CV Escrow » Coaching

Suggestions for Attracting More Buyers to Your Home

CV Escrow — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:00:36 +0000

As a seller in the current market, you might find yourself wondering on occasion if now is the right time to sell. If you’ve seen a decrease in the number of visitors to your property, don’t pull the listing. Instead, look at these ways you might improve your chances of finding a buyer:

Review the price. Speak with your agent, especially if your house has been listed for more than a month. Take a look at recent comps to ensure your price is in line. If necessary, get a fresh appraisal to ensure your price makes sense.
Create curb appeal. Potential buyers explore neighborhoods before they set up viewings. As such, make sure your house looks as beautiful on the outside as it does on the inside. If you have any out-of-season flowers or shrubs, consider sprucing them up.
Improve interior appeal. Sometimes all it takes is a simplification: store the knick-knacks and extra furniture. A fresh coat of paint may be in order. Work with a staging company to ensure that any of those “problem” spots in your home look wonderful and inviting!
Update your listing. These days, most buyers start looking for homes online before they view homes. Review your listing, and make sure the pictures in your listing represent your house beautifully and accurately. If you’ve done anything along the lines of items 2 or 3, take updated pictures and make sure they’re updated online.
Negotiate. It used to be the buyer who had to do this. Now, it’s the seller’s turn. Make sure you consider all advantages of an offer before rejecting it outright. The ground between you and the buyer may be much smaller than it initially appears. Consider seriously what it would mean if you didn’t take the offer and what it would really cost if you did, then think about #6.
Sweeten the pot. You may have already decided that you’re getting rid of the appliances, so consider throwing them in. If you have a little wiggle room, consider helping the buyer with closing costs or moving expenses to help defray some of those costs for them.

In today’s housing market, you have to be one step ahead of the competition. By following one (or several) of these suggestions, you can help ensure the best opportunity possible to sell your home.

The Importance of Mobile Marketing in Your Marketing Strategy

CV Escrow — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:50:01 +0000

In the past five years, an entirely new segment of marketing technologies have evolved in the real estate world. Some have faded as trends, while others seem to be here for the long run. Mobile marketing is definitely one that looks like it will be around for years to come.

Of course, with these new technologies come challenges. Finding the time to not only learn about them, but also to learn how to use them effectively, can be daunting at times. To assist, we’ve complied some great statistics that emphasize the reach of mobile marketing. As of 2010, nearly 95% of all Americans were using a mobile phone, with nearly half of them being smartphone users. As if these number aren’t large enough already, they are estimated to grow by 80 million over the next year. Although the numbers may vary from area to area, there is no disputing the immense opportunities in mobile marketing.

If you are interested in gearing up your mobile marketing strategy, there are a few things you may want to start thinking about.

Optimized Website: There is nothing worse than going to a website from your phone and finding out it doesn’t work or is limited in its functionality. One big fail is the use of Flash, as iPhone devices cannot read this program. There are various vendors and WordPress plug-ins that can help with the optimization of websites, with prices ranging from free to a several thousand dollars.

QR Codes: Quick Response Codes have become quite popular over the last year, and real estate professionals are now looking at ways to integrate them into their mobile marketing strategies. QR codes can be placed on business cards, for sale signs and printed advertising. When the end user scans the code, they are taken to a predefined location on the web. This gives the person who scanned the code instant access to the website via their phone. Of course, if you are linking to your website, ensure it is mobile optimized for best results.

The Growing Need for an Online Marketing Strategy

CV Escrow — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:00:06 +0000

A decade ago, there wasn’t much talk about online marketing strategies. Real estate professionals were primarily focused on print marketing, farming strategies and referral business. Today, we know the landscape looks quite different and that the web has literally changed everything.

Having an online presence is now a pivotal part of a real estate agent’s overall marketing strategy, and there is quite a bit of data that strongly supports this premise. Consumers today are used to getting information quickly and in an efficient manner. Within the National Association of Realtor’s 2009 Homebuyers and Sellers Study, the following statistics were discovered:

90% of homebuyers utilized the Internet as a source for information when thinking about buying or selling a home

77% of Internet buyers took the action to drive by or view a home after they initially saw it online

36% of homebuyers found the home they ultimately purchased on the Internet

These statistics only reiterate how important an online presence is in today’s world, but the challenge can reside in figuring HOW to develop a strategy. To assist you, we’ve assembled a list of resources that may assist you as you look to create your online marketing strategy.

Tips and Advice on Blogging:

Writing great content for your website and blog

Online videos for your real estate website and blog

How to turn your blog into a prospect producing machine

General Online Marketing Advice:

Build a better website toolkit

Property marketing toolkit

One landing page does not fit all

Articles on Marketing Your Website:

Website visibility: 7 ways to get your website noticed

Online marketing: Technology without technique doesn’t work

What is the best website marketing strategy?

QR Codes in Real Estate Marketing

CV Escrow — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:00:49 +0000

Tuesdays, here at the Coachella Valley Escrow website, we post Technology Tips designed to help you, the REALTOR®, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of real estate.

Today, QR codes, or “Quick Response” codes, can be found in newspapers, magazines, brochures, billboards, even on the back of business cards. Think of them as “image hyperlinks” in the form of a bar code. Businesses and marketers use them today to take their consumer to a customized URL using their cell phone.

How does it work?

Any person with a smart phone can take a picture of the QR code (using any QR code reader software). After the photo is taken, the software will direct the user to a specific landing page associated with that particular code. These codes can be scanned from printed ads, signs, t-shirts, even computer screens. By scanning a QR code, smart phone users can access a wealth of more detailed information while on the go.

This technology is being used in many different markets, and is especially making its presence known in real estate marketing. Real Estate agents have incorporated QR codes on “For Sale” signs, large window ads, flyers, etc. The possibilities are endless. Once someone scans the code, the customized URL they are directed to could feature details of the home for sale, a view of the floor plan, colorful photos, a video of the inside, a map showing details of the location or additional properties around the area, etc. They could even be given a way to contact the listing agent immediately.

QR codes make it easy for prospects to get information on properties instantly and easily. Instead of remembering an advertised URL, it’s so much more convenient to simply take a photo on a cell phone and be redirected within seconds to the customized URL. There are many different QR code generator websites, such as www.qrstuff.com and www.interlinkone.com , and QR code reader software, such as I-Nigma, Optiscan, and QuickMark. Generate your free code today to begin using the latest strategies and trends in real estate marketing.

Virtual REBarCamp | January 4th | Live Social Media Webinar for Realtors

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:51 +0000

Every Tuesday, here at the CV Escrow website, we post Technology Tips designed to help you, the Realtor, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of real estate.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to jump on an opportunity to learn more about how social media can grow your business in 2010, then save the date for January 4th to get started on your goal. Virtual Real Estate Barcamp is back and all you need to attend is a computer and an internet connection. This webinar is free for you to participate in and is pulling some of the best national trainers on the real estate social media scene:

Brad Andersohn, Active Rain, “Blogging for Beginners”

Jay Thompson, aka Pheonix Real Estate Guy, “Write Right, Right Now: Get Your Blog On”

Reggie and Nicole Nicolay, My Tech Opinion, “Twitter Essentials for 2010″

Pango Group, the parent brand of Coachella Valley Escrow, is a sponsor of Virtual REBarCamp and I have been invited to present during the webinar. I’ll be available after my webinar session entitled, “Facebook Tools and Tricks: Separating Personal from Professional”, to field questions in the live chat room. Hope to “see” you there!

Event Details are as follows:

When: Monday, January 4th, 2010, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST
Where: Online Webinar
How to Attend: Information Here
Cost: Free
Registration: Participate by registering here
Schedule: Calendar of Sessions
Presenter Bios

Interested in what you are reading? To automatically receive these Tuesday Technology Tips in your email box, subscribe to these articles at the top right corner of this site (www.CoachellaValleyEscrow.com) in the box titled “Subscribe via Email”.

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Reflect Your Real Estate Brand on Twitter – Customize Your Background

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:21 +0000

Which image is more interesting?

The image on the left is reflective of the default look for a Twitter profile. It’s not unattractive, but it is also overused, and not customized to the personality or brand of the twitter user. The image on the right is the exact same Twitter profile – the only difference is that it has a custom background applied to it. This is a very simple, and free process that any Twitter user can do.

When you are utilizing Twitter for your business, you want to make sure that you project a persona reflective of who you are. And, when using social media for real estate business purposes, your presence in social communities should reinforce your status as a trusted advisor. How your Twitter profile looks is an element in that.

I’m going to assume that if you are utilizing Twitter, you have already made sure that your profile is filled out and includes you location, links to a business URL, and you have a bio that mentions your profession and gives some personality insight as to who you are. Realtor Elaine Hanson (@ElaineHanson on Twitter) provides a great example of this:

With these details in place, the next step is to make sure that your background is also reflective of your professionalism and personality. There are several great resources out there designed to do just that. Here are two of my favorite:

Twitrounds: This site offers hundreds of free, beautiful and creative Twitter backgrounds and has a 1 click, automated process for installing your selected background on your twitter profile. It doesn’t get easier than that!

TwitterImage: Fantastic photographic images as well as creative professional backgrounds can be found here (also for free). This site does not have an automated installation script like Twitrounds does, so you have to go through the manual process of uplaoding the Twitter background to your profile. This is a fairly easy process and the site offers a 4 minute video and step by step directions on how to do this here.

In addition to the free Twitter backgrounds that these sites offer, they also both have the option to pay for a customized Twitter background (between $79-$99 per background). If you want to have a background that is unique to you, this is a very affordable option and a great marketing investment for the Realtor interested in representing their brand on Twitter.

If you install a custom background on your Twitter profile tell us about it by putting a link to your profile in the comments!

If you are unfamiliar with why you might want to use Twitter for real estate, these earlier posts will help to introduce you to Twitter for Realtors:

Virtual Real Estate BarCamp on November 17th – Learn from wherever you are!

Stacey Harmon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:02:25 +0000

Our “Tech Tuesday” tip is being posted a day early this week in order to get the word out that tomorrow (November 17, 2009) a great online event is being held that any Realtor interested in learning more about technology and social media for their career can attend. It’s Virtual RE BarCamp and all you need to attend is a computer and an internet connection. If you are interested in any of the following topics, then Virtual RE BarCamp is for you:

You Tube for Real Estate
Using Flickr for Real Estate
Making Real Estate Sales with New Media
The Brand of “You” in Social Media
WordPress for Real Estate
Social Media Trends for 2010
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101
Linked In for Real Estate
Must Have Word Press Plugins

As the event website states:

The REBarCamp phenomenon has exploded over the last year with dozens of in-real-life gatherings where the real estate community comes together to discuss and demystify the current trends in technology and marketing. The goal of VirtualREBarCamp is to bring this experience to you as opposed to having to bring yourself to it.

Event Details are as follows:

When: November 17, 2009, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST
Where: Online Webinar
How to Attend: Links and Call In Information Here
Cost: Free
Registration: Participate by registering here
Schedule: Calendar of Sessions
Speaker Bios

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Docusign | Digital Signatures for Tech Savvy Realtors

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:00:33 +0000

Last week’s Tech Tuesday post featured a video from Albert Tran of the California Association of Realtors discussing the latest version of zipForm‘s, which allows Realtors to type their contracts. One of the great features for California Realtors in zipForms is that it is DocuSign compatible, meaning that Realtors can have their contracts electronically signed, securely and legally, by all parties in the transaction. While at the CAR Expo in San Jose this year, I stopped by the DocuSign booth to and spoke with DocuSigns An Bui. Here is a video of our conversation with her explaining a little bit more about the DocuSign product.

Docusign also has a great blog that answers many of the common questions about their product such as the legality of electronic signatures, illustrates why DocuSign Electronic Signature might be a Realtor’s best friend, and discusses new features of the DocuSign product such as their new iPhone application.

DocuSign and zipForms are two technologies that are a huge step in the right direction for Realtors who are interested in making the real estate transaction as seamless and efficient as possible. I suggest you check them out.

