Zillow Advice RSS: Guide,Pro-to-Pro,

Zillow API Resources

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:29:00 GMT

Wrappers:

rillow - Ruby
Zillow - NetBeans
PHP

Wordpress:
Local Market Explorer - create city/ZIP/neighborhood pages (Zillow Blog Announcement, details on how to customize the LME plugin to create state pages that drill down to city)
Mortgage Center - mortgage resource center in Wordpress (Zillow Blog Announcement, Version 2 announcement)
ListingPress - embed listings in Wordpress (Themes at ListingPress.com)

Blog Posts:

Building a mortgage rate widget with ASP.net and C#
Building a Simple Mashup in 24 Hours

1 reply

Zillow Recommended Technology Providers

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:44:00 GMT

IDX Providers

Diverse Solutions is the leading innovator in real estate technology. With the recent release of the new version of dsSearchAgent, their map based IDX solution for your website or blog; they have redefined what an IDX search experience should be. Other available products include lead management tools, email marketing and website design. Learn more

Website Providers for Lenders

220 Marketing

Website Providers for Agents/Brokers

z57

Agent Image

Virtual Tours

1 reply

Zillow Widget Tips

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:31:00 GMT

Blogger:

Log on to www.blogger.com (you will be taken to your dashboard, from where you can manage your blogs).
Click on "Layout" link for the blog where you want to put up the widget.
On the layout page, click on "Add a gadget" link.
A window pops up with various gadgets in it. Choose the "HTML/JavaScript" gadget by clicking on it.
Now, the window changes to "Configure HTML/JavaScript" page. Here, give the "Title" as widget name (e.g. Do I Qualify? Widget). In the "Content" section, paste the code that you have copied from the widget page at www.Zillow.com.
Now, click on the "Save" button. This will save your changes and close the pop-up window.
You can now view the widget on your blog.

Active Rain:

Log on to ActiveRain (you will be taken to your home page).
In the left column, click on the "Settings" link.
In the "Blog Settings" section, paste the widget code in the "Blog Description" box (not "Blog Description (text version)") that you have copied from the widget page at www.zillow.com.
Now click on "Update" button of the "Blog Settings" section. This will save your changes.
In the left column, click on "My Blog" link to go to your blog where you can see the widget.

WordPress:

Log on to the Administrator section of your blog (i.e. http:///wp-admin/index.php).
Go to the "Design>>Widgets" section (i.e. http:///wp-admin/widgets.php).
From the left column add the "Text" widget. A text widget will now appear in the right column.
Click on the "edit" link for this new text widget. It will expand and show two sections.
In the first section write the widget name (e.g. Do I Qualify? Widget). In the second section paste the code that you have copied from the widget page at www.zillow.com.
Click on "Change" button. This will minimize the gadget (but the changes are not yet saved).
To save the changes, click on "Save Changes" button.
Visit your blog (http://<wordpressblog>) to see the Widget in action.

1 reply

Websites For Real Estate Professionals

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:21:00 GMT

A real estate agent, like any business, needs a professional-looking Web site. People expect to have access to listings, images, neighborhood information, and other real estate data - and it should be easy to contact the agent or broker.

Offering the possibility to search the MLS listings is a plus, and a real estate website should have the tools necessary for visitors to contact the realtor easily about a listing, or to request information or reports.

There are many choices available for realtors to pick websites' providers; keep in mind, though that all websites are not created equal. Website design and search engine optimization (SEO) play a key role in how effective the website will be for a real estate agent. Here is a list of real estate website providers.
The way a website is built may very well make it difficult for potential customers to find it online due to several factors:

A website made entirely in Flash can be impressive, but to make it visible to search engines can cost a lot of money and marketing efforts. You have to make a decission between beauty and practicality. The reason is simple: search engines so far do not read the Flash code. If they can not read it, they can not index it.

A golden rule in online marketing is "Content is King". Good content will encourage visitors to come back often. The content of a website will also determine its ranking, and for organic search results the content of the website must have the right mix of keywords: not too many to be deemed as spam, but enough to be picked as relevant for the search engines 'spiders'.

Search engines are also showing appreciation to websites complying with the latest web standards, this will ensure that a website will perform well in different browsers and provide a better experience to users. Websites built entirely with tables or frames still work but are outdated, and need a lot more code markup.

Smart application of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques in the website architecture, and after publishing it, can make a big difference in the effectiveness of a real estate website. To make it easy for web surfers to find the website, it should be submitted to the search engines and directories, and obtain meaningful links from websites in the same line of business.
Until recently, link exchange done right was a sure way of optimization for improving rankings; currently, this is been reevaluated by Google and other search engines, and it is not as important as it was before.

1 reply

Auto Tweeting Your Zillow Activities

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:22:00 GMT

You can automatically tweet your Zillow activities to your twitter stream using a tool called TwitterFeed. Here's how to set it up.

