
I Confess... I've used the UGLY "R" WORD on the streets of metro Chicago by Craig Schiller Craig doles out some fine staging advice wrapped up in his humorous style.
Consumer Content - Local content is KING, don't ever forget it. Here are some fine examples of it.
Large Sunny Wrigley Heights Home in Long Beach California by Laurie Manny Laurie has quite the knack for local content. Learn from one of the best.
Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, Boating and Palm Beach Recreational Island by Nick M. Not cashew, not walnut, not almond, but peanut. Peanut Island as it can be presented only by Nick M. Get your swimsuits for this one!
Hiking Trails IN the city of Portland, Oregon by Wayne Pruner Wayne is pretty new in the Rain and making a splash already with his local content. I enjoyed reading about the hiking trails in Portland.
I've Been Workin' On the Railroad... by Margaret Rome Margaret's so classy. She could put the phonebook in her blog and as long as her picture is there I would enjoy it. Ahh, but this is much more than names and numbers. It's a train station brought to life by the inimitable Margaret. Sing with me now....I've been workin' on the railroad...
Schools in Verrado by Tony Marriott Tony tells us all about the schools while providing food for the spiders. Look at his well-used links.
Articles about everyone's favorite pasttime - Blogging!
Blogging Makes Us Real by Sarah Cooper I admit it. I'm a Sarah groupie. Can you blame me? Just look at her blog.
The Dark Side of the internet by Teresa Boardman Unfortunately, in addition to making us real, our blogs also make us vulnerable. A grim but much needed reminder from Teresa Boardman.
How do I explain blogging to my clients? by Elaine Reese I'm sure we all get the same question time and again. Elaine also gets asked...What's a blog?
Who Would Subscribe to Someone's Empty Blog? by Tim Maitski Tim questions how the whole subscription process works. It generated a lively and oftentimes hysterical debate!
Do Bloggers Have Too Much Power? by the Real Estate Tomato Should you take advice from a vegetable? (or is a Tomato a fruit?) A resounding yes!
I can't provide a link to a specific comment in a blog. If I could, I would provide a link to Rich Kruse's comment on Tim Maitski's blog above. It was actually directed at his significant other and went like this:
I LOVE this place.
Marketing Strategies
Do You SEO? by Laurie Manny If you want to rank you gotta learn the alphabet. Laurie provides a most thorough post on Search Engine Optimization. A must read.
Why A REALTOR® Should Own Their Own Website & URL by Chris Elizabeth Griffith Take a tip from Chris. Follow her advice. You won't regret it.
Keeping it Fresh by Colleen Kulikowski ahhh Spring Cleaning. It's not just for your house. Check out Colleen's post and breathe some new life into your cyber-place.
A Reality Check.... Stepping Into the Buyers Shoes by Fran White Sometimes a fresh perspective is in order.
The Importance of a Blog Footer by Karen George Don't be a stickler and tell me it was posted last week. As far as I can recall no week in review was done last week so I can take this liberty if I want to. :-P~ Karen hasn't posted this week and her stuff is excellent.
New Active Rainers - this was a tough one for me. I don't know how to really find them short of being online when one of them posts something! (help anyone?) I am sure there's many more out there who deserve a mention.
HOW TO GET A BUYER TO BUY YOUR HOME by Lizette Fitzpatrick Lizette offers some really good advice here.
Your Home by Angela Wagner I enjoyed Angela's humorous post. I'm taking that liberty again. This was posted last week and I want to include it. So there.
How To Appeal Your Property Tax Value by Melissa Schnieders Melissa's helpful advice can be applied in many counties, not just hers.
Help! Impotence! by Randal Keberlein Like TLW, I'm an equal opportunity commenter. Let's give a thumbs up to a new gent. Keep it up Randal (heh excuse the pun).
Real Estate Articles - anything real estate related.
Molly Speaks her Mind! (Her friend was Foreclosed) Tuesday Update by our own Codgers Our usually jovial Codgers tackled an animal of a different breed. It got us all thinking.
"It's all his fault!" (or is it?) by Mark Flanders The topic is back to pointing fingers again. Mark's excellent post was inspired by the Codger's post above.
Are you an Ostrich or a Homeowner? by Ryan Hukill I couldn't believe his great post had only one comment on it. C'mon, let's go change that.
Show and Tell and the Naked Guy in the Basement by Linda Davis Linda's style is much loved. I think we can all relate to this one.
* * * PREDATORY LISTING * * * WHAT IS IT AND WHAT IS IT DOING TO OUR MARKET by Lenn Harley The coined term is new. The situation is not. Let's reap the benefits of learning from Lenn's vast experience.
My People are big on Permits - PART II by Ines Hegedus-Garcia my lovely neighbor slightly north provides an update. Every consumer should be so lucky as to have an agent like Ines going to bat for them.
An UNrepresented Seller - At What Cost? by Ann Cummings This is becoming more and more common in the industry. I could feel Ann's pain.
Opinions - they're like bellybuttons, no? Everybody has one. Here's some good ones.
