Extreme Landscape Makeover Contest

The Value of “FREE” -vs- The Perception of “Price”

They say that there are no “Free” lunches, and that nothing in this world is FREE.  We once had a neighbor who put his couch out on the sidewalk in front of his house, then placed a sign on it that read “FREE!”  It was a really nice couch with great upholstery and no stains or damage.  The neighbor simply purchased some newer furniture and didn’t have room for that particular piece.

Well that couch sat there for three days, and no one took it.   IT WAS FREE!   After 3 days, he was going to haul it off to a goodwill store and donate it when he decided to test his theory of the value of FREE vs the perception of price, so he placed a sign on the couch this time that read “For Sale” $100.00.   That night, the couch was gone.   Yep, someone stole it right out of his driveway.  Can you imagine? 

What made the difference?  Was it the perceived value of 100.00, or was it that people truly believe there is no value in things that are FREE?  Something must be wrong with it if it’s FREE right?

REALTORS in CT, DC, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA & VA – Win a free landscape makeover!

Bob Stewart sent me a link to a post last week about getting a FREE Landscape done for your clients valued at $2500.00.  Is it really free?  It’s worth 2500.00 dollars so how can it be FREE?   Here’s the catch.   You can steal this one by simply sending in a photo as explained in this post by Kristen.  There’s been a few responses, but nothing like what we would have expected.

So we’re removing the FREE sign and seeing if anyone will steal this opportunity by us placing a $2500.00 dollar price tag on it.  Snap those photos and send em in, it doesn’t get much easier than that.  It’s not too good to be true, maybe it’s just too true to be good?!?
Deadline for submission is July 8, 2009 – The winner will be notified by July 29, 2009      

A Great Celebration in a Spectacular Location – What a Fantastic Vacation!

Having been away for the past week or so, I have to admit that this was one of the best disconnects ever!  My son and I just spent a wonderful time in Hawaii celebrating his accomplishments and graduation from Cal Poly, while also making sure our time away served as an awesome vacation.  We had the best time ever.  From the moment we landed in Honolulu, till we returned, it was go, go, go!  Together we took over 2000 photos, and shared some of the best memories that will last us both a lifetime.

                                    

See Sean’s Graduation Photos  

The first sign that our trip was going to be incredible was when Avis upgraded our car rental from a mid-size vehicle to a Mustang Convertible.  The agent at Avis looked at Sean and said “here’s my graduation gift to you.”  Every moment of our trip was like that.  We stayed at a friends house in Kaimuki, a 4000+ sq. ft. home with a million dollar view of Diamond Head and Waikiki.  The Aloha Spirit was overflowing from day one.  Some of the things we were able to do included our Golf Game at Luana Hills, the most beautiful course in the world.  (Like playing golf at Jurrasic Park) and yes, Sean beat me by 10 strokes.  DOH!  🙂

Click Here – More Hawaii Photos

We traveled and explored the entire island of Oahu, stopping to dine and swim at nearly every scenic location.  From Sandy Beach, Kailua, Waimanalo, Lanikai, Hanauma Bay to North Shore and Waimea, you could find us snorkeling, swimming, and soaking up the rays.  We surfed in Waikiki, shopped at the International Marketplace, and even picked up some goodies at the ABC stores located on nearly every corner.  We both soon forgot it was a celebration, and turned it into a vacation in Paradise.

             

One day, we were actually followed by the Google Maps car while heading to North Shore and we’re certain we will be on Google maps when you search “Chinaman’s Hat.”  We had a great time in Haleiwa, and ate at Cholo’s, a great Mexican food restaurant in town. Then we had some awesome photo opportunities with the turtles swimming around over on the North Shore.  Last Saturday, we took some time out to fly over to Maui, grabbed the Molokini Express, and spent the morning snorkeling in one of the top 10 underwater preserves in the world.  Molokini Crater, a must see for any diver or snorkeler. 