1. If you don't already have a twitter account, create one (www.twitter.com)

2. If you don't already have an OpenID, create an OpenID at http://openid.net

3. Go to www.twitterfeed.com and login w/your OpenID

4. Click Go to my twitter feeds (or create a new one)

5. Click Create new feed

6. Click the link to Authenticate at twitter

7. Login to Twitter if you need to, then click Allow

8. Go to your profile page on Zillow (http://www.zillow.com/myz ... ofile.htm)
9. Scroll down to your Recent Contributions
10. With your mouse, right click on the RSS icon and click Copy (IE) or Copy Link Location (Firefox)

11. Go back to www.twitterfeed.com

12. Paste in the URL to your RSS feed (make sure you don't have double http://)

13. Select your frequency (I chose 30 mins) and other settings. Keep the title description so it makes sense when tweeted.

14. Add something Zillowy to prefix your posts (I put On Zillow)

15. Click Create

You're done! (Wasn't that simple?)

Now try it out...On Zillow, answer a question or upload a picture. Within the time period you set (e.g. within the next 30 mins), you should see your activity tweeted into your twitter stream. If something you do on Zillow shows up on your profile's activity feed, it will now show up in your twitter stream.

1 reply

How to Promote Yourself on Zillow

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:04:00 GMT

If you're a real estate professional, there are many ways to expose yourself and your business on Zillow — for free — to the millions of people who visit each month:

Create your free profile

Tell potential customers about yourself and your expertise. Add your contact information so they can reach you directly. Create your profile (registration required)

Contribute to the site

For each contribution you make on Zillow, you will get a link back to your profile, so Zillow users can contact you. How to contribute:

Add yourself to Find a Pro. Once you have a profile created, add yourself to Zillow's Professional Directory. It's free.

Post homes for sale. Post your listings here, where they'll be seen by Zillow's millions of users. Learn more

Tell us a home is for sale. Even if you don't have your own listings, you can still tell us which homes are for sale. You'll get free marketing exposure to buyers since your photo and profile will be linked from the posting. Learn more

Upload photos of any home. Have photos of a home? Upload them on the home's details page and a link to your profile will appear with the photos.

Get involved in Home Q&A in your area. Know a lot about homes in your area? Get free marketing exposure by asking and answering questions. Learn more about Home Q&A

Add photos or start conversations on a Neighborhood or City Page. Share your local expertise and put your name in front of buyers and sellers in your area. Find your state here, then navigate to your City and Neighborhood Page.

Get involved in Zillow Discussions. Build relationships with potential clients and connect with other real estate professionals. Go to Zillow Discussions

Suggest a Zillow Poll. If approved by Zillow moderators, your poll will be displayed in your selected ZIP codes and will include a link to your profile. Create a poll

In addition to the many free ways to market yourself on Zillow, you can also advertise with Zillow Showcase Ads:

Advertise in the ZIP codes you service

Zillow Showcase Ads are a simple and affordable self-service solution for real estate agents, loan officers, and other professionals to advertise homes for sale, your business — even yourself. You don't need a big ad budget to use this feature: Learn more

1 reply

VOW

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:49:00 GMT

VOW - "Virtual Office Website"

» A VOW is where the public can enter, provide contact information, get a password, describe property interest, and then conduct searches of all available MLS listings.
» The Participant can display all available MLS listings.
» All listing information details can be displayed.
» Display rules are set by the MLS.
» The visitor becomes a bona fide customer / client.
» A VOW website is a business site whereas an IDX site is an advertising site.
» A VOW real estate site allows you to give your site visitors / clients more powerful access to MLS data in exchange for their contact information and agreement to become a bona fide customer.

1 reply

Understanding Today's Buyers

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:29:00 GMT

The majority of today's mainstream buyers seem to breakdown into one of two personas: "I want to drive a hard bargain" ... or ... "I want a 'move-in-ready' property."

The 'bargain shopper' is, of course, looking for the deal; to take advantage of whatever leverage they can in an uncertain market to maximize their investment. The 'move-in-ready' crowd is looking for the unblemished property that requires next-to-zero outlay after closing... they want the outward evidence and emotional assurances that they've made a sound purchase. And so in each case, the buyer wants to hang their hat on something that confirms they've made a wise decision.

There is no doubt that we've seen both personas before, but they seem to be bifurcating into these two distinct camps in greater percentages. And while each buyer is choosing different properties -- they both are responding to the same market stimuli: increased inventories levels and a tightening financial situation.

Rising inventory levels equate to greater competition for the seller - and conversely more choice and greater leverage for the buyer. In just one short month, the Portland Metro Area as seen a jump in inventory levels from 4.5 months in December 2006 to 6.2 months in January 2007. Buyers are taking longer to make up their minds, being more selective about their purchases and driving harder bargains.

On the financial side of the equation, buyers appear to have less to spend - especially on post purchase repairs and improvements. Sub-prime mortgage lenders are under increasing duress as ARM rates tick steadily upward and default rates rise at an alarming rate. Conventional mortgage rates remain fairly stable, but lending requirements are beginning to tighten. And in a recent article posted on CNBC.com, Home Depot and Lowes both reported a 28% and 12% drop in forth quarter earnings respectively. Overall, the net impact on today's seller is a mainstream buyer with dimished purchasing power.

