Hampton Roads Virginia Real Estate

Interesting topic - I have lots of thoughts on this and will be putting something together soon.

Not advertising your open house is just like having a party and not inviting anyone.  Why bother?  Pull out a calendar and SCHEDULE your open houses.  PLAN for them.  And, most important of all, ADVERTISE them!  Make sure when you advertise, you also add directions that are easy to follow - (not everyone has a GPS).  

Advertise a drawing for a free Flip video camera.  You can find them on Amazon now for about $50.  After 4 or so open houses, draw a name and make a big deal announcing the winner - advertise that too.  Make sure to order a custom skin for the Flip camera with your branding on it (skinit.com) so everyone knows where it came from!  I've attached a picture of Dakno's custom skin.

For the list of free sites to advertise your open houses, read the entire post here.

Have a great party!

Tina in Virginia

If you have never attended an Inman conference, I highly recommend it.  The education packed into just a few days is so valuable and the networking.....well, it just can't be beat.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go to Inman Connect San Francisco.  While there, I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down and chat in person with the girls from Classifiedflyerads.com, Misty and Candis.

Turns out, Classifiedflyerads.com is a small, family owned business.  We had a great meeting discussing what things they can do to offer the best product to agents and what we, as agents can do to give them feedback.

I've had many conversations with bloggers about Active Rain blogs vs. "real" blogs; i.e. a blog hosted by Wordpress or Livejournal.

As a contestant in the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl 2, I was even beginning to feel "amateur-ish" with my Active Rain blog as my entry.

After trading a few emails with Bob Stewart today, I must say that I feel better than ever about my Active Rain blog.

Did you know.......

Active Rain gets over 2 million unique visitors a month and over 8 million page views a month.  Of those 2 million unique visitors, just over 85% of them come directly in from search engine queries.  So, Active Rain has about 1.7 million visitors a month that are consumers landing on ActiveRain blog posts because of some search term they have typed into one of the major search engines.  The overwhelming majority of this traffic is landing directly on a blog post written by one of the Active Rain members.

What else do I like about my Active Rain blog?

Well, I get comments!  I have written for months on my other, outside blogs without a single comment.  I know they are receiving traffic; however, the comments have been slow to happen.  It's lonely talking to youself for so long.  I like the "instant gratification" I get from my Active Rain blog.

The community here support each other. While some people may be able to write into a black hole without any feedback, the majority of people need that feedback to keep going. I don't know the stats off the top of my head, but it's something like 97% of all blogs are abandoned in the first few months. The reason for that in my opinion is that if you think no one is reading, you're likely to stop writing.

My Active Rain blog doesn't cost me anything!  With my Wordpress blogs, I have the expense of marketing them both with my time and money. 

If I have a question or need help, I won't get sent to an on-hold queue.  Someone ALWAYS seems to be available to help at Active Rain (thanks Brad Andersohn!)

There is also the whole networking effect inside ActiveRain. If you are blogging on ActiveRain, there is the likelihood that other professionals will be reading your blog and may refer business to you simply because they get comfortable with you as a person and a professional.

To me, the positives outweigh the negatives.

You can't do much customization to the Active Rain blog.  Correct - however, they don't get overwhelming that way and look "junked" up.

You can't monetize the Active Rain blog.  Well, you are probably right.  But, I work as a real estate agent and that is my job.  I have too many things to do to worry about making money from my blog.  I am a professional real estate agent and trainer, not a professional blogger.

You don't own your Active Rain blog.  Correct.  But I do own my domain and have it "parked" at Active Rain.  If I were ever unsatisfied, I could always move everything to a Wordpress blog.

So, there you have it.  A blog is what YOU make of it.  My blog has brought me incredible friendships, networking and business.  I wouldn't change it for a thing!

Please don't forget to vote for your fellow Active Rain blogger, Tina in Virginia, in the semi-finals of the Virginia Real Estate Blog Brawl.  You can vote now by clicking here.  This Active Rain blogger really  appreciates your support!

***UPDATE - THANKS TO YOUR VOTES, I HAVE MADE IT TO THE FINALS IN THE VAR REAL ESTATE BLOG BRAWL!  VOTING WILL OPEN BACK UP TODAY, 11/26 AT 2PM EST.  PLEASE VOTE!  www.varbuzz.com

Tina in Virginia

Trulia has a new feature for your clients - Listing Reports.  This is a great way to keep in touch with your sellers - especially when there may be few showings on their house.  This lets them know that there is still activity on their property.

