Real Estate News

There are a lot of exciting things coming out in the next few weeks – here are my top 3:

1. Like it? Hate it? The iPad which drew a ton of rumors and speculation is ready to make it’s debut. The 1st commercial aired during the Academy Awards (which explains why Steve Jobs was on the red carpet) and is officially going mainstream. The iPad will be on sale on April 3, 2010 and pre-orders begin March 12, 2010.

Here’s the commercial in case you missed it:

2. Better than the iPhone?! The Google Nexus One phone – the phone that had a lot of buzz when it first came out, is a phone that critics are still wondering if it can compete with the iPhone and other touch-pad type smartphones. Google has never made it a secret that they plan to release it to multiple carriers – just WHEN is the question. This phone is rumored to be coming to Verizon on March 23, 2010.

3. Wonder if I could sneak into this? f8 – The Facebook Developer Conference is slated for April 21-22, 2010.

According to the Facebook blog,

“f8 has always been about empowering a community of developers to hack, to build and to delight users. We’re looking forward to continuing this tradition at our third f8 in San Francisco on April 21-22, 2010. Please save the date!”

BONUS: One more thing to add to your calendar this month. Planning on coming to Real Estate Connect SF (#icsf) – Early Bird Registration ends in 11 days! Sign up by 3/19/10 and save over $300!

Would love your comments – please leave feedback below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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One of the best social media strategies for real estate agents is to become your network’s trusted advisor. And of course one of the best places to put that strategy into play is, without a doubt, on Facebook. So you create a profile and import your sphere list, now what?!

Well, as a real estate professional you can easily showcase your expertise and knowledge about your market area and industry trends. One of the ways I suggest doing this is by posting status updates that offer relevant info and/or tips your network would find helpful. Now some of you are already REALLY GOOD at sharing this type of info…and you might be so good at it that you decide to create a Fan Page to focus more intently on business.

Fan Pages are becoming more popular among real estate professionals for several reasons. Most importantly, it is more widely accepted (and preferred by Facebook) to utilize a Fan Page for promoting your business and sharing comprehensive listing data. NOTE: There are some people that truly ROCK the essence of Facebook and have mastered the art of the 3 P’s (personality, passion, profession) from their profile and don’t need to maintain the separation of church and state….or personal and professional. However, for many the draw of a Fan Page breaks down to the ability of sharing listing data, as well as relevant market data in a more appropriate fashion…with an opt-in network of interested folks.

Up until now adding real estate specific applications to a Fan Page has been, to say it nicely, less than effective. Many of the listing applications copy Website functionality and seem to have forgotten the nature of this network. Ideally, these applications need to offer more than just listing information but a way to provide interaction….or a rich data set of relevant information.

And that is why I was very excited to hear about  a new application for agents that launched this week! The Roost Social Real Estate Application is the first app of its kind to offer agents the opportunity to:

• Showcase their expertise from a Fan Page
• Provide valuable market data and information for a particular area (city) to their network
• Easily customize and install on your own Page (in 5 minutes!)
• Avoid the cost of hiring a professional to customize a local resource tab for you (this app naturally integrates local market trend info via Altos Research, active listings via Roost, mapping via Google, school info via Education.com, and neighborhood info via Walkscore).

The Roost Social Real Estate Application is clearly a value-add now…but there are more goodies to come with this app! Derek Overbey and Alex Chang of Roost took some time to share some important details about using this new app, as well as what’s in store in the future! In the coming months, Roost will add the ability to share market data for up to 5 cities! In addition the feature scope will widen to include featured properties, testimonials, and IDX compliant MLS search (inside Facebook)!!!

I have to say it’s very refreshing to witness a company like Roost incorporate Facebook functionality and real estate expertise…and deliver it to agents for FREE! Yep, this app is currently available on Facebook for FREE. You can add it to you Fan Page today, simply search “Roost Social Real Estate” once logged in to Facebook. Several agents have already taken advantage of the opportunity to add the app, check out Brad Coy’s Page,  Heather Elias’ Page, and Engel Real Estate Page for great examples of customization.