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REALTORS: Learn How To Change Your Internet Browser Home Page to Something Useful

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:42 +0000

Every Tuesday, here at the CV Escrow website, we post Technology Tips designed to help you, the REALTOR, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of real estate.

When you open your internet browser window, wouldn’t it be nice to see something useful? Is there a site you visit every time you browse the web? If so, wouldn’t it be helpful to have that set as your home page on your browser? It’s very simple to change and this week’s tech tip is designed to show you how to do that.

Some suggestions of sites that might be relevant to a REALTOR to set as your default home page:

Your MLS login screen (are you at the computer mostly to check the MLS?)
CVEscrowBlog.com (new tech tips and escrow posts will automatically appear on your homepage!)
AgentGenius.com (real estate magazine)
MyTechOpinion.com (tech magazine for the real estate industry)
Google.com (the search engine – good one to choose because it loads quickly)
WSJ.com (leading business and financial news)
InmanNews.com (real estate news)
Realtor.org (NAR’s REALTOR site)

First step is to pick a default home page. Select one from the list above or select your own (ANY website will work).

Once you decide what site you want, follow these step by step directions on how to change your default home page to something useful.

Most of our readers are on PC’s and using Internet Explorer, so these directions are geared towards them. If you are on a Mac and in Safari, directions can be found here and if you are using Firefox, you can find directions here.

To change your homepage in Internet Explorer (example is for version 7…other versions might vary slightly):

Open Internet Explorer
Go to the page you want to set as your home page (for this example, I’m using Agent Genius as my desired homepage)

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options

Confirm you are on the General tab, Choose the Use Current button, then Click OK

That’s it. You’re done. Next time you open up your browser, you will see the site you selected. I’m curious to hear what site you choose as your home page. Leave me a comment and let me know!

What’s a Gravatar and Why Every Modern Realtor Should Have One

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:33 +0000

The picture below is a screen shot of multiple comments that were left on a blog post that was promoting a happy hour gathering at a social media conference that happened earlier this year.

Quick, take a look at the image and tell me at first glance which of the people commenting:

Did you look at first?
Do you think is the most professional?
Do you think is the most technically proficient?
Seems the most like a real person?
Are you most drawn to?

I’m willing to bet that the people who have images next to their comment (me, CWaterhouse, and Colleen Truax) were the answers you gave. If I ask you which people appear to be the least professional and least technically proficient, which would you answer? The one’s without a photo? Probably so. Which camp would you rather be in?

In an earlier post, I explained what an Avatar is (your visual image of yourself online – usually your photo), and how it is an essential consideration of the brand image for any modern Realtor. This post expands upon that and introduce you to Gravatar.com, a service that will make including your avatar in your blog comments, simple and easy. Here is a brief video which clearly explains the service:

As the video mentions, once you sign up for a gravatar account, you can associate ALL the email addresses that you have with your account (your brokerage email, your gmail account, your home account, your college alumni account, etc). And, then when you go to comment on a blog or forum, no matter what email address you use, your photo is automatically included when you make a comment (assuming the site supports gravatars…which many blogs and forums do).

A gravatar is a great way for a Realtor who participates in blog commenting to be positioned with a professional, consistent brand image across many sites. It also centralizes and automates the posting of your photo when you comment on the web. By using a gravatar, you are more effectively branding yourself with the image you choose and you are more likely to be perceived as more professional and technically proficient. So why not continue the brand image you have created off-line to on-line and sign up with Gravatar.com?

Realtor Download | Facebook 3.0 for the iPhone

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:41 +0000

If you are one of the 250 Million Facebook users, and you also have an iPhone, then last Thursday’s release of the Facebook 3.0 application for iPhone was an event you should pay attention to. Apple approved the long awaited update to the Facebook application for the iPhone, giving users huge functionality improvements over the prior Facebook application.

For those who are using Facebook from your computer, this updated iPhone application extends the functionality you experience on your computer to your iPhone so you can keep current, interact, and connect from the field. And, as we all all know, the busy Realtor has a hard time finding the time to sit in front of their computer. Now it is easier than ever to keep up from the road.

A full list of functionality improvements are available here at Facebook.com. Some of the more functional ones for REALTORS on the go who are interested in using social media to build their business include:

See your friends birthdays: For years, the personal touch of sending a birthday card has been a successful relationship building strategy. With the new iPhone application, you can easily see upcoming birthdays of your Facebook friends (have you friended any of your clients or prospects yet?) and wish them a happy birthday from the road.
Call your friends from within the Facebook application: If your friend has their phone number in their profile, you can tap the number to call them without having to type in the number or look them up in contacts.
Make friend requests: Are you at a party and meet someone who you want to friend on Facebook? No need to take their card and wait until you get home, now you you can look them up and send a friend request from the party.
Like posts and photos: A cornerstone of social media success is engaging others. The new Facebook application makes it as simple to “like” posts and photos from your phone as it is from your computer. This allows you to effectively give quick feedback to your friends posts without having to be back at your office or home computer.
Create shortcuts to your favorite friends and pages: If you are interested in keeping up with a particular client who is your friend on Facebook, you can now create a shortcut button that takes you directly to that individual users profile.

This list just scratches the surface of enhanced features. So, head to the App Store from your iPhone and download the Facebook 3.0 application (by the way, the application is free), or download it here from your computer and synchronize your iPhone with your computer. It is a huge improvement in functionality and usability. Give it a try!

The Easiest Way for ANY Realtor to Start Blogging | Posterous.com

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:10 +0000

I love Posterous. It’s my new favorite must-have application for the modern Realtor. If you are a Realtor, and you want to have a personalized, real time web presence for your real estate business, but don’t know how to get started, Posterous is your solution. Before I get into why, let me introduce what Posterous is.

Posterous describes itself as “The dead simple place to post anything.” By creating a Posterous account, you instantly create a web presence for yourself that lets you post anything to it – photos, articles, videos, MP3′s, files (such as word documents, pdf’s, etc). There is no easier way to create a blog for yourself and your real estate business (if you’d like some background as to why this might be valuable for your real estate business, check out my earlier posts on social media, web 2.o, and social networking for real estate). And posting is EASY, making Posterous the most attractive blogging option to the novice user, while still being an outstanding and powerful resource for the techiest of agents.

Why do I love Posterous so?

First: It’s easy. It’s simple. (You can do this. Really. You Can.)

If you can email, you can use Posterous. In its simplest form, all you have to do is email whatever you want to post to post@posterous.com, and it is done. Doesn’t get much easier than that.

Simply tell Posterous what your email account is, and it will know that when you send an email to them, the content is to appear on your Posterous blog. And, if you have multiple email accounts (for example, a brokerage account, a personal account, a gmail account, etc.) you can tell Posterous all your email addresses and it will post to your site no matter which email account you send from.

In addition, there are multiple ways to update your Posterous site from both your PDA cell phone and from your computer. This makes Posterous easy to use whether you are in the office checking out the MLS, or out in the field working an open house or showing property. Here are the options for how to update your Posterous Page:

1. From your PDA cell phone:

Email whatever you want to post to Posterous and it will automatically post to your site.
Text in your post via SMS (maximum post size is 110 characters…even a busy Realtor can manage that!)
PicPosterous: If you have an iPhone, you can download the free PicPosterous application which further simplifies the process of posting photos to your site, and organizes the pictures on the site into photo-galleries allowing the user to preview multiple thumbnail images and select the one they want to view larger (see an example on my site here).

2. From your computer:

At your Posterous.com website: Simply create a new post and type in what you want to say.
From your email: Email whatever you want (including file attachments) to Posterous and it will post to your site.
Use the Posterous Bookmarklet: This is a Posterous application that will let you grab photos, video, audio and text right out of the web pages you’re looking at, comment, and post it to your posterous blog.

Second: Posterous looks good.

Social media is really a brand building opportunity for Realtors. And, part of that opportunity is the visual design of how you are represented online. Posterous has a simple, elegant, and clean design that is professional and will display you and your content in an attractive manner that is good for your business image.

Third: It’s Free.

There is no charge to use Posterous. By creating a Posterous account, you create a free website for yourself. And everyone like free, right?! Over time, Posterous will be adding premium features, but they state in their FAQ “…there will always be a useful free version you can use.”

Fourth: It’s branded to you.

When you sign up for a Posterous account, you will select a vanity URL that can be branded to you. So, for example, my Posterous URL is: staceyharmon.posterous.com. Assuming it’s available, you can have YourName.posterous.com or PalmDesertProperties.posterous.com or WhateverYouCallYourBusiness.posterous.com.

Fifth: Posterous integrates with other social media sites.

One of the most powerful features of Posterous is the ability to auto-post to ALL of the social media sites that are most relevant to Realtors, all at the same time. This includes:

Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
WordPress
Blogger

So, for example, if I take a photo of a listing that I am holding open and want to send that to Posterous with a note that says “I’m holding open 123 Main Street from 12-4 today…come on by and say hello!”, I can choose to have that photo and message sent (with one email) to Posterous, and concurrently to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and my WordPress blog. This is powerful and efficient stuff!

How to Use Posterous For Your Real Estate Business:

Posterous is the best way for Realtors to get started in social media and in blogging. The possibilities for using Posterous for your business are only limited by your creativity. The goal is to give people a glimpse inside your life as a working Realtor, in real-time. Here are a few ideas to get you started. At the minimum, your Posterous site is an outstanding place to post photos…of your neighborhood, of your listings, of your life as you experience it (why not post photos of your office, or of your team as they are out showing listings?). Position yourself as a trusted real estate advisor by sharing with people relevant information related to real estate in your market. Post market reports for your farm (simply scan what you get a hard copy of at your sales meeting and email it to Posterous, or post a PDF of one that is emailed to you).

Check out my Posterous account here (which I use primarily as a photo blog site) and then sign up for your own. Give it a try. And let me know what creative ways you come up with to build your real estate business with Posterous. I want to hear your great ideas!

Mobile Twitter Tools For Realtors

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:00:45 +0000

In two previous posts (Why Twitter and 10 Ways a Realtor Can Use It and What is this Twitter thing everyone is talking about?) we explained to you the power of Twitter and some direct applications to the field of real estate.

However, one of the most powerful ways to interact on Twitter is through mobile applications on your cell phone. Twitter even asks you right in the main line “What are you doing?”. Why not answer that question from the field, when you are away from your computer? Below we cover some tools that allow you to do that and their application to real estate.

Twitter Clients

A mobile Twitter client is a program that runs on your phone which allows you to send and receive Twitter messages. Some offer the ability to search twitter for terms. However, you can use Twitter on any phone with a data plan without a client by simply visiting http://m.Twitter.com on your mobile phone internet browser.

Although the website is one way to access Twitter from you phone, for Blackberry, iPhone, Palm Pre, and Windows Mobile users, there are also application options which make Twitter easier to use from your pda.

For Blackberry Users: TwitterBerry and UberTwitter

While TwitterBerry is currently the dominant player and has a clean interface, UberTwitter is gaining traction. The service offers an interesting auto update feature that always keeps your Twitter stream up to date without waiting for it to load.

For iPhone Users: TweetDeck, TwitterFon and Tweetie (search for these in the app store)

TweetDeck, one of the most dominant desktop Twitter applications, has recently become available on the iPhone. The service now offers the ability to synchronize your columns. (Be careful about leaving this application open on your phone it’s a big battery drain.) TwitterFon and Tweetie each offer fairly similar features with the ability to see your @Replies, DMs, and Twitter Stream. My personal choice is TwitterFon. The software comes in a free version and a Pro (paid) version. The free version is excellent but if you want to have an ad free experience and manage more than one twitter account, you’ll want to upgrade to the paid version.

For Palm Pre Users: Tweed (search in PreApps)

The new Palm Pre phone has a slick interface and Tweed doesn’t dissapoint. The service will keep your stream updated and allow you with just a few clicks to share photos on Twitter as well as posting to Flickr at the same time.

