reva: Real Estate Virtual Assistant Offers Up Holiday Advice on Client / Sphere Appreciation - 10/14/10 04:20 PM
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Offers Up Holiday Advice on Client / Sphere Appreciation
 
Please don’t waste one of the biggest marketing opportunities out there, implement as many of my 12 “Ways” of Christmas as possible to see the maximum outcome and to get 2009 off to a great start!  Here we go…
Book extra time with your Real Estate Virtual Assistant for the last couple of months of the year. The holiday tasks needed to put you at the front of your potential client’s minds are time consuming and will take your REVA outside the scope of her normal Real … (4 comments)

reva: Check Your Website or Blog Against Your Competition...This Real Estate Virtual Assistant Tells You How! - 10/26/09 07:33 AM
OK...I know we like to say that there is enough business out there to go around, that we don't have to be in competition with one another...that's bull!  LOL  (I am one of the ones who says that, just so you know!)  I have found a service where, for FREE, you can put in your website or blog URL as well as that of one or more of your competitors...and not only will it grade YOUR website, but it will pit your website up against your competition and show you how you measure up!
This service is called Website Grader and … (35 comments)

reva: Real Estate Virtual Assistant Suggests Using an Editorial Calendar to Stay on Track With Blogging Efforts - 10/09/09 06:28 AM
I just wrote a post on my main website about this...it's a tad wordy...sorry about that, but I'm a fast typist and the words just flew out of my fingertips!
Calendaring options as well as idea info are discussed...please head on over to read it now and feel free to leave comments there as well.  Thanks in advance!!!
 
Real Estate Virtual Assistant Suggests Using An Editorial Calendar to Stay On Track With Your Blogging Efforts … (0 comments)

reva: It's Fall...and I'm Homesick! What's Fall Mean to YOU?!? - 10/08/09 07:10 AM
Don't get me wrong, I love living here in Vista, CA (been living here since 1984 now!)...they don't call it the World's Climatic Wonderland for nothing afterall...but I really and truly get a tad bit homesick every year about this time...
And mothers know everything.  No really, they do.  My mom just sent this picture of a dirt road back home, Northern Vermont, to me on my iPhone.  Isn't it pretty?  Granted, I have tons more from previous years...and waxed leaves...the whole works that she sends me every year...some are artwork quality...this one was just out as she was driving around … (5 comments)

reva: WordTracker Announced a New eBook Today...At A Discount. - 10/08/09 05:41 AM
The book is titled: "Blogging for Business - 50 Steps to Building Traffic and Sales." and if you buy it before the 14th of October I believe, the price is discounted $10...down to $29...not bad for 163 pages of good stuff.
I wrote a more detailed post about the ebook on my actual website, I am trying to learn to divide my blogging time between both sites, so if you are interested...
Visit my Real Estate Virtual Assistant Website and Read My Blog Post With Details About This Book.
I will tell you this here though...my favorite feature of this ebook … (2 comments)

reva: Tipsy Tuesday - 5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog / CC Martini (Feel Like A Kid Again!) - 09/29/09 06:41 AM
TIP:
5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog
As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, blogging, and how to make it more effective are one of the topics most often discussed with my clients.  Here are 5 Ways to Get More Readers to Your Blog:
You've had this drilled into you since you were a little kid..."mind your Ps and Qs"...once you do have a reader visit your blog and leave a comment...if possible, reciprocate - find your way back to their blog, read some posts, comment...thank them for visiting your blog about XYZ (you can leave a link in … (2 comments)

reva: My Contact Form is NOT For... - 09/24/09 02:30 AM
Hi, everyone...just a quick rant here this morning...I know I can't be the only one out there who has their contact form (which is meant for client and preclient contact) abused by spammers.  So I thought this would be a fun blog to see how many dumb things people hijack our contact forms for.  Here's mine:
 
Job Applications! - I am a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, not a staffing service, I am not going to hire you!  If I do occasionally need to outsource some work, I will do so to other professionals who I have met via online networking … (8 comments)

reva: Tipsy Tuesday - 3 Tips on How to Get Comments on Your Blog / 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Sweepstakes Winner - 09/22/09 05:53 AM
 
TIP:
 
3 Tips on How to Get Comments on Your Blog
 
As a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, I am often asked about how to improve blog performance and how to get the readers to be interactive. Well, here are three tips to get you moving in the right direction:
If you're just starting out and your blog looks as sparse as the wide open terrain on the moon, then perhaps it is time to enlist the help of those closest to you within your sphere of influence.  Send out an email announcing your blog and ask them to … (10 comments)

reva: Tipsy Tuesday - Save $ Where You Can & Spend To Make More / Watermelon Spa Tonic - 09/08/09 04:58 AM
TIP:
 
Sometimes you just have to cut back.  If you are like tons of real estate professionals out there...you need to be very careful with your bank account right now!  There are several ways to do this:
 

 
Check your cell phone bill - Seriously.  Once most people get their cell service set up they never go back and monitor their usage.  Call your cell phone company and have them audit your last 3 months of usage and see if there is a plan that can save you money based on how you actually use your cell.  We're … (7 comments)

reva: Marley & Me - Released on DVD Today...DO NOT WATCH IT!!! - 03/31/09 06:32 PM
OK - we lost our black lab about 3  years ago...this was the most amazing dog...his name was Jake... you know, after that country song..."If I should die before I wake, feed Jake"...do you know it???  Well, years before the kids were born, this puppy literally came into the housing complex that my husband and I were renting our first home together in before we even got married.  He knocked at the door - ok, he probably pawed at the door...but still, it sounded like a knock.  My then boyfriend or fiancee...don't really remember...was taking a nap on the weekend in … (23 comments)

reva: Rent My Husband! (WHAT?!?) - 03/31/09 02:32 PM
I was driving through Vista, CA early this evening on my way home from Target when I saw this sign:
 