The bargain-shopper and the move-in-ready groups comprise a significant percentage - maybe even the majority - of the buyers looking to purchase homes at this particular moment. But in a seemingly counterintuitive set of circumstances, market conditions are giving those two types of buyers even more leverage than they might otherwise have. On the one hand, they wield greater buying power because of increased inventory levels. But on the other hand, that buyer has less to spend. In response, sellers need to ensure they are priced according to current market values - not some arbitrary whim... AND do everything they can to enhance the perception of their property - by staging and/or updating - before the property goes on the market.

As with any broad generalization, important customer segments are not being addressed in this article. The affluent buyer is the first to come to mind. With ever increasing wealth and liquidity, High Net Worth individuals are relatively insulated from the topsy-turvy real estate market the rest of us tend to swim in.

So what can the average home owner do to ensure they get a fair shake when they sell into what has best been described as a 'transitional' market? In short: get your property in tip-top-shape before it goes on the market and price it according to comparable market values. It only makes sense to be on the 'move-in-ready' buyer's list versus that of the 'bargain-shopper.' At least then you'll have a fighting chance of netting a fair return on your investment

1 reply

Blogging SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:36:00 GMT

There are some basics things you can start doing today to increase the visibility of your real estate blog in the search engines. For the most part, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) balances fairly well with user experience -- but whenever there is a conflict, try to err on the side of user experience.

Keywords

Do some research and know which keywords you want to rank. This is easily done for free by visiting Yahoo's Search Marketing resource center and clicking on the "keyword selector tool." Remember to be specific with your list -- do not try to rank for the most popular terms because they are also the most competitive. Instead, pick popular keywords that are also the most relevant to your blog. Decide on about 10 keywords, post them within eyesight on your desk and refer to them every time you write a post.

Blog Focus

Have a very clear picture of what your audience is interested in before you start blogging so try to resist straying too far off topic. Your blog titles should always contain a keyword phrase and the phrase should be repeated a few times throughout the post. Do not repeat the phrase so much that it sounds silly. Search engines are not dumb and they will consider excessive keyword 'stuffing' as SPAM and penalize you for it.

Links

By far the biggest factor for ranking high in search engines is inbound links to your blog -- unfortunately it's hard to garner any links to your blog if you are not actively participating in the community and linking to other blogs. Do not get caught up in inbound vs. outbound links. If you've done a good job identifying your keywords and blog focus, your site will become a destination for users and ultimately, for search engines. Some linking tips:

Links - Use them everywhere, try to link within your blog (remember to use keywords in the anchor text) and don't be afraid to link to other blogs (I'd actually encourage it on the premise that it will lead to return links).
Use the hyperlink functionality available with all blogging software

The Laundry List

Now that you're writing excellent copy, here is a laundry list of things you should be doing to help search engines and users discover your blog. Depending on your provider you may only be able to do 70% of the list, which is fine since it's probably 70% more than most bloggers are doing:

Make your blog easy to subscribe to by adding feed buttons
Create only one URL. Ideally we should have a "301" redirect to remedy the situation.
Rewrite your URLs to contain keywords (usually the blog title) and separate words with hyphens, NOT underscores
Edit your "Title Tag" from the default, usually blog providers will just put a generic title that advertises their services, make sure you change it to reflect your blog brand and get keyword placement
Check for SEO plug-ins with your blog host
Add categories to your blog. Make sure you use your keyword list when picking categories
If possible, add sticky content to each category page. This will be 2-3 keyword-rich sentences that describe the category and always lives at the top of the page. This is a great user experience since each category has its own home.

Optimize Your Feed

Now that you've created some stellar content and made your blog search engine (and user) friendly, it's time to ramp up the distribution. Most avid readers of your blog will visit your blog through an RSS feed, below are things you should be doing to make it as easy as possible for them to read it.

Claim your blog in Technorati and subscribe to it
Allow users to subscribe to each category
Make each category in your blog subscribable, then subscribe to all them
Post full text, not just summaries
Make sure you include a site description, most providers will default to a generic one for you

All of the above tasks should take you no longer than a couple of hours (other than writing the actual articles), but it's well worth the time considering the potential traffic upside.

Do:

Focus on keywords

1 reply

Benefits of Blogging (for RE Pros)

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:15:00 GMT

Why Should Real Estate Agents Blog?

