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This Week at Agent Genius

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Services for Real Estate Pros with AgentGenius

Here's a quick round up of this week at Agent Genius:

>>If a Realtor Violates the Code of Ethics" by Jim Duncan Jim ponders why the Code of Ethics matters if so many agents don't know about them and a hot conversation about whether or not violation records should be public ensues.
"So far as I can tell, the public do not have access to ethics complaints. Where is the benefit to the consumer if violations are kept behind closed doors?"
>>Please Pardon the Commercial Interruption by Kelley Koehler Kelley watches the opening ceremonies for the Olympics and is struck by the competitors using the word "struggle."
"Struggle to me rings of doubt, of uncertainty, a lack of confidence in the outcome."
>>If You're Going to Judge Me, Get Your Facts Straight by Matthew Rathbun Matthew finds an agent ranking site featuring a disgusting amount of factual errors about him, bringing to light the flawed ranking systems guiding online buyers and sellers.
"...if I were still practicing and found that I lost a listing, because this inaccurate information makes it appear that I only sell about 10% of my inventory and that I just may have too many listings to properly care for, I would pretty sure to take action to recover that lost income."
>>Staging an Appraisal by Nickie Rothwell This week, Nickie sheds light on a ridiculous new trend of people staging homes for appraisals to make them appear occupied. WTH??
"Is that a can or worms or what? Worse? I think so."
>>Listening to Crash Davis by Jonathan Dalton In true baseball fasion, Dalton knocks one out of the park and turns a lot of people's outlook on online marketing upside down.
"...the time has come to challenge many of the notions I have about online marketing, many of the biases that I’ve held (paying for leads, competing against myself on large real estate portals) and look for the opportunities buried within."
>>Awesome Video, Surprising Campaign by Lani Anglin-Rosales Lani highlights a simple yet really awesome video campaign out of San Francisco that has gone viral.
"Two reasons to watch this video: (1) it’s awesome and if you can recreate this kind of humor as you implement video in your real estate practice, I’ll be super proud to say I know you and..."
>>Roadblocks Ahead by Ginger Wilcox By letting her guard down about her mental road blocks, Ginger intitates a lively discussion about goals.
"My name is Ginger Wilcox and I have mental road blocks that have prevented me from accomplishing my goals."
>>Google Insights- Insanely Cool Tool You *NEED* by Lani Anglin-Rosales By playing with a new Google tool, Lani finds out that you can refocus your blog based on Google trends at your fingertips!
"Checking the national pulse for the real estate category will give you an idea of what’s hot and what’s on the minds of buyers and sellers."
>>I Knew It Wouldn't Work by Vicki Moore Vicki shares a brilliant marketing idea proving that reciprocal branding is hotter than a s'more on fire!
"Remarkably it wasn’t just the sole proprietors. The chains are jumping in too. And guess what? The big daddys have marketing departments. See the vision?"
>>The Homeowner Rescue Bill Rescues Fannie and Freddie Investors by Russell Shaw Russell lights a huge fire under the Rescue Bill's butt and commenters quickly jump into the debate.
"Currently, those seller-funded down payment assistance home sales account for about half of all the homes being sold here. If it had to go away, now of all times? Homeowner Rescue Bill, my ass."
>>What Kind of Results Are You Seeing From Your Blogging Efforts? by Danilo Bogdanovic Danilo calls for people to take CREST's survey by August 21st to collectively learn what everyone is gaining through blogging. We encourage everyone to take the quick survey!
"Those who take the 5-minute survey will get a free copy of the aggregated results. This will allow you to compare your results to those of others across the US and perhaps tweak your blog and efforts accordingly."
>>The Dynamics of Relationship Building by Ines Hegedus-Garcia Do you ever wonder if the implementation of the Internet in our business strengthens or weakens relationships? Ines sheds light on this very topic this week.
