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What they Are Saying About HomeGain's Agent View

Late Tuesday evening HomeGain launched Agent View. The tool provides agents with one place to exclusively feature their listings, their blogs, their profiles all in an advertising free environment and along side HomeGain content. Agent view comes with weekly blog training and lead conversion tools as well.

Joseph Ferrrara at Sellsius had this to say in his blog post HomeGain Launches AgentView Marketing Tool for Real Estate Agents

" HomeGain is on a roll. First they hit the Web 2.0 blog pool like Michael Phelps. Then they gave their agents free blogs with a blog school . They even unleashed a cuddly gorilla, who travels the world spreading the good news of ‘Gainer Web 2.0 agent marketing. This is definitely not your mother's lead gen company."

Joe goes on to give a full review of Agent View.

The ever vigilant Brian Brady over on the Bloodhound Blog was the first to weigh in on Agent View with his blog post Tuesday evening:

HomeGain Releases AgentView, a RE 2.0 Rifle. Will it Fire True Or Shoot Blanks?

Brian writes:

"At $40-$50/month, the tool is affordable enough for the novice to "get engaged" in the interactive web evolution. Why would anyone pay for a blog when Wordpress or ActiveRain gives it away for free? Results. HomeGain is, in my opinion, a traffic wholesaler. Through SEO, SEM, and affiliate marketing they drive a heckuva lot of TARGETED traffic to its site. The average visitor to HomeGain is NOT a voyeur, like you might see at RE.bots. The average HomeGain visitor is much farther along in the transaction decision.

Rob Hahn of the insightful Notorious R.O.B blog covered the AgentView Launch with his blog post

HomeGain Throws Down the Gauntlet

Rob writes

"Therefore, it is no surprise that the latest offering from HomeGain - AgentView - reflects those smarts. Others have written about what's good about it already, and as I tend to agree generally..."

Rob considers AgentView a threat to the brokerages ( I don't) and goes on to discuss the different business models of HomeGain, Zillow and Trulia. The ubiquitous "David from Zillow" even makes an appearance on Rob's blog!

Posted by Louis Cammarosano on 08/21/2008 11:18 AM

Comments (34)

homegain, homegain blog, homegain gorilla, agent view, brian brady, sellsius, notorious rob, zillow

Post is included in group: It's all about them (ThemThem)

34 Comments on What they Are Saying About HomeGain's Agent View

AUG

I heard HomeGain launched AgentView, and to be honest I did not pay attention to it. I have never cared for HomeGain's Business strategy.

Carol

Thanks for stopping by. Could you explain what it is that have never cared for with respect to HomeGain's Business strategy?

Louis

Louis - I hadn't investigated HomeGain - but have added it to the long list of things to check into. Thanks for highlighting the launch!

Louis- Just out of curiosity people that use Ghost Writers to write their blogs, why would you use that as a testimonial? Anyway...good luck with your new ventue.

Thanks Louis. What type results have you seen over the last year from HomeGain? I haven't used them yet but was considering doing so. They certainly do a good job of showing up consistently high in Google search results.

@ Louis you already know my thoughts...I think it rocks!!!!!!!!!!

@ Kathy IMO it isn't always about the consumer connecting with you. It can also be about getting them good, factual and timely information. I don't use a ghost writer (yet) but I don't believe that I have to give an editorial or personal testimonial on every coffee shop, plumber or school. Nor do I have to chime in every time the wind blows in my town.

Once you're using a ghostwriter (rather than a guest blogger, something else entirely), you're not blogging, you're advertising. They're two different things.

"Once you're using a ghostwriter (rather than a guest blogger, something else entirely), you're not blogging, you're advertising. They're two different things. "

Advertising: the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements

So, you blog entirely for the fun of it? Not to call public attention to you and your services? Do you not pay to blog in your time? Your time isn't worth something? Mine is.

If an assistant pulls comps for you are you then just delegating and not being skillful?

If your teenager signs holiday and birthday cards for you for a massive mail out are you being dishonest or efficient?

I blog for the fun of it, I blog to provide information, I blog to express my personal opinion.

I don't (or didn't - she's no longer a teenager or at home) have my teenager sign holiday and birthday cards for me, because I'd feel like I was being dishonest. I will on occasion ask for help in sealing/stamping a mass mailout, just as I would pay an assistant to do so. I pull my own comps, as that's the practice of real estate and not something I'd feel comfortable delegating to an assistant.

However, a blog is something much more personal, even a blog for business purposes. Once it's co-opted as something strictly for advertising to the point of using a ghostwriter to write things that are purportedly written by you, it loses value, in my opinion.

But, then, I'm a traditionalist in a weird sort of way. I want the words that go out in my name to be my own, unless they are very clearly written by someone else and labeled as such (guest editorial), and I don't want to pretend to have written something that I didn't.

I'm not a raving fan of Home Gain. I used to be a client in the past.

@ Tricia "But, then, I'm a traditionalist in a weird sort of way."

I can completely respect that! I just don't have the time or desire to write about everything going on in my community. Yet, I see it as very important information to have. So, I would rather outsource it and make sure it is there, but it will be a collaboration. Some of me will find it's way into the content.