For Windows Mobile: TwitToday

There aren’t many choices yet for Twitter on Windows Mobile, but one of the better options available is TwitToday. It offers basic Twitter interaction potential right from your Windows Mobile home screen.

Other Tools

Posterous – Sign up for a Posterous account and you suddently have the ability to post photos, video, music file, or most other types of documents to your Twitter stream by simply emailing Posterous from your phone or computer. Imagine doing a video walk through of a great new listing and within seconds sharing it with your followers or taking a photo of your community and showing potential buyers why it’s such a great place to live. Or perhaps you have an document you’ve created on market stats for your area. Now everyone can have access in seconds.

TwitPic and YFrog – Specific to just photos, TwitPic and YFrog allow you to email any photo from your phone and have it post to your Twitter stream automatically.

Using Twitter when out and about really opens up your ability to interact with the public. You can take a few moments while waiting in line or sitting idly to just catch up with those you follow. You can also check to see if anyone is Twittering about real estate topics in your area offering you that first contact ability.

You’ve Heard the Term, But, Really, What is IDX?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:26:30 +0000

Realtors often ask about IDX, the method and rules that allows for Realtors and brokerages to display the MLS inventory on their websites. It’s one of the more complex terms in real estate technology and probably one of the least understood. Why? First, to most Realtors, the terminology is foreign and vague. Then each MLS has their own IDX rules that can range from archaic to progressive. Finally, there are hundreds of choices for IDX vendors whose offerings vary as wildly as their prices. These variables make it a complex and confusing topic.

However, giving potential clients access to IDX listing search on your website is an absolute must for any modern brokerage or agent. So wading through the waters of the process is a necessity. This post is designed to make it easier to understand.

What does IDX mean?

IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. It’s the rules and procedures that allow real estate brokers and agents to display listings from other companies on their website. Most IDX rules require the broker or agent displaying the listing on their site to display the name of the listing brokerage with the listing.

A key point to remember is that IDX and the underlying rules only apply to brokerages and agent websites. For example, Zillow does not fall under IDX rules since Zillow is not a brokerage. Therefore, on non-brokerage and non-agents site such as Zillow, only the listing agent would be able to advertise their property (vs. all listings appearing on Zillow as part of an IDX feed if they were a brokerage).

Vendor Selection:

As an agent there are options on how to present listings on your site, and there are a variety of vendors who offer different IDX solutions. The different options yield different benefits. If you listen to real estate search engine consultants speak, you’ll hear terms like Drop-in vs. Built-in.

Drop-In vs. Built-in IDX:

A drop-in IDX solution means that the code to run the search and display any of the listings actually occurs on a different website. In other words, the code does not live on your site. The benefits of a drop-in IDX solution include that they are readily available, generally affordable, easy to implement, and can display listing data in a way that is appealing and easy for consumer to use. However, this solution offers no search engine optimization benefit for your site. However, for many agents, drop-in IDX solutions can be suitable solutions to displaying listings for the benefits listed above (and search engine benefits can be gained from other web strategies – blogging, for example). Examples of a drop-in IDX providers are Diverse Solutions and iHomeFinder.

With Built-In IDX, all the listings display right on the agent or brokerage website. This means that if a search engine finds the page, it will see all the listings and potentially make them searchable. The more pages that a search engine finds on your site, the easier it is for potential clients to find you on the web. Very few practical options currently exist for agents right now in regards to built-in IDX (the current leading option is a custom coded website built by a vendor which requires a coder with a specific skill set, and a large sum of money on your part). However, if you have a WordPress based blog or website, Listing Press is a new option to consider and more options are in the works.

Map Based Search:

An important question to ask a potential IDX vendor is whether they offer map-based search. Up until recently most vendors offered IDX search that was based upon the user making selections such as 3 beds, 2 baths, $500,000-$600,000 and a list of options would display. Now that list can be used in correlation with a map. So when a potential client sees their options they can also get a good idea of where the home is located, how close it is to parks, schools, the freeway, etc.

Lead Capture System:

The most important item to look at when considering an IDX vendor is their lead capture system. What’s the point of running a website and paying money to have all the listings on there if you don’t get clients from it? A good lead capture system will allow a potential client to request information or schedule a showing on every listing. Also check to see if the vendor offers the ability for users to save listings, receive listing email alerts, and track what has been viewed.

Pricing

IDX pricing can run from $20 / month to more than $100 depending on which solution you choose. Also make sure to ask your MLS if they charge any fees for gaining access to the IDX data.

Should You Be a Blogging Realtor?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:00:50 +0000

Blogging is the cornerstone of the new media marketing movement, and the promise of business for the Realtor who embraces it is tempting. This post is designed to give the pros and cons of blogging, and help you decide if blogging is something that you should incorporate into your real estate business.

First, what is blogging?

In February, I did a detailed post answering this very question. Basically blogging is an on-line journal. It consists of posts, or articles, that the blog author writes and adds on a regular basis to the blog. The most current post resides at the top of the blog, and the prior posts move down the page.

Success in blogging results from two things:

Providing content of value to your target audience
Frequency

What content is of value in real estate?

I view the following topics as good topics for Realtor blogs:

Market Data: Answer the question, how is the market? This is likely the most common question in real estate and makes for excellent blog post fodder.
Neighborhood Info: Talking specifically about different neighborhoods and farms will help build your credibility, establish your expertise in an area, and help you with what is called the “long tail” search in Google. When it comes to buying decisions, people are very interested in the nuances of a particular neighborhood. You discuss this in the car with prospects, and you work to show sellers your neighborhood expertise with post cards mailings, and in your listing presentations. Take this information to the web in the form of blog posts.
Lifestyle Information: Every buyer wants to know what the lifestyle is like in various cities, communities, and neighborhoods, and you as a Realtor are selling not only the houses in a particular area, but you are also selling the lifestyle. Blogging about the events, people, restaurants, schools, and area information are all great topics for a blog and paint a picture about the local lifestyle in the area.
Transaction Education: For most people, the process of buying a home is complicated and overwhelming. As the Realtor, part of your job is to navigate buyers and sellers through that process. By discussing the process and providing an education on the nuances of the transaction, you have the opportunity to establish your professional credibility and attract buyers and sellers who appreciate the education you are providing them on the process of home buying and selling.
Competent Advice/Perspective/Interpretation: No doubt about it, there is access these days to almost any information someone could want. The problem is that the amount of information is overwhelming. This presents a blogging opportunity for the Realtor who can provide an interpretation of all the data. From all the stats, what is the most important piece of information for today’s buyer to know? Why is it important for them to know? What is meaningful about that?

And what about frequency of blogging?

How often you blog is going to vary for each Realtor. I suggest that blogging once or twice a week is a good target. The key is to do it on a regular basis. This keeps your blog fresh, reminds people that you are active and current in the market, and helps you with Google.

Blogging has several advantages for the Realtor.

Blogging Pros:

Establish Your Expertise: Keep in mind that when you are positioned in the mind of the buyer or seller as THE trusted advisor, you have a client. There is no better way in social media to establish yourself as a trusted advisor than with blogging. Blogging provides you a golden opportunity to establish your real estate expertise. It allows you to express your perspective, your professionalism, and you market knowledge in a way that reflects your tone and personality.
Google Friendly (Search Engine Optimization – SEO): By definition, blogging is Google friendly. The platform of blogging is designed to be indexed by Google and if you are blogging using words that are relevant to your market (key words), you are helping yourself naturally appear in search results when people search Google for terms that match what you are blogging about. So, for example, if you are frequently blogging about items related to La Quinta real estate, when someone types in “La Quinta real estate” into Google, you are more likely to rise to the top or be on page one.
Subscribe Feature: Blogs have the ability to have people subscribe to them so that any content you post is automatically distributed to the reader (vs. them having to come to the site to see new content). When this channel is properly respected (and not abused, which would result in the reader “unsubscribing”), the blogger creates a drip marketing opportunity to all of the readers who are “reminded” of you ever time you post a new blog post.
Brand Building Opportunity: Through blog subscribers (as described above) and in the visual design of your blog, you have the opportunity to establish, and extend, your personal brand. What you say on your blog, and how it looks, is a reflection of your professionalism and your personality and gives people an impression about you.
“Long Tail” Opportunity: This benefit relates to the opportunity to reach people who are searching for specific terms in Google, vs. broader terms. For example, “La Quinta Real Estate” is a very general term that yields about 1.6 Million results in Google. Compare this to “The Hideaway La Quinta Real Estate” which yields about 8,000 results and you can see that there is a much greater opportunity to be found on the long tail search. Another benefit is that people who search long tail terms tend to be closer to a purchase or sale decision as they have gotten specific in what they are looking for.
Can be a Lead Generator: Blogs can generate great leads. When you are effective in articulating your real estate knowledge, answering the questions of your target market, and positioning yourself as a trusted advisor, people will contact you through your blog. Those that do contact you are generally attracted to your perspective and generally stronger leads than you may get off of an ad or other form of marketing. People tend to watch a blog for a while. They will get a feel for you. When they do contact you, it is because they have a feel for who you are and they are interested in working with you.

Blogging Cons:

Time Consuming: No doubt about it, blogging is a time consuming endeavor. It takes a commitment from the Realtor. Keeping in mind that frequency is a key element to successful blogging, you really need to view blogging as a strategy that you have a plan for. It takes time to generate good content.
You Need Average, or Above Average Writing Skills. Blogging is a content driven marketing vehicle. If you are not generating good content, you are not going to get good results. If you do not have the ability to articulate your perspective easily with the written word, blogging will be a challenge for you. There is an alternative – video blogging. With a very affordable piece of equipment called a Flip Video Camera, you can post a video blog instead of writing one. A video blog doesn’t carry the same SEO benefits that the written word does, but it can be a very effective way to articulate your perspective, or actually show your market area. A video blog can also be an efficient use of your time (maybe video tape yourself while you are sitting at an open house and waiting for traffic).
Several Nuances to Learn: Although the actual process of posting a blog is not much more difficult than sending an email, to succeed in blogging over time, there are many nuances to learn about the blogging platform. For example, there are better (vs. worse) ways to title your posts so that you rank well in Google and/or capture the attention of your readership. There are best practices to follow in terms of naming your images and inserting links into your posts. Although none of these items are particularly challenging, all of these little items tend to present a learning curve for the Realtor just getting into blogging.
Becoming Competitive: Blogging has been popular in real estate for several years now, and in some markets, there are some very established real estate blogs. In these areas, the landscape for blogging is very competitive. You should survey the blogging competition for your market and determine if there is a great opportunity for you there. Even in markets where blogging is very established, there are still ample blogging opportunities on a hyper-local level. You don’t have to blog about Palm Springs. You can blog specifically about Rancho Las Palmas. This would be a hyper-local topic and one where you have a strong chance to stand out and dominate a niche area. Alternatively, you could also define a niche market – maybe foreign buyers or sellers for your area. Or , seniors. Or, first time home buyers. Think about segments that may be under-represented by blogs that are focused on larger areas and geographies and you will find some great blogging opportunities.

I’ve pointed out the reality of the challenges of blogging in an effort to give you a realistic view on what it takes to succeed in blogging. Blogging may or may not be for you. But, if you are searching for a new strategy, or you actively farm a geographic area or demographic niche, and plan to be in business for 5 years or more, I suggest you seriously consider establishing a blogging presence. There is just so much to be gained. In a future post, I will lay out the leading blogging options for those who would like to pursue a blogging strategy for their real estate business.

Why Twitter and 10 Ways a Realtor Can Use It

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:32 +0000

Earlier in the month, I did a post called “What is This Twitter Thing Everyone is Talking About? which defined Twitter and explained what it is. This post is designed to express the value of twitter, and explore some of the potential uses for twitter for the real estate professional.

I’m often asked, why Twitter? What is the benefit? Furthermore, how is this relevant to the Realtor?