"Approach your clients the way you would like to be approached - treat them the way you would like to be treated and you will find that the virtual couch is a lot easier than you thought."
>>Can I Supercharge My Business in a Weekend? by Rocky VanBrimmger Rocky translates social media connections into real life connections and shows how it can happen in just one simple weekend.
"The great thing about social networking and getting out from the computer is you are limited by your own self."
>>Anatomy Lesson by Vicki Moore Vicki digs up a really cool advertising platform as many are asking questions about blog monetization.
"Capitalize and build your brand by connecting with your readers."
>>A Talk I Gave to New Agents by Russell Shaw Russell provides full audio to his recent speech to new agents that will blow.your.socks.off.
"People who have heard me speak many times before said it it was very very good. Other than the fan noise, I agree with them."
>>Evolution on the Online Conversation by Lani Anglin-Rosales Robert Scoble's 2007 visual version of social media is updated in 2008 and it's amazing how far we've come in such a short time.
"The takeaway of Solis’ Conversation Prism is that “in the social economy, relationships are the new currency.”
>>Strong Great Blog Ideas by Mariana Wagner Mariana shows us how to make sure her brilliant blog ideas don't get lost in space.
"I have boatloads of random (and semi-brilliant-if-I-may-say-so-myself) blog posts that should last me a near lifetime. (And I am planning on living long enough to embarrass my great-grandchildren, so there.)"
>>Top 12 Treo Tricks- Wicked Apps by Lani Anglin-Rosales Treo users of the world unite! Lani shows 12 ways to trick out your Treo despite the iPhone revolution proving Treo users can be cool too!
"Diddle Bug- It’s like a post-it note in that it allows you to scribble information onto your Treo in your own handwriting and set alarms for each note from a pop-up list."
>>Getting the Call by Kris Berg Kris gets "the call"- you know, the one where your potential client found some 25 cent hack to list their home? Yeah, that one. Blech.
"This is a dilemma as old as the Slim Jims at my local convenience store. There will always be an agent who will tell the seller what they want to hear, and there will always be an agent who is willing to do nothing for very little."
>>Put Your Data On The Map by Nick Bostic Nick shows us all how to turn those ugly spreadsheets with addresses into a map in just seconds, sweet!
"Now I can plan my driving route, see which neighborhoods are busiest, plan my stops during the weekly brokers tour or just look at a pretty map."
>>I Must Give Up Something by Paula Henry Paula struggles with sorting out her "to do" lists and realizes she needs an assistant- she needs YOUR tips on selecting one.
"If you have an administrative assistant, what tasks do they do for you? Are they licensed?"
>>RE BlogWorld 2008- The Line Up by Mariana Wagner Mariana points out that a major portion of the lineup for REBlogWorld consists of Agent Genius writers, how cool is that? Go check out the list now!
"WOW! Did you see how many speakers are from (our very own) Agent Genius (both contributors and regular commenters)? Impressive.
>>Give it Your Best Shot by Teresa Boardman Teresa shudders at awful photography and begs agents to hire a photographer or learn photography and editing programs.
"As an industry we have a lot of work to do when it comes to how we present our listings on line."
>>Miss Manners by Vicki Moore Vicki politely breaks down what she *really* means with her chosen wording. Miss Manners to the rescue!
"With the market in a state and every body’s cousin’s brother’s uncle having gotten their license it is incumbent on all of us to take a deep breath before we say, “Hey you *&%$@^#!”
>>Make Flickr Your External Hard Drive Substitute by Lani Anglin-Rosales After nearly losing every photo she owned when her laptop died, Lani sought out ways to back up her photography and found the perfect tool for free!
"What I most worried about were my photos- family, social and (oh crap) business images were potentially gone. Had I put two and two together, I would have backed my images up on Flickr."

