Beau is blogging Seattle area real estate news to keep prospective clients informed on current mortgage rates, homes coming on the market, foreclosures, and more. He wrote to say that, “I could possibly be the only real estate agent that’s blogging to the Seattle community via RSS and WAP.”
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Quick google check and I confirmed he’s correct. While Beau is connecting with customers, I wondered when a real estate blogger would take on HouseValues.com and start blogging house values and the Multiple Listing Service. I’d prefer to connect with a trusted voice, like a blogger, to value my house than to give my email to a lead-generating tool.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Beau Betts 03.11.05 at 11:44 am
That’s one thing about those websites that “sell” real estate services such as housevalues.com. When it comes down to it…there is no personality, experience and expertise in real estate behind all that html. Blogging can relay those essential qualities of a real estate agent to the public.
-b- 03.11.05 at 12:02 pm
Agreed and the Seattle market is so frantic right now. A voice you can trust is going to go a long way.
jackmoe 03.11.05 at 2:11 pm
all HouseValues.com promises is information. It is for a person that is not far enough along in the process to want an agent, and enjoys the semi anonymity of the internet. Blogging is a good way to market yourself for the people that are looking for an agent.
Michael Rahmn 03.11.05 at 2:39 pm
fyi - for about the last 2 months we’ve offered a RSS feed of one’s saved searches on Windermere.com. All you need is a myWindermere account (no personal information required). We update from the MLS every 15 minutes for about 30 MLS systems up and down the west coast, including multiple photos.
Also, re: HouseValues, its a little opposite of what one might think. They are simply a lead generation service for real estate agents. They require your personal information and then sell it to a REALTOR who will provide the service of emailing you listings or a home valuation.
If you aren’t ready to be contacted yet by an agent, the anonymous way to do it is to go to Windermere.com and search on the web, choose auto-email notification or use the RSS feed.
Sorry to sound like a commercial, but it drives me crazy that we’ve been offering free access to the MLS listing data for 10 years (feb 27th was the 10 year anniversary of our web site), and the awareness of that fact isn’t there.
-mike rahmn
head geek,
windermere
-b- 03.11.05 at 2:51 pm
Mike,
I had no idea you could generate an RSS feed from a Windermere search.
-b- 03.12.05 at 7:12 am
A note on Housevalues. There’s no diss from me. They’ve got a working and successful business model and obviously their customers are using it. What I specifically meant is that I’d rather not use a lead generation tool, like Housevalues, and instead think a blogger could bubble up MLSS listings for potential clients. That’s for the more tech clients. So, a blogger is out there finding great houses in zip codes and telling me about it. The value that the blogger can add, instead of a search, is that I’ve seen this house, it’s a real deal. That sort of thing.
Beau Betts 03.12.05 at 8:06 am
That’s fantastic that Windermere offers RSS for their client’s saved searches. What a useful way to receive new listing information!
marc 03.14.05 at 12:27 pm
I don’t understand how a “trusted blogger” can value your house. That’s one opinion and unless they are a licensed appraiser, I wouldn’t trust it. Even HouseValues.com hedges by providing a range that spans up to 15-20% of a home’s value. Maybe a blogger can act as a “bird dog” for buyers? That I can imagine.
-b- 03.14.05 at 12:35 pm
Bird dog is a better way to desribe what I’m taking about.
Jane N-B 03.16.05 at 4:33 pm
The real estate blogging community is still small - and that makes it easy to keep an eye on the great information out there. I started http://www.TwinCitiesRealEstateblog.com to help inform current customers - and share some of our personality and approach with potential customers.
I’ve tried to post useful and interesting information about real estate - while leaving property searches to our web site. I created a link to the web site that people can access from the blog.
Our broker, Edina Realty, has the most used property search web site in MN, and we benefit by having our personal web site stay within the Edina template. In other words, I haven’t created a separate, stand-alone web site since ours is so tightly integrated to the broker’s site. I sacrafice a little originality for the superior search capabilities available.
We also wouldn’t try to value a house over the net - we need to see it, the condition, the additions, the updates, etc to have a realistic idea of what it might be worth.
I hadn’t thought to showcase other listings on the blog…hummmm…will give that some thought. I have showcased one of our listings - but it sold quite quickly! It also scrolls down pretty fast, since I try to post every day or two.
Great ideas! Love the Internet and all of the brainpower out there! Jane
-b- 03.17.05 at 10:54 am
Jane,
Great job on your blog and thanks for your comment.
Ray 05.07.05 at 2:06 pm
Love how the concept is spreading. I think it’s a great way to educate and inform your customers.
We’ve had such a blog going for quite sometime and it’s more of a hybrid where we’ll point to interesting news and tips on the internet along with our own original/unique content (which, admittedly we need more of - time is the culprit here). Our blog is geared towards those selling or buying their home for sale by owner.
Our goal is to eventually take it further and make it an end-all-be-all source for everything related to selling/buying homes by owner.
Thanks,
Ray
-b- 05.08.05 at 8:12 am
A FSBO blog is great, as I’m sure there are many questions about buying and selling your home without and agent.
dustin 06.08.05 at 3:27 pm
I’ve been putting together a real estate blog focused on the Seattle market for a couple of months now… (I think I was still “sandboxed” by google when you wrote this article!). The blog can be found at: http://www.raincityguide.com
-b- 06.08.05 at 5:55 pm
Thanks for adding your comment and the updated. Good to see more real estate blogs come online. I like how you added all the local flavor.