Let’s start with the benefits of Twitter that I see and experience:

Twitter is real time. Twitter provides the opportunity for me to get an immediate pulse on news and events, often before the mainstream media can report on it. For example, last month, there was an earthquake in Southern California. The twitter conversation about the earthquake occurred within seconds of the earthquake. It took several minutes before it appeared on the internet, and about a ½ hour before I could find the news reporting on it.
I learn from Twitter...a lot. People I choose to follow on Twitter often send out links to things that I’m interested in (blog posts, news stories, photos). When they send out a link, it is a basically a referral from them, and I’m often interested. It helps me to stay current and informed.
Trend watching: By watching Twitter conversations, I stay current on the pulse of what is hot…current events, technology, public opinion, rates, weather, etc.
Exposes me to a larger community: Realtors reach with traditional media is generally restricted by geographic distribution. Because anyone can follow you on Twitter (it doesn’t require mutual agreement to “connect” as Facebook does), who you connect with is not limited by geography.
I keep up with a geographically dispersed group of people, easily, and in real time.
Twitter is easy to use and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time. 140 characters (the maximum allowable length of a tweet) is a pretty low commitment. With the right technology, you can tweet from almost anywhere. Real estate is a business of hurry up and wait. If you have a client that is running late for a showing, why not send a tweet from your cell phone. It can be an efficient use of downtime.
Twitter is fun. There are some funny things on Twitter. I’m constantly amused. It is a great way to be entertained and connect with others through humor.
It’s a new communication channel I didn’t know I needed. I suggest that Twitter is akin to email in this regard. We were all living quite happily without email at one time. Clearly, email is now a mainstream communication channel. Twitter has the potential to be the same. As a note, I’ve also noticed that as my twitter usage goes up, my email usage has gone down (not a scientific study, but a personal observation).

So then, given these benefits, how can the Realtor can use Twitter? Here are 10 potential uses I see that, properly executed, could lead to expanded business for a Realtor.

Network & Make New Friends: Use 3^rd party sites and applications such as Twitter Search to find and watch for conversations related to things you are interested in. Add active users that are saying things that are interesting to you. Engage with them. A Twitter acquaintance can be developed into a long lasting friendship. And, in the immensely social business of real estate, where the adage “its all who you know” certainly holds true, we know that the more friends you have, the better.
Read News: Keep up with the industry in real time. Follow industry news sources such as Inman News as well as lenders who tweet about mortgage rates. Learn about events industry events designed to teach you about social media and real estate like REBarCamp Orange County.
Attend, or Organize, Face-to-Face Meetings (aka Tweetups): Use Twtvite to find or organize events with like minded individuals, or those who are interested in what you have to share (for example, you could host a first time homebuyers seminar and promote it via Twitter). Use Twitter as a catalyst to meet people in real life.
Build Your Referral Network. One of the key benefits of twitter is the ease at which you can keep in touch with a geographical dispersed group of people. There are LOTS of Realtors from all over the United States and the world on Twitter. Connect and engage with them. Think about the possible referrals!
Prospecting: I see twitter as the new-media equivalent of cold calling. Because you don’t have to have mutual agreement to connect with people on Twitter, it is easy to make connections with complete strangers. Unlike Facebook, where interacting with people you don’t know can be perceived as creepy, Twitter is set up to engage with anyone. It is culturally acceptable. And, there ARE clients to be found on twitter. Take this example from Gary McNich, a Realtor in the Seattle, WA area:

Follow Local Discussions: Use 3^rd party sites like TwitterLocal to search out discussions about your area and watch those discussions. Gain a pulse on what the hot topics are in your area. Use this as an information source for blog posts or general conversations with clients.
Get Feedback: Twitter is a great medium for asking a question, and getting answers. Want to know what people think about why buyers are sitting on the fence, or what they think of the new website you just put up for you listing? Maybe you want some feedback about a vendor you are considering hiring. Ask the twitter-sphere and you will get all kinds of answers.
Direct Traffic to Your Blog or Website: A very powerful part of twitter is in the links that you can include in your tweets. When you send out a link, it is a referral to somewhere. And, if you have built a network of people on twitter who trust you, you have a great chance that your followers will view your link, which will effectively drive traffic to your website and/or your blog.
Extend Your Personal Brand: Your profile page, and the content you tweet, says something about you. Twitter provides a great opportunity to extend the brand that you have built in off-line marketing materials onto the web and into a social network. If done properly, you will position yourself as a trusted advisor and have an easier time utilizing twitter to enhance your business opportunities.
To Broadcast: This is my least favorite Twitter usage suggestion, but if done in moderation, after building a following that trusts you, Twitter can be a way to promote your services or your listings. However, WORD OF CAUTION, if not done properly, using Twitter as a strictly broadcast medium will be perceived as spam and you will not only loose followers, but damage your credibility and reputation in this social network. It is really about tone and frequency and this strategy is not the first you should embark upon when joining Twitter. I’ll discuss more about this in a future post.

Curious enough to give Twitter a try? If so, start by following me (@staceyharmon) and CV Escrow (@CVEscrow). Watch how we use twitter and start interacting with us. We look forward to the Twitter conversation with you!

Did You Claim Your Facebook Vanity URL?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:00:35 +0000

You may have noticed that when you log into Facebook this week you see this message at the top of the page:

Have you claimed your username yet? If not, you should do so! It makes it easier for friends, family, and clients to connect with you on Facebook.

Last Friday night, Facebook gave users the opportunity to claim a “vanity URL” that represents their profile on Facebook. Over 6 million people have already registered their username (as of Sunday). This optional process gives Facebook users a distinct web address for their profile and makes it much easier to share and promote your Facebook presense with others. If you haven’t registered your username, the URL for your profile looks like the before picture below. After you register your username, the URL for your profile will look something far more friendly (see the after image below).

To claim your username, go to http://www.facebook.com/username and follow the simple process that Facebook has set up. You can select a username that Facebook suggests or create your own. Select “Check availability” to check for available usernames. If the desired username is available, click “Set Username” in order to confirm your choice.

A few notes:

Facebook usernames are permanent. In other words, they cannot be changed or transferred! This is an important consideration. How are you branding yourself? Are you using facebook for business or personal use, or maybe for both? Should your username be your full name or something more tailored to business (staceyharmon vs. RealtorStacey). Only you can make that decision. But, keep in mind that it cannot be changed. So choose wisely and make sure it is a username that will represent you over time.
Your username must be at least five characters in length and only include alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9), or a period or full stop (“.”)
Once you have your new friendly “vanity URL”, consider adding it to your email signature to encourage those you deal with to interact with you on Facebook.
It is possible to also have a vanity URL for a fanpage, but you must have over 1,000 fans and have registered your page before May 31, 2009 in order to qualify. More details can be found here.

Realtor Resource: Technology for Your Business at MyTechOpinion.com

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:26:54 +0000

In today’s post, I wanted to bring to your attention one of the most outstanding resources out there for Realtors who are looking to stay informed on all things technology in our industry: MyTechOpinion.com.

Their tagline says it all “Technology for Real Estate”. Topics covered range from Blogging, to Hardware, to Marketing, to Software, to Social Media and beyond. In their own words:

At MyTechOpinion we dig through ALL those technology offerings to identify key products and services to benefit your real estate business. Let us be your real estate technology knowledge base.

Some of my favorite posts include (and ones that I think are particularly useful for today’s Realtor):

10 Social Media Lifeskills for Real Estate Professionals
4 Ways to Access Your Files Remotely (having trouble getting all your files in one spot?)
A Real Estate Presentation in the Palm of Your Hand (highlights small, hand held projectors – digital listing presentation anyone?)
How Neat Are Your Receipts? (discusses a product called Neat Receipts which helps you stay organized – think write offs!)
Some Like it Hot [But Your Laptop Doesn't] (think an inexpensive laptop cooling pad might be helpful with that Desert heat?)

They also have a great resource list for those who are ready to get started in social media marketing. Make life easy on yourself…they’ve already done the hard work for you and presented the best social media sites and technologies in an easy to understand list which sifts through the junk and highlights the best.

The authors of MyTechOpinion (Nicole Nicolay, Reggie Nicolay, and Chad Johnson) are recognized social media pioneers and respected industry professionals. In my opinion, this is one site that should be on the radar of any Realtor looking to keep up with technology today.

What is This Twitter Thing Everyone is Talking About?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:08:17 +0000

A year ago, when I would introduce “twitter” to a group of agents, it would be the first time Realtors had heard the word. Today, thanks to an explosion of twitter users in the media and entertainment world, most have a least heard the term. But, I still usually get the question, “What is Twitter anyways?”. And, once I explain twitter, many are left trying to figure out if it is relevant for use in their real estate business. This post is designed to define what twitter is. Future posts will discuss what the value is in twitter and investigate if there is any value for real estate agents.

What is Twitter:

I like to explain twitter as “broadcast texting“. Basically, you type a short message, and when you hit send, it broadcasts out that message to everyone who chooses to “follow you” (people can choose to receive your twitter updates). So, if you have 200 people following you, that one message will simultaneously go to all 200 people.

Some important details to understand about Twitter:

Twitter is a social network
Messages are called “tweets”
Messages/Tweets are limited to 140 characters (Twitter is often defined as “micro-blogging. For a better understanding of blogging, check out our post on What is a Blog & How Does it Relate to Real Estate)
Tweets answer the question “What are you doing” (Twitter asks this on the website)
You can use twitter from both the web and from your cell phone.
The service is free. Note however, that if you use the service via text from your cell phone, you may have charges associated with it depending on the texting plan you have with your carrier. Once I started really getting into Twitter, I invested in an unlimited texting plan on my cell phone.

If you are still not clear about what Twitter is, other’s have done a great job explaining Twitter. Here are some links to others explanations:

Common Craft has a video explanation of Twitter that appears on the Twitter website.
About.com answers “I just don’t understand Twitter“
Tweeternet answers “What is Twitter and Why Does it Keep Following Me Around“
Real-Tech Guy does a nice job of explaining how to get started with twitter

Also, Nicole Nicolay of MyTechOpinon.com has written the definitive guide on using twitter for Real Estate. It is a free ebook you can download and it is outstanding. If you are ready to get started with twitter, or already have an account and want to learn how to best use it for real estate, you won’t find a better source.

This post lays out a definition of what twitter is. I can tell you that twitter is my absolute favorite social network. Twitter provides me a new form of communication I didn’t know I needed and it has transformed my business communication and networking activities. Future posts will expand on the value that twitter provides and introduce strategies to successfully use it in real estate. For now though, if you want to get started with twitter, go to Twitter.com and sign up for an account (it is very easy and requires minimal information from you). Then, follow me (my twitter id is @staceyharmon) and follow CV Escrow (@CVEscrow). By watching our twitter accounts, you’ll start to get a feel for what twitter is all about!

Find the Answer to Anything – Remember that Google is Your Friend!

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:52:54 +0000

It is very common for Realtors to find the world of Web 2.0, social networking, and technology overwhelming. There is so much new terminology and new information. The technical landscape seems to move so fast. The news talks about the latest “thing” be it Blogging, Facebook, or Twitter. How does one keep up?

This post is to remind you that the most obvious forum for finding the answer to your questions is right under your nose and is often overlooked: Google. Google tends to have the answer to anything. Not sure what that text acronym TTYL is that your client (or niece) is using? Type “TTYL” into Google and you’ll have an instant answer. Wondering what this Twitter thing is and if it is something you should know about? Type in “Twitter for Realtors” into Google and you’ll get plenty of perspectives on how to decide if Twitter is for you.

Do you feel you get too many results or don’t seem to find what you are looking for when you search for a topic on the web? Common Craft did a great video explaining Web Search Strategies in Plain English. Invest 3 minutes of your time and watch the video to learn some basic tips that will help you find exactly the content you are looking for when you search the web. It will not only save you time, but it will also open the door to answering any question you might have regarding technology, your real estate business, and this world of Web 2.0.

You might also want to consider Google-ing the name of the clients you are working with. In a previous post, I discussed the merits of Google-ing yourself and how to set up a Google alert to track what is being said about you on the web. With the proliferation of social networks and the boom in participation in them, many of your clients are out there and searchable on the web. You may learn a thing or two about your clients that will help you to connect with them as you help them with their real estate needs. Give Google a try!

