The Johnston Team

Inman Connect Take Away: The Social Media Explosion! You Gotta Be One of Their Peeps If You Want to Be Their Agent

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:33:20 -0500

This is just what I've been telling everyone. I didn't go to Inman so I'll let you read the review of someone who was there.

Via Janet Guilbault California Mortgage Banker/Broker:

If you are a regular reader of Mortgage Advisor, you know I actually WON my ticket to Inman Connect from the Real Estate Tomato.

To Jim Cronin, and the Tomato Crew, thank you.

I say this even if Jim's blogging presentation at Inman was waaaaay over my head (Mike Mueller, you warned me! I was too damn headstong to believe you).

Luckily, Jim Cronin is good-looking enough that what he says does not need to be on my level. LOL

I got 3 glorious days away from the mortgage madness to hobnob in San Francisco with the elite "Who's Who" of the real estate, blogging, and technology world, not to mention the writers of Inman News.

As a blogger and real estate geek, who is challenged by technology on a daily basis, I played sponge last week instead of mortgage maker.

I soaked it all in and had a blast. It was intense. It was amazing. It was enlightening in a way that cannot be explained.

Besides getting hugged and shushed by Brad Andersohn as I crashed through the door of a workshop, here is what I took away from this amazing gathering of brilliant minds: Hang on tight because a revolution is happening out there in the real estate universe.

If information is a huge river, then what once slowly trickled has been unleashed as a wild raging torrent, thanks to social networking sites. Twitter and Facebook are re-shaping information streams. Forever.

Yes, you could drown if you don't pay attention to this one important thing:

We no longer control the information, the information controls us.

The FLOW has been reversed. The customers are controlling the flow of information via Twitter and social networking. They are making decisions using information from their friends, followers, and their online sphere of influence.

They are SHARING information and compiling information at breakneck speed. They will decide among themselves who will win and who will lose in this crazy game of real estate.

OLD SCHOOL: Future home buyers go to Google, put in some search words, somehow find your blog, which will point them to your website, then (maybe) they will try to find you on Facebook.

NEW AGE: Customers follow you on Twitter, and/or check you out on Facebook, then find your blog/website as a result. (the flow has been reversed)

Future home buyers will know more about YOU than they ever have before. What they know will determine who they choose as their agent.

It won't be because you call yourself an expert, because they don't care! It won't be because of your designations, or because of your picture plastered everywhere. It won't even be because Aunt Martha used you when she bought her house 5 years ago.

The age of a real estate agent thinking "ME, ME, ME...ITS ALL ABOUT ME" is all but dead. All that matters is what their other peeps think.

You need to be one of those peeps.

Future homebuyers do not need you to price homes, to find homes, or to research neighborhoods. They've already done that, and their world is exploding with new tools to help them (weakening the role of the listing agent, in my opinion).

They will soon go to a site that will reveal your statistics as an agent. They will take a virtual walk through the neighborhood. They will hold their phone up to the house and will be able to see complete public records, and MLS information.

What does this mean? The river no longer flows to the sea. It is rushing inland and will forever change the landscape of our industry.

Unless you are out there giving the consumer what they really want, education, engagement, and a true homebuying experience, you could soon be washed up on the side of the river.

And left out to dry.

Written By Janet Guilbault, Mortgage Banker/Broker Based Out of the San Francisco Bay Area

Google is about to change real estate search forever

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:35:55 -0500

This is the kind of thing I have been hoping for for years. The real test of its usefulness is the databases that the listings are pulled from. I'm not sure where Google is getting this data, but I would love to know. They certainly could afford to pay for API access to virtually all MLS systems but I think many will not allow it.

Another issue for agents is, what control do you as an agent have over what info is in that listing. If you can control what shows there keep this in mind: this information should be to help people determine if this home meets their search criteria, not to create a lead for you. If this takes off Google will be much more efficient at helping them find a list of homes than you ever will. Your job is to handle what Google can't, which is guiding them through the home sale/purchase process.

Is Google a Scraper Site?

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:16:38 -0500

This is why we need an open MLS. A site that allows you to post your listing and do what you want with the feed. NO NAR involved. It would be just like Trulia or Zillow but without valuation or questions just listings. You could pay $10-15/month and list what you want, branded virtual tours. pics, etc.

Anybody want help me start it?

Via Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams-Ann Arbor):

Is Google a Scraper site?

If not then why is NAR lumping Google and all search engines together in the same policy?

On this post you wil read the conversation Morgan Carey had with Chris Niersbach concerning this policy.

