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From 15th to Featured - in 4 days!! You can do it, too!!

By
Real Estate Agent with Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga.

The past four days have been quite a ride.

When they say 'ACTIVE Rain', the operative word is definitely - ACTIVE!!

Four days ago - quite by accident - I stumbled upon a site named Localism.com.  There were two featured agents there for our area and neither of them was ME!  How could that be? 

I immediately tried to sign up for the site.  A message came back, "We are taking no new registrations."  That pretty much freaked me out.  What do you mean... not taking registrations?  EVERY site in the world wants new members.  Just who are these people and why can't I be on here, too?

Several clicks later, my search led me to Active Rain.  I'd had my assistant put my profile on about a year ago and I would get emails from the site, but never really participated because it was just something else to have to figure out about the Internet - or so I thought at the time.

Shame on me!  First of all, if I had taken the time to put in my own profile a year ago, I would probably have gotten double the points because I would have done a much more thorough job than my assistant.  (It wasn't her fault.  She did fine with the information she had, but no one knows me better than I do and my first profile post could have been tons better! (Thereby vaulting my information straight to the top of the list, but I'll have to let bygones be bygones....)

Secondly, I have wasted a whole year of having the opportunity to communicate with some of the coolest people who work in my chosen profession.  If you are reading this post, then, yes, I mean YOU!

I've read a post from a woman who claims to be ‘addicted' to Active Rain.  The scary thing is that I totally understand!  But, being addicted to Active Rain is the best use of my working time I've found in quite a while.

And where else could I have gone from dead last to first place in just four days and seven blogs - one of which didn't count.(But it was timely and useful information from NAR that I was able to share.)

Two hours ago I mentored one of my invitees as she worked through the registration process.  To my surprise and delight, she is as excited about Active Rain as I am.  She told me she heard about it in a Women's Council Program, but didn't think she was knowledgeable enough about real estate to be able to post any information.  When I explained there are probably loads of mothers in her position - balancing their career in real estate with raising a blended family - she suddenly got a whole new attitude about using Active Rain.

My posts are still undecorated and I have no idea how to personalize my pages, but by next week at this time I'll have figured that out, too.

Thanks for reading my posts and for welcoming me to the Active Rain community. 

Have a simply lovely week and if you should be riding through the beautiful mountains of Northeast Georgia, stop in or give me a call.  I'd love to show you around.

Lynda

Lynda Hester
Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga. - Clayton, GA

Thanks, David.  I agree about the powerful network and look forward to having the power work for me!

Feb 15, 2009 08:47 AM
Ellie McIntire
Ellicott City Clarksville Howard County Maryland Real Estate - Ellicott City, MD
Luxury service in Central Maryland

Keep at it Lynda and you will see the rewards in many ways. There are many posts about how to do all of the "other stuff". Just keep reading.

Feb 15, 2009 08:52 AM
Lori Churchill Cofer
Beasley Realty - Pullman, WA
Realtor - 509-330-0086 - Pullman, WA

Lynda,

Congrats!  I too find AR is a great way to build my business.  I am off to see your work!

Lori Cofer Pullman WA

Feb 15, 2009 08:59 AM
TIM MONCRIEF
Tim Monciref - Austin, TX
Over 2,000 homes sold…..

Just keep it up and keep improving or you will get bumped off.  It is great motivation to push more and improve.

Feb 15, 2009 09:29 AM
Kim Southern- "Sold" with Southern Hospitality
Century 21 In the Mountains - Ellijay, GA
Greetings from the North Georgia Mountains!

Lynda: Congratulations on your achievement! Be sure to count your blessings...I have been in AR for a year now, and at over 47,000 points, I am still only 3rd in Fannin County. I am fast closing in on the #2 spot, but the #1 spot -- held by the always amazing Donna Yates -- is well out of reach. Donna currently has 129,972 points!

As Tim said, keep it up!  

Feb 15, 2009 10:54 AM
Lynda Hester
Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga. - Clayton, GA

Dear Ellie,

There is SO much to learn, but I'm searching and reading as fast as I can.

Thanks for your encouragement.

Lynda

Feb 15, 2009 11:19 AM
Lynda Hester
Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga. - Clayton, GA

Thanks, Lori!!

I'll look for yours, too.

Lynda

Feb 15, 2009 11:21 AM
Lynda Hester
Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga. - Clayton, GA

Hi Tim,

I'm sure you are right!  I'm only a few points in front of the guy who was in first place.  He's a nice fellow and technologically advanced, too.

It will take a lot of work to keep the featured spot, but I plan to work hard at it.

Thanks for your comment.

Lynda

Feb 15, 2009 11:23 AM
Lynda Hester
Prudential Georgia Realty - Rabun County, Ga. - Clayton, GA

Hi Kim,

How nice to have a comment from a fellow mountaineer.  I have read some of your posts and marked yours so I can be notified when you post.

I was lucky that the two top agents only had about 3500 and 4400 points, so the featured spots were reachable.

I surely am glad Donna Yates doesn't work in Rabun County.  127,000 plus points! Yipes!

I'll suscribe to her posts, too.

We mountain ladies need to stick together.

Take care.

Lynda

Feb 15, 2009 11:33 AM
Kathleen Frawley
Keller Williams 916 730-4404 Elk Grove, Wilton, Folsom, Sacramento - Wilton, CA
South County Sacramento, 916 730 4404

nice letter, you sound like a go getter...I'm agent number 380 in sacramento county (propbably out of 382) today is my first day, so YEAH active rain!  

Feb 15, 2009 11:51 AM