Realtor Technology Tool | The Flip Video

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:50:06 +0000

To many Realtors, the concept of using video in their business is limited to the use of a virtual tour to market their listings. But, the technology of today busts the door wide open for agents to incorporate video into their business like never before. And, video is powerful stuff. Take a look at this video by Mike Mueller discussing the merits of video for real estate. He recorded this as part of a contest on MyTechOpinion.com answering the question “What technology product or service has made the biggest impact on your business? And why?”. (see all the finalists submissions here)

It is so easy and very affordable to get started with video. I carry around in my purse a Flip Video camera. You can buy one on Amazon.com for $60-$130 (depending on features like duration of recording and color ). I have this one:

My Flip Video is the size of a box of cigarettes, runs on two AA batteries, and is SIMPLE to use (you just push a red button to record, and the same button to stop the recording). And, the video is all pre-compressed and ready to be uploaded to YouTube or other video sharing site such as Viddler. The camera comes with a USB connector built into it so you just pop the Flip Video into your computer and go!

And, did you know that CV Escrow has Flip Video’s of our Escrow Officers, Escrow Assistants, and Business Development Directors on our site? People like to know who they are working with, and a brief video shows them so much more in 30 seconds than a bio that lists their professional background. Often buyers and sellers never meet the escrow officer until the end of the transaction when documents need to be signed. And for out of town buyers and sellers, they may never meet the escrow officer. We have several agents who forward on to their clients the link to the video of the escrow officer that is handling their transaction. Through the video introduction, clients get a better familiarity with the people they are dealing with on the phone. Check out videos of our team by following these links:

Escrow Officers:
Escrow Assistants:
Business Development
- Jan Whishaw
- Ellen Kardashian

CV Escrow on Your Cell Phone – How Cool is This?!

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:00:43 +0000

Do you have an iPhone, Blackberry, Treo, or other internet enabled cell phone? If you do (and have a data plan through your cell phone provider), you now have the ability to view the CV Escrow website and blog right from your phone.

Last week, CV Escrow released the mobile version of our site so that you have the ability to surf our site and our blog right from your PDA. Depending on what phone you have will determine the level of graphic sophistication you see. So, for example, if you have an iPhone, the site will be very graphically pleasing on your phone. If you have an older Blackberry, the site isn’t going to render as pretty, but it still will function great and get you access to the information you are looking for. Simply go to www.CoachellaValleyEscrow.com from your PDA’s browser to view the site on your own phone.

Here are some samples of how the CV Escrow home page looks on various PDA phones:

So what can you now do on the CV Escrow website from your web-enabled phone?

Search and view any article that has been posted on the blog. (Are you with a client who has a question about escrow that we answered in a post? Now you can search for the post right from your phone.)
Get our address, phone number, and email (Trying to tell a client where the escrow office is, or need to call us with a question?)
Get contact information for your Sales Representative, Escrow Officer, or Escrow Assistant (In the field and need a check delivered to escrow, or are you with a client and have a question about your deal? Find the contact information for the person you need to reach)
View our Twitter stream and follow us (CV Escrow is on Twitter – you can access our profile from the home page of our mobile website and see what we are talking about)

And, if you have an iPhone, you have this additional functionality:

View a video introduction for each of our escrow officers (show your client who they are dealing with by watching a video of their escrow officer and team members.
Google Map directions to our office from your current location

So, check out our site on your PDA. Our goal is to give you the information you want, where you are, and when you need it. Let us know what you think! We’d love to hear stories about how you use this new functionality in the field.

Texting 101 for Realtors

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:51 +0000

Are you texting yet? If not, it’s time to get on board!

Why Text Message?

Text messaging provides a great, and increasingly common way for you to communicate with your clients and for them to communicate with you. Maybe you want to confirm a showing with them, send them a quick message about a listing, or they want to let you know they are running late.

Texting can be very beneficial. Here are a few reasons why:

Time saver: Texting tends to get right to the point (who wants to type out a bunch of pleasantries small talk?). A simple “be there soon” gets the message across quickly and succinctly alleviating the need to call and explain the situation. Text messaging can also eliminate the need to carry on a long-winded conversation with someone.
It’s Easier: It is easier to simply read a message on their phone rather than have to call into a voice mail system to retrieve messages.
Less Intrusive: Texting can be a discreet form of communication especially when you or your client are in a situation where phone calls are inappropriate. Texting provides a more subtle, less intrusive option than talking on the phone or in person.
Not a Harsh Interruption: Texting is far more subtle than a phone ringing (which would you rather have happen in a movie theater, for example). The phone can be set to silent and the person can still read a new text message that comes in without the need to have the phone ring, or call into voice mail to hear what you are trying to communicate.

Considerations:

Texting isn’t free. Check with your cell phone provider for how much texting you have on your plan. Do you have a limited number of text messages per month? What is the charge if you go over your limit? Generally it is about .10 – .15 cents per text which may not seem like a lot, but can add up quickly. It may be more cost effective to switch to an unlimited texting plan with your cell phone provider. Either way, it is something to watch out for.
It is against the law to text while driving in California. Don’t do it.
Understanding texting will help you to understand Twitter. Twitter is basically broadcast texting (you send one message, and multiple people can see it). If you are comfortable with texting, you will be more likely to understand and be comfortable with Twitter. And Twitter is starting to make a splash in the real estate world (more information on this coming in future posts).

Texting Vocabulary

You aren’t the only one who wonders what all those abbreviated words mean. Texting has, in essence, a language of its own. Brevity reigns in the texting world and in order to be able to decipher messages and send quick replies, you should know the common shorthand. Here is a guide to some of the most common you will find in the texting and twitter world:

2gtbt – too good to be true
2nite – tonight
b4n – bye for now
btw - by the way
cu - see you (as in cu l8r)
eod – end of day
f2f - face to face
ftr - for the record
ftw – for the win
fwiw - for what its worth
fyi – for your information
gtg – got to go
imo/imho – in my opinion/in my humble opinion
irl – in real life (often used in Twitter to reference meeting someone irl)
jk – just kidding
l8r – later
lmao/lmfao – laugh my a** off/laugh my f*** a** off (not the most charming of text abbreviations but very commonly used in conversational social media)
lol – laughing out loud
nbd – no big deal
oh – overheard
omg – oh my god
pls – please
rotfl – rolling on the floor laughing
re – regarding. Can also mean “real estate” depending on context.
thx – thanks
ttyl – talk to you later
ty – thank you
wOOt – hooray/congratulations
ur – your
yw – your welcome

:) - happy face for humor, laughter, friendliness, sarcasm
:D – super happy/toothy smile, broad smile, etc.
:( - sad face for sadness, anger, upset
;) – wink
:/ – wry face
:P – tongue out for just kidding
((hug)) - a hug
{{{{hug}}}} – really big hug
– grin
<3 – heart on its side to show love. Ex: I <3 re = I love real estate

ALL CAPS = Yelling

Also remember that Google is your friend. If you run across a text shorthand that you don’t know, just put it into Google and you are certain to get an answer. You can also check out this Lingo 2 Word Translator.

Now that you have the benefits and terminology to successfully text, it’s time to give it a try. TTYL! :)

What do your clients see when they look for you on line? Google yourself to find out. Also, track yourself with Google Alerts.

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:02:02 +0000

As the internet becomes an ever increasing part of the business of selling real estate, it is important for Realtors to keep an eye on how they are being perceived on line. With at least 84% of real estate clients using the internet (according to NAR), it is a safe bet that the people you are working with look for you on line. I’d go as far as to say that every client you are working with Google’s you. What do they see?

Google yourself and find out.

Google Alerts

Now that you know what is out there about you, would you like to be able to automatically keep up with what is being said about you on the internet? Google has a simple (and free) tool called Google Alerts that let’s you monitor yourself (or anything else of interest to you) on the internet.

You can set up Google alerts so that any time your name appears on the internet, you get an email. It’s easy. Here is how:

1. Go to Google Alerts: www.google.com/alerts
2. Fill in the Form to tell Google what you want to track:

In this example, I’m telling Google to search the internet for:

Search Term: My name “stacey harmon”. VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL THAT MATTERS - You want to put your name in quotes. This way, Google will only send you alerts when your full name appears, otherwise, it will send you an alert any time either your first name OR your last name appears on the web (and this can become very annoying).
Type: “Comprehensive” vs. a simple search of my name in blogs, or web pages, or videos. Comprehensive means I want to receive an alert any time my name shows up in any of those places.
How often: You can choose to receive an email alert “once a day”, “once a week” or “as-it-happens”. I’ve chosen “as-it-happens” because I want to know as soon as something is posted on the internet about me.
Your Email: Enter the email address you want to have the alert sent to. It doesn’t have to be a gmail account, although if you have a gmail account, it makes it simpler to manage multiple Google alerts that you set up.

3. Select “Create Alert” and you will see this message:

4. Go to your email and click on the blue link after “Verify this Google Alert request” in the verification email that was sent to you:

You are now confirmed and will receive an email anytime your name (as you typed it in the Google alert) appears on the internet.

Google Alert Considerations:

You Have a Common Name: If you have a common name, you will receive alerts anytime that your name appears on the internet and it might not be content related to you. For example, there is a woman named Stacey Harmon Deckard who lives in Indiana. Sometimes her name will appear on the web and I will receive an alert with information about her because my Google alert searches for the term “Stacey harmon”.
Name Commonly Misspelled? If your name is hard to spell, or commonly misspelled, consider setting up a separate Google alert for the misspelling of your name as well. For example, people commonly spell my name “stacy” (without the “e”) so I also have a Google alert for “Stacy Harmon” so that if people reference me in a blog and spell my name incorrectly, it will come up in my google alerts.

Google alerts are a simple and easy way to follow the conversation about yourself on line and in social media. Go set one up today and start tracking how you appear on the web!

What is RSS? (Hint…it’s good stuff for the Realtor!) | A Cornerstone of Your Social Media Education

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:00:11 +0000

Have you ever noticed that little orange icon that appears on web pages and blogs everywhere? (If you haven’t, after reading this post, you will – trust me!). Are you curious what it is? That icon is the symbol the cornerstone technology that has enabled the explosion of blogging and transformed how information is consumed in a web 2.0 world. And, it is called RSS. My personal journey into social media started the day I discovered RSS. Understanding RSS is what allowed all kinds of doors to open for me in social media and the web 2.0 world. My hope is that it will for you too.

The stage has been set for this post. In previous weeks I have defined “blog”, and discussed in detail the concepts of web 2.0 and social media, and discussed how these pertain to real estate. If these concepts are still new to you, it will be helpful to review my post on blogs as a basis for learning the power of RSS.

So then, what is RSS?

Most literally, RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. But, this is such a bland definition, and one that is generally irrelevant to understanding the true meaning of RSS. Following are 3 different (outstanding) sources who have a slightly different take on how to describe and understand RSS. Go with the one that resonates best for you:

If you are a visual learner, here is the Common Craft video explaining RSS in plain english and points out that RSS is “like Netflix compared to the video store”:

Interested in a straightforward, practical explanation of RSS? A great working explanation of RSS is provided by ProBlogger Darren Rowse who explains RSS as:

RSS is a technology that is being used by millions of web users around the world to keep track of their favorite websites.

In the ‘old days’ of the web to keep track of updates on a website you had to ‘bookmark’ websites in your browser and manually return to them on a regular basis to see what had been added.

The problems with bookmarking

You as the web surfer had to do all the work

It can get complicated when you are trying to track many websites at once

You miss information when you forget to check your bookmarks

You end up seeing the same information over and over again on sites that don’t update very often

RSS Changes Everything

What if you could tell a website to let you know every time that they update? In a sense, this is what RSS does for you.

RSS flips things around a little and is a technology that provides you with a method of getting relevant and up to date information sent to you for you to read in your own time. It saves you time and helps you to get the information you want quickly after it was published.