If you don't know what I am talking about, then you need to read the following posts and get a grasp of this issue before us. Colleen and Joe Lane posted on it this week, and it was featured. But, only 45 comments??????

The issue began on Agent Genius with this post.

You need to go read this post and then come back so you have a grasp of the issue. Go ahead I will wait.

Folks this is a Critical Issue, the rule is outdated, and needs to be changed immediately. It in a nutshell prevents us from having our listings indexed by Google and other search engines yet allows the 3rd party vendors to take our data, sell it back to use in many cases and not allow us to promote our listings or any other listing through our IDX sites.

My goal when I list a home is to GET AS MUCH EXPOSURE FOR MY SELLERS AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

I don't care if I am a Keller Williams agent and my listing is on another site, I want it there. Consumers come to us through many portals, the more the merrier.

I want that house sold.

I want Google to index them.

Now my IDX site is framed so I don't get indexed per listings but I don't want 3rd party vendors, who don't belong to NAR and don't have to follow the rules have an unfair advantage. I certainly don't want Realtor.com to be able to do what we can't do which is index them according to how they choose, and not allow Realtors to do so.

Do you ?

Do you want Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow ranking higher than you in SERPS because of an old antiquated NAR, MLS rule created in 2005? Shouldn't we all have an equal advantage in the indexing of our data if we want it?

The MLS Forum will be held The MLS Forum will be next Thursday, May 14, 2009 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Regency Ballroom, Lower Level, Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Jay Thompson and Paula Henry have been asked to speak before the committee. If you are going to NAR Mid-Year attend this meeting. You can also contact Chris Niersbach at: cniersbach@realtors.org and express your views.

This comment is from Morgan's blog on his response to Mr. Niersbach at NAR.

The "NEW" arguement here seems to be that Google (a search engine) is being lumped in as a scraper site - and our contention is that Google is NOT a scraper site, rather a technology (just like a browser) with a significant user base with which the public access websites. Google simply tells the user where to go - they are not creating web pages of their own out of the data they index. I am sorry, but I just simply do not see how NAR could consider a search engine to fit under the same designation as a "scraper site"

Here is the defination of a Scraper Site from Wikipedia: A scraper site is a website that copies all of its content from other websites using web scraping.[1] No part of a scraper site is original.[citation needed] A search engine is not a scraper site:[citation needed] sites such as Yahoo and Google gather content from other websites and index it so that the index can be searched with keywords. Search engines then display snippets of the original site content in response to a user's search.

My favorite part of the discussion is from the Zebra, Daniel Rothamel, "the fact that REALTOR.com uses the same data that brokers use, from the same source (the MLS of the local association), but are not required to adhere to the same rules, is UNCONSCIONABLE. It is completely indefensible. The fact that our National Association controls the use of its data by its paying members, but not by a private company, is a disgrace."

So to answer my own question?

No, Google is not a scraper site and this rule needs to be changed so our listings can be indexed.

***********************************************************

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-216-2822 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

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Well----what IS the REAL reason they pay us the big bucks?

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:47:36 -0500

After reading this I will never again complain about the cost of a home inspection!

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     Since most people already consider crawl spaces to be “BIG BLACK HOLES,” it will probably surprise most of my readers (considering my reputation for loving the “adventure” of crawl spaces) that the thing that gets me the most “unglued” in there is: holes.

     Especially the big black bottomless type.

     For me, there is nothing more un-nerving than to be feeling my way across the plastic ground cover and feel “NOTHING” under the plastic.

     Water under the plastic----feeling like a giant waterbed-----is not uncommon and that is fairly simple to deal with. You either back up and leave----or you go around it.

     It is those holes you come upon that seem like “Black Holes” in your crawl-space-universe----until you peer over the edge with your flashlight and discover snarling vermin, the ground only inches away or water 20 feet down. The water-20-feet-down type holes----as in abandoned wells---CAN FREAK YOU OUT!!! Yup!

     Other types of holes are: abandoned septic tanks with collapsed covers; abandoned cisterns full of junk automobile parts, water, and rat carcasses; abandoned basements full of old water heaters and bug infested furniture; and, holes created where stumps have rotted away.

     I just love that feeling of adrenalin as I visualize being swallowed up by any one of these versions of holes.

     Another type of hole is where with every knee placement-----with every hand placement-----the ground underneath collapses 2-3 inches. This happens when the top layer of dirt is riddled with rat tunnels. These kinds of holes you get used to, but they can FREAK YOU OUT at first----but not as much as the ones you think might be “bottomless.” I am just grateful when the rat tunnels are covered with plastic to minimize the mold and asbestos-laden dust that would otherwise billow up around you.