To add the Roost Social Real Estate Application to your Fan Page, follow these steps:

(1)    Visit the Roost Social Real Estate Application Page inside Facebook, and click on “Go to Application”.

(2)    You’ll be prompted to customize the app to your selected Fan Page by selecting: “Create Profile”

(3)    Next customize the application with your contact information, logo, and informational verbiage. NOTE- You can update the marketing verbiage periodically to share the latest trends and tips with your local network.

(4)    Finally, you’ll need to add the app to your Page. FYI- Facebook must render some images of the app so if it doesn’t load completely at first, be patient!

Once the tab has loaded onto your Page, you can direct your clients to the info by announcing it via a status update on your Profile, and even on your Fan Page! Also, be sure to share your Facebook Page URL on all your marketing. Write a blog post letting your clients now about this new feature on your Page, or create a postcard to share with your farm.

Related Posts

• AgentPress: The Ideal Theme for Real Estate Bloggers
• Real Estate Bloggers: Increase Your RSS Subscribers with Facebook
• 7 Ways to Syndicate Your Real Estate Listing

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Add To My Page: Roost Social Real Estate App

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Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find an email newsletter from – TWITTER! I guess it shouldn’t suprise me – but at first I was a bit surprised that the company that made “140 characters” a household name, decided to get a message out to their members via email.

Good reminder to all of us that email is still a great way to get a message out – especially to your loyal fans (or followers!)

Here is the body of the email in it’s original form – lots of great new things coming down the pipeline from Twitter!

Hi there,

In the early days of Twitter, I used to send out short updates just to keep everyone in the loop since so much was happening. It’s been a while, but you signed up for short, monthly updates from Twitter so we thought it was time to start sharing more information. We’ve had quite a year. If you haven’t visited in a while, we’d like to invite you to come have a look at http://twitter.com — we’ve been busy!

Growing Up
In the course of a year, registered Twitter accounts have grown more than 1,500% and our team has grown 500%. Recently, we hired our 140th employee! His name is Aaron and he’s an engineer focused on building internal tools to help promote productivity, communication, and support within our company. We celebrated with a little dance party.

Features of Note
Some features of note that we released over the course of a year include the ability to create lists, quickly spread information with a retweet button, and an easier way to activate your mobile phone to work with Twitter over SMS. We also built a new mobile web site that looks and works much better on smart phones.

Feeling Inspired
By working together during critical times when others needed help, sharing important information that otherwise might not make the news, and inventing new and interesting ways to use Twitter, you’ve shown us that Twitter is more than a triumph of technology — it is a triumph of humanity. Projects like Fledgling and Hope140 were inspired by you.

Chirp!
While there may only be 140 full-time employees working at the Twitter offices, there are thousands of dedicated platform developers who have now created more than 70,000 registered Twitter applications creating variety and utility for all of us. We’ll be gathering this spring at Chirp, our first ever official Twitter developer conference.

Thanks,
Biz Stone, Co-founder (@Biz)
Twitter, Inc.

Would love your thoughts on email newsletters. I am a big believer in them myself – especially to drive traffic to your web site or blog. I also think they are a fantastic way to keep your ‘raving fans’ updated on the latest and greatest that you are promoting.Leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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One of the topics people ask me frequently about is social media – and specifically they ask me for how to make the best use of their time. Anyone who has dived into social media knows that it is not “free” – it takes time and a thoughtful effort to make it work your time.

If you are like me, and seem to be “always connected” – whether it’s Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc  – it’s a great reminder that you need to be smart with your time. If you’re not careful, social media can be a time suck!

So how can you be more smart with your time?

Plan social media into your schedule for 1 hour a day: 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes late in the day.

The key here is multi-task, move fast, don’t get distracted.

If I was a real estate agent – this is how I would do it:

AM: 1st thing after or before you check your email

1. Turn on your computer. Open 7 windows: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, your web site, your blog, your favorite news website (i.e. Inman News ), and your favorite ‘drip marketing’ social media site (my fave is Hootsuite). Move fast, don’t get distracted.