@ Louis Sorry! :) I think what you guys are doing is awesome! And like anything else...you get out of it what you put in it. Signing up doesn't = success. Working it = success. (I'm working on my proposal...grumble)

Louis-

I appreciate you sharing and I will be looking into HomeGain soon. JB Brookman

I used HomeGain in the past and didn't get any business from it at all. It was a huge waste of my money.

"HomeGain is on a roll. First they hit the Web 2.0 blog pool like Michael Phelps. Then they gave their agents free blogs with a blog school."

Hmmmmm, this sounds like an ActiveRain knockoff.

Personally I think your're better off as a Realtor spending an equivilant amount of money promoting buyer and seller leads from your personal website and getting ALL the zip codes in your area instead of paying for just one or two.

Hi Louis, Congrats on the new launch. I havea question for you. If I join the Agent View do I still pay a referral fee on the closed transactions ot does my monthly fee cover everything?

Hi Bryant

With Agent View you pay no referral fee just the monthly subscription fee.

If you close deals on your agent evaluator account you pay as usual your referral fee.

Years ago I participated at HomeGain. I just went over and even found the photo that was probably uploaded in the late 1990's - ewww!! I have now signed up for a zip code and will see how things go. Go Me!

ETA - Photo already changed! lol!

Thanks for rejoining.

Please keep me posted and take advantage of our client services department and blog school.

Regards

Louis

louis@homegain.com

@ Tony Thanks for the consideration. Feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss further louis@homegain.com

@Kathy I tend to think that most bloggers use their own voice. If one chooses to use a ghost writer and it works, it hard for me to complain.

@ Veena what type of metrics were you looking for on HomeGain successes?

@ Roland - I have no record of you ever being a HomeGain customer. When were you with us and what product did you use?

@Jessica -thanks for dropping by. Call me when you can.....

@JB- would love to hear from you Louis@homegain.com

@Lanita - I would ask- How long were you on the product you bought....

@Jim you wrote "think your're better off as a Realtor spending an equivilant amount of money promoting buyer and seller leads from your personal website and getting ALL the zip codes in your area instead of paying for just one or two"

You may be right- not all marketing programs are for everyone. There are 1.5 million realtors not everyone is going to approach their marketing or practice the same. One thing I do know is we have thousands of satisfied customers.

Congratulations Louis, I've been getting all the emails. Best of success with it. I'll check into it further, when I get some T I M E.

Thanks Missy

We are all still waiting for your debut HomeGain Blog post!

Will I am a great fan of Brad Inman I have never been a fan of HomeGain. I will check this out when I have time. Regarding HomeGain...I don't like paying for leads...would rather get my own.

Diane

Homegain is a lot different now.

Our buyerlink product is not a program where you buy leads but rather one where we deliver traffic directly to your web site, no different than if you engaged in a pay per click program on Google or Yahoo , but without having to manage key words.

Agent View is more of a marketing package from which you can generate leads from and we assist in the process by providing tools and the platform for a low cost.

Our other produt Agent evaluator the one that brad founded the company on is basically a lending tree style product where agents compete for homegain visitors' business. You don't pay per lead but rather a $29 a month fee. You pay a referral fee if you are successful

Click here for a description of all HomeGain products.
The HomeGain blog also has a good number of articles about each product under the Categories section

http://blog.homegain.com

Here is Jo's new Agent View site

Go jo!

Louis, Thanks! Very easy! Wish I could use a little "html" :) I am missing links and photos :) but have worked around it.

We are adding an html editor next month. We will be adding other features in the coming months...

Louis, Congrats on the new launch. Are you going to give one-month trial.

PS: Earn Extra Income by doing Broker Price Opinion(BPO)

Gary

Please tell me more about your real estate practice.

We are adding an html editor next month. We will be adding other features in the coming months...

That will be awesome!! Can't wait!

I've actually been getting some good feedback concerning Homegain's services as of lately so it's well worth checking out what Louis has been doing... to instantly discount the service without checking it out could be considered ignorant...

Brian's quote hits the nail right on the head..

@Paul

Thanks very much. Its amazing how many people have a preconceived notion about homegain. Many of these people have never used our products and in many instances are merely repeating things that they have heard, some of it just plain false.

We have thousands of customers many of them are making lots of money using our products.

Since I started surveying our customers over a year ago our customer satisfaction ratings have increased each quarter and we are striving to have the best customer service and to continue to create marketing products that make realtors successful.

AUG

Louis, I was a HomeGain agent many years ago (hope you still don't have my picture on file :-) I believe I closed a couple of transactions via HomeGain, then stopped working it. My own darn fault that I didn't receive any business from it. Those that say it doesn't work need to understand that something only works when you work it.

I think I'm going to check it out again. Thanks for the update on the launch Louis.

Yeah - when it comes to things that I have to pay for - I'm almost always a late adopter if the "solution".

AUG

@Kris

Would be great to have you back!

Let me know if you need help selecting a product

Here is our suite of products

http://www.homegain.com/agent/realestateagent

Louis@homegain.com

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