A day at the Aloha Stadium swap meet shopping was enough to almost convert our carry on bags to check-ins, they were completely packed with gifts and souvenirs.  There were so many places we visited, shops, scenic views like the Pali, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and beautiful coast lines, there is no way I could list all we did in a single post.  The best part of the entire trip was getting to be with my son, and celebrate Fathers Day with him alone, something we haven’t done in years.

                     

The only negative event that happened this trip was that a man passed away in his seat on the plane coming home.  It made us realize just how special life is and that our time here should never be taken for granted.  Sean’s leaving tomorrow to go on a final cruise with his college buddies, then it’s off into the working world for him.  I could not be any more proud and pleased with what my son Sean has done and who he has become.  He’s a young man now, and is the legacy that one day I’ll leave behind.  The world will be good to him and he to it.

I am so grateful for the time we were able to spend together, and I appreciate all my AR family and friends supporting my leave of absence for this celebration/vacation.  It was a very much needed break and disconnect for me and my son.  Thank you.  Now I’m back, rejuvenated, and ready to try and catch up with all I missed while away.  It’s great to be back home, but I will have to be going back to the Islands very soon

once again, my wife has made that very clear!!  :-))

              

Mahalo and Aloha!

The Time Has Come – I Hope You'll Forgive Me for Leaving?!

I never thought I’d be saying this, but it’s true…I’m leaving.  I knew that this time was coming, but now it’s actually here.  I know that sounds bad, but it’s really not.  Some of you might remember the post I did back in 2007, the one about taking my son down south, and dropping him off at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.  This was one the proudest yet most tear jerking moments in my life.  Reading that post again took me right back to that moment, and nearly soaked and ruined my laptop. 

Guess I’m just an ol’ softy.

Well, my son and I made a deal back then.  If he graduated from Cal Poly with a 4.0 GPA, then I would take him to play a round of golf at any course of his choice.  This was our deal, so the agreement was made.  Here we are, two years later, and the time has come.  I can’t believe it, he has done it!  UNBELIEVABLE!!  Sean is getting his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  He has studied his a$$ off and chased a career he’s very passionate about.  He was also blessed to land the ideal job working for the company of his dreams. 

Which brings me to the title of this post.  I am the proudest father in America right now.  (…a short pause and swallow)  My son deserves what was promised, and so much more.   Since I’m a man of my word, it’s time to fulfill that promise.  Sean has chosen a Golf Course in Hawaii to celebrate this fine “Life” achievement.  18 holes, each one representing the years of hard work and effort he has put into his education and career.  I have a few other surprises up my sleeve that I know he’ll enjoy, but those are a secret for now.

                  

So it is with great anticipation and excitement that I announce I’m heading down to watch the BIG CEREMONY, and my son Graduate with honors from Cal Poly.  Oh My Gosh~  Then we’ll be catching a flight to Hawaii where we’ll spend 7 days together, including Father’s Day soaking up the rays, playing golf, lounging on the beach, and just reminiscing lifes journey…

Will you be able to reach me?  Hmm.  I’m not sure how on-line and connected I’ll be during this trip.  My iPhone will be with me, but I’ll probably need it for emergency calls like booking a tee time, where should we snorkel, what luau should we attend, which Island would be best for a day trip, etc.  I’m sure you understand and get the picture.  This is not an ActiveBrad Vacation, it’s an ActiveDAD Celebration.  So if you need anything while I’m away, (10 Days) you can always contact Bob or Jeremy.

You will ALL be missed terribly, but I promise I’ll be back… I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving.  Aloha.

Uh Oh…….st..at.i..c…..you’re br  ea  k  ing up….. hssssss…..crackle crackle………click……..dial tone………

ActiveRain Member Discount – Inman Connect San Francisco 2009

Connecting socially in the On-line World is great, and important, especially for networking, building relationships and business, but connecting in person after that cyber handshake is what makes it even more exciting and awesome than you can imagine.  These are extraordinary times.  Inman.com calls their annual event “Inman Real Estate Connect” and it’s pretty clear as to why.

