Real Estate Solutions

Trying out Blogsy

2012-01-27T21:32:33-05:00

I'm always looking for the best way to post to my blogs from my iPad. Tonight I'm testing Blogsy and while it isn't intuitive, it does have nice video instructions. It also has more formatting options and the ability to do more with photos than my other Type Pad app. I'm still learning, but so far, so good.

This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this blog post but it is a test after all.

365 Days of Eliminating Crap

2011-12-11T12:46:05-05:00

For about 25 years I showed up at my REMAX Real Estate office in Gales Ferry every morning around 8AM. I had a little plaque on my office wall that read “home sweet office”. When I moved to a home office in 2008, I stayed with the company but moved 8 huge filing cabinets and a whole lot of boxes with me. Some of those boxes are still unpacked and most of the drawers in the filling cabinets are full. Thus, my latest project.

Every year about this time, I work on my real estate business plan and this year I decided that 2012 was going to be my year for getting rid of crap; like things in boxes I haven’t opened in 3 years. Because I don’t take on any project casually, I began to do some research. I quickly decided I wasn’t planning on becoming a minimalist at least not in the strict sense but I did find some websites that were fun and worth following. What I got rid of today is a day by day journey of one man’s “RID” experiment. 365 Less Things has become another favorite site and I subscribe to their daily email .

Although without certain, I have enough stuff to do a “365 days of getting rid of stuff” blog, I’m not going to commit to doing that. It would be too much like work and I want this to be fun. Instead I’ve started a Facebook Group called 365 Days of Eliminating Crap and hope to redd* up my house one day at a time.

Linda

*redd up is an expression used in my home town of Pittsburgh

Real Estate Niches Big Fish Small Pond

2011-11-25T16:05:00-05:00

You’ve heard the expression about being a big fish in a small pond? At CRS Sell-a-Bration, I’ll explain how you can become a big fish, maybe even a whale, to the people that matter.

Here’s the problem; too many agents try to serve too many masters and are only mildly successful in their real estate careers. By first becoming knowledgeable about a specific market, and then using the right combination of technology, social media, and traditional tools, it is easy to dominate in a small or niche market.

You will need to create a hyper-local business plan which will include creating a database, developing into “the” expert on local market data and inventory, becoming a publisher using high tech and high touch tools, and creating an online client resource center.

Plan to immerse yourself in your market area by attending and participating in local events, and delivering local news and real estate data through blogging and social media tools like Facebook Pages and Groups. Traditional tools like newsletters and postcards can be powerful but many agents have stopped using them. Don’t believe the guru’s who will tell you that traditional tools no longer work and using social media is the only way to a successful real estate career. Traditional tools work if you use them to add to your credibility as the area expert and trusted resource.

As Steven Van Yoder described in his book, Get Slightly Famous, "you'll need to build visibility and credibility by making yourself a mini-celebrity and an indispensable resource to your potential customers and clients."

It really is easier than you think!

Slideshare just got better!

2011-10-23T06:25:08-04:00

I've been using Slideshare for a number of years but this nifty presentation tool just got a whole lot better! Slideshare gives you the ability to simply upload and share presentations, documents, and videos privately or publicly. Besides sharing powerpoint presentations, I use Slideshare to post weekly Real Estate reports. I can then easily embed my resports on my blog or website or post the link on Facebook or Twitter. Slideshare is also a creative resource of presentations and ideas from others.

Slideshare has recently implemented HTML5, which means your content will now be friendly to the search engines and also work on mobile devices. The company has also introduced Zipcast, where you can invite others to simple slide share meetings with video and chat. No downloads required. Best of all, the free version may be all you need.

From My Bookshelf: IPhone Life Magazine

2011-08-14T14:07:58-04:00

I try to limit magazine subscriptions. In fact, I only receive 3; Real Simple, The Food Network Magazine and iPhone Life. IPhone Life magazine is $15.97 and a bargain for both the print and digital version. The September – October 2011 issue gave me my money’s worth for the year. Besides all the other cool stuff, this issue features 2 particularly helpful articles; Your Life in iCloud and Inside iOS 5. I have read every word of those articles and plan to do it again.

Who Should I Host My Blog With? | Real Estate Blog Pro

2011-08-02T14:54:43-04:00

I get this question a LOT – Who should I host my blog with?

The problem with WordPress hosting (or hosting in general) may be there are just too many options to chose from. Sometimes I wish there were just two to three web hosting companies, not 500 million. OK, there probably aren’t 500 million web hosts out there. But there are MANY and as with any service, there are great hosts and lousy hosts.