2. Facebook: Scroll through the page – make 3 comments on other people’s posts. Post what you are up to that day. Respond to anyone who has commented on your or left you a message. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

3. Twitter. Click your @ button (i.e. – @katielance). Anyone who has mentioned you – thank them publicly. Respond to DM’s. Scroll through your home page and re-tweet 3 things of interest. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

4. LinkedIn: Post your status update – have it feed to Twitter (check the ‘Twitter’ box to do so – so easy!) Respond to any messages in your inbox. Check your groups. Not in a group? Join a group and comment on 1 discussion a day. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

5. Close these 3 windows: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Keep Hootsuite.com open and your web site, blog, and your favorite news site. Pick 6-8 links to share that day in Twitter. One can be a listing. The rest must be good content or newsworthy. Pick 3 links to share for Facebook. Twitter moves faster than Facebook which is why you need to post more often. Plug your posts and links into Hootsuite. Space them 1-2 hours apart. If something is a hot topic you can schedule it to go out more than once. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

PM: Repeat!

Next day: Repeat!

Do this everyday 5-6 days a week. If you follow this schedule it will become a habit. Also don’t underestimate the power of commenting and interacting – this is probably MORE important than posting your own content and links. Social media is just that – social!

BONUS TIP: Plan into your schedule an additional 2-3 hours a week if you are a blogger. Also plan one time a week to search for new friends, fans, and followers.

Looking for more info?  Stay tuned… I have something exciting in the works that will be revealed in a few weeks.

I would love to hear how you formulate a schedule for social media – what works and doesn’t work for you. Please leave me your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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You may have heard of the popular Smarter Agent Mobile Application for real estate companies and professionals….but what you may not know is that they just released a Facebook application to compliment their mobile app!

First and Foremost

Smarter Agent is a mobile app platform that can be utilized and branded by agents and brokers. The app can be downloaded by consumers to search all MLS listings in their area. And it’s important to know that Smarter Agent works on virtually all mobile phone devices.

The Skinny

When a real estate professional signs up with Smarter Agent, he/she is provided with a personalized text code that consumers use to download the custom app. But now that same text code can be used to create both a branded badge and tab on your Facebook Profile or Facebook Fan Page.  In fact, your Facebook friends can even add your personalized Smarter Agent badge or tab to their profile.  To get started or learn more about this new Facebook Integration option, login to Facebook and search “Smarter Agent” to view the app. You can also contact Smarter Agent directly.

A few examples:

Customized Smarter Agent Badges

Customized Smarter Agent Tab

MyTechOpinion: I’m already a fan of Smarter Agent, and this new feature also gets a “thumbs up”. I especially like it for Fan Pages. But I wouldn’t be put off by seeing it on a Facebook Profile either. I think it’s just one more way to contact the expert you know and trust in your area for real estate advice and listing search. In addition, the tab is very informative and provides a demo on how consumers can best utilize the app!

Related Posts

• HomeGain Launches New Agent Blogging Network
• Get Smart with Any Mobile Phone
• Is My Facebook Profile Complete? FacebookGrader Has the Answer!

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Customize Your Facebook Profile or Fan Page with Smarter Agent!

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In the last few weeks or so, I have noticed an incredible amount of GOOD content coming down the pipeline. Like you, I subscribe to blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter lists, etc. But what has grabbed my attention lately has been my Facebook feed. Anyone who know me, knows that I am a huge fan of having a Facebook Fan Page. I think it is still one of the best ways that a brand, company, or individual can ’speak’ to it’s audience.

So today, I wanted to share with FOREM fans, a ’snippit’ of my Facebook feed and the articles that jumped out to me. You’ll notice that these articles are all across the board – not just real estate. 

When talking to FOREM founder Joel Burslem awhile back – he reminded me of something so powerful and gave me some great advice:  “Read blogs and news sources from outside your industry – we can learn so much by seeing what other successful companies and brands are doing – that aren’t necessarily in real estate.”