Comments(20)

Show All Comments Sort:
Matt Grohe
RE/MAX Concepts - Des Moines, IA
Serving the metro since 2003

There's a lot of stuff there. Man I could make some really good comments on those.

Aug 15, 2008 07:29 PM
Paul Francis
Francis Group Real Estate - Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Real Estate Agent - Summerlin Homes

Hmm.. something tells me I'm going to be up late reading all of these and adding some comments of my own :)

Aug 15, 2008 09:20 PM
Marcy Fedalei
Keller Williams Realty - Spartanburg, SC

May I be one of the first to welcome you to the ActiveRain community - full of information, ideas and surprises. Enjoy and share! Marcy

Aug 15, 2008 11:28 PM
Patricia Fisher
Keller Williams Realty - Spartanburg, SC

Welcome to the Active Rain Community!  This is a great site to network, learn, and share ideas with others.  Have a great day!

Aug 16, 2008 12:31 AM
The Trumm Team Omaha Homes for Sale, Real Estate
Keller Williams Greater Omaha - Omaha, NE

 

Welcome to ActiveRain!

If you would like a few tips on getting the most out of ActiveRain, please visit my blog Welcome to Active Rain.  It has a few simple steps of what to do now that you have joined.

If you ever have any questions, just let me know.

Troy Trumm

Aug 16, 2008 12:34 AM
Kathy Anderson
Arizona Luxury & Lifestyle Living - Cave Creek, AZ
Arizona Homes For Sale

Wow!  First post and you get featured!  Must be a sign of good things to come.  Lot's of info here.  I'll have to bookmark it and come back.

Wecome to AR!

Aug 16, 2008 02:11 AM
Ron Martin
Keller Williams Realty - Spartanburg, SC
Ron Martin Team

Welcome to Active Rain communtiy, Active Rain is a wonderful site to gain knowledge of today's market. Enjoy it and hope to see more of your blogs!

Aug 16, 2008 02:45 AM
Kirk Westervelt
Van West Realty - Greenville, SC Realtor -Short Sale Expert! - Greenville, SC
Kirk Westervelt, Broker In Charge, Van West Realty - CDPE - Short Sale Agent - Home for Sale - Greenville, Simpsonvil...

Hi, welcome to Active Rain! I hope to see more of your blogs in the future. Learn from others, share your knowledge and experiences and enjoy yourself! Take care! ---Kirk.

Aug 16, 2008 03:11 AM
Lane Bailey
Century 21 Results Realty - Suwanee, GA
Realtor & Car Guy

Loving the comment above...  So, is this Benn or Lani?  Or are you sitting next to each other? 

Anyway, I am behind on my AG reading, but it is still there in my feed reader, ready for me to breathe for a moment.  Looks like good stuff for me to catch up on.

Aug 16, 2008 03:16 AM
Greg Steffens
Mountain Country Realty - Lake Arrowhead, CA

Welcome to Active Rain and congrats on your first post.  Be sure to spend some time looking around at what and how others are blogging here.  It is a great education and lots of fun.  Looks like you're off to a great start...keep it up!

Aug 16, 2008 03:26 AM
James C. Johnson
Legacy Real Estate - Sioux Falls, SD

good tips we can all learn and apply

Aug 16, 2008 04:26 AM
Crystal Corr
Keller Williams Greenville Central - Simpsonville, SC

Welcome to Active Rain. I hope you will enjoy it and learn from it as much as I do. Happy Blogging.

Aug 16, 2008 04:35 AM
Jean Terry
Keller Williams Realty Spartanburg, S.C. - Spartanburg, SC

Hi, and welcome to Active Rain, a great site to network, and to share.

Have a great day!

Aug 16, 2008 06:36 AM
William E. Lewis, Jr. - Bill Lewis
William E. Lewis, Jr. & Associates - Vero Beach, FL
Bill Lewis - Vero Beach, Florida

With 104,258 plus members, welcome to the Active Rain network.  I hope you enjoy your stay!  Should you ever have any questions as they relate to bad credit, credit repair, identity theft, or credit restoration, please do not hesitate to contact me at (954) 581-5050.

Aug 16, 2008 07:57 AM
Paul Howard
Cherry Hill, NJ
Paul Howard Realty, 856-488-8444

Welcome to Active Rain!  It is a great place to learn and teach.

good luck

Aug 16, 2008 01:49 PM
Lorena Westervelt
Van West Realty - Greenville, SC
Co-Founder/Co-Owner

Hello, welcome to Active Rain! This seems like a wonderful environment to network as well as learn from others. I hope you enjoy yourself and participate often in the Active Rain environment!

Aug 16, 2008 05:29 PM
Dwayne West
Atlanta Real Estate - Canton, GA
Canton Georgia Real Estate

Welcome to the Active Rain community. You have chosen a great site with tons of information you can learn from

Aug 18, 2008 02:22 AM
Lori Isaacson
Credit Restoration Consultants - Plantation, FL

On behalf of Credit Restoration Consultants and the 104,000 plus members of ActiveRain, I wish to welcome you to the network.  Should you ever have a question as it relates to bad credit, credit repair, credit restoration, or identity theft, please do not hesitate to contact me at (954) 581-5050 or at my direct dial number of (954) 449-9987.

 Best wishes,

Lori Isaacson

Aug 19, 2008 01:55 AM
Michael Sahlman
www.HomesForVIPs.com - Keller Williams Realty - Miami Beach, FL
e-PRO - Miami Beach Florida Luxury Homes

Had to bookmark this post! Too many interesting articles to read. I will have to take a half day off to read them.

Sep 03, 2008 11:23 PM
Sharon Simms
Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International - Saint Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS

Hello, Agent Genius! What a superlative list of links. It's already taken me an hour from clicking on your post to making a comment. What great places I've gone it.

Sep 05, 2008 11:48 AM