I find the ‘subscription’ description helpful. It’s like subscribing to a magazine that is delivered to you periodically but instead of it coming in your physical mail box each month when the magazine is published it is delivered to your ‘RSS Reader’ every time your favorite website updates.

Let me say right up front that I’m not the most technically savvy guy going around – but even I can use RSS. At first I found it a little strange to make the change from bookmarking to RSS but I found that when I started that I just couldn’t stop.

Still a little foggy on RSS? Here is “The Oprah Way” of explaining RSS, courtesy of Stephanie Quilao who explains RSS “The Oprah Way” in her great, non-technical post (read her full article here):

So, to make RSS much easier to understand, in Oprah speak, RSS stands for: I’m “Ready for Some Stories”. It is a way online for you to get a quick list of the latest story headlines from all your favorite websites and blogs all in one place. How cool is that?

Suppose you have 50 sites and blogs that you like to visit regularly. Going to visit each website and blog everyday could take you hours. With RSS, you can “subscribe” to a website or blog, and get “fed” all the new headlines from all of these 50 sites and blogs in one list, and see what’s going on in minutes instead of hours. What a time saver!

So, how does this all relate to real estate?

Are you interested in offering creative ways to gain more exposure for your clients? Or maybe you are you interested in simply expanding your knowledge base of what you can do for your clients. How about syndicating your listings information out to the internet? Maybe you just want to stay on top of what is going on, or learn from others. As Keller Williams Simi Valley, California agent Ted Mackel points out in the following video, these are just some of the benefits that RSS has afforded his real estate business. Ted created this video as part of a 2008 MyTechOpinion.com contest asking for submissions from real estate folks about which technology has impacted your business the most. Take a look:

You too can benefit from the power of RSS. As a first step, I suggest signing up for a Google account (if you don’t already have one) and sign up for their feed reader. Then, every time you see that RSS logo out on the web on a site that interests you, add that site to your reader. It will open all kinds of doors for you in this internet and social media world and help you to better serve your clients as social media becomes an ever increasing part of real estate.

Realtors Doing it Right | Agents Who Effectively Use Web 2.0 in Their Business

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:27:17 +0000

This week we are going to take a look at several Realtors who are succeeding by incorporating social media and web 2.0 principles into their real estate businesses. Social media provides an array of opportunities to develop relationships with clients – for some the diversity of options can seem overwhelming. With so many opportunities to apply web 2.0 practices to your business, the following agents have been selected as examples because they exploit one strategy particularly well. The lesson is to pick and choose what works best for you. Focus. By doing so, you too can grow your business by applying social media techniques. Let’s learn from others who are leading the way!

Video

Mike Lefebvre | Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty – Suburban Boston, Massachusetts

Particularly outstanding is Mike’s use of video on his blog…specifically, this one which he submitted to www.MyTechOpinion.com answering the question “What technology has had the most impact on your real estate business”.

Blog

Listing Information

Kris & Steve Berg | San Diego Castles Realty – San Diego, California

Both the website and blog do an excellent job of presenting dynamic information that consumers want, particularly in regards to listing information and market trends. On the home page of both their sites, the visitor is presented with a map showing active inventory in the San Diego market and the blog has the ability to let visitors search home listings from their cell phone.

Blog: The San Diego Home Blog
Website: www.SanDiegoCastles.com

Networking & Niche Marketing

Andy Kaufman| Keller Williams – Berkeley, California

Andy personifies the definition of networking in a web 2.0 world…and it isn’t only the social media networking he does. Supported by an informative, data rich blog, a niche focused on the foreclosure, REO, and investment market in the East Bay of California, the real power in Andy’s strategy comes in his outstanding use of blending social media and “in real life” (IRL) interactions to network for business. Andy is everywhere – networking at conferences that draw the real estate, the social media, and/or the technology scene – events such as the REOMAC conference, the REBarCamp Conferences (Andy is the founder of this successful series of social media conferences focused on Real Estate), and SXSW (South By Southwest). The power of his networking activities has resulted in no less than 7,000 followers on Twitter and 1,100+ friends on Facebook.

Blog: MyEastBayAgent.com

Photos

Teresa Boardman | Saint Paul Home Realty – Saint Paul, Minnesota

Photos are Teresa’s thing, and her use of the social community Flickr for her real estate business, in conjunction with her blog, is an example for all. Photos are so paramount to her web presence they not only have their own navigation section on both her blog and website, but also to warrant an entire blog of their own. She also has thousands of photos representing the St. Paul area in her Flickr account and truly gives a consumer an outstanding feel for the area.

Blog: StPaulRealEstateBlog.com
St. Paul, MN Photo Blog: StPaulPhotos.com
Website: www.TwasHere.com

Active Rain:

Rich Jacobson | Windermere Real Estate – Kitsap Peninsula, Washington

Active Rain is the largest real estate social network with over 170,000 members. And, if you are a member of Active Rain, you probably know the name Rich Jacobson. He is a Community Builder there and a brilliant example of how to utilize this great resource to not only promote yourself and your business, but to learn and participate in the social media real estate community. He also expresses his personality and interests by having a blog dedicated to his personal interest in Crabbing which results in a niche marketing effort based around a Pacific Northwest activity that he loves.

Active Rain Blog: Rich Jacobson
Website: KitsapLife.com
Western Washington Real Estate Blog: Sound Bite Blog
Personal Interest Blog on Crabbing: CrabbingInTheHood.com

Consumer Focused: Clear and Effective

Kristal Kraft | The Berkshire Group Realtors – Denver, Colorado

An excellent example an agent who combines her website and blogging efforts into one site online, Kristal’s blog is simply one section of her web presence and surrounded by a website which illustrates her professionalism, market knowledge, and answers the most pressing buyer and seller questions. No one tool overpowers others in this site – its success is more about an overall strategy of providing content that consumers care about and establishing herself as the trusted adviser in the consumers mind.

Website/Blog: KristalSellsDenver.com

Please send us who you think is doing it right in real estate and social media and we can do a follow up post in the near future!

Connect with CV Escrow on Facebook

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:00:48 +0000

Every Tuesday, here at the CV Escrow website we post Technology Tips designed to help you, the Realtor, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of Real Estate.

Are you on Facebook? If not, and you are a sphere of influence (or social) farmer, you probably should be. Facebook is a Web 2.0 site that is one of the greatest ways for Realtors to create a social networking strategy. Facebook currently has over 175 million users and makes it so easy to connect with people you already know from all parts of your life. It is a great way to let those who already know you, what you are currently up to (for example, that you are a Realtor and have a particular expertise in real estate in the Coachella Valley – think of the potential for referrals!). Find and connect with friends from high school, college, your company, or others in the industry, like CV Escrow. CV Escrow has a new “fan page” (Facebook terminology). By becoming a fan of CV Escrow on Facebook, you have an easy way to stay connected to all of the training and event opportunities that we offer and support. In addition, by connecting with CV Escrow on our fan page, you have a way to subtly remind your other Facebook friends that you are in real estate, as they will see you interacting with other professional organizations in the industry. So become a fan! Here is how:

Step 1:

Login to Facebook. (If you aren’t yet on Facebook, it is easy to create an account. Simply fill in the Sign Up section on the homepage and follow the directions to get started)

Step 2:

Search for “CV Escrow” in the Search box in the upper right hand corner of the Facebook screen .

You will get this as your search result:

Step 3:

Click “Become a Fan”

That is it! Once you click “Become a Fan” the wording will change to “You are a Fan” and you will be connected to CV Escrow on Facebook.

Step 4:

Check out our fan page. You can now click “View Page” and see the details of the CV Escrow fan page where we will keep current all of our training opportunities (stay tuned…a training session on Facebook for Realtors is coming soon!) and you can keep up with the latest events and announcements from CV Escrow. You can even send us a message on our fan page.

Just another great way to build your social network and establish yourself as a working Realtor who is keeping up with the latest trends and opportunities in the industry. We look forward to seeing you on our fan page!

How to Email Articles (Posts) to Your Clients

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:38:22 +0000

You may have noticed that we’ve been providing some escrow education and answering a lot of great questions here on our blog (even though you may be getting this in your inbox, the article is still also part of the CV Escrow Blog and permanently archived/available there). Topics like Options for How to Hold Title – The Vesting Form Explained and What Day Should You Negotiate Close of Escrow? Although there is new topics/articles on our site every week, the old topics remain on the site and are available for you and your clients anytime. And, it is simple to share these articles via email with your clients. Here’s how:

Step 1:

Go to the site and find the post you are looking for.

Say you want to email the article Notary Choices When it Comes to Signing Your Escrow Documents to your Client. Go to the site and locate the post so that it appears in the main area on the left of the site:

Step 2:

Scroll to the bottom of the post and locate and click on the “Share This” icon.

Step 3:

Click on the Share This link and select the Email option under Send.

Step 4:

Fill in the form and select the Send button.

That’s it! Your client will now receive an email from you that links them to the post and includes your message.

It works for any of the posts we do. Share away!

Answering the Realtor Question: What is a Widget Anyways?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:00:37 +0000

As I speak with Realtors I am reminded that technology is bringing to agents a whole new vocabulary. In my constant endeavor to discuss the opportunities that technology provides the modern Realtor, I have written on many basic technology terminology which Realtors need to understand in order to put together a strategy for success in today’s market. Terms such as: Web 2.0, Social Media, Social Networking, and Blog. Today I’m adding another terminology to the list – Widgets. Many have heard the term, but most don’t have an understanding of what a widget is or how a widget can help them. This post is designed to clarify a thing or two.

A widget is a piece of code that can be embedded within a web page. Basically, it is a mini-application provided by a 3^rd party that you choose to install on your website or blog. Why would a Realtor do this? Well, because there is lots of information out there that consumers want and this is a good way to give it to them. Many 3^rd party vendors are offering a no-maintenance way for you, the Realtor, to provide valuable information on your site. If you are interested in providing the consumer what they want on your website (and why wouldn’t you…this is how you get traffic and have people come back to your site), you should look into the myriad of real estate widgets that are available out there. Many of them are even free.

Lets look at a great application of widgets by a Realtor:

Heather Elias of Century 21 in Ashburn Virginia incorporates widgets into her website www.HeatherElias.com:

Heather has included a widget on the left hand side that provides consumers with a customized market snapshot. This is a widget that she uses from Top Producer that not only provides a customized, detailed market snap shot to visitors of her site, but also provides her leads. And, because it is provided by Top Producer, it is also maintained by Top Producer. Once Heather has added the widget to her site, there is nothing she needs to do to update it. The market information is kept current, and delivered, all by Top Producer on behalf of Heather. She just gets the lead when it comes in.

She carries over her effective use of widgets to her blog at www.locomusings.com:

As you can see, on the right hand column, she has repeated her use of the Top Producer widget which asks the compelling question “Are you Curious what your home is worth?”. She also has a Chat widget that invites the visitor to “Chat with Heather Elias”. At the moment of this screen capture, Heather was busy, but when she is online and available, visitors have the ability to simply type her a question and have her respond in real time. Talk about rapid feedback and being available to the consumer! There are several chat widgets that are out there such as the one provided by Meebo.

Another perspective and great article on additional widgets for the Real Estate world was authored by Nicole Nicolay of MyTechOpinion.com. In it, she points out that there are great real estate widgets out there that provide helpful information for visitors in a variety of categories such as Property Search, Home Valuation, Industry News, Information and Statistics, and Calculators. The article was written last year so things have evolved (for example, check out some of the neat free real estate widgets that Trulia now offers Realtors here), but her article still gives a great list of useful real estate widgets by functional category.

Think widgets might be for your website or blog? Great. Widget-away. BUT, a word of caution – plan your widgets carefully. There is a thing as too many widgets on a site! It is very easy to add too many widgets to your website and the result can not only be disruptive to the visual integrity of your site, but also cause your site to load slowly. I’d say a good rule of thumb is to add 1-3 widgets to your site. Heather Elias is an outstanding example of an effective use of widgets. Her use of widgets is useful to consumers, not overwhelming, and maintains the attractiveness of her site and blog.