Blogs are better indexed than websites by search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Why? Search engines are voracious readers, they like frequently updated, new and relevant content, which blogs provide. As a Realtor, they allow you to login to their back-ends and enter new articles daily without knowing a lick of HTML.
BENEFIT: Increased search engine results rankings on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
Basically, a blog helps you get found in searches on popular search engines better and improves traffic to your site, which ultimately results in more leads and listings.
RSS feeds syndicate your blogs content across the net. All blogs have a built-in marketing tool called RSS. RSS allows individual subscribers to sign up for your feed and have your new content delivered directly to their feed reader, email or website in real time.
BENEFIT: Increased web presence and brand awareness.
When another website chooses to syndicate your content, you benefit by an increased web presence, branding and more traffic to your site. Built-in marketing mechanisms like ping services and RSS help drive more traffic to a blog than a regular website.
Agents that write blogs perform more research to keep up with their local markets than Realtors who don't blog. This greater knowledge base becomes a significant competitive advantage over non-blogging Realtors.
BENEFIT: Blogs build a Realtors' knowledge base and credibility as an expert in their field.
A blog platform gives the Realtor a channel to market their knowledge, so visitors tend to think of the Realtor as an expert.
By frequently providing quality local content on hot button issues, s Realtor builds credibility within their community. They connect with their audience (read potential clients) on a personal level that makes them feel as though they already have a relationship.
BENEFIT: Blogging agents generate more leads than non blogging agents.
People like to do business with people they know and respect as an expert, therefore, blogging agents generate more leads than non blogging competitors.
Blogs are better indexed by search engines, syndicated through RSS feeds and many offer free social networking ping services. Through these mechanisms, your blog content is constantly marketed across the web and consistently driving traffic back to you.
BENEFIT: Blogs drive more traffic than websites.
Blogs have many more automated web marketing tools than websites and are better indexed by search engines. Your customers can find you more easily, driving far more quality traffic to you than a website that tends to be static.
Any blog that is driving reasonable traffic can be monetized. Once a blog has at least 100 pages of content and proven traffic, an Amazon affiliate shop and Google AdSense helps defray marketing costs.
BENEFIT: Blogs can be monetized to provide an alternative income source.
Due to the potential for blogs to drive substantially more traffic than traditional websites, monetizing them can boost a Realtor's bottom line during good times and carry them through lulls in the market.

1 reply

Advertise Your Listings For Free on Zillow

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:21:00 GMT

Brokers can now automatically upload listings for free to Zillow, the second largest real estate Web site* with 5.5 million unique visitors a month – two-thirds of whom are in the market to buy or sell.

If you would like to send us your feed, please follow this link & fill out the form.

Even when we first launched the ability for listing agents and brokers to add their listings for free to Zillow last December, we knew we wanted to find ways to make the process even easier. We have talked with numerous agents and brokers around the country — and we have heard over and over that you want to send us listings through a direct broker feed.

Just like today, any and all contacts agents or brokers receive from listings — be it email, phone calls, or clicks to their Web site — are free.

*Net//Nielsen "home and fashion - Real Estate/Apartments", Feb 07

1 reply

A Productivity Guide to Better Mailings

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:49:00 GMT

Learn how to save with the right office equipment

Working in real estate, a lot of your time is spent managing and growing your business. Saving time, money and energy is essential. A small investment in the right type of office equipment can make a big difference. In running a small business you are bound to send a lot of mail. Staying in touch with your clients is key. Checks, invoices, brochures, holiday cards are all things that are mailed on a regular basis. Many people and companies take these costs for granted without realizing how much money they can save.

Savings

Using a postage meter can help save you both time and money in many ways. Most postage meters come with a scale, either separate or built in, that weighs your mail and then prints exact postage every time. This helps eliminate the risk of “over-stamping” your envelopes and packages. Over time you can save big when mailing regularly. A study conducted for Pitney Bowes by a third party showed that small businesses that use a meter can save up to 20% in postage costs annually.

Productivity

Having a postage meter in your office also frees up more of your time. The postage meter hooks up to a telephone line and you can dial in your request to add funds 24/7. That eliminates the need to go to the Post Office? for stamps as you will be able to weigh your mail and print the postage right at your desk. Enjoy the added bonus of scheduling free picks ups from the USPS for your mail and packages right from your office. Add up your savings by calculating how much employee time you will save by making fewer trips to the Post Office? every week and then multiply this with the applicable hourly salary you pay. See how there is much time and money to be saved. A study of 8.5 million small businesses concluded that small businesses that use a meter are up to 20% more productive than those who don’t.

Cost management

With having a postage meter, you’ll also be managing your costs more efficiently as it will help you monitor exactly how much you spend on your mailings. You can even create different accounts for different departments, giving you a more detailed understanding of each department’s postage spending. If you send a lot of bulk mail you can apply for a bulk mail permit from the USPS?. Use this permit in conjunction with your postage meter to optimize your savings.

Deliverability

Metered mail helps the Post Office? to process your mail which means that many times metered mail gets to its’ destination faster than stamped mail.

Branding

Metered mail helps send the message to the recipient that you run a stable and sturdy business, helping you build your brand while looking more professional.