“Visitors to Real Estate Connect enjoy 3 jam-packed days full of the industry’s best networking opportunities and the very latest business intelligence that will help you rethink, re-frame and recharge your business.”  Inman.com

The AR community has been a big supporter of “Connects” all the way from San Francisco to New York, and we’re doing it again this year.  The good folks over at INMAN have extended an “Early RAIN” special discount to ALL ActiveRain members in hopes you’ll join us there this year.  Jon, Bob, Jeff and I will be there, and we’re excited to see old friends and finally get to meet many of you.

Here’s some of what’s been planned for REC “09”

• Bloggers Connect – Familiar names and friendly faces will be speaking like Jeff Turner, Daniel Rothamel, Dustin Luther, Jim Cronin, Reggie and Nicole Nicolay and others.  A one-day workshop that is worth the time and investment it takes to get there.
• ConnectTECH – Look at these topics and speakers they have which include Matt Lerner – CTO at Walkscore, Gregory Cosmo Haun – Chief Programmer at ForeclosureRadar,  Zach Scott – COO at Point2 Technologies.  Grab your notepad!  :-O
• Internet Marketing Summit – The great debate with Sean Black – VP of Sales at Trulia, Alex Chang – CEO at Roost.com, and Tom Tognoli – Founder, COO, and VP of Intero Saratoga.  Here’s your monies worth.
• Top Experts and Speakers – Warning: the list is LONG!  In addition, rumor has it that our own Jonathan Washburn and Jeff Corbett will also be speaking this year.  Even if this is just a rumor, the AR Gatherings are not. (more on that coming soon…) 
• Start up Alley – What’s the future of real estate technology? Start-Up Alley, the newest addition debuting at Inman Connect.
• 2009 Innovator Awards – See who’s The Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise, Most Innovative New Technology, Most Innovative Web Service, Most Innovative Blog, Most Innovative Media Site?  These awards started back in 1997.  Previous winners included ActiveRain, Roost, Estately, AgentGenius, Frontdoor, vFlyer, Altos Research, Google Earth, Curbed.com and many more.
• Social Networking – This is happening before, during and after the event on sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter etc.
• Sponsors and Exhibitors – Stroll the isles and see the latest and greatest products, tools, and services for your business from some of the greatest vendors and minds in the Real estate Industry.  This is one of my favorites.
• The ActiveRain Gathering – To Be Announced!

Inman Videos From Past Conferences

Looking back at years past, I have never regretted attending one of these events.  They just get bigger and better every year.  If you have never attended an Inman Connect, it’s difficult to put into words the value and benefit they bring to your business, and if you have attended in the past, then you know exactly what I mean.  Come meet many of the ActiveRain members you may already know on-line, and also come away with a good understanding of what is needed to survive the future of the Real Estate Industry.

My trip down “Memory Lane” from previous connects:

VIDEO:
Video from Inman Connect 2007

ActiveRain Member Interviews from Inman Connect 2008

PHOTOS:
Inman Connect San Francisco 2008

Inman Connect – New York City 2009

We hope you’ll join us August 5th -7th for another exciting “connect” and “gathering” and just FYI, ActiveRain Gatherings in the City By The Bay are the absolute best!  So go get that member discount, and come join us for a time you’ll never forget.  We’ll see you in San Francisco. 🙂

Click Here for ActiveRain Partner Pricing
Deadline to register at this discounted price is June 19, 2009

ActiveRain Community Search – HGTV’s "House Hunters" Is Now Casting

ActiveRain Members – HGTV’s “House Hunters” Is Now Casting and Looking for YOU!

                     

HGTV’s hit TV series, House Hunters, is looking for Homebuyers and Real Estate Agents who want to appear on the show!  ActiveRain and HGTV are working together in an effort to find qualified candidates who may be interested in sharing their “House Hunting” journey on National Television. 

This could be a huge opportunity, and a lot of fun for some of our members and their clients.

House Hunters follows buyers and their agents on the hunt as they find just the right house for them—and every story is different.  If you’re an energetic and outgoing Real Estate Agent currently working with a Homebuyer, we’d love to hear from you. 

Are you in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia or Colorado?