     The following picture was from a crawl space at a recent inspection.

     Even when you can see them ahead of time, they can still be unnerving, because you still don’t know how deep they are and you don’t know if it is hollow under where you are laying----but just hasn’t collapsed yet!

     Fortunately this one was only good for a small adrenalin rush.

     I know that there really is no such thing as a bottomless pit, but it really doesn’t have to be very deep to represent a difficult scenario for the “Search and Rescue” crew------assuming of course you remembered to fall into the hole with your cell phone.

     I think my worse nightmare would be falling though the cover of an old hidden septic tank full of raw sewage, drowning my cell phone, if not myself.

     This IS the REAL reason they pay us the big bucks.

Charles Buell

Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "etherial" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Eco Broker vs. NAR's Green Designation

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:35:15 -0500

I think that this is the next thing on my checklist. The market isn't very big in New Orleans or the Mandeville/Covington area but I see it growing when the economy turns around.

Via Woodland Park, Colorado Real Estate Sabrina Kelley,Colorado Mountain Homes (Herman Group Real Estate,719-963-1630 ):

Recently, NAR rolled out its' Green Designation. I have not had the pleasure to attend either of these designations training. But, 15 years of living green and off the grid does give me some stomping rights. I am looking at both websites right now and I am trying to discern which of the designations is more intensive and educational.

It looks like the NAR's Green Designation is more about raising the awareness of green issues in the Real Estate industry. Students will be taught about the basics of today's green generation. The class covers how sustainability impacts smart growth, new urbanism, and community development. Attendees are also instructed as to how NAR's Green Designation can attract green clients. Students are required to complete a 12 hr. core course and a six hour elective course. The designation can be earned on line through Realtor University.

Now, mosey over the Ecobroker.com . Eco Broker is the first and the largest green real estate training system in the world. The Eco broker course offers in depth training for three subjects: environment, energy, and the green market. In some states Eco broker classes will qualify for CE credits. The Eco Broker course gives a full 18 hrs. of green instruction.

When I decide to designate my green status I plan to use the Eco Broker program. I love the website and all the green knowledge it contains. The professional Eco-Broker's directory is also a nice little perk for the Realtor and a gleaming star for the consumer. I also like the fact that the Eco-Broker program continues to provide its' members with the latest updates on new trends and technologies related to the green industry.

Are You Investing In Real Estate Right Now?

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:29:39 -0500

I think that this recession has presented a golden opportunity for real estate investors. There were many millionaires created during the recession in the early 80's and I believe there will be many more created in this one. Now, I'm not saying it is right for everyone or that this is something YOU should pursue but, I am saying that in certain cases it can be a goldmine.

There are several things you need to consider first:

Do you know your local market - If you are an agent but not very well-versed in investment property hire an agent who is or learn what you need to know BEFORE buying. Pickup a copy of The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and read through it two or three times BEFORE BUYING.
Do you want to buy and hold or fix and flip - Personally I would hold off if you are a 'flipper. The resale market in many areas is soft and if you are wrong on renovation cost it could kill you when you try to get out. If you want to buy and hold then you are looking at rental property (I'm not going to consider raw land appreciation because IMHO that is speculation, not investing).
Learn about investing- I know this is really pint one again but it is that important. You need to learn about local rental rates, laws that apply to being a landlord, how to structure a lease, what you can and can't say when screening tenants, etc.. I also would advise that for the first two or three properties that you purchase that you DO NOT hire a management company. Do it yourself so you are familiar with what the management company does for you and why they really earn their fee. You DID NOTICE that I said you first two or three, right! You will never get rich with just a few properties. My personal goal is 500 units in 3 or 4 large apartment buildings.
Can you get financing and do you have deep pockets if the market doesn't come back right way - I would advise that you buy with a significant down payment of 15 - 20%. If you don't have it then wait until you do. ****DO NOT BUY AND EXPECT APPRECIATION RIGHT AWAY**** Okay did you get that. If not go back and read it again. No really, I'll wait........OK, got it. This is about cash flow. Buy it right, below market with an equity investment, and make sure it generates cash flow from day one. You need the deep pockets in case you read the market wrong and rents get push downward and your at a loss or you DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME AND BOUGHT IT EXPECTING APPRECIATION!
Realize that with rental property people do move out and you will have vacancies from time to time. Now Robert Kiyosaki the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad (pickup a copy and read it also) advises buying single family homes for your first purchase. I dont'. I think 2, 3, or 4-plexes are better. If a single family home is vacant it is 100% vacant. If you lose one tenant in the multi-unit it is only a percentage of the total and you have at least some cash flow. Ultimately it is your decision but my preference would be for multi-family.

