Hugo Torres's Discussions

I have searched the Zillow site for an answer to this question. What is Zillow's policy regarding agents reporting property for sale (when they are not the listing agent)?

Monrovia, California (the San Gabriel Valley) Residential Sales, Residential Sales (Management), Property Management, Internet Marketing Sales are growing month by mont. REOs are great and moving in the SGV. Prices are dropping. Hugo Torres -  [content removed by moderator for being self promotional]

Has the recent news of a possible governmental bail out made either a positive or negative effect on your local markets. Is consumer confidence growing or lessening in light of the troubles on Wall Street? www.hugotorres.com

According to a Daily Show clip I saw, it comes down to 2000 McDonals apple pies for every American. YUM!

I am finding that as I am getting older that I need to update my professional photo every year. Does anyone think this is a good idea. Why or why not? [content removed by moderator for being self promotional]

At least once a month, colleagues will ask me about blogs vs. websites. In all, I have a fairly simple opinion on the question.Most people will never be prepared to run a full time website. Most though should easily handle a blog and use it effectively to generate business and/or accomplish their goals.For Real Estate for instance: A challenge I see with most REALTORS who plunge into managing a website is that they really haven't studied their market and haven't derived a niche. Therefore, they are stuck with "templated" sites which look like everyone elses and don't help develop business. All this of course comes at a hefty monthly cost.A blog on the other hand is typically free, requires very little technical knowledge and can be used effectively to develop a 'voice' and promote business.So, if you're asking me whether you're ready for a site, be prepared to hear a "No" (on the average). Take your time, learn your craft in a couple of years time, we'll talk.

At a recent Tech Training seminar I taught at the Arcadia Association of REALTORS a newer agent walked up to me after the class and asked me what school or degree I had attended to learn all 'these programs' (i.e. Photoshop, Publisher, Outlook, Excel, AgentOffice, Blogger etc).I looked at her, smiled and proudly announced that I am a Tech nerd and that I am constantly tinkering, consulting and brainstorming new ways to achieve Real Estate technologies and strategies.But as I thought about it, I explained that I didn't simply limit myself to sources within the industry but that I read and researched Tech as it was affecting the world around me and then figured out ways to apply them to my business.For example, I was amongst the first few to have a MySpace account geared towards Real Estate. Then, amongst my  Tech sphere , we discussed Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others and how they were quickly becoming more relevant to our industry and target audience.So I shifted focus and began to pay more attention to my sites. This proved to be fruitfull as Facebook is not a global phenomenon and our brokerage is taking advantage.In all, I recommend embracing your inner nerd and develop a sphere of resources outside of the industry to help you gain insight and develop better marketing tools.The more you're out there in relevant ways, the better your Real Estate business will be in the long run.

Recently, I walked into an Open House while on Broker's Caravan and found a shabbily dressed Real Estate agent ready to greet me at the door.Now we all know that Californian's tend to be laid back but I was taken aback by her flip flops, wrinkled slacks and unruly hair.Not soon after, at another home an agent greeted me who was wearing tennis shoes and a knee lenght silver chain that made sure his wallet would never be less than 5 feet away from him.So, am I just beinig a fuddy duddy or should we not...as an industry... attempt to carry ourselves as professionals and dress the part?What clothing is just not acceptable on the average and what other horror stories have some of you been encountering?

CENTURY 21 Adams&Barnes in California's San Gabriel Valley

The stock market had 4 days of gain over the last week and some are saying that this may be a water shed moment in turning the tide towards a recovery.Let's see what the next few days will bring but if we were to assume that this is the "bottom" we've been looking for, how can we (as an industry) create a rally of our own?