House Hunters is currently looking for Homebuyers who are:

Buying within a 90 min. drive of downtown Philadelphia, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis

Closing in the next 1-2 months, this includes buyers who are actively bidding on a home or newly under contract

Fun, enthusiastic, and have a great story to tell

If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll forward your information to their Associate Producer.  If you’d rather, you can also apply directly at HouseHunters@HighNoonEntertainment.com.  Thanks for helping us find some members and clients for their show, we’re excited about assisting them with this endeavor.

House Hunters airs weeknights at 9/8c on HGTV and is produced by High Noon Entertainment.  To learn more about the show visit HGTV.com/HouseHunters.  We appreciate your support with this Casting Quest.

The RAINMAKER – Social Networking & Growing Business

The Northern California Chapter of CRB invited us to come discuss Social Media Marketing and Networking with their group at their annual spring luncheon yesterday.  The event is held every year at the Sacramento Convention Center.  First off, I want to thank the Board Of Directors for inviting ActiveRain to speak, and also thank those who attended.  It was an honor and privilege to be part of your meeting.  I also want to thank President Earl Shuttleworth CRB, GRI and Executive Director – Joseph Banuat CRB for the beautiful plaque and for their wonderful hospitality.  Your organization is Top Shelf.

           

This particular presentation was to help Brokers and Managers to understand Social Networking a bit more and also the benefits of being an ActiveRain RainMaker.  Our goal is to show Brokers and Managers how a group or team Blog can benefit their company, brokerage, or them as an individual.  Also why supporting agents and their effective Blogging efforts is so important.  There was a great deal of interest by the group as we had 30+ CRB members/guests ask to be included in the upcoming webinar “How To Build A Powerful Team or Group Blog!” 

Congratulations to Gerrett Snedaker, CRB – CEO/Broker of Frank Howard Allen Realtors in Sonoma County for winning the drawing and an ActiveRain RainMaker Membership.  We’re looking forward to the development and success of Gerrett’s new Team/Group Blog.  For those unable to attend, I’ve included what was shared at the luncheon: a mind map from mindmeister, a PowerPoint presentation, and a video webinar created by Steven Graham using ActiveRains own Virginia Hepp from Mesquite Nevada as a case study.  Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity to be part of your meeting, we hope ideas for opportunity were shared and created for you in return.

CRB Broker Presentation

Here’s a short video about the case study done on one of our Rainmaker Members

UPDATE: Here’s the “RainMaker” Webinar Presentation if you missed it on June 11th. This was the follow-up that I recommend any Broker, Manager, or Individual agent take a look at. Thanks Bob Stewart for helping put this together for this group, you Rock!! Click below to play the video.

How To Maximize Indexing (RAINdexing) on your Outside Blogs

There is a need for some clarification as to how RAINdexing or Indexing your Outside Blogs works on ActiveRain.  With all the options available and the inter-connections between AR Blogs, Localism and Outside Blogs etc.,  I am going to try and simplify how it all works and what it all means.  Since my recent post “poll survey results” concluded that reading was the #1 best way for the majority to learn, I’m opting to do a Blog post on this topic.

Here’s the 5 areas we’ll cover in order to help you grasp and get your arms around how this all works: 

Channels, Topics, Localism, Outside Blogs, Categories & Local Post Widgets.

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS – PART I

Indexing Your Outside Blog Categories Using Channels and Topics

TIP: The Channels and Topic options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

When creating a new Blog post that you want to appear on your Outside Blog, it’s imperative that you are adding the post to Channels and giving it a “TOPIC”.  Topics will appear on your Outside Blog as “Categories” and will be indexed or RAINdexed accordingly.  When you apply the Categories Widget to your Outside Blog, your “Topics” will appear on the sidebar as “Categories.”  See below.

Here’s a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Category Widget)

A———C———T———-I——–V———E———R———A——–I———N

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS – PART II

RAINdexing your Outside Blog Local Posts Using Localism and the Local Posts Widget

TIP: The Localism options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

To have your Blog posts RAINdexed and sorted by Geographic Location, you’ll need to add them to Localism for this Widget to work on your Outside Blog.  Adding posts to Localism allows you to select State, County, City, and even down to a specific neighborhood.  Having these geographic locations broken down this way allows viewers to search those specific Hyper-Local posts by “Index” for the areas they may be interested in.