This list is by no means exhaustive but it some things to consider if you are going to invest in Real Estate. I would do a part 2 on the benefits of investing later.

*For full disclosure if you click on the links to the books mentioned and purchase them from Amazon I make a few cents off the purchase. I recommend these book because I have read them and believe in what that say not because a make $0.20 or $0.30 from your purchase.

iPhone lockbox app on the way

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:39:22 -0500

For those of you that are iPhone users, I'm sure that you know that yesterday Apple released some info about the upcoming iPhone OS version 3.0.

There are many new features and you can watch the video over on the Apple site and get great reviews all over the web. My favorite is Ryan Block's at GDGT.com. The two things that I think are important for Realtors are:

1. Apple will now allow developers to access bluetooth to communicate with external devices

2. Turn by Turn directions

The first one has been what has kept Supra from being able to develop an application similar to the one on the Blackberry. I have spoken to (name withheld) at Supra and they have assured me that the app was being developed and wold be released pending Apple allowing this functionality. The iPhone 3.0 release will not be out until summer (hopefully June and not August) so I expect this app to follow shortly.

The second option is great for those of us who do not have navigation installed in our vehicles. Since the economy is not getting better quickly I'm not buying a car anytime soon. Garmin and TomTom have been developing proof of concept applications for the iPhone so I can assume they will be releasing apps this summer also. The one caveat here is, because of licensing issues these applications will have to provide their own maps. An entire map of the US stored locally could take up 750MB - 1GB of space. I have an 8GB version so this takes up as much as 12.5% of my storage.

New Orleans is full of start-up companies

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:00:59 -0500

Are you an entrepreneur looking to found a startup? Have you been depressed by the price of real estate and startup cost in cities like Boston, Raleigh, and in the Silicon Valley? Why not consider New Orleans?

I know, your first thought is 'New Orleans, the place I went to for Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest? What do they know about startups?' It turns out quite a lot.

We have many, many startups in the are right now. Here is just a sample taken from the wiki of my friend Chris Schultz of Voodoo Ventures.

Robbie Vitrano announced Trumpet Ventures, a new arm of the Trumpet Group working with startups providing capital and access to Trumpet's brand studio services. Out of Trumpet ventures comes Dukky, a company does for mailhouse direct marketing what Adwords did for online advertising. Trumpet Ventures is also working with KODA, a new talent community connecting Gen Y'ers to companies in a open, transparent way.

Nic Perkins announced that he has closed $7.75 series B round for the Receiveables Exchange. The Exchange is providing much needed liquidity during the recession to participant companies.

Chris Schultz, Will Donaldson & Barre Tanguis will open the Launch Pad, an incubator & co-working space in Brian Gibb's Tech Quarter building on May 1st. Renovation is starting soon, and we are focused on building the community of startups & free-agents who will thrive and grow together.

Kyle Berner has secured orders for Feelgoodz in Whole Foods across the country and is planning a road trip this summer to showcase the brand and spur community involvement.

Naked Pizza submitted to Mark Cuban's stimulus package and successfully secured funding from Cuban. They plan to franchise the pizza to 1000 stores across the country.

Tim Williamson and Idea Village hosted the IDEACorps week in New Orleans with MBA students from six top national universities working with local entreprenuers.

Ben Reece and Reid Stone have Deltree on a roll with work being done for Idea Village, GNO Inc, as well as several confidential very high profile clients. Ben was invited to showcase 50 People 1 Question at a film festival in Italy and will film another installment while there.

Tom Fischman has been brought on board by VCE Capital and Richard Montgomery to lead Body Evolution, a new company being funded by VCE to commercialize body image distortion software created at LSU.

Christopher Boudy, Sr. has interwoven his love for technology into different other ventures that he is invovled in. Working with CBX WebDesigns to provide affordable web development services to local New Orleans start-ups and non-profits. Partnering with SENO as their Technology Committee Chair to push more social change throughout the city. Also bringing technology into the catholic church with Technology In Youth Ministry.

Jeff Madison at Cool Hand Nuke has moved into private beta and projects a move into full public beta April '09. During this time you can read the Cool Hand Nuke blog with tips for job seekers, site updates and industry news. Cool Hand Nuke is a Web 2.0 virtual community and job engine for the engaged nuclear professional.