Subprime lenders, liars, cheaters and "The Man". by Broker Bryant A week in review would not be complete without an article from BB. As usual, he had many good ones this week. Here I present you with my favorite. Excellent.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Steve Dalton Someone's getting ready to party. Well deserved. Enjoy.
Is your glass half-empty or half-full? by Kelli Fronabarger A gentle reminder that we always have much to be thankful for.
I blog, therefore I am. by Gerhard Ade I can almost picture Gerhard in a smoking jacket and pipe. He's so smooth. Disclaimer - I've no idea if he smokes. Just using my imagination here.
Muthahood Aint For Sissies: A Special Congratulations To My Wife by Jeff Turner This just melted my heart. Jeff's admiration for his lovely Rocky is evident. My eyes are beginning to well up again just writing about it.
Business Tactics & Tips
Are you taking four months off a year? by Lynda Eisenmann I love reading Lynda, even her comments. Her great post solidified my plans for the weekend...I'm taking it off.
Whose Land are you Buying? Your Seller's or Neighbor Joe's?? by David A. Podgursky Don't let his young looks fool you. David's got many year's experience behind him, as evidenced by this post.
Want to buy it? Then get serious. by Broker Bryant Some tips on getting your offers accepted by the Seller.
Active Rain Articles - There was a downpour this week!
Project Blogger by Raingod Jonathan Washburn A great contest going on. Nothing short of exciting.
It's A Rainer's Celebration.....45,000 Points And Climbing! by William Collins A well-deserved celebration. Congrats.
What happened to Moo? by Angus He's baaaaaack. And his fans are happy. =)
Please Take a Moment to Fill Out Our Comment Card by Betsy Talbot Feedback is important. Here's Betsy providing some in a great way.
Rocks & Hot Air Balloons Don't Sell Houses - Agents Do! by Renee Burrows Wasn't sure whether to put this in marketing or here. Whatever. It's good. This lovely lady cares not whose toes she may step on. =) Don't ever change.
Solano County Realtors - Join The Newbies Group! by Brad Andersohn Every single board in the nation should be offering this class. Solano's ahead of the rest. Great post Brad.
Active Rain Member Spotlight - March 15, 2007 by Mariana Wagner An excellent post providing a peek at two of Active Rain's members.
Local Market Reports
Real Estate Sales In Mililani Seems to be Picking Up by Randy Prothero My market reports stink. Randy's don't.
Bonita Springs - Estero Florida Real Estate Market Upswing by Chris Elizabeth Griffith I'm taking notes to improve my market reports.
Most Commented
This Realtor Changed His Attire And Saw His Life Change Before His Eyes by George Tallabas 145 comments!! An excellent post from George. This can also go in the marketing category but it wins the most commented hands down. Keep hitting those homeruns friend.
Givers and Takers among the Rain by Rich Jacobson Our wonderful Rich doesn't do too shabbily with a hefty 127 comments. I was the first one in there and didn't realize it had snowballed like it did. Fabulous post on actually participating in the Rain.
Real Estate Technology
Welcome to Emerson, New Jersey - "The Family Town" by Lisa & Robert Hammerstein This is local content but I wanted to highlight how Lisa and Robert are using technology, specifically their Real Estate Show. Excellent!
Sellers notified to come home over 10,000 times. by Bill Faherty Quite a nifty gadget! Thanks to Chris for pointing the way.
Jott: My Head Is Spinning With Ideas by Jeff Turner Jeff submitted this post just in time to make it into the week in review. What will they think of next? Useful!
There you have it. I told you it was long. But there was no way I could have left any of those out. I'm going back to bed. I know it's 9:46 AM Goodnight!
FEEL FREE TO ADD LINKS TO WORTHY ARTICLES I'VE MISSED. I KNOW I DID.
Maggie Dokic, SFR is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida selling residential real estate in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Gables by the Sea, High Pines, the Redland and other select areas of SW Miami-Dade County.
Maggie has earned her SFR certification to be able to better serve the needs of her customers in today's non-traditional real estate market. SFR is a Short Sale, Foreclosure Resource Specialist. Designees have been trained to understand the highly specialized options available to Sellers facing short sales & foreclosures and Buyers looking to buy them.
For more information on our local real estate market, or to see or sell a home in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables or the Redland, visit my Miami Real Estate blog or contact me at Maggie (at) TheBlogThatAteMiami (dot) com.
The opinions expressed herein, are those of the author, and not necessarily of Keller Williams Realty.
None of this information is to be deemed legal or financial advice. Please contact your attorney or accountant for same.
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A labor of love! Now I only have to come back for the Best of ActiveRain as compiled by Maggie Dokic. Thank You! Bookmarked for later, got to run...
great job on the review. I will have to bookmark it for later. and look how you responded to everyone!! you're too nice!! :)) rock on Maggie.. :)
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Maggie:
Beautiful job. Sorry I didn't get your email sooner. Now. I need to get busy reading. As usual, I missed a few of these.