So, widget sparingly and appropriately, and you too can effectively extend the value of your website and/or blog.

More Learning Opportunities for Realtors | Web 2.0 and Social Media

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:00:46 +0000

If you have been finding value from any of the Technology Tuesday post we have been doing here at CV Escrow such as:

and you’d like to further educate yourself on how applying technology to your business can help you to grow your business, I wanted to bring two events to your attention that present great opportunities for Realtors to learn more.

The first is called Real Estate Bar Camp (REBarCamp). REBarCamp is a one-day, free, social media marketing conference for the Real Estate Industry. It is held in various cities throughout the country and the one closest to the Coachella Valley (REBarCamp Los Angeles) is taking place on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at the Pasadena Hilton from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Approximately 200 people are expected to attend. As mentioned, it is free to attend, but you do still have to register.

If you are interested in learning from others in the real estate industry about new ways to build your business, market yourself and your properties, I would advocate attending Real Estate BarCamp Los Angeles. I’ve been to several of these conferences (they started as a pre-cursor to the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco last year and have since expanded to be in 10 cities across the nation) and it is my favorite place to learn. The conference is great if you are thinking about deploying a social media marketing strategy to compliment your other (traditional) marketing efforts.

The conference is unstructured by design – there is no real set agenda. There will be topics by attendee’s put on a white board and if you are interested in attending one of the sessions that is posted, you just go to that area of the room. Topics from past RE BarCamps include:

Strategies of Blogging for Business in Real Estate
Twitter Tips for Real Estate
FaceBook Marketing
LinkedIn Business & Referral Strategies
Leveraging the Power of Social Networks like Active Rain
Using Trulia to grow your business
Tricks of Marketing on Zillow
What makes up a good Website
Driving traffic to your website
Marketing Your Inventory the Web 2.0 way
Video Like a Pro
How Do I Work This @$%@#$ Smart Phone?

Links for Additional Information:

Conference Website: http://rebarcamp.com/losangeles/
Registration (free to attend but you must register): http://rebarcamp.com/losangeles/?page_id=23
Twitter Account: www.twitter.com/REBarCampLA

CV Escrow understands that REBarCamp is a great place to learn and is a proud sponsor of the event. I’ll be attending and hope to see you there!

The second event is a CDAR Lunch and Learn, also sponsored by CV Escrow. It is being held Monday, April 27th at Noon at the California Desert Association of Realtors Office in Palm Desert. I’ll be speaking on the following topic:

What is Web 2.0 and Social Media and Why is it Important for Realtors to Understand?

We know from NAR that 84% of buyers use the internet in their home search. Are you reaching those buyers? How Realtors market their listings and network with clients is changing quickly. Newspapers are losing their effectiveness and the internet is the place to be. How can social media help you to build your business and make money?

Join us for an entry level discussion that is designed to familiarize you with the basic concepts of how the internet and social media are changing the way real estate is done and how you can evolve with the times.

SEMINAR TOPICS:

Basic Terminology – Web 2.0, Social Media, Social Networking, Blogging
Why Does This Matter
Rules of the Social Media World
Recommended Social Media Sites for Realtors

Instructor: Me (Stacey Harmon, Social Media Director for CV Escrow)
Course Date: Monday, April 27, 2009
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm (11:30 registration)
Cost: $5
RSVP: Joy at 346-5637 or joy@cdaronline.com.

Answering the Realtor Question: What is Web 2.0?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:00:11 +0000

I’ve spent several posts over the past few weeks discussing technology tools and trends for Realtors that fall under the “Web 2.0″ category. Today I’m going to back up and define what Web 2.0 is and discuss why Web 2.0 presents opportunity for Realtors.

Before we can define Web 2.0…let’s discuss what Web 1.0 is. Web 1.0 is basically a website that is a brochure for your product or service. It is your offline company brochure or pamphlet represented on line. It is static. It is promotional. It says what you do or what you are selling. Most agents have a Web 1.0 website. I think this is an important part of a Realtor’s online marketing campaign – when your clients go to the web, they should find you. A web 1.0 website accomplishes this. However, it does not provide the new business opportunities that web 2.0 sites do.

So, then, what is Web 2.0? This definition is provided by Wikipedia: Web 2.0 is a “business revolution….caused by the move to the Internet as a platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform”. Web 2.0 websites and technologies often have the following words used to describe them: social, open, connected, feedback, community, networking, transparency, interactivity. Web 2.0 technologies (and the resulting websites) create a fundamental shift in the opportunities for companies (and yes, even Realtors) to do business. Web 2.0 offers the Realtor new ways of communicating with people. It offers the Realtor new ways of prospecting. It offers new ways of creating and building business. This is because the rules of the game are so very different than how Realtors sell offline and in a web 1.0 world (more explanation on this to come in future posts).

There are many websites that you have probably heard of (in real estate and out of real estate) that encompass web 2.0 principles. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, even Match.com. And there are ways to use all of them to support and build your business because these sites provide the opportunity for interaction or connectivity with other people. In addition, there are many players in the Real Estate Web 2.0 space. Sites such as Trulia Voices and Active Rain are outstanding web 2.0 communities which offer great opportunities for Realtors. For a road map of the leading Real Estate Web 2.0 sites, check out this image by 1000 Watt Consulting:

I also find this comparison by Darren Barefoot between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 useful:

Web 1.0 was about reading, Web 2.0 is about writing
Web 1.0 was about companies, Web 2.0 is about communities
Web 1.0 was about lectures, Web 2.0 is about conversation
Web 1.0 was about advertising, Web 2.0 is about word of mouth

To me and many others, Web 2.0 presents exciting new ways of doing business. And, for the Realtor who is looking for new opportunities in this challenging time, Web 2.0 offers uncharted territory and hope. There is a growing number of Realtors who are building their business and experiencing success by working and applying web 2.0 strategies (and a growing number who are thriving!). By reading this blog, you will be introduced to several Web 2.0 strategies and sites that you may want to consider adding to your real estate repertoire.

Vendor Review | Altos Research – Get a great answer to “How is the Market?”

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:00:41 +0000

Every Tuesday, here at the CV Escrow website will be posting Technology Tips designed to help you, the Realtor, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of Real Estate.

You probably answer some version of one of the following 3 questions from your clients and prospects every day:

What is for sale?
How much is my house worth?
How’s the market?

I’ve found a vendor who helps Realtors to answer these questions from a very informed perspective. Altos Research offers a series of products that are based around real time local market data.

My favorite of Altos product offerings are as follows:

AltosCharts

This is a graphic image that reflects local market conditions and is automatically updated once per week with current market data. They have charts that show the general pricing trend, the average days on the market, the median price per square foot, and the active inventory level, to name a few. This image reflects a sample of the charts available for Palm Springs.

Here is an example of a Realtor who has incorporated AltosCharts into his site: Brian Wiegand – SeattleHome.com

AltosStats

Their newest offering, just released last week, AltosStats provides a tabular 7-day snapshot view of a local market answering questions such as the Median List Price, total inventory, average home size, days on market, average price per square foot and average age of a home.

Here is an example of agent using it in a blog post: Irina Netchave – SanMarinoCaRealEstateHomes.com

AltosReports

AltosReports are a pdf report that can be emailed to your prospects and clients or printed for use on listing presentations, open houses, or client meetings. They are customized to you with your name, photo and contact information, and present a detailed anaylsis on the local market along with written commentary to help explain the numbers and trends. The reports also provide a “quartile analysis” so that you and clients can compare the trends around different pricing brackets. The reports are approximately 10 pages long offering a plethora of data on the local market. In addition, there is a 1 page summary report that is useful for prospecting in places like open houses. You can see a sample report here.

Why I Think This Product Is Good For Realtors:

I think the Altos products are a must have for any Realtor website. Buyers who are utilizing the internet for property searches (84% of the buying population according to NAR) want to see what the local market conditions are. They want to know what the trends are in a local market. They want to know what the average price is right now. Why not give them what they want? It builds credibility that you have a pulse on the local housing scene and provides a reason for buyers to come back to your site. And, with the Altos products, there is no updating necessary on your part. You don’t have to do anything – the data automatically stays current. I also see their products as an outstanding listing tool. How powerful would it be to graphically show a seller what the current trend is for median and average list price in the area, what the percentage of properties with price decreases is, and what the percent of re-listed properties is? I think Realtors armed with this information are having very different discussions with sellers about pricing than those who aren’t, and these Realtors are far more likely to secure and sell listings than those who do not use this data.

Learn More:

Altos Research also walks you through how to gain leads and secure listings utilizing their products. Tomorrow (Wednesday March 4^th) at 11:00 am they are hosting a webinar discussing how to market utilizing statistics. There is no cost or obligation to attend the webinar, but you do need to register here. They will discuss practical ideas and applications in using their products to:

Get buyers “off the fence”
Set realistic seller expectations
Prospect and lead generate
Drip market and convert leads
Build client trust

Definitely a great vendor for Realtors to check out!

List Local, Promote Global | International Websites For Your Coachella Valley Listings

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:16:25 +0000

Are you looking for an international buyer for your listing which would make a fabulous second home? Interested in getting your listings exposed to those potential foreign buyers? Although sites like Realtor.com do a great job of reaching a national audience, wouldn’t it be better if your listing was appearing in the currency of the country that it is appearing in? How about having your listing translated into the language of the country you are targeting? Or maybe you just want to make sure your listings are appearing on sites that rank well with Google in foreign countries. Although still fairly new and evolving, a growing area of online real estate marketing is in international listing websites and portals. Some are specific to a country, while others are trying to develop a global listing database. It is still too early to determine who the winner of this latest phase of real estate website positioning is going to be, but here are a few sites to watch, and check out for your current and future listings:

GlobalEdge:

Billing themselves as “The Business Portal for Overseas Properties” this site is based in the UK is “an award-winning trade portal designed to help real estate agents and property developers do business overseas”. In order to participate on this site, you need to create an account. They have several pricing models which range from free to £250/month. For £15/month you can showcase 3 of your best listings. In addition, this site has a property portal section which is an “independent analysis of the best overseas property portals” presented by region and by country. This is an excellent resource if you are trying to target a specific country for your listing.

Enormo:

With the tagline “Every Property, Everywhere”, this site aims to be an international listing portal and translates your listing into approximately 30 languages for a moderate monthly fee. Realtors can list their properties on the website, provided they have a website of their own. Specific details and pricing information is available by filling out their interest/inquiry form here.

Property Showrooms:

Based in Spain and a respected site amongst the European investor community, this site allows agents to post unlimited listings for 75 EURO/month with a 3 month minimum sign up period. Their site describes itself as:

Winner of CNBC Best Portal, frequently mentioned in the worlds press such as The Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, and The South China Morning Post. As a result we appear at the top of Google, Yahoo and the other major search engines providing extensive background information, up to date news and services for both the public and industry alike.

Point2Homes:

A listings syndication service based in Canada, Point2Homes has a free 3 month trial membership where you can upload your listings and choose where they are distributed. After 3 months, the price is $9.95/month. Point2Homes is a great way to exposure your listings to many sources at once, including leading national, and international websites. The process is manual and requires you to create an account and upload your listing data.

All Global Properties:

As of the time of this post, the ability to upload listings in the United States is not possible, but the team behind this site (the REA Group) has a lot of visibility and credibility, so it is one to watch. Currently they feature listings in Australia, Belgium, Dubai, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the UK. The site offers consumers advice on buying properties oversees and until they offer US listings, might be a good place for buyers agents to consider advertising their US Services to international buyers (via banner ads, for example).

What is a Blog & How Does it Relate to Real Estate?

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:00:13 +0000

What is a Blog?

You aren’t the only one asking. As I talk with Realtors about social media, this is one of the most common questions I get. Blog is a contraction of web log. In its simplest of descriptions, it is a type of website. It is a type of website that allows for entries to be posted (like journal entries, or articles) that are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order (By the way, you are reading a blog right now). Blogs are a type of social media – this is because blogs allow for interaction with readers because they can post comments on articles which creates the opportunity for interaction with your blog audience.