Eric Morgan & Damien LaManna of Morgan and Company recently launched Zymeaux - Local Grown Mobile Marketing. The New Orleans based tech-startup aims to help small businesses and local retailers in the region by leveraging one of the fastest-growing and cost-effective communications tools available - SMS based mobile messaging.

Net2NO led a delegation of Digital Media professionals and Social Entrepreneurs to the SXSW Interactive Conference in Austin, TX. The wildly successful outreach effort, sponsored in part by GNO Inc., The DDD, and the City of New Orleans, put our region's thriving tech startup community on display and encouraged potential new businesses to take a look at the incentives our region has to offer.

Zach Kupperman and the PolicyPitch team are developing new features for Policypitch.com. New features include legislative tracking in all 50 states, tools to collaborate with likeminded citizens, and the ability to pitch new public policy proposals directly to your elected officials. Policypitch is also a finalist in the Tulane Business Plan Competition on April 17, 2009.

Myfirstpaycheck CEO Austin Lavin has been hired to run NOLA YURP's new startup WorkNOLA.com. WorkNOLA, currently in private beta, is a job connection platform for creatives and entrepreneurs in New Orleans.

Don Kelly Productions launched the first ever totally "green" music festival in Louisiana - project30-90. The festival will take place in New Orleans on 9/5/09 and will feature solar and wind turbine powered staging & lighting and a full slate of environmentally conscious initiatives. Artist lineup and location will be announced on April 22 - Earth Day. www.project3090.com

Katie Del Guercio will be managing business development in New Orleans for an internet start-up called KODA, which was co-founded by Tulane grads Jeff Berger and Tony York. KODA is a shared space that connects people to opportunities through a transparent approach to hiring. KODA's platform facilitates holistic connections based on talent, personality and corporate culture. The Beta site will launch in the Bay Area and New Orleans markets this fall. KODA is collaborating with Robbie Vitrano's team at the Trumpet Group.

NOLA Brewing, a local post-Katrina start-up, launched two beers (NOLA Blonde and NOLA Brown) in New Orleans this month bringing craft brewing back to New Orleans, a city rich with brewing history.

Tiffany Starnes of Fabre Smith & Coco will be speaking at WordCamp Nola on social media and how it can be utilized in business practices to elevate your brand and create buzz.

This is by no means a complete list. I think you can see that we have a thriving startup community here in New Orleans. I think when you combine this with real estate prices far below typical startup cities and a cost of living to match we provide a viable alternative for your business. When you add the fact that your already here at Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest time I think you'll see that its no contest.

If you have any questions about finding a space for your company or a home for yourself when you move here please feel free to call me. My number is (504)208-1766 and its also on the right near the top of the page. You can also email me at chris [AT] thejohnstonteam [dot] net

"Thank you for your e-mail. You're not important"

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:49:42 -0600

UPDATE: I thought about this a bit more and realized that this is one of the things taught by Tim Ferriss the author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich . His philosophy is different in one huge way. He gives you a person, or several, to contact if you need something specific or immediate assistance. He is removing himself as a bottleneck for information but he is also empowering his staff to solve problems. I could right an entire series of blog post on the importance of having assistants and staff so I won't go into it now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that these autoresponders are fine IF you still give people a way to get the information they want.

While this is irritating when it happens to me I just smile knowing that this person will not survive the next 5 years in the business. Technology is making it so easy to be available and able to respond from wherever you are. If you really are so busy that you can't shoot back an email from your smartphone (if you don't have a smartphone we really need to talk) then hire an assistant to do it for you. You can even outsource it to a virtual assistant or an MBA in India for a few bucks an hour.

Via Eric Richardson (REALTOR® Keller Williams NW / VP of Agent Sales, a la mode):

"Your e-mail is important to me. Typically I read and respond to e-mail between the hours of 11:00am - 12:00pm and then again between 5:00pm - 6:00pm"

Is their e-mail important, really? What part of, "I'll get back to you when it's convenient for me", says, "You're important"? I see these "auto responders" a lot when I will e-mail a colleague about something going on in our transaction or just question in general. My first thought is always, "People still use these?" Here's why I say this. In the late-90's when e-mail was quickly becoming the staple of communication between individuals and smart phones with e-mail support were but a far away thought, there was a need for auto reply. In some cases it helped the individual sending an e-mail to know why you might not be responding to their instant communication form immediately and it let them know that their message didn't fall into an e-mail black hole. But just as times have changed, it seems that some agents don't want to change. With millions of today's of our potential buyers and sellers receiving and responding to e-mail directly from their phone, can we really afford to basically tell them, "You're going to have to wait."? Every time I see auto replies like, "I check and respond to e-mail within 24 hours" I seriously cringe.