I was so intrigued that I had to get up closer to read the fine print...because I was seriously considering renting the husband...when alas, I discovered that it was only a handyman service sign.  You've got to love the tag line, "One call fixes it all!"  LOL
OK, so my question is this...they had plenty of time to start this business, get the very cool sign made up...but yet they're still driving around on Arizona plates?  That's ok...the sign … (24 comments)

reva: Commenting Etiquette - Yeah, I'm With You on That, But What About "Replying to Comments" Etiquette? - 03/31/09 07:17 AM
According to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of the word "etiquette" is:  conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion. Just this last week, there was a post on commenting etiquette by Nelya Calev, her points were sound and I agreed with what she had to say on the subject.
But here's my question...I know we all have limited time to devote to Active Rain, and I certainly don't want to put any restrictions on anyone's time...but I have noticed quite frequently lately that some of the featured blog … (13 comments)

reva: Ethics...Where Do They Come From? - 03/25/09 06:50 PM
Being real estate professionals, the word "Ethics" is tossed around continuously.  We're supposed to be ethical, we're supposed to put our clients' interests first...but WHERE do we learn that?  From a class that we're forced to take in order to get our license?  Ummm...I don't think so.
I believe if you are a not-so-ethical person by nature, you can fake it and learn to behave "above board" enough to keep your backside out of a sling in your real estate career...that's where the class could perhaps come into play.  I also believe that a truly ethical person is trained...by environment and … (12 comments)

reva: Only 7 Posts Per Member of Active Rain? Seriously?!? - 03/24/09 06:20 AM
There was a blog post made today by Michael Thornton called, You've Come A Long Way Baby, which was very cool and showed us the original posts made on Active Rain and how to see who our newest members are, but it also told us that we were close to our 1 millionth post with an approximate 140,000 members.  The very first comment on this post was by Penny Hull - who "did the math" - and informed us that that was only an average of 7 posts per member.  WHAT?  How is that even possible? 
I joined Active Rain on … (25 comments)

reva: Heard It From the (Social Media) Grapevine - 03/18/09 03:39 AM
That's the name of the article that I'm talking about from today's issue of High Rankings Advisor...Jill Whelan wrote a great article about utilizing Social Media (like Twitter) for business purposes.  Jill made a point about how everything you do should not be about SEO (which is a crazy concept coming from a SEO expert!), that while you're on these social networks you should have already have found your target audience and should be relating to them...essentially bypassing the search engines, because you're already found!
I really encourage you all to subscribe to the High Rankings Advisor, it's a wealth of … (9 comments)

reva: Mayonnaise Jar & A Couple of Beers - 03/17/09 05:54 AM
This story has been going around the Internet for years, I know I have seen it at least 2 other times...but I am an intuitive person and believe in listening to the universe around you, so when it showed up in my inbox again today from a friend, I had to share the story with you all...I'd like to share the story with my children's classes, but I would have to swap out the beer for root beer :-)  (Note: Original author / source of this story is unknown.)
 
Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers....   When things in your life … (12 comments)

reva: THE MOM SONG - 03/16/09 12:34 PM
 
I was checking out the blogs of some of my own blog subscribers today and I happened across this video that Debra Walsh posted...and it was just too fantastic not too share!
 
 

 
If you have not seen this you must take the time to watch.  This is hilarious!  There are not too many people that can talk this fast and talk so that they can be understood.  The words are there for you so you can understand just in case.  Enjoy!
 
                                                                    GRI, ABR, CHMS, REM                                                   Minisink Valley Homes                                             Office 845-355-8439                                             
                                                                 debbiewalsh40@yahoo.com                                       
                                            … (5 comments)

reva: Free Teleseminar This Thursday: Assert Yourself Today! - 03/16/09 07:15 AM
Close to 100 people have signed up already, and we'd really like to make this a great turnout so that our Guest Expert can help as many business people as possible, so I wanted to extend one more reminder for you to all go sign up...and I will see you there :-) VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar Series: Assert Yourself Today! Presented by Nancy Stampahar, SilverLiningSolutions.com
 
To succeed, you must become empowered to assert yourself with confidence and communication that is appropriate, effective and mostly, respectful. Join us for the "Assert Yourself Today!" teleseminar and learn how to:
Realize … (1 comments)

reva: Working With A Real Estate Virtual Assistant in Today’s Economy - 03/16/09 07:02 AM
I'm a contributing author over at RealBlogging.com, and I put up this article today that I wanted to share with all of you.  Here's an excerpt:
 
Most business people seem to be struggling out there, what with the economic slowdown, but that’s absolutely no excuse to quit trying to make your business the best that it can be!  Think of it like this…if you don’t give up at this critical time, but keep plugging away to improve and grow your business, keep marketing to clients (past, current and potential), then when this economy does start to improve…you will be out … (4 comments)

reva: I hate to RANT, but RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT...foreign country outsourcing! - 03/05/09 09:14 AM
I know these people need to make a living too...but this is the 3rd call I have gotten this week! 
I am a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and they want me to turn over my list of hard earned clients to their call centers, get my clients to utilize their services (when I can't even understand them myself), get me to utilize their services on the sly and tell my clients that I'm doing the work, and not only that but they pass themselves off as having offices in New York or some other US destination when really they are … (10 comments)