With Trulia’s Client Listing Report, you have a professional report than you can easily email to your clients to show them how many people viewed their home on Trulia. You get:

• Individual listing reports, customized with your photo
  
• The ability to personalize messages for each of your clients
• Up-to-date statistics on how many people have viewed their home on Trulia
• On-demand access – you can send it every week, every other week or every month, your choice

This is a very easy to use tool and just another way to let your clients know you are working for them.  Or, print out a report and add it to a listing presentation to show how you keep your clients informed.  Whether you are a Trulia fan or not, they are one of the fastest growing real estate sites and this free tool can be a great benefit both to us and our clients.

Tina in Virginia

I am one lucky girl and so are my sellers today!  Classifiedflyerads (aka Santa) came for a visit and left all kinds of SEO "gifts" under my tree!

I always knew Misty, Candis and the wonderful elves out in Grover Beach, California (aka The North Pole) worked tirelessly to optimize my online flyers, but today, I was blown away!

Here's my first email:

Hello Tina,

We are happy to inform you that your ClassifiedFlyerAds.com flyer is showing up on the 1st page of Google for search phrase Affordable Homes in Portsmouth VA

and the second:

We are happy to inform you that your ClassifiedFlyerAds.com flyer is showing up on the 1st page of Google for search phrases.....

Virginia Beach Military Relocation Specialists
Virginia Beach Military Relocation

here's the third:

Next, I took some time to email my sellers and let them know how hard I was working for them by forwarding them these emails!  After I did that, I had this email:

Hello Tina,

We are happy to inform you that your ClassifiedFlyerAds.com flyer is showing up on the 1st page of Google for search phrases......  

Affordable Homes in Chesapeake Virginia
Chesapeake Virginia Property

Needless to say, I have some VERY happy sellers!  Boy, am I exhausted!  Can't wait to see what's under my SEO tree in the morning!

Thanks for reading!  Tina in Virginia

I think at this point I have tried them all.  V-Flyer, Postlets, etc.  I have to say hands down....my favorite is Classifiedflyerads.

WHY?????

1.  They have GREAT syndication.  Flyers remain in their system for 6 months unless you delete them.  Editing an ad takes no time at all with the easy "manage my flyers screen".

2.  They provide html code to upload to many sites including:  craigslist, kijiji, backpage, livedeal, ebay and others.

3.  They provide html code that is specifically written for Activerain outside blogs and Localism!

4.  In approximately 65 seconds (yes, I timed it), you can create a visually-pleasing online tour with custom color combinations, picture fade-in/fade-out and custom music with up to 25 pictures.  You get links to branded and nonbranded tours, html for a virtual tour widget and also branded/non-branded slideshow links.

5.  They offer great inexpensive add-ons, including:  GUARANTEED 1st page Google placement, Homes.com placement, custom video tours w/ syndication as well as others.

6.  I have had many instances where even though I didn't pay extra for page 1 Google placement, their standard SEO got my listing there anyway.  How did I find out?  Classifiedflyerads emailed me to let me know!  My sellers LOVE getting those emails too!

7.  They offer ALL clients a FREE blog!  Easy to set up and your listing flyers are automatically fed to it.  Also, GREAT, FREE area widgets to add to your blog or site!  CLICK-TO-CALL feature offered on your ads for FREE also!  If you activate click to call, you can also PHONE-IN your flyer ads!  Won't that impress a seller at a listing appointment?!?!?  Below is also a sample of a signature widget you can create (along with calculator widgets, listing widgets and more!)

CLICK TO CALL SETUP Cell Phone field and Cell Phone Provider are needed if you plan on using the click to call feature on your flyers or if you plan on sending us ads from your mobile phone.

Tina Merritt, Realtor, GRI, ePRO, QSC, ASR, AHWD
Long & Foster Oceanfront
317 30th St.
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
(757)428-4600
Contact Me

8.  NEW this week!  Customized company flyers.  In addition to their 70+ templates, they just created templates for the major real estate companies.  I'm sure if yours isn't listed, you can request that create one for your company too.

