No Title Rep blogs? No Escrow blogs? Only one Appraiser blog?
"What's a blog? I'm here to take your escrow order!"Another blog newbie observation... I've been at this for two weeks now and note that the most interesting insightful real estate blogs are edited or written by realtors and loan professionals. Yes, their careers are based on forming intimate relationships with their clients, and yes, the blog format works well as a marketing platform for getting potential clients to know them better. There's a psychographic profile at work here - realtors and loan professionals are inclined to communicate and it shows.
So why aren't the rest of the real estate professionals represented in the blogspace? I've google/technorati searched all variations of "title blog, escrow blog, appraisal blog" and I've initially concluded that with the exception of appraisal firm owner Jonathan Miller's amazing Matrix - Interpreting the RE Economy, most of the vendors haven't shown up yet.
Maybe title insurance, escrow and inspection are inherently boring topics. But I know some title reps that lead exciting lives... maybe they are on MySpace? I think the reason rests on lack of instant gratification. The vendors generally work on a B2B level with their principal clients - the B2C driven realtors. A title rep or an inspector generally works on a localized, almost street level with their realtor client base. Blogs do not offer the immediate payoff marketing platform for building a client base. And they are a lot of work...
Hey, I have some immediate experience in the real estate settlement space and I'll try to provide a perspective from this side...
Technorati tag - title insurance real estate blogs
pat - we too haved searched for these niche blogs but rarely find any. we'd love to see more home inspector blogs, escrow blogs, real estate attorney blogs, mortgage broker blogs, home improvement contractor blogs, rental blogs, commercial real estate blogs, retail blogs, blogs on businesses for sale, vacation property blogs, timeshare blogs, roomate blogs etc........
-rdb.sellsius°
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Thanks for confirming Rudolph! I'm pleased to meet you - believe it or not, I just figured out how to reply to comments I'm so new at this... I really appreciate Joseph's advice for blog starters...
I'm now getting a local network group based in the East Bay up and running with blogger. This group has a variety of real estate vendors on board and I'm betting this may be a good promotional tool for these kinds of BNI -style groups.
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Good point. Yesterday I sent out some invitations for guest writers for my blog. I am looking for closers, home inspectors and real estate lawyers for starters. No reponse yet. I am finding that there are a lot of people who do not like to write and don't know anything about blogs.
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Teresa, we're on the same track... I also sent invitations out to little fanfare earlier this week. I am now setting up a blog using the free blogger.com service for a professional network group of about 10... then the task of writing articles is distributed.
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Pat
I just launched a blog for title agents, www.title-opoly.squarespace.com. I'm pretty sure that I can generate interest, the problem is title people are usually not outspoken and may not comment. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
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I had originally started a blog about title and escrow, but very quickly came to the conclusion that it was a very boring topic. So, I changed the format of my blog to Mortgage and Realty Marketing ideas. Which reminds me, I need to find something to write about today!
http://mortgageandrealtymarketing.blogspot.com
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Jeff
Thanks for the good advice, it's very much appreciated. I'm convinced that the next year, or two, will bring remarkable changes to the business model employed by the title industry. Title agents struggle as the industry transitions from something that it was in the past to something that it's expected to be today. The failure of HUD, in 2006, to revise RESPA in ways that would allow innovative competition among settlement service providers was a crippling development. The marketing efforts employed by the industry are still governed by draconic guidelines drafted over 30 years ago. Any inducement for business that exeeds roughly $25 a year is strickly construed as illegal by the feds and all 50 states. My purpose for launching www.title-opoly.squarespace.com is to initiate meaningful dialogue (hopefully) between title agents during this decidedly critical era in the industry's evolution. Somehow, I suspect that consumers, realtors, loan officer,appraisors and even title abstractors might find meaningful insights in the "musings" of title agents who presently have no forum to voice their ideas, concerns and fears. I'm new to blogging and openly invite you and others to provide additional suggestions. Thanks again - I visited your site and think that its great.
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Funny...I just reformatted my personal blog to cover my professional life. And then I search for another escrow blog and found this. Honestly, I'm hoping I'm the only one in my market that takes the time to do this.
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Well, as long as you're not in Portland, OR. you're OK in my book!
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