Richard

What I've learned over and over again, is to make sure there is always something in the pipeline. The way to do that is to develop a really inquiring mind (without being obnoxious) and probe deeper into reasons why people call or come to open houses. It's a prelude to "ask for the order" --- an often-forgotten critical step to getting the sale.

James

DQNews.com shows our home values (in our zip code) of having tumbeld 15% from a year ago. Sales have also slowed down. But they're happening. They're moving. And in certain occasions where the homes are priced very aggressively, we also get multiple offers. However, it seems that we're working doubly hard for half the income. But we have to keep prospecting, and develop more ways to do it successfully (that doesn't include cold calling for me).

Live long and prosper!

Trunda - you're absolutely right. Prospect everywhere, including Active Rain, Trulia, Zillow, Cyberhomes, and then some.

Steve and Mike - I use craigslist to post my listings and open houses. Here's what I said in my blog about 10 things to do when posting on craigslist

Laura - thanks for sharing your success with craigslist. I know it works. And it's free!

Elllie - I post on craigslist 2-3 times a week for each listing, and I mention my open houses, too. Good luck!

Carol - it's like when we get a new item that needs to be put together. Sometimes, we attempt to do it without following instructions. And when that fails, we stop, and read the directions. That's back to basics :)

Richard and Charles - That's why I like the Working by Referrals method espoused by Brian Buffini.

Winter - I'm happy to receive the calls and emails as a result of my craigslist post. That tells me my posts are generating interest. I think I get more leads from craigslist than from any of my print ads. But the print ads are part of building my brand.

Gita, thanks. I also get a lot of good ideas from Active Rain, and I'm so happy I joined.

Thanks, Debe.

Brian Buffini has always encouraged journalizing your thoughts, etc. So I've been blogging like it was my personal journal and diary. Things come up every day that seem to warrant placing my thoughts into words --- hence, the blog!

I find that this is a wonderful way to connect with this community, too.

Take care, and thanks again.

Lyn, yes.  Laura commented that "Craigslist has produced 742K in sales this year so far." Depending on where you are, craigslist could certainly help. But I don't just post plain-vanilla, either. Craigslist is a big part of my marketing plan with a heavy focus on internet marketing. When I tracked the sources of this year's sales, 37% were a result of internet marketing.

Mike, the house was wide open when I let in the electric car guys. How fast can they get away? It was also broad daylight. And this is a small town, Alameda. A lot of folks still keep their front doors unbolted when someone is home. I wouldn't do it anywhere else.

Cheryl and Lynda, you're welcome. Glad to be of help.

Scott, are you saying I have a magnetic personality?  :)

David, thanks for the good wishes.

Brett, how kind of you to share.

John, how right you are. Today, buyers are king....reminds me of our Marketing 101 mantra: "The customer is king!" Customer service is paramount!

Paul -- thanks. I try to keep in touch with my clients and prospects. We just have to remember, "out of signt, out of mind!"

TJ --- glad you've mined gold in craiglist. Like everything else, we should be consistent.

Cameron --- it all boils down to having a plan and working that plan, consistently :)

Allison --- I think we should always look professional. People would/should have more confidence in our abilities if they saw that we take extra care in every aspect of our business. The more professional our presentation, the more faith and trust they may/can place in us.

Vince and Linda --- how are you posting? Are you using Postlets? VFlyers? What do you say in your headlines? Don't give up. Take a look at the ActiveRain posts. Which ones get the most comments? And what do they have in common?

Eliese --- "inspirational"....wow! Thanks!

Wendy  and Christine--- maybe you should share YOUR secrets to your own success on craigslist, and encourage Vince and Linda.

Sara --- yes, I like Active Rain for the same reason. It's a wealth of great information, tips and ideas.

James --- I was the first one in my office to post on craigslist over 5 years ago, and kept on pushing people to do it. It is now standard practice in my office to post open houses on craigslist. A membe rof our staff does it for those who are techno-phobes or feigns not to know how.

Terry --- we always need to be reminded, until these things become a habit.

Thanks, all!

Debbie

I wrote a card to my parents --- didn't take me but 5 minutes. In it, I said how thankful I am for their love and support, and how proud and happy I am that they are my parents. Then mailed it.

Next thing I know, I get a call from my Dad. He said my mom is crying because she was so overwhelmed at what I wrote. That card brought them so much happiness. Just thinking about how it made them feel brought tears to my eyes. Again.

I think I'll write them another note!

Pam and Pam, Dave, Dan, Dee Dee, Harrison

Glad you liked these ideas. I get a lot out of Active Rain, too.

Special note to Pam Woods: we've all been there. In my case, when I moved to California, I was literally homeless, jobless, friendless....it took some time. But with persistence, we'll all make progress. The important thing to remember is that we never stop learning. The day we don't learn something new is the day that we die.

Cathleen,

Thanks for the positive feedback. Just finished posting on craigslist my active listing. It's become a habit, and that's when it also becomes painless to do, especially when all I do is copy paste from Vflyer and postlets to my craigslist account. Easy as pie!

Christine

For craigslist, I use both Postlets and Vflyer, and also post directly from my website. I thought I'd try to learn html --- but since these services make it so eary, it's just one more thing I can cross off my to-do list.

Someone asked me if perhaps buyers would be intimidated by a professional looking post on craigslist. As a matter of fact, I think that the more professional a post looks, the better it reflects on the agent. Sellers would certainly appreciate having their home posted this way.

Thanks!