FamousAgents.com Real Estate Blog

This article was written by Michael Price of MLPodcast as part of the Yankee Blog Swap event.

I’d like to start my post off by wishing Jim Messenger, a speedy recovery. Jim has recently undergone heart surgery and from the recent posts I’ve seen in this blog, it looks as if he is doing fine. Jim, you will be kept in my daily prayers as you heal.

Famous in ’07

There’s no doubt that 2006 will be seen as year of major change in the real estate industry. Plenty of retrospective articles will be flying around the blogging world and news sites about Zillow, the DOJ, bubbles and more. Rather than spend time talking about what has been, I’d like to offer a a few suggestions (in no particular order) to help you achieve or maintain your status as a Famous Agent in ’07 Read the rest …

Tomorrow, December 19th, we are rising with the roosters to kick off the first ever Yankee Blog Swap. (Something about roosters and Yankees just doesn’t sound right!)

We told you about the event a week ago, and we’ve been gearing up for it ever since. It looks like everyone is chomping at the bit to get it going.

On our blog tomorrow, you will find the article posted from our partner in the swap: Mr. Michael Price of MLPodcast. You can also check out the FamousAgents.com contribution to the swap on Michael’s blog.

Take a look at YankeeBlogSwap.com, the official website for more information on the much anticipated event.

Okay, you’ve established a reader base. Now keep them… all!

The blogosphere has traditionally been a free-for-all atmosphere for people to express themselves in the most controversial realms. While this philosophy is still dominant, you must change your tone if you choose to represent your business via a blog site.

This particular article may be the one in the series you personally opt to disregard. I must warn you against making that decision.

You might be sitting at your computer right now thinking “this girl is crazy if she thinks she can convince me to keep my mouth shut about the things that matter.” You could be saying, “if they (your readers) don’t like what I have to say, they don’t have to read it.”

You may be just that confident in your opinions.

Hear me out. You’ll want to protect your reputation as well as the image of your business. Read the rest …

Now that you know blogging will benefit your site, it’s time to get to the good stuff.

One of the main purposes of a blog is to bring steady traffic to your site. What better way to do so then to build a loyal reader base that can’t live a day without hearing what you have to say?!

Sound effective? It is.

Sound simple? Well, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s not difficult either… as long as you have a good grasp on how to draw in readers.

So how do you reel them in? Check out these five laws of building a loyal readership. Read the rest …

The doctors seemed very positive about Jim’s second heart surgery that occurred earlier this afternoon. They used a combination of angioplasty and a drug-coated stent to unclog the problem arteries. He will likely remain in the hospital for the next day or two before coming home to recover.

Check out the updates on the original post here.

Blogging will help you build business.

No matter how you feel about blogging, it is difficult to dispute the sheer effectiveness of writing posts to update your readers about what’s happening in your business. You become an informational tool – a resource to a web community looking for answers.

Once you develop a following for your blog, you have inherited clients for life. If you can earn their trust and build a relationship your loyal readers will most definitely turn to you.

Blogging for your business site puts an entirely different spin on the “journal-writing” identity once associated with blogs. Upgrading the tone of your writing from casual-conversational to semi-conversational is a start. The days of using “dude” and cursing in your blog are long gone once you make a transition to professional blogging.

Remember, you are building credibility so people turn to you for all their real estate needs. Read the rest …

Farming. And we’re not talking corn fields and chickens. As a fellow REALTOR, you know what I’m talking about: marketing an area for listings.

Our goal is to pick a farm (aka neighborhood), plant seeds, cultivate it, and watch it grow. Then, our favorite part… the harvest (i.e., collecting those commissions). Farming, in real estate agent terms, is simply to market a target area with the goal of earning a great living.

One important aspect to consider in farming is how much to SPEND. We all get bombarded with sales pitches from companies selling paper goods and trinkets to REALTORs to use as farming tools. So… do you spend the extra 40 cents each for the glossy postcard? Or, buy 1,000 fly swatters with your name printed on the back?

Tough decisions.

I listened in on a conference call this week with Todd Bates, who offers coaching to real estate agents, on “How to Choose, Target, and Dominate your Farm Area.” It was an enjoyable and informative call – here is what I learned: Read the rest …

I have recently taken note of a couple of our competitors linking to us. And they didn’t even use a link condom (rel = nofollow).

Advanced Access – the 900 pound gorilla in our industry (that we are absolutely no threat to) – linked to our 106 Content Ideas article because they apparently recognized that it may be a valuable resource to their audience. Read the rest …

Well folks, it looks like I’m headin’ out… just for a day of course!

Tuesday, December 19th is the official Real Estate Yankee Blog Swap. It has been meticulously crafted by Mary McNight over at RSS Pieces, and it promises to be a good time.

During the swap, the top 20 bloggers from across the industry will be going head to head swapping blogs for one day only. We are all geared up and ready to make the switch.

The participants contenders: Read the rest …

Baby steps: it’s the easiest way to describe how to conquer your fear of blogging on your real estate site.

I have read several posts on the forum and have received various emails regarding the hesitation some of you have when it comes to blogging on your site. I get questions regarding what is or is not acceptable for your blog, proper length for posts, and general questions about formal “blogging rules.” Read the rest …