There was a time that a 24 hour turn around was acceptable; it was right around the time that we attached those shoulder cradles to our land line handsets to take long calls. The truth is, we now have a window of 30 minutes or less response time and frankly with the advancement of instant notifications, it's going to get shorter. Put yourself in their shoes. You're excited about your first home that you've been approved on. You log onto the web, start your search of homes that are available in their price range and then you find it, the perfect house. It's everything you want, you want to see it now so you click the link on the "Contact Me" section of the site. You type all of your information in and ask when you can see it. You click "send" and in 2 seconds you get a reply that tells you, "Thanks for writing me about your home needs! Typically I check mail once a day and when I do, I'll get back to you. Remember, I love referrals!!"

I always wonder if those agents that have these types of auto replies wonder why they usually wind up splitting the commission with another agent. If a person that takes the time to fill out one of your lead generation forms or makes that first contact, they're typically expecting a quick response. If you won't do it, they'll earmark the property they want to see and contact the agent that will get back to them quickly. It's not uncommon for a person looking to sell their home to e-mail numerous agents at the beginning and talk to the first few that respond. If they receive an e-mail that says you will respond on your time, those typically get deleted. Their thought process is, if you're that unavailable at the before you've listed their home, how are you going to be if you did list their home?

"But Eric, I make myself available for those people that are my clients." Great, but what about those people that want to become your client and you've essentially told them that they haven't made "that list" yet?

The truth is, if you can't do it, there are some hungry agents out there biting at the bit to provide that extra level of service and include a 20-minute response time as part of their normal business. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you have make yourself available within 20-minutes of a buyer or seller contacting you. What I am saying is that it isn't that hard to simply personally reply or call that person to explain that you're with a customer, getting ready to walk into a closing, or simply having lunch and you'll be happy to call them back shortly. Doing this, eliminates that impersonal, cold e-mail that they get with an auto responder and it lets them know that you are an agent on top of their game.

Do yourself a favor, go back into your auto responder and uncheck that box, you'll be glad you did.

ActiveRain - Now iPhone Compatible

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:06:52 -0600

I have been waiting so long for this (Well since December 5, 2008. As long as I've had my iPhone). Personally I think that this is huge.

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Builder (ActiveRain):

It's true. If you own an iPhone, you can now interact with the ActiveRain Real Estate Network of friends and business partners from anywhere your iPhone browser works. This is not an iPhone application, it's a browser enhancement from our AR developers. (great job guys)

At 2:00am, we deployed a fix that will now allow you to post, and comment on ActiveRain Blogs using your iPhone. Members have been waiting for this upgrade and I'm glad to announce it is finally launched. It's great. We're also working on an iPhone application that will be custom tailored and made available for ActiveRain members later.

The only things you can't do from the phone right now are create links, add images, and there's no text toolbar for bold text etc. So now you can create a post from anywhere, make edits, add and delete comments using just the iPhone browser. (iPhone uses the Safari browser)

You can email posts to others right from the iPhone using the email graphic icon that's below each post.

10 minutes is all it took to create this using just my thumbs, (haha) it's a new record for an ActiveBrad post.
We've taken one small step for mankind, one Giant step for Activerain and iPhone.

This was created and posted using the iPhone. I'll add a picture from my computer later. I love my iPhone.

Live Stream a Client Getting The Keys to Their New Home

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:14:21 -0600

I've been thinking about doing this but the amount of technology it would require was going to make it difficult, if not impossible. Until now...

Check out this video

Competing Real Estate Business Models

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:44:00 -0600

While sites like Trulia, Zillow, and Roost have served the consumer by making MLS data available to you without having to go through a Realtor a new model is developing online. Sell your home, or find your new one, without a traditional Realtor.

Redfin, a Seattle-based company, has been using Realtors but they do it in avery different way than the traditional model. Here is a video with a little more about them.

There is another company in Boston called CondoDomain that is trying something different. They have a flat fee of $5000 that they receive for every sale and anything over that they refund back to the buyer, and I guess seller if they work that side of the deal. While I love the idea and think the business model is workable I worry about how it will fare during our current real estate downturn.

