TRANSPARENT REAL ESTATE: Recent Comments

Comment on Agent Recruitment & Technology

Ranch Man — 2010-03-17T00:01:26Z

We actually just started making some training videos. A client of mine has a son who is a marketing guy and he suggested doing this. We started using a simple program called Jing, but then started using Camtasia. So far it is working well and is a lot easier than I thought it would be. We are slowly but surely getting there.

Comment on The problem with social media marketing - it's still push marketing

Mike Harrison — 2010-03-16T23:31:52Z

First I want to say there are no experts in social media yet and I certainly am not one. It is all too new. I agree that the same push marketing will wear thin especially on facebook. One of my friends just posted this "I don't want to offend anyone, but I am getting sick of hearing all the sales pitches on some people’s status. Tell me about your kids, the funny story that happened at lunch I enjoy those posts."
He had the guts to say it I know a lot more people are thinking it because I have spoken with other friends that think the same thing.
I myself try to keep a 10 to 1 ratio. I also try to point my friends to a link or story that I think may be helpful or informative. I go as far as even pointing them to a blog that I wrote. I also have friends in the same industry so we can chat together about the industry and allow other to eave drop.

This is a great topic I look forward to other comments.

Comment on Ten Real Estate Predictions for 2010

Bill Gassett — 2010-03-08T02:47:13Z

There is no question these sites have changed how we interact and grow our business. Many of these sites mentioned have also become a personal online referral directory for other professionals in the industry who are tach savvy.

Comment on Introducing REBlogGirl - Primer on the Benefits of Blogging

Bill Gassett — 2010-03-08T02:40:24Z

Pat kind of amazing to look back on this post and think about how far blogging has come yet many of the points in your post still hold true today. The exposure a blog brings as well as a means of driving traffic back to other websites you may have can be a real driving force for business!

Comment on Property search engines' marketing conundrum

Brett Moffitt — 2010-03-05T07:52:58Z

I totally agree with you on that statement. As an owner of a very well respected website I hear this all the time by my clients. They would rather spend the money on a newspaper add rather than on web advertising.. I do see this changing over time though.

Comment on The problem with social media marketing - it's still push marketing

Michael Sosnowski — 2010-02-25T12:54:15Z

The simple fact is most real estate agents are simply under qualified to market and sell anything. Most grasp at social media just like they do everything else. Realtors gave away the store when they allowed companies like Zillow and Trulia to exist - rather than build and promote their own online presence - so why should anyone be surprised they don't really understand how to use social media. One must remember that the vast majority of agents are barely successful, but there is a vast industry that makes money off of their lack of skill and knowledge. In fact, if you do a poll of push vs pull marketing, how much understanding would there really be?

Comment on The problem with social media marketing - it's still push marketing

Ed Daniels - MetroBoston — 2010-02-24T04:20:58Z

Fine line on how to get the word out that you are a professional Realtor looking to help people buy/sell real estate and Sales people to death. Social media is not a place for that, but subtle references to your job mixed in with professionalism will work in that world. Great post.

Comment on The problem with social media marketing - it's still push marketing

Richard Alber — 2010-02-19T11:56:43Z

Finally, some pearls of wisdom. I believe you nailed it. There are a lot of so called experts in social media for Realtors teaching the same old "Me" advertising/marketing. We Realtors can not be brain washed into the same marketing/advertising mantras of the past.

Today's consumer is the most educated real estate consumer in the history of this country. We are at a point or close to a point where the consumer knows more than the average Realtor. Realtors need a paradigm shift from the "Me" promotion to the "Information Specialist" or "Advisory" position. What you did for dinner last night, what you did for entertainment over the weekend has no value to the real estate consumer. Those stating that the public wants to see that we are one of them (human) by posting nonsense are obviously not selling real estate anymore and are totally out of touch with the current real estate marekt place. They need to get their feet back in the street!

Comment on The problem with social media marketing - it's still push marketing

Steve Alter — 2010-02-19T03:10:00Z

If you're a real estate agent or broker I can see how all of your friends and neighbors are going to be under some pressure when it's their time to buy or sell some real estate. All of the social networking seems to be a chance to advertise yourself and yet I'm still waiting to hear from one person that's now doing business with someone that they actually met over a social networking website.

Everyone is alway selling. I remember my brother in Chicago told me about how our sister was mad at our other brother because him and his wife wanted to sell their condo in downtown Chicago and they didn't list their condo with our sister saying that she was a broker out in the suburbs and that it only made sense for them to list their property with a broker in the city. Then she was also mad or maybe more mad when they purchased a place without her help. My sister couldn't understand why they didn't use her and so I explained to my sister that if she was doing the work, pulling the sale comparables, showing them any of the properties that were aligned with their new criteria for a larger, newer place, making the tour appointments etc and then acting as the chauffer and tour guide then she would have done the work to be entitled to receive a commission. Instead my brother and his wife would get in their car, drive around the neighborhood where they wanted to buy and look for signs in front of homes that they were interested in buying, and then they called on the signs themselves.

My sister, our sister was unwilling evidently to do the actual work that was involved in listing and selling the properties and yet she just sat their somehow thinking that if she just made a list of all of her relatives and friends that they would all just call and tell her that they'd put her in the contract as the buying or selling agent and that all she had to do was wait for the mail to come with her check.

Comment on Ten Real Estate Predictions for 2010

Custom Homes Dallas Larry — 2010-02-06T19:51:54Z

"Local business will be live and die on review systems"

So true, I have a friend that is getting killed on his Google maps listing reviews, and he suspects it's just his competition spamming. The bad part is the consumer assumes the bad info is true.