1 reply

A Mortgage Originator's Guide to Using Zillow

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:59:00 GMT

Three ways a mortgage originator might benefit from the social networking features on Zillow.com:

Leaving tracks on the desired ZIP code with the intent to market directly to the consumer. As a participant in the Home Q&A section of properties, an originator can post all listings in a particular ZIP code. Also, the originator can further provide financing information to correspond with the listed price. Consumers, interested in that listing, will click through to the originator's profile and potentially contact the originator for property information. Regardless of their willingness to preview that property, the mortgage originator gets an opportunity to "have a conversation" with the consumer at a critical juncture of the home purchase, which is BEFORE they have contracted with a buyer's agent. Mortgage originators must learn how to initiate contact with the consumer to control the relationship.
Mortgage originators are sometimes privy to certain information about valuations or lien information about a home. Consumers who recently refinanced a home may wish to have their appraised value posted on the Zillow site to reaffirm their opinion of the home's value. Armed with that permission, an originator can establish her or himself as the financing and valuation expert for that ZIP code. Variances from the Zestimate can be explained in professional commentary reaffirming her expertise.
Zillow Showcase Ads provides an inexpensive way for an originator to plant the seed in the consumer's mind that he or she is the expert authority on financing for that ZIP code. At just a penny per impression, this is extraordinarily useful as a refinance solicitation tool. Consumers use the Zestimate BEFORE they contact lenders to get a starting point for their refinance options.

1 reply

Directory of Real Estate Blogs

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:17:00 GMT

Advice

Colorado Dream House
Military Real Estate Resource
Breckenridge real estate blog
GetPrequalfied.com
Reverse Mortgage Lender
Real Estate Tips Blog - Broker Tales
Get-Your-Best-Mortgage-Rate.com
www.WeSpeakRealEstate.com
The Naked Realtor
An Excellent Source for Real Estate & Finance Information
HELOC Basics (Home Equity Line Guide)
Blog.Teardowns.com
CKGTV.com Free Agent and Broker Training
Get Approved With Incentives
GetPreqalified.com
Mark's All About Real Estate Blog
Active Rain
Real Estate Buying & Selling Tips
Derek Sterling Burress
KeyAdvice
Hemet Real Estate
The Truth About Realty
Top Home Selling Tips
Free Foreclosure Help Center
Foreclosure Help Forum
Real Estate Marketing Blog
FHA Mortgages Guide
Guide to Senior Reverse Mortgage
Reverse Mortgages Guide
Home Financing "Plain Talk" Kristin Abouelata
KQ Real Estate
ThePollyBlog - tips for buyers
elTerre.com Real Estate articles for spanish speaking buyers
Williamsburg's Preferred Realtor Blog
The Real Estate Professor

FB The Scarlett Letters
Housing Chronicles
Housing Doom
Housing Panic
RGE - Nouriel Roubini's Blog
The Housing Bubble
Charlotte, North Carolina
Foreclosure Nation

Corporate Blogs

KeyCanada.ca Blog
Downtown Austin buying power
@HouseValues
Bank Owned Properties
Baron Briefs
Diamond Dwellings
GetPrequalified.com
condoDomain Blog
Estately Blog
Foreclosure.com Blog
Foreclosure Fetcher
The Hagley Report (West Coast Luxury Market)
Homethinking
Hotpads Daily
NewHomesSection.Com/Blog
Move Blogs
Neighboroo Blog
PowerSite Blog
Qube Exchange
RealBird Blog
Realivent Blog
Redfin
Territory Blog
Trulia Blog
vFlyer Blogsight
Zillow Blog
Zip Realty
BookAShowing.com Blog
MLBroadcast.Com (Mike's Corner)
RealtyStore Foreclosure Blog

Home Building

Spec Homes
Spec Home Builder Directory
New Home Marketing

Industry (NOT local RE blogs)

ActiveRain Real Estate Network
Agent CEO
Barbara Corcoran Ink
BloodHound Blog
Blue Collar Agents Blog
Calculated Risk
Christian Real Estate Network Blog
CityBurb.com Blog
Counter Intelligence: The Real Estate Cafe Weblog
Credit Help
Cyndi Sloop's Real Estate Scoop
Dakno Real Estate Marketing Blog
Everything Condo Blog
First Marin Homes
Future of Real Estate Marketing
Future of Real Estate Technology
GetPrequalified.com
GeekEstate Blog
HomeBuyers and Sellers
Hot Property - BusinessWeek Online
Housia - Real Estate Blog For Home Owners
Housing Chronicles
Inman News Blog
LittlePinkHouses.com
Matrix: Interpreting the Real Estate Economy
Mike's Corner Web 2.0 for Real Estate Pros
Modular Home Blog
[MostlyGeek] Real Estate Technology Blog
MyTechOpinion
New Home Reports
Open the Home Blog
Piggington's Econo-Alamanac for the Landed Poor
PropertyCrossroads Blog
Rain City Guide
Real Blogging
RealCentralVA
real/diaBlog
Realty Blogging
Realty Thoughts
Real Estate Remix
Real Estate from the Trenches
Relocation A to Z
Rexnet
Searchlight Crusade
Sellsius Real Estate Blog
Second Homes 411
Table Talk With Apella
The Real Estate Bloggers
The Real Estate Weenie
Transparent Real Estate
Ubertor RE Blog
US Condo Exchange
WebHomeUSA Blog
GetPrequalified.com