Here’s a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Local Posts Widget)

A———C———T———-I——–V———E———R———A——–I———N

 

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS – PART III

How To Add The Indexing / RAINdexing Widgets To Your Outside Blog

Step 1:

Go to your Outside Blog and Log-in

Step 2:  

Click on the link at the top of the page and then click the button.

Step 3:

Open the “Add New Widget” pull-down menu and select “Categories” or “Local Posts” then repeat.
(you can only add one widget at a time)

Step 4:

You can use the button to align your Index Widgets by simply dragging and dropping them where you want them to appear on your Outside Blog sidebar.  Once you’re finished, just click on  .

Step 5:

Click here to see a sample of how this has worked well for another AR member.  RAINdexing is Powerful.

I hope this post clears up some of the confusion or misunderstanding of how all these tools work together to get you the best possible results and indexing of your Outside Blogs.  As always, if you have any questions or need any assistance, our support staff and team are always ready and willing to help.  If you do not currently have an outside blog but might be considering one in the future, taking these steps now will ensure you won’t have to go back and make edits to your posts in the future. 

A———C———T———-I——–V———E———R———A——–I———N

 

Related Articles To Assist You

How To Create and Maximize an ActiveRain Outside Blog – 10 easy steps

5 Suggested Ways To Maximize Your Group/Team Outside Blog

How To Drive Traffic To Your AR Outside Blogs

ActiveBlogs – Link Love and SEO

CRB Real Estate Brokers – Building and Supporting Hyper-Local Blogs

Are you a Real Estate Broker or Manager?  Do you support your Agents Blogging?  Should a Real Estate Brokerage have a company Blog in addition to their own personal Blogs?  What is the value of having a Brokerage or TEAM Blog with multiple contributors?  Who are the “key” people that should contribute to a group Blog?  What should be the focus of a “Brokerage Blog” vs “Personal” and what kind of time commitment is involved?  What tools can be incorporated to bring more value to your Blogs and to the consumer, and why the Heck should you care?

This Friday, we’ll share some insight about these and other questions.  The CRB  (Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers)  Northern California Chapter has invited AR to attend and represent the community.  The question of whether to have a Blog or not is really no longer the question at all, especially if you’re in todays Real Estate Industry and Market.  The real question is; “how do you support, budget, and integrate time and technology so that the individual and Broker Blogs work, and are not something that can cause you or your office problems, lost business, or big money?”

Consumers are using the Internet more and more for research causing Agents and Brokers to take a deeper look at their involvement with Blogging, WEB 2.0 technologies, and their Internet presence.  Is it time to be in tune with them and to find more ways to support them?  Every Brokerage should consider having a Group/Team Blog.  In the very near future, this won’t be a choice or option, it’ll be an Industry standard, just like “the website” was.

The only choices soon will become when and how…

Building a Team or Broker Blog with Multiple Contributors doesn’t have to be challenge or nightmare.  Understanding some basic key fundamentals can help you establish a powerful presence both on-line and in your Local Community.  ActiveRain programmers, developers, and our staff have put in many hours of time and research to determine what works and what doesn’t.  Without a doubt, it takes commitment, focus, time, and a plan.  Investing these four basic elements will deliver a multitude of positive results.

Making the decision to have a Blog or Team Blog is the easy step, but knowing how to make it work and what things to implement, along with who should be contributing, is the key to ANY multi-authored Blogs’ success.  If you’re a Real Estate Broker/Manager, and you do not currently have a Blog or TEAM Blog for your Personal, Brokerage or Office, this may be an enlightening Luncheon for you to attend.  Joe Banuat from Coldwell Banker  (also the NOR-CAL CRB Executive Director) is inviting ALL OF YOU to join us in Sacramento this Friday for:

“Technology and YOU – the Broker/Manager”

brought to you in part by:

  

All Licensed Real Estate Agents are Welcome, you DO NOT have to be a Broker or Manager to attend this event.