Blog Terminology Basics:

Blog (noun):

A type of website that allows for entries to be posted (like journal entries, or articles) that are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. For example, this article you are now reading is part of the CV Escrow Blog. Blog entries remain indefinitely on the site and are always available to readers. Often, blogs allow for the current article to be distributed to its readers via email in addition to always being available on the site.

Blog/Blogging (verb):

To maintain or add content to a blog. Example: I “blog” by writing the weekly technology tip series of articles that you are reading on the CV Escrow Blog. Or, Stacey is blogging this week about the topic of Social Networking for Realtors.

Blogger (noun):

The person who generates the content for the site. I, Stacey Harmon, am a blogger because I am writing this post. Also, the escrow officers at CV Escrow are bloggers because they are generating posts about escrow topics like The Opening Package From Escrow – Why it Matters.

Post (noun):

This is the term most often used for a particular entry, or article that appears on the blog. Posts typically will have a headline, an author, and the article. For example, right now you are reading a post titled “What is a Blog & How Does it Relate to Real Estate?”, authored by me. The most recent post appears at the top of the blog. The post is also classified part of a particular category (in our case, some of our categories are “Escrow”, “Technology Tuesday Tips”, and “Events”). These categories make it easy for you to find a post on a particular topic after some time has passed and the post is no longer at the top of the page.

Subscribe (verb):

One of the great features of blogs is that readers can subscribe to the site. Many of you are reading this post in your email – that is because you are subscribed to our blog, meaning you don’t have to go to the CV Escrow blog to read the new posts. Instead, they come straight to your inbox. As you find other blogs on the web, they will also have the ability for you to put in your email address and have their posts come directly to you – keep an eye out for this. It makes staying updated very convenient! (Sometimes the subscribe functionality is presented as “RSS” – this is an alternative way to subscribe to the site, and wording to look out for if you don’t see the word “subscribe” on the site)

Who Blogs?

These days it seems that everyone is blogging: The Administration, Martha Stewart, Mark Cubin, The Desert Sun, and CV Escrow. Blogging has grown exponentially over the past few years. According to the New Media Lab 2008 Social Media White Paper, there are 184 million people worldwide that have started a blog, 346 million people read blogs, and 95% of the top 100 U.S. newspapers have reporter blogs. In addition, there are roughly 1 million blog posts every day.

So, How Does Blogging Fit with Real Estate?

For Realtors, having a blog offers the opportunity to express and establish their expertise out on the internet (where we all know buyers are looking, and sellers are wanting their listings to be), rank well with Google (blogging is by definition VERY search engine friendly), reach a geographically wide audience, and/or target specific niches, all in a very financially affordable way. Compared to print marketing, blogging is cheap (it can even be free!). But, keep in mind that blogging takes time. And, you should have an average, or above average, ability to write. If you are not developing content that people want to read, you are not going to have an effective blog. So, blogging may or may not be the right decision for your business. However, even if you decide that a blog isn’t going to be a part of your current business plan, understanding what a blog is, and reading blogs, can be a very helpful in your education process and real estate career. There are some outstanding blogs focused on the real estate industry. I highlighted one last week. And, for the curious, here are a few more.

Real Estate Blogs to Check Out:

Realtors:

Miamism: Maimi real estate blog by Enrique Garcia & Ines Hegedus-Garcia
Phoenix Real Estate Guy: Jay Thompson’s blog on all things Phoenix Real Estate
First Time LA Home Buyer: Great niche marketing blog by Los Angeles Realtor Nick Segal
Active Rain: Over 130,000 Realtors and affiliates belong to this site and blog about all things real estate. This site is a great way to get started blogging (it is free, and easy - just sign up for an account). Update > Active Rain changed their policy this week…blogging at their site is still easy, but now there is a moderate monthly fee for new accounts if you want the public to see it. I still think that it is an excellent way for Realtors to start blogging however.

Industry News:

Another Perspective – Blogs In Plain English:

Also, Common Craft has done a great video illustrating the concept of blogs. It isn’t real estate specific, but does a great job of showing how blogs came to be and the value that blogs provide. It is well worth the 3 minute watch:

If you think that blogging might be for you, stay tuned. Future posts will discuss great ways to get started with blogging as well as vendors who can help you execute a full blogging strategy.

Realtor Resource: Learn Even More at AgentGenius.com

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:26:36 +0000

If you are a Realtor that wants a leg up on the competition, you are off to a good start. By reading this weekly technology tip series, you will be introduced to an array of tools that will help you be informed and stay a step ahead. And, one of my goals with this series is to introduce you to other great websites that will help you continue your education about the industry and allow you to evolve with it.

This week, I’m bringing to your attention to AgentGenius.com – a online real estate industry magazine that discusses “what’s hot in technology, new and inventive real estate business models, the nature of the real estate industry, hot topics that impact consumers and so much more…”

The site has great contributors including a host of agents who are actually making money by applying social media techniques to their real estate business. You will also find content related to real estate coaching, ethics, marketing, tech & new media, mortgage, and more. The days of the Realtor magazine delivered via snail mail have evolved. You can now get up to the minute articles and discussions about what is happening in the industry right now. It is a great site!

And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Inman News awarded them an Innovator Award for 2008. So, AgentGenius.com is definitely a site to watch, one to bookmark, and if you are so inclined, one to subscribe to (just like you can or have subscribed to this one – why not have the information come straight to your email?! – if you have no idea how to do this, just send an email to stacey@staceyharmon.com and I’ll be happy to help you).

Happy reading!

Interested in what you are reading? To automatically receive these Tuesday Technology Tips in your email box, subscribe to these articles at the top right corner of this site (CoachellaValleyEscrow.com) in the box titled “Subscribe via Email”.

Intro to Social Networking for Realtors

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:00:50 +0000

Every Tuesday the CV Escrow blog will be posting Technology Tips designed to help you, the Realtor, grow your business, keep up to date on the latest technologies, and move you forward into the new era of Real Estate.

A few weeks ago, I had a post that addressed Social Media for Realtors, which introduced Realtors to the concept of social media, and provided a case for why Realtors should care about it.

In today’s post, we are going to address a related concept: Social Networking. Realtors know the importance of networking. It is the basis for many successful real estate careers. And for the Realtor who is looking to evolve their business, or find new networking opportunities, the online world provides ample opportunities. You just need to get started!

As a first step, here is a quick video from Common Craft that explains the concept behind online social networking:

As this video points out, there “are hidden opportunities” out there within your network and social networking sites make these opportunities more visible. Think this just might have some positive implications for a Realtor?

I certainly believe so. There are great social farming opportunities for Realtors today who embrace the popular social networking sites. There is a great white paper on Social Media Statistics available at the New Media Lab which summarizes the explosive growth of social networking sites over the past year. If you are ready to get started and participate in this new wave of networking, I suggest creating an account on two of the most popular social networking sites out there:

1. LinkedIn: This social networking site is probably the most professional and formal of all the sites out there. Once you have an account, you are able to search for people you know based on your current and prior jobs, as well as classmates from your educational past. There are many Realtors on Linked In, and a great way to get started is to connect with others from your brokerage. The New Media Lab white paper reports that LinkedIn has 30.1 million users and site traffic grew 153% in 2008 and 319% since 2007.

2. Facebook: This social network has exploded in popularity, especially in the age ranges that are homebuyers. According to a June 20^th, 2008 Strategy Labs article, Facebook is experiencing explosive growth in the 25-34, 35-54 and 55+ age groups. The 35-54 year old segment grew 172.9% in 10 months – the other two mentioned are growing at a rate of 97%+. Facebook is less formal than Linked In and one of the most powerful features is the ability to share photographs with those you are connected to. You are likely to find some of your past clients on Facebook. If you find someone you want to connect with on Facebook, you send them a “friend request” and they will approve or deny the request. If they approve the request, you will then be “Facebook Friends” and you will have access to their profile.

One thing to keep in mind in social networking, a “friend” is not the same definition of a friend in the offline world. Friend is a very loose term in social networking. You may have never met your online friend in person before. But, you may share something in common that makes it worthwhile for you to connect together online. For example, maybe you both are golf fanatics and belong to the same golf club. You might reach out and connect with this person by sending a friend request (in Facebook terms). If accepted, you would be connected to this person and now you are “friends” in the online social networking world. You will need to pick your strategy to decide if you want to friend people who you know or not. For a few perspectives on this and some “online netiquette tips” take a look here, here, and here.

There is no time like the present to get started. Your next client could be just a friend request away!

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Build Your Online Brand by Paying Attention to Your Avatar

Stacey Harmon — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:00:11 +0000

Build your online brand with your avatar? Your what? Wondering what an avatar even is? Here is a hint:

Avatar is a fancy word for the small image used to depict your online presence or identity. It is a very important part of any Realtor’s online presence and branding. When you create a profile on a social media website, they often ask you to upload a photo of yourself. This photo is your avatar – most Realtors would think of it as their headshot. But should your avatar be your headshot? Maybe, but maybe not.

Here are some things to consider when choosing your avatar:

Your avatar sets the tone for who you are. What do you want it to say? It should be a reflection of you. It is the first visual that people generally see of you. Put some thought behind it. Keep in mind that it does play a part in defining your personal brand online. What do you want your personal brand to say?
Keep in mind that the digital world is generally more casual than the print world in marketing yourself. I suggest portraying a professional, yet approachable image of yourself. It does not need to be of you in business formal attire (of course, it can be).
The image will most often be presented very small, and cropped to a square. Very frequently the image will be only a ½ inch square. It will often appear as part of a list like this example from Facebook.

Your avatar should be close up to your face. Because of the small size that most Avatar’s are presented, it is generally best to have the photo be cropped tight.
It is ok to get creative! Your avatar doesn’t have to be your face (but most Realtors will likely choose this option). Also, think about getting creative with your cropping. You’d be surprised how well you can communicate you with just part of your face. For some additional options check out this Guide To Using Avatars for Online Marketing by Justin Smith of the Real Estate Tomato.

Take a look at the sample avatars at the beginning of this post and a few more below. These are all appropriate guides for Realtors who want to brand themselves online and participate in the social media game. Give your avatar some thought – make sure your photo fits the medium, communicates what you want it to say, and is a reflection of you. It will be good for your brand and your business!

Social media for Realtors? Do I need to care about this? Absolutely YES!

Stacey Harmon — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:35:41 +0000

I’m recently back from the Inman News Real Estate Connect Conference in New York City where I heard Greg Robertson of Dwellicious state “Buying real estate is an inherently social process”. So true. Realtors know this. Social farming has been a foundation of the successful real estate career since the beginning. But, the day of networking at the PTA is evolving, and the world of technology has introduced a multitude of new social communities where many clients of today, and definitely the client of tomorrow, gather. Adult social media usage is rapidly growing – from 8% in 2005 to 35% now with more participating every day. In order to reach these clients, Realtors are well served to participate in social media. And, there are many options. My goal is to introduce you to several of them in the hope that you will find the ones that work for you.

Let’s start with a definition of social media. I define it as this: Technologies and digital platforms that foster social interaction, relationships, and feedback between people. Social media is the use of electronic and internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other people. Here is a great video by Common Craft titled “Social Media In Plain English”:

There are many social media websites but a few lead the pack – current leading social media sites that Realtors should be interested in include Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, ActiveRain and Twitter. Each will be discussed in more depth in future posts.

The National Association of Realtors has posted a great Field Guide to Social Networking for Realtors. This is a great place to start learning more. It covers the benefits of social networking through social media, has a social media basics section, and has a great overview of the leading social media sites that Realtors should be interested in. Start there. Ask questions. Try things out.

You are already participating in social media by reading this post which is part of the CV Escrow Blog. But social media goes farther than simply reading a blog. A conversation can occur if you simply type a comment on this post at the bottom of the page. Interactivity. This is the basic concept. And a great place to start.

There will be much more to come in the weeks ahead. I look forward to the conversation with you!

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