I’m a real estate agent and if I were like many agents I could see this as a challenge to my very survival but I don’t. On the one hand not everybody wants a hands off approach likes Redfin and CondoDomain offer and I can work with the buyers and sellers that want a more hands on approach. The other side of this is that I’m an entrepreneur and I’ve chosen to work with GenX and GenY clients in my business. If I see that my target market wants that type of service I will change my business model to serve my clients.

I think that the real estate business will change drastically in the next 5-10 years. I have no idea what it will look like but I am certain it will be much different than it is now. The Realtors who can adapt and change with it will survive, those that can’t will perish.

Who wants to be linked from Google's blog? I am not joking

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:35:07 -0600

I would definitely urge you to try this out, it couldn't hurt.

Via Real Bird (RealBird Inc.):

In March 2008, - when we released the Google Street View integration for the RealBird single property websites -, we were fortunate to be presented as one of the a case studies on one of Google's own blogs. Even better, they linked to one of the property websites we featured as an example. That's right, an editorial link directly from Google herself to a then active, for-sale listing. Unfortunately, that particular property website has been deleted by our client and that led to an interesting situation: there is a link currently active on one of Google's very own blogs, pointing to a RealBird property website with "Property information no longer available" content. Now that's a waste of link love and goodwill, don't you think? We would like to redirect this link to a current listing website of one of our members. So here we go:

Sweepstakes

To be fair to all of our current and future clients, we decided that we are going to randomly select a RealBird listing which has Street View coverage available.

Pre-requisites:

Be a real estate agent/broker - residential or commercial

Be the listing agent/broker of the property advertised

Street View coverage must be available for your property address

In order to participate for free, all you have to do is:

Post your listing on RealBird (signup or login to create your property website, it's free)

Copy your RealBird single property website Url below as a comment

That's it. Please note, that we can only redirect to a listing website for which Google Street View is available because the Google post is explicitly referencing 3rd party Street View implementations. Other than that, any type of listing will work (residential, commercial, rental etc.)

The sweepstakes will run till January 17, 2009. No purchase is necessary, the RealBird Listing Publisher is a free service. We will randomly select the listing from the entries submitted as a comment.

There are three distinct benefits here:

Direct click-through traffic from Google's blog

Direct link from Google's blog for SEO

Most importantly: another power-marketing tool to present for your current and future sellers. This is a one time, special and a lucky opportunity for all of us. I am not aware of any other time, when a for-sale property was directly linked from Google's blog. Google is such a huge brand that all of your sellers will instantly recognize the value of their listing being linked from Google's blog. And even better, that is an achievement they will attribute to you, their real estate professional.

Please share the word...

Have questions? Let us know...

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-- Zoltan
RealBird.com

For free, high-impact, online listing marketing, visit RealBird.com

How bad do you want to win this year

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:39:57 -0600

NOT WORK SAFE

Are you willing to fight this year? Are you willing to do whatever is necessary to win? I know this is about football but I think it can be applied to many things in life.

I think that in this tough economy people will need to fight to survive and those that fight the hardest will not only survive but succeed. You will need to give everything you have and when you want to quit and give up, you will need to give a little more. You don't need to be the best but you need to be better than the next best guy. Since you probably don't know who that is, the best insurance is to be the best.

I know that I will be fighting for everyone one of my clients like its the Superbowl.

Top 10 Creative Construction Techniques of 2008

Chris Johnston (SocialMediaForRealEstateAgents.com) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:20:34 -0600

One of the downsides, or upsides depending on how you look at it, of growing up as the son of a carpenter is that I see this see all this stuff when I look at a home. I pick apart new construction, notice severly outdated things in older homes, and start deducting dollars from the price the sellers want to list for or what my buyers should be willing to offer.

Via James Quarello - ASHI Certified CT Home Inspector (JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC):

New Years always involves count downs or some type of numbering of things over the past year. Like the Top 10 News Stories of 2008. Well I thought I get into the numbering game and give my own top 10 list of 2008.

This one has to do with inspection defects, big surprise right. What I am focusing on is what I call creative construction techniques. Some of the other inspectors here in the Rain have other labels for it, but it all means the same thing. Stuff that makes you scratch your head and wonder what was that guy thinking.

So here are my Top 10 Creative Construction Techniques of 2008.

10. A good use of duct tape

This water heater flue pipe was completely encased in foil (real) duct tape. The other problem was the foam insulation used to seal the chimney gap around both pipes and the fact that this pipe was below the bigger one.

9. I forgot the vent

This drip pan drain line is missing a vent at the end of the tee. If water fills the pan it's going to drain right out the end of the tee and onto the ceiling below.