John Mudd 07.22.05 at 7:46 pm
DL,
I’ve been doing it since 2002. See sponsorship page for link to Tampa Bay’s Inside Real Estate Journal, or click on my name. Next month I will have an exclusive article in REALTOR Magazine on how other Realtors can gain business with their blogs. Realtors provide Comparative Market Analyses all the time for prospective home sellers. I just did one today for a client who I met as a result of them contacting me after reading my blog. Btw, I generate 5 to 20 leads daily with my blog. I don’t need HouseValues, or any other lead generating service. I generate them for other agents in my office for a referral fee. You can buy leads, or you can blog. Blogging leads are more likely to be hot ones than the ones you buy (I used to buy them, but they never panned out; I’ve sold millions in real estate by blogging).
Cheers,
John Mudd
Exit Realty Suncoast
Tampa Bay’s Inside Real Estate Journal
http://insiderealestatejournal.blogspot.com
-b- 07.23.05 at 6:19 am
Hi John,
I also just saw that you’re sponsoring the event. Welcome aboard!
TIm O'Keefe 07.25.05 at 10:45 am
If you are a Realtor and you are not blogging, then in my opinion you are not only leaving money on the table. But you are losing a very hungry audience.
As John Mudd is living proof (see comments)a blog can be a fast track to real estate celebrity.
A Blog can make a Realtor an authority over their targeted marketplace as well as create traffic and leads.
I do the same thing, only as a method to help Realtors use blogs and websites to capture real estate leads, and traffic thru real estate SEO and lead conversion strategies.
Frances Flynn Thorsen 08.06.05 at 9:26 am
Real estate blogs are tools that work in local markets, niche demographic areas, and on the national scene. A growing group of bloggers is joining to cover the NAR convention in October. Invitations are open to all real estae bloggers, NAR members or not. http://RealEstateBlogSquad.com
-b- 08.06.05 at 12:41 pm
Frances,
Think about sponsoring the BBS 05, for the next on, come and do a lunch session about Real Estate Bloggin.
Frances Flynn Thorsen 08.18.05 at 2:42 pm
Sounds like a good thing to do next time it rolls around. Our Real Estate Blog Squad count is now 29 and growing weekly. We have a consortium of bloggers with combined talent that promises to knock the socks off San Francisco in October! Go, Bloggers!
Kamyar Shah 01.06.06 at 8:09 pm
There others out there: look at http://www.jasonnowlin.com/
William Raveis 01.24.06 at 11:24 pm
In looking at these posts, it looks like you have some experience with house values, total agent and 4mysales. Can anybody tell me which one is the best if I just want leads?
Rick Wilson 01.27.06 at 6:16 pm
Blog, RSS and podcasts are the wave of the future. I think we all agree that people are looking for homes and real estate online instead of immediately calling an agent. The more that we can position ourselves as experts, the better off we will be.
-Rick
4MySales.com
Rosemary 01.30.06 at 6:15 pm
The idea of Blogs or Blogging seems unbelievably interesting. How does one get to review this info and where can you do this? I’m not quite sure I understand the concept but would like to know much more.
Thanks
-b- 01.30.06 at 7:46 pm
Rosemary,
You came to the right place. We’ve got a seminar in LA in March and our events. We’ve also got a book coming soon on Amazon.com on Amazon Publish & Prosper: blogging for your business
Jamie Williams 03.16.06 at 9:16 am
Lead generating companies are not the answer to increase your business. Many of these dot coms sell you leads that come at a very expensive price. RelocateAmerica, for instance, sells 5 leads for about $200 per lead for $995.00 On average, a Realtor will close 1 out of 10 leads. In essence, you are paying about $1000 for that lead. Couln’t advertising money be better spent on farming and mailings, than to buy into these leads scammers?
Randy 03.20.06 at 12:33 pm
A real estate blog can help combat some of the market that is being lost to the growing “for sale by owner segment”
Randy - sellinghomesguide.com
Jennifer Hershey 04.17.06 at 10:57 am
Blogging is good, but e-zine article submission may be even better for real estate. At least it is more viral - your link, not just a ping will spread with article.
Donna 09.17.06 at 2:49 am
I can hardly believe that there are no other real estate agents in the area blogging. Hey guys, this internet thing is really catching on! Some even say it’s going to be the new way to advertise and connect with customers in any industry in the future.
realtor address database
fsbohomz.com 10.21.06 at 11:31 am
I don’t believe a thing real estate agents say. I don’t hate them just the tricky and unexperienced ones. Which in my opinion
is most of them. Take the “no obligation market evaluation” for example, the oldest and most unoriginal term you will see
advertised. Do they think people are stupid? The real definition should be, “yes I will come over to your home, tell you what
it’s worth, then I will bug the hell out of you until you list it with me”. In the meantime, they will send you some
“awesome” fridge magnets, calendars and pencils just so you don’t them. I have written at length about this, I’m NOT selling
anything, just a frank, real world discussion.