9.  Tracking.  Click on your "Manage my Flyers" tab and get instant tracking results on the # of flyer opens.  You can also create a report to send to your clients.  I also use this to show my clients when traffic has slowed and it is time to reduce the price.

10.  Ad-to-cell feature is offered at no additional cost!  This is a great lead generating system.

Ad2Cell - SMS Lead Capture

Buyer requests listing information
from their cell phone by texting or emailing a request to a short flyer identification mobile address.

Buyer then receives text ad
on their cell phone with the listing information, url to cell phone friendly flyer and your contact information.

You receive a text and email alert
informing you a text request was made on your flyer along with the phone number of the buyer who made the request.

Ad2Cell Benefits

• Allows you to capture the leads in real time.
• Buyer can request listing information directly from their cell phone.
• Buyer receives a cell phone friendly flyer with all important listing information.
• You receive alerts each time a buyer makes a text request from their phone.
• Gives you the power to call the buyer right away to setup a showing.
• Leads are saved in your members area.
• Use your unique flyer Ad2Cell code on your "for sale" signs and other advertisements.
• Minimized the need for paper flyers.

11.  All of this aside...you know why Classifiedflyerads is REALLY my favorite site for online flyer solutions?  The people.  They are regularly participating members of Activerain.  When I have a question, I get a response VERY fast (even on weekends!).  There is a "click to chat" button on the site where someone is readily available to help with any issue.  And best of all, they are all downright nice people who really care about their customers!

Classifiedflyerads.com offers Activerain members a 20% discount using the code "Activerain".  For a 1 year standard subscription which provides up to 25 active flyers at a time, that equates to only $96 ($8/month).  They also offer 2 flyers for free so you can try them out.  If you need more flyers, they also have 60 and 125 flyer plans.  The "higher" you go with the plan, the lower your optional add-on services are too.

Classifiedflyerads.com on Activerain:  http://activerain.com/blogs/realestatelistings

On Twitter:  @candees, @gosmart4u, @mistylackie

Thanks for reading!  Tina in Virginia

When I'm teaching a class on social networking to real estate agents, I am often asked "what's the point"?  Well, with Zolve, Linkedin and ActiveRain, the answer is pretty obvious.  But, what about Facebook?  Can using Facebook really benefit the agent?

The answer is YES!

Here is how......

1.  Feed your blog posts to Facebook - keep your friends and clients updated on what you are doing and thinking about.

2.  Become a "friend" to everyone you went to high school and college with - they are the ones who know you, yet probably don't know that you now sell real estate.

3.  Become a "friend" to your former clients.  This is a great way to keep up with what is going on in their lives.

4.  You can add a listing feed to your Facebook wall as well as a separate page for just real estate.

5.  Each day you get a list of your friend's birthdays - what a great excuse to make contact!

Tina in Virginia

I started working on our family tree when I was pregnant with my son (about 6 years ago).  Since my husband was adopted at birth and since I didn't know much of my ancestry past my grandparents, I had a lot of work to do.  According to my Nana, (my mother's mother), the world started with her and I didn't need to know more beyond that! (Yes, she really told me that!).

If you have ever been on Ancestry.com or Geneaology.com, you may find, like I did, that it can get addictive.  Once you start on the branch of a tree, it can be hard to stop as there never really is an end.  We've found ourselves sifting through papers at Grandmother Merritt's house, hiking through cemeteries in the Blue Ridge, visiting the Lexington Historical Society....I could go on and on.....

Through Ancestry.com, I have made lots of contacts with mostly (very) distant relatives.  I am big on accurate documentation, so often, my tree is accessed by others looking for information.  Last week, someone contacted me to see if I needed help with a particular branch and to let me know her daughter in law is a real estate agent too.  Wow!  I now have a referral source in Rockbridge County, Virginia!

There are some pleasant surprises...like the flower shop my Great Grandfather Meskers started in the Bronx is still there (he immigrated here from Holland).  Then, there are some not so pleasant ones...like the distant cousin who, when his wife died, married her sister!

Do I think my tree will ever become a major source for business?  Absolutely not and that is not why I work on it.  But, I've made some great contacts that I never expected who just happen to be potential referral sources.  I've also, hopefully, created a history that my son someday will appreciate.  Sure beats making cold calls or knocking on doors!

Tina in Virginia