8. Does that pipe get hot?

One of the by products of burning fuel oil is hot exhaust gases. Since we don't like those gases in our home we vent them out with a pipe and or chimney. Funny thing about metal is it gets hot when heated. I guess no one told this "electrician" about that little fact or to that he should secure his wires out of harms way.

7. What about my sister?

When a house catches on fire the wood framing burns and becomes compromised structurally. Depending on how badly it was burned it may be salvageable or require complete replacement. In this house almost the entire roof had been significantly burned. Instead of replacing or "sistering" the burned rafters, the contractors just re-roofed right over the charred wood.

6. What's a structural wall and why do I need one?

For a while now the craze is to open up rooms. Great rooms as they are called are all the rage. They are nice way to add the feeling of space, but designing and building one is a little more complicated than some folks realize especially in an existing home. Here some "contractor" removed about 12 - 15 feet of a load bearing wall to get that open feeling. What he will end up with eventually is an unplanned cathedral ceiling.

5. Where's the notch?

Structural support is what I would call significantly important. A home needs to be built on a solid foundation and structural support. One of the main components is the main carrying beam on which sits the load bearing walls of the home. This beam sits in the foundation walls in a notch made just for this purpose. Well that is unless some forgets to put in the notches then a piece of framing lumber will have to do.

4. I thought you measured it

Speaking of notches and beams what happens when you order the main carrying beam too short? Well you improvise of course. This beam was about two feet short of reaching the foundation pocket. And who says new construction never needs inspection.

3. Plug it up

If you have a hole in a pipe just jam a piece of wood in there. That ought to hold it until we call the plumber... in 10 years.

2. I....can't....breath

This has to be one of the just plain dumb, sloppy, I don't give a **** installations I have ever seen. There are minimum clearances around A/C compressors for a reason. I wonder how efficiently this unit ran.

1. Plug in the plug

This is just plain goofy to me. This setup was used to provide power for the garage door opener and some plugs in the garage. The real funny thing was the main electrical panel was right there in the garage. I guess uncle Bob was cheaper than the electrician.

That's my Top 10 Creative Construction Techniques of 2008. Feel free to add you own in the comment section. I enjoy a good chuckle like anyone.

James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

10. A good use of duct tape This water heater flue pipe was completely encased in foil (real) duct tape. The other problem was the foam insulation used to seal the chimney gap around both pipes and the fact that this pipe was below the bigger one.
9. I forgot the vent This drip pan drain line is missing a vent at the end of the tee. If water fills the pan it's going to drain right out the end of the tee and onto the ceiling below.
8. Does that pipe get hot? One of the by products of burning fuel oil is hot exhaust gases. Since we don't like those gases in our home we vent them out with a pipe and or chimney. Funny thing about metal is it gets hot when heated. I guess no one told this "electrician" about that little fact or to that he should secure his wires out of harms way.
7. What about my sister? When a house catches on fire the wood framing burns and becomes compromised structurally. Depending on how badly it was burned it may be salvageable or require complete replacement. In this house almost the entire roof had been significantly burned. Instead of replacing or "sistering" the burned rafters, the contractors just re-roofed right over the charred wood.
6. What's a structural wall and why do I need one? For a while now the craze is to open up rooms. Great rooms as they are called are all the rage. They are nice way to add the feeling of space, but designing and building one is a little more complicated than some folks realize especially in an existing home. Here some "contractor" removed about 12 - 15 feet of a load bearing wall to get that open feeling. What he will end up with eventually is an unplanned cathedral ceiling.
5. Where's the notch? Structural support is what I would call significantly important. A home needs to be built on a solid foundation and structural support. One of the main components is the main carrying beam on which sits the load bearing walls of the home. This beam sits in the foundation walls in a notch made just for this purpose. Well that is unless some forgets to put in the notches then a piece of framing lumber will have to do.
4. I thought you measured it Speaking of notches and beams what happens when you order the main carrying beam too short? Well you improvise of course. This beam was about two feet short of reaching the foundation pocket. And who says new construction never needs inspection.
3. Plug it up If you have a hole in a pipe just jam a piece of wood in there. That ought to hold it until we call the plumber... in 10 years.
2. I....can't....breath This has to be one of the just plain dumb, sloppy, I don't give a **** installations I have ever seen. There are minimum clearances around A/C compressors for a reason. I wonder how efficiently this unit ran.
1. Plug in the plug This is just plain goofy to me. This setup was used to provide power for the garage door opener and some plugs in the garage. The real funny thing was the main electrical panel was right there in the garage. I guess uncle Bob was cheaper than the electrician.