International

Directory of International Real Estate Blogs
elTerre.com advice for buying and selling in Mexico
Panama Real Estate Investment Blog
International Real Estate Investment Blog

Investing

BayAreaInvestmentRealEstate
FlippingHomes.com Blog
Monique Fell's Real Estate Investing Training
Real Estate Investing Basics
Real Estate Investing for Real
REI Blog
REO Listings
SF Investor
Youthful Real Estate Investor
Amritsar Real Estate Development
InvestorNation
www.secondhomes411.com
www.BrainFoOdRE.com
Minnesota Investment Property Blog
Real Estate Investment News
Bird Dog Profits
Vernal Utah Investment
InvestorCentric Blog

Macomb County MI real estate blogs

Chat about Macomb County MI
Macomb County MI Chatter

Local Real Estate Blog

Mortgage

GetPrequalified.com
An Excellent Source for Mortgage Information
Mortgage Fraud Blog
Super Jumbo Mortgage News
The New World Of Mortgage Loans
Mortgage Porter
America's Most Opinionate Mortgage Broker
The Truth About Mortgage
Mike's Mortgage Minute
Reverse Mortgage Daily
http://tipsformortgage.com/FREE
Senior Reverse Mortgage
Southern California Mortgages
Insider Mortgage Advice

Online Marketing

Best Practices | Locale
Real Estate Tomato
Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Rexnet
RSS Pieces
Rental Marketing Blog
Cottage
Pet Realty Network
Mike's Corner Web 2.0 for Real Estate Pros

Podcasts

Luxury waterfront condos in downtown Austin, TX
Real Estate Motivation

Renting

Home Rental Blog
Rental News and Tips
Rent In Rochester
MyNewPLace Blog

Rural Land

LandCrazed Blog
The Land Journal
Texas Hill Country Land Blog
New Hampshire & Maine Land Blog

Home Staging

South Florida Home Staging Perspectives
Home Staging Blog
Home Staging News
Home Staging Tips more (!)
Home Staging: Rants and Ravings
Home Stager: Blog

Technical

Real Estate Blog Lab

1 reply

Directory of Local Real Estate Blogs (N-Z)

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:15:00 GMT

*A-M States can be found on this link: Directory of Local Real Estate Blogs

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Real Estate Blog

New Jersey

Heather's Blog
Ocean City Real Estate Blog http://ocblog.ocpru.com
Modular Home Blog
Morris County real estate pricing
New Jersey Real Estate Report
RealBurbs Montclair Real Estate Blog
SuburbanDigs
Monmouth County NJ Real Estate
Tyler Talk Alot

New Mexico

Ruidoso

Ruidoso Real Estate Blog

New York

Andrea's Blog
Rochester's Premier Real Estate News
WNYHomeVoice

Albany

Albany NY Homes

Hamptons

Beachamptons

New York City

Curbed
New York Observer
NY Houses 4 Sale
Property Grunt
True Gotham
UrbanDigs
Living In Victorian Flatbush
Carollo's Blog on Real Estate

Nevada

Las Vegas

Luxury Mortgage Blog - Super Jumbo Mortgage News
Las Vegas Real Estate News
John Calvert Home Selling System - Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City Real Estate
Las Vegas Real Estate
Just My Humble Opinion by Renee Burrows
Southern Nevada Real Estate - Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas
VeryVintageVegas The Las Vegas Urban core is the last one left in the nation

Reno

Reno Realty Blog

North Carolina

Western North Carolina Mountains

Investing in the NC Mountains, what to know, where to go!
Cashiers, NC Real Estate Blog
Asheville Mountain Real Estate Blog
From The Lake's Edge
High Country Real Estate Blog

Charlotte

The Charlotte Buzz
Leigh Brown and Associates
CharlotteRealEstateBlogs.com
CharlotteRealEstateandCommunities
Sara D'Amico: Your Huntersville Realtor

Eastern Carolina

The Triangle Report

Piedmont Triad

Greensboro Real Estate Blog

Oklahoma

Tulsa

Tulsa Metro Blog

Ohio

Cincinnati and Southwest OH

Cincinnati Real Estate Market - Jamie Mandel
Judy Barnes Southwest OH Realestate

Columbus

Columbus Best Blog

Dayton

The Dayton Real Estate Blog

Delaware

Sadie's Take on Delaware Ohio

Huber Heights

The Brick Ranch

Oregon

Beaverton

Donna Burch, Oregon First 503-209-8287

Portland

Agent503 - Connecting You With The Best Deals In The Area
Wayne's Portland Area Real Estate Blog
The Hillsboro Realtor
re:PDX - Portland Real Estate Commentary

Eugene

Lane County Blog
Eugene Oregon Real Estate Blog
Portland Real Estate Blog
Lake Oswego Blog
Portland Real Estate Blog
Portland
http://www.titlerep.info/
Scott Bridwell with Stewart Title of Oregon