Here are the 10 stories I enjoyed from my Facebook feed today – in no particular order:

Starbucks Gets Its Business Brewing Again With Social Media

How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media

VIDEO: Posted by Fans of CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

VIDEO: Facebook is the ‘Ultimate” Viral Video Tool, Ethan Beard

Realtor Mag Marketing Makeover Challenge

RPR revamps MLS licensing agreement

Want More Twitter Followers? Tweetmeme Has A Button For That.

10 Must Have Facebook Plugins For Wordpress

To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Expert Tips about Using Social Media

How to Make Money on Foursquare

Shameless plug: If you’re not following the Inman Fan Page, I encourage you to check it out! Get all the top news headlines delivered right to your Facebook news feed. Plus, be the 1st to know about contest, promos, and more.

So what are your favorite posts from your Facebook feed today? Have a great tip? Leave me a comment here!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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I’m sure none of our loyal FOREM member commit any of these ‘blunders’ – but just in case… I figured it would be fun to do a little post about it today.

Feel free to pass this onto anyone “not following the rules!”

Top 5 Real Estate Social Media Blunders:

1.    Talking about yourself to no end. Enough about me, let’s talk about ME! Yes, social media is social – but at some point, it is NOT all about you! This is tough in real estate, where you learn from every marketing person to ‘sell yourself’ and ‘you are your brand’ – which is true – but many people (especially the Gen X and Gen Y crowd) don’t want to hear all about you – they want to know about the interesting things going on in the community, in their neighborhood, local market stats, and other things that make what YOU do valuable to them.

2.    Only posting your listings. Major faux-pas!  Luckily I have not seen as much of this lately, but it’s still happening.   You can post your listings – but make sure you post other great content. (See my ideas in #1 above)

3.    Copying content and claiming it as yours. Big “no no” here. There is so much great content out there – it’s fine to use an excerpt of something and then credit the source, but don’t copy someone else’s  material and claim it as your own.

4.    TMI. There is a fine line between being social and giving out “too much information” – no need to tell your social network everything and anything!

5.    Speaking the same on Facebook as you do Twitter. Maybe this is my own irritation, but whenever I see hashtags and @ signs on Facebook I cringe a little. The language on Facebook is different than Twitter. I think it’s fine to duplicate messages on both channels (especially since a LOT of people are only on one of the channels and not both) – but if you do, take a moments to adjust your language to be more “Facebook friendly”

I know there are a lot more blunders – what’s your favorite one? Or the one you see agents doing over and over again? Leave me a comment below.

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Fun Friday: Top 5 Real Estate Social Media Blunders

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Wondering which iPhone Valentine’s apps to check out? Here are 5 fun ones to download for this weekend!

1. Candy Hearts lite – This free app is perfect for those who love the idea of candy hearts but don’t want to eat any empty calories.

2.  iXplode – Valentine’s Day – This $.99 app is the perfect ‘Anti-Valentine’s Day’ app. From the product’s description, “Want to send your “ex” a special holiday greeting? How about a heart shaped box of Chocolate being ripped apart in a massive explosion along a custom message straight from the heart? Maybe you just want to blow your “special someone away” with a Valentine’s Day greeting they’ll never forget.”

3. iFlirt – For $0.99 this app will provide you with dating tips, pick-up lines, and more.

4. iWrite – Love Poems – This $1.99 app will help you get your creative juices flowing, give you tips on writing your love poem and provide examples.

5. Shakespeare. A free app containing the complete works of William Shakespeare and if it’s free love poems you want then skip down to the last two items on the menu; his sonnets and poems.

BONUS:
Not really Valentine related – but Open Table (for local restaurant reviews/reservations) and Foursquare (the addicting ‘check in’ app) are great apps and have become two of my favorites lately.