First let’s look at types of hosting.

via realestateblogpro.com

Good information shared by Jay Thompson — otherwise known in the real estate blog space as The Phoenix Real Estate Guy - Linda Davis

Evernote Revisited

2011-04-24T20:42:44-04:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Evernote. Even though it seems to have a large following, I personally thought it was a bit "cludgy" to use. Somebody suggested I take a look at the new and improved Evernote iPad app. Great advice. Which leads me to more great advice. We all have apps, software, and online tools that we have stopped using or have given up on. It might be a good idea to occasionally take another look. You might like what you see this time around.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Blogging Experiment

2011-03-13T20:02:04-04:00

I thought I'd give this IPad app called BlogPress a test drive. Below is a photo for further testing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My iPad Dozen

2011-01-01T15:44:18-05:00

You woke up on Christmas morning to find an iPad under the tree. Now what? There are over 50,000 apps to choose from, so what’s a girl (or guy) to do. In the last two weeks I’ve had several lucky new iPad owners ask me if I had a list of favorite apps and I promised I’d send them an email with my list. I know my promise sounded reminiscent of “the check is in the mail” but I was determined not to let them down. Rather than send an email to a few individuals, I decided to put together my Top 12 and share it here, in no particular order.

I’m hoping some of you will comment with your favorite apps because I’ve only named a dozen.

1. If you like to read, then the Kindle app is a no brainer. Keep it along side the Amazon app and you’ll never get stuck again on a trip or in the dentist’s office without something to read. You might even find you enjoy waiting in airports.

2. Even though I didn’t put this list in order, DropBox is certainly in my top three. “Dropbox is the easiest way to sync and share your files online and across computers.” Since I’ve gone paperless, I carry my iPad to closings and with Dropbox, I can open any of my files right at the closing table. Need a copy of something? I just email it from my IPAD to the closing attorney or paralegal.

3. The Google App is an obvious choice. No, not as a search engine but for the whole suite of products including GMAIL, Calendar and Documents. I use them all and share the Calendar and Documents with my assistant. With Google Docs, we can easily collaborate on a “to-do” list or project.

4. I only have one game on my IPad and that’s Scrabble. What I enjoy most is playing against friends through Facebook. I have successfully avoided the temptation of Angry Birds. I hear it is addicting.

5. I’ve tried out all sorts of task managers but I’ve found Things for iPad to be just right for me, whether for keeping a simple to-do list or to organize long term projects. I really really like this app. I’m thinking top 3 again here.

6. Flipboard is hard to describe so I’ll let iTunes do it for me: “Named Apple's iPad App of the Year and one of TIME's top 50 innovations of 2010, Flipboard is a fast, beautiful way to flip through the news, photos and updates your friends are sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader and Flickr. See your social media in a magazine layout that is easy to scan and fun to read.”

7. Despite using Flipboard, HootSuite is my app of choice as a social media tool for Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare. The best part: you can schedule your updates! Hoot! Hoot!

8. There are lots of real estate related apps but my favorite is Zillow. I love the ability to do a neighborhood search from my car. It does so many cool things that I’ve included their Zillow on iPad video below.

9. The most expensive app on my iPad is LogMeIn Ignition but at $29,95, it is worth every penny. It gives me the ability to access my desk top computer from my iPad. How awesome is that?

10. I’m a weather nut. I have eight weather apps on my iPhone but my favorite hands down is The Weather Channel. Besides the typical weather stuff, you can watch local and national weather forecast videos and get real-time Twitter feeds from the Weather Channel hosts.

11. Reeder is my RSS reader of choice. I like the way it organizes. Gizmodo describes it as “RSS with attention to detail.” Can’t say it any better.

12. I admit I have several photo apps on my IPAD. My favorite is Adobe Photoshop Express. You don’t need to be a Photoshop expert to use this simple to use app.

Personally I like Apps better than shoes and almost as much as jewelry. My favorite place to find new apps is an app itself called AppAdvice. That would be number 13 but I can’t help myself.

In search of the perfect contact manager

2010-11-22T12:54:44-05:00

I was one of the very first users of Agent Office when it was called RE/MAX Agent 2000 a gazillion years ago. The year 2000 seemed so far off at the time, and I suppose the name was meant to represent that the product was so advanced. Unfortunately they have made very few improvements over the past many years, and they have never developed a product for those of us looking for something web based.

I made it my mission to change to something new in 2011 and during the past few weeks I have test driven a few different products like SalesForce, Realty Juggler, and Batchbook. In the past I've tried Wise Agent and Act for Real Estate. I even investigated Highrise by the guys at 37 Signals. (Cool product!)

For me, the winner was Batchbook. I haven’t been using it long enough to give it 5 stars as a real estate application but so far I really like what I see and it might not be long before the stars begin to align. The cost at $19.95 a month for a small team is reasonable. I love the way it integrates with other products like Google and MailChimp. And reading their blog, I suspect more good applications are on the way. Although it is not a real estate based product, the ability to use what they call Super Tags makes it very adaptable for real estate. It has a mobile IPhone App too!

I’m very impressed in just a short week about how they pay attention to their customers. I suggested they consider a Batchbook user’s group and on that very same day, they set up a Real Estate category in their customer forums.

If you are looking for a new contact management program, here is what I learned and I’ll pass it along as advice: There is not one product that fits all agents. What may be perfect for me, might not work for you. So much depends on how you intend to use it and whether you are a single agent or a team. It also depends on how you run and think about your business.

Don’t be sold by fast talking sales people that have never sold a lick of real estate. You need to try out the free trials, add some data, and use it like you owned it. In the end, what you choose, should be what is best for YOU!