Pennsylvania

Montgomery County

North Penn News

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Homes Daily

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Real Estate Blog

South Carolina

Charleston

HousePlan Realty / Charleston Real Estate Blog
Charleston Your Home / Charlestonism Real Estate Blog

Daufuskie Island

Daufuskie Island Real Estate Blog | Locale

Fort Mill/Rock Hill

SharonSellsCarolina Blog
TegaCay, Fort Mill Real Estate Blog

Hilton Head

Hilton Head Island Real Estate Blog | Locale

Myrtle Beach

Your Myrtle Beach Connection's Blog
Myrtle Beach SC Real Estate Finder Blog
Myrtle Beach Real Estate Blog

Tennessee

Mountain Properties Available (Photos)

Texas

Central Texas Real Estate Blog

Austin

Austin Texas Real Estate Blog
Austin Urban Realtor - Blog
Austin Real Estate Blog

Houston

Houston Real Estate Blog
Experience The Woodlands Real Estate Blog and Podcast

Dallas

Plano Blog
North Dallas Homes Blog
Preston Hollow Real Estate
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) XMLS Blog

Utah

Salt Lake County

Northern Utah Homes & Real Estate Blog
BlueRoof Blog
Salt Lake Real Estate Blog
Will Coopers Era Legacy Realtors Blog
Salt Lake City Blog-Real Estate Blog for Russian and English speaking clients-all about Real Estate and more.

Iron County

Cedar City Information

Utah County

GundyGroup Blog

Virginia

Loudoun Stats - Covering Loudoun County, Virginia
Ask Gina - Northern Virginia, including Loudoun County
Real Central VA - covering the Charlottesville and surrounding areas
Real Estate Zebra
Northern Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church)
Candice Skoby - Covering Northern VA (Bristow, Haymarket, Gainesville, Manassas, Nokesville)
Northern Virginia & Washington, DC, Real Estate Market

Hampton Roads

VA Peninsula Real Estate (Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, York County, Smithfield, Suffolk, Norfolk, VA Beach, Portsmouth)

Northern Neck

The Rivah

Richmond

The 804.com Blog

Washington

Seattle/Tacoma Metro

Bellingham Real Estate Blog
BloggingBremerton
Whatcom County Real Estate Blog
360 Digest
The Internet Real Estate Center
http://seattlebyownernews ... gspot.com
Ardell's Seattle Area RE Blog
Exit133
Eastside Real Estate Buzz
Emerald City Dirt
CHS: Capitol Hill Seattle
Kirkland Highlands Real Estate Buzz
Issaquah Undressed
Matt Goyer's RE Tech Blog
MS Buys Houses
Northsound Property News (Everett/Mukilteo)
Seattle Condo Blog
Seattle Housing Buzz
Seattle Real Estate Professionals
Seattle Sweet Digs
SoundBiteBlog
Urbnlivn
West Redmond Real Estate Buzz
Seattle Condo Review
The Mortgage Porter
Kitsap County Real Estate Blog
UrbanAsh
ReMuddle.com : A Seattle Real Estate Blog
RedBrickBlog

Central Washington

MyLeavenworth : A Leavenworth Real Estate Blog
Carol's Wenatchee

Eastern Washington

MetroSpokane

SW Washington

Vancouver / Camas WA Real Estate Blog
Clark County Real Estate Blog

Wisconsin

Madison

Glass Slipper Homes

Wyoming

Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole Real Estate Blog | Locale

1 reply

The Psychology Behind Internet Marketing

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:33:00 GMT

Years ago, real estate agents didn’t have computers or cell phones. There was no blogging, no text messaging and sadly no virtual or talking tours. Years ago, real estate was solely a people-to-people business. Listings were printed on paper and housed at the broker’s office. If you wanted to find out what was on the market, you contacted a realtor.

Once a proprietary business venture, real estate is now being impacted by technology like never before. Buyers and sellers today spend countless hours searching the Internet before consulting a realtor. Consumers weed out properties based on visual cues, sights and sounds. Many do their homework first and call the Realtor second.

The use of technology in marketing your home has never before been as important as it is today. A visit to the main page of a Realtor’s website speaks volumes without any human interaction. Does the Website look too busy? Is it cluttered with information? Is data being “pushed” at me? Do I feel manipulated? According to e-commerce marketers, 10% of all web site visitors leave the first page without going any deeper. For those that do venture further, a wealth of factors entices them to stay. A Realtor who understands these factors and uses technology to his or her advantage will be a huge asset to you in your quest to sell. Realtors with appealing and user-friendly Web sites attract consumers. More consumers equal greater exposure to your home.