How is this related to real estate? Well, this weekend is the perfect opportunity to show your clients your LOVE! Ok, I know that was cheesy , but honestly why not take this weekend to send a quick note to your top 5 favorite clients to thank them? It couldn’t hurt, right?

Happy Valentine’s Day FOREM members!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Excerpted from:
Fun Friday: Top 5 Valentines iPhone Apps

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SANFORD – Grayman Construction Management Service, LLC, headquartered at the UCF Business Incubator in Sanford, recently appointed Clinton Cooper director of business development. Timothy Grayman, president of Grayman Construction Management Service, said Cooper has more than 17 years of experience in banking and finance, construction, land acquisition, and community development. Cooper formerly worked in project management, land acquisition and development, and purchasing with Ryland Homes in the Orlando region and was a financial specialist with First Union National Bank. Cooper graduated from the University of Florida and is currently working toward his MBA.

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Grayman Construction Management Service Appoints Clinton Cooper Director of Business Development

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ORLANDO – Crossman & Company, the Orlando firm that ranks as one of the largest third-party retail leasing and management firms in the Southeast, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. John M. Crossman, CCIM, president of Crossman & Company, said the firm currently leases and manages retail properties that total more than 16 million square feet of space throughout the Southeast. Scott E. Crossman, CCIM, founder and chief executive officer of Crossman & Company, opened the doors in 1990 in a small office in downtown Orlando.

The rest is here:
Crossman & Company Celebrates 20th Anniversary

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WINTER PARK – Mattamy Homes US Group, the U.S. division of Canada’s largest home builder, recently appointed Mario Carrera a new home counselor in its Orlando Division. Steve Parker, president of Mattamy Homes US Group, said Carrera is bilingual (English/Spanish) and has more than 12 years of experience in new home sales in Central Florida. Throughout his career Carrera consistently ranked among the top three in sales at formerly held sales executive positions with national homebuilders and developers in Central Florida. He was most recently a sales consultant for Prime Home Builders. Carrera will be assisting new home buyers at Mattamy’s Orlando communities of Tuscany Place off Millennia Blvd. and Lake Burden in Windermere.

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Mattamy Homes US Group names Mario Carrera New Home Counselor in Orlando Region

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ORLANDO – Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has appointed former FDIC director John Carter an associate in its downtown Orlando World Marketing Center. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said Carter retired last year as director of the San Francisco office of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and has more than 35 years of experience with the agency.

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Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty Appoints Former FDIC Director as Luxury Property Associate

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MAITLAND – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a new long-term lease agreement for a 32,736 square foot industrial building at 6363 Edgewater Drive in Orlando. Sean DuPree CCIM, associate at NAI Realvest, negotiated the transaction representing the tenant, Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J. The landlord for the 25 year-old building is Orlando-based Smyth Lumber Company Trust No.1 who was represented by Matt Sullivan and Wilson McDowell at Colliers Arnold.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Long Term Lease for 32,736 square foot Industrial Building in Orlando

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ORLANDO – Lennar will host “From the Vine Goes the Grape” Festival from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 at Heritage Hills in Clermont, located on Heritage Hills Blvd. off Hancock Road south of S.R. 50. Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said the Mediterranean-themed festival will feature foods, with entertainment and the public is invited. Admission to “From the Vine Goes the Grape” is free, Metheny said. Heritage Hills, Welcome Home Center, is located at 3195 Heritage Hills Blvd, Clermont, Florida, 34711. For more information about the “From the Vine Goes the Grape” festival call 888-216-1988 or 888-317-7489.

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Lennar to Host “From The Vine Goes The Grape” Festival at Heritage Hills Feb. 27 in Clermont

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ORLANDO – The wave of housing foreclosures in the Orlando area has generated a big increase in legal work for Orlando attorney Mark Lippman. Lippman, whose law practice has offices in Orlando and Kissimmee, focuses on real estate law and represents home owner associations and condominium associations who want to recover association fees from foreclosed home owners who fail to meet their obligations.

More:
Home Owner Associations Seeking Legal Help to Stem Tide of Foreclosures, Lost Dues

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