Archive for July, 2009

Why A Real Estate Agent Should Leave Facebook Alone: Part 1

Friday, July 31st, 2009

facebook-rssIn this generation, we no longer have to worry about business cards and going to social gatherings it seems like because everything is computerized and everyone is looking to move their business online.  While that sounds like a good idea in the beginning, there are many different reasons why a real estate agent should not sign up on a place like Facebook.  While I personally think that myspace is okay, I do not think that Facebook is a good option for a real estate agent.

One of the first reasons is because why would anyone – especially a prospect want to become a fan of their real estate agent?  What would honestly be point of it?  I mean, it is nice that you are trying to get involved with your prospects but to be completely honest, there is no real point for your prospects or clients to become your fans.  Another thing is traffic to the actual page.  If you are splitting up your attention between Facebook and your actual website and blogs – that could interfere with the traffic to your website.

We are going to talk about more points in the next blog but these two points are by far the biggest and the ones that need to be addressed.

Where to Live to Avoid the Recession: 2

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

washington-dcIt may come as an enormous surprise that Washington, D.C. itself is considered a highly recession proof city. Thus far, it is winning the war against recession; certainly, it is doing much better than a whole lot of other major cities. Currently, it is the tenth strongest city for employment within the United States. This is due to the expansions initiated by the federal government, all of which have helped to create a lot of new jobs and positions.

Over on the other side of the United States, we also have Irvine, California, which has the University of California Irvine campus to thank for its many jobs. Irvine is the third biggest city in the entirety of Orange County, which goes a long way towards showing you how many job opportunities you will be able to find there.

Where to Live to Avoid the Recession: 1

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

cambridgeThe recession has hit a lot of us hard, and it is still going strong in quite a few places. This leaves a lot of people wondering where they can go to find a little relief, so we are going to take a look at some cities which promise to be recession proof.

We begin with that intellectual mecca, Cambridge, MA. This city is well known for its many higher learning institutions, including MIT and, of course, fair Harvard. The very existence of those institutions mean that there are a lot of jobs in and around Cambridge, which makes the city a huge draw.

Alexandria, Virginia is another recession proof city, partially because, from there, you can get to Washington, D.C. in less than half an hour. Again, there are thus quite a lot of jobs to be had there, which makes it a very palatable and enviable location, especially for the two and half million people who live in that area of Northern Virginia. You can also look forward to beautiful communities and excellent schools.

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Mold Must Go: 6 Things You Should Know!

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Mold When you are dealing with a home, there is going to be mold there – one of the first things that you need to remember is that mold is everywhere and if you know that your house is clean, you are still going to have mold.  In this blog, we are going to talk about how you can get rid of mold in your home and hopefully make sure that it stays gone from your home as well.

As we discussed, mold is everywhere and it has been around forever – so you really need to think about that and get that into your head so you know what you are dealing with.  Dealing with mold is fairly easy – sunlight and ventilation are the two things that are key items in getting rid of your mold problems.  You want to always make sure that you use your common sense whenever you are approaching a mold situation. 

Most of the time, mold is going to form in your bathroom, you really just need to use a mold killing cleaner and ensure that there is some sunlight in there as well.  Mold is difficult to get rid of but not impossible!

Trends in Garage Space: What You Can Do!

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Garage SpaceLately it seems that people are constantly looking for a way that they can gain more and more storage space.  Times are tough and people do not want to let go of anything that they have and they are looking for a different way to store it – did you know that the garage is a fantastic place to be extremely organized and store not just your car, but many many other things – or it can even be made into another room?

One of the greatest ways and biggest garage trends that I have seen is wall-mounting everything.  It is similar to the closet organizer however it is for your garage, that way – you can store tons of stuff without ever having a mess in your garage!  However, another garage trend is transforming it into a room.  People love to be outside and what better way to be outside then in your own garage!

Garages have been underappreciated for too long and now it is time for them to make their comeback and that is exactly what is happening this year!

Surprising Places to Live: 2

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

houstonHouston, Texas, is another surprisingly palatable location. It is not like many of the other big metropolitan regions in the United States, mainly because it has not been horribly damaged by the current housing crisis. So, it is not decreasing housing values which make it a sought after location. Rather, it is anticipated that both jobs and the population will grow in the future, creating value and appreciation in the houses there.

The area is very low tax as well as being high in business, so employers will be flocking to Houston. With more jobs, there will be more employees as well, and that will lead to a greater demand for homes — and those homes will need to be affordable.

Currently, the average cost of a home in Houston is an enviable $120,000.

Surprising Places to Live: 1

Monday, July 6th, 2009

vegasGiven the way the housing market is going, most of us could do with some inside info on some of the most promising and appealing places to live. A lot of those places will surprise you, so some explanations are in order.

For instance, one of the most surprising places to live is none other than Sin City itself, Las Vegas, Nevada. Ever since the city hit its peak back in 2006, home values have gone way, way down — by more than a whopping fifty percent, in fact. Right now, you can actually get houses for less than eighty dollars per square foot!

Right now, the average single family house in Las Vegas is priced at an unbelievable and astounding $140,000 — so you may want to think twice about any preconceived notions and consider Las Vegas for your next move.

How To Market Yourself Without Any Money! Part 2

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

frustratedagentIn the last blog, we touched base on using the internet for your own personal marketing tool.  Now we are going to dive right back into, how you can market yourself without having to pay anything at all!  The next step is going to be public speaking.  While I am not a fan of public speaking, I know that it will get you noticed and the one thing that you do not want to do whenever you are a real estate agent is wait to be discovered … you have to put yourself out there a lot!  The Chamber of Commerce always needs speakers, so make sure that you sign yourself up to speak.

Now if this is going to take some practice if you have never spoken in front of a lot of people, so make sure that you know exactly what you are going to say and that you practice a lot … a lot.  The next way to market yourself is going to be emailing out newsletters.  Now, if you are currently not collecting e-mails, make sure that you start because you are leaving money on the table right there!

There are a ton of different ways that you can market yourself for no money at all, you really just have to be creative with it and use the free tools you are given!

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How To Market Yourself Without Any Money! Part 1

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

home_p_picTimes are pretty tough nowadays, especially for the real estate market.  I know that I see houses all the time that are being sold by owners because they do not want to pay realtor fees.  However, if you are a real estate agent with no money at all for advertising for your services – I can help you!  There are many different ways that you can market yourself for little or no cost at all, all it takes is quite a bit of work and some determination and you should be fine!

One of the first things that you are going to need to do is look for free publicity.  This could be in the form of online newspapers, networks, 24 hour TV news and all new radio stations.  You could even advertise online on places like craigslist and things like that.  Coming up with a Myspace page or even a Facebook page is a great way to get your name out there too and it does not cost you anything at all!

And I will let you in on some more secrets in the next blog, so make sure that you stay tuned!