Another psychological factor which influences or motivates a person towards a particular buying decision (or moves them away from one) is called reactance theory (Brehm, 1966). When consumers feel their choices are restricted they may react negatively by choosing the opposite. Internet marketers posit that individuals with an intrinsically based locus of control (Rotter, 1966) are motivated to “search out” rather than “stumble upon” Internet websites. Autonomous and intrinsically motivated consumers seem to thrive in settings where they are free to gather information without pressure. Individuals making real estate investment decisions appear to be motivated by internal versus external motivations, and as such, may appreciate web sites which allow for self-determination, freedom of choice and movement (less control and pressure), and offer information using trustworthy and credible methods.

Consumers use Internet marketing to make informed buying decisions. Listings without photos tend to be skipped by consumers even if it may be a property they might be interested in. No matter how poorly a property shows, a realtor who lists a property without a picture is running the risk of being cast in a negative light. Without face-to-face meetings, internet consumers tend to engage in the fundamental attribution error which suggests that individuals are harder on others than they are on themselves. For example, a consumer may think negatively about the realtor AND the homeowner during an internet search with thoughts like, “I can’t believe the realtor didn’t take the time to put a picture up. If it were me, I would have had it together from the start. What’s wrong with this homeowner?” These individuals don’t seem to consider that there may be a logical explanation behind the lack of a picture; they just attribute some negative belief to both. After all, it’s their time being wasted. They just want to buy a home. And with an empowering realtor listing your property, the home they choose might just be yours.

1 reply

The Cost of Marketing a House

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:14:00 GMT

The Cost of Marketing a House

It costs a lot of money to sell a house. In addition to the obvious variable costs of advertising, there are the fixed costs of owning or leasing an office, utilities, communications equipment, computer equipment and software, internet access, licensing costs, annual and monthly Multiple Listing Service (MLS) fees, professional association dues, errors and omissions insurance, For Sale signs and lock boxes, and taxes. Selling a house ain’t cheap.

My real estate company has two accounting systems that shed some light on how much it costs me to sell a house. One is my accounting records in Quicken which show all of my expenses, and the other is my marketing service reports in Top Producer which break down my expenses for each of my listings.

When I add up all my expenses year-to-date in Quicken and divide that number by the number of homes I have listed and sold year-to-date, I get an average cost per home of $4295.

Top Producer is a contact management program designed specifically for real estate to manage customers, listings, marketing, and closings. Within Top Producer, for each of my listings, I keep track of all my marketing tasks and their associated expenses. Those expenses include my initial Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), MLS and internet advertising, newspaper, magazine, and TV advertising, the administrative cost of keeping track of all showings and requesting showing feedback for all of those showings, and the administrative cost of providing my sellers weekly marketing updates, listing service updates, and closing service updates. I send these reports weekly to my sellers either by e-mail or postal mail.

I have reviewed the listing service reports for all of the listings I sold this year. The marketing costs for each of those listings ranged from no cost for a house that sold before I could put it on the market to $10,698 for a house that took a full year to sell. When I add up all my expenses year-to-date in Top Producer and divide that number by the number of homes I have listed and sold year-to-date, I get an average cost per home of $4150.

In addition to my in-house expenses, I have to pay the cooperating brokers who sell my listings. That’s another big chunk of money. Out of the cooperating broker fee, the selling broker has to cover his or her own expenses to run their business, find and serve their buyers, and earn a profit.

My two accounting systems come up with about the same answer. I don’t know if that is blind coincidence or because both systems are a realistic and accurate accounting of my expenses. In any case, my conclusion is that it costsme about $4000 tomarket and sell a house. Keep inmind that each real estate company has it’s own marketing policies and economies of scale and therefore other companies may very well come up with a different average cost of marketing a house.

1 reply

Setting Up a Blog

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:10:00 GMT

Here are some basic tips to setting up a blog -

The Blog Platform

See details of available blogging platforms

Customizing Your Blog

The majority of blog customization is done by customizing blog templates.

The Sidebar

RSS and E-mail subscriptions
- Feedburner - RSS
- Feedblitz - E-mail
Categories
Blogroll
Contact Details

SEO Marketing World

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:08:00 GMT

The biggest issue on the mind of all web page owners is traffic. Drawing traffic to your site is the means by which you can make conversions and generate revenue.

Technology has allowed the conventional research time and methods to become obsolete. The quickest and easiest means of obtaining literally any information needed is to turn to the Internet. For B2B marketers, this holds particularly true as many times, numerous people on several different levels of management need to be on the same page.

Submitting links to web directories can be a great way to increase highly relevant traffic to your site. Inbound links are one of the most important factors in how search engines ranks websites, and so this can be a major plus. Also, submitting links to specific directories and categories will create more relevant traffic for your site.

When you’re building your search engine marketing strategy, a wide variety of link building techniques can only benefit you. The more inbound links you have to your sites the better, and having a wide variety of sources for these links can be beneficial to your ranking.

1 reply

ILD

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:10:00 GMT

ILD - "Internet Listing Display"

Known as Internet Listing Display (ILD), this new acronym consolidates and replaces both NAR's VOW policy and IDX policy to create a single, unified policy governing the Internet display of all property information originating from the 800 MLSes owned and operated by REALTOR® organizations.

1 reply