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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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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The bankers are once again attempting to tilt the system in their favor by trying to turn Florida into a non-judicial foreclosure state. What this would mean is that the banks would not have to go through the legal system in order to have a foreclosure sale, which they currently must. My law firm represents thousands of homeowners in foreclosure and we are licensed to practice in several states including California, which is a non-judicial foreclosure state. I have seen how the banks simply steam roll homeowners in California, making no good faith effort to help keep these people in their homes.

Source:
Editorial: Banks Are Looking For More Bailouts

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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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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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See the rest here:
Fun Friday: Top 5 Real Estate Social Media Blunders

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It seems like whenever Apple announces the latest and greatest product -  there are always  other companies who see if they can do better. The last couple weeks, there has been a ton of industry buzz about the iPad – what it is and what it isn’t – and specifically, how it could impact Realtors. One of the biggest buzz items has been the lack of flash on the 1st generation iPad.

Just announced yesterday, the JooJoo tablet computer will begin shipping to pre-orders later this month. With all the hype behind the Apple iPad tablet, the timing could be perfect for Fusion Garage to launch the JooJoo as Apple has done the hard part of creating a huge viral buzz for ‘the next great thing.’  The JooJoo is listed for sale at $499 and will include Flash.

Fusion Garage CEO said, “It has a much larger screen, 12.1 inches instead of 9.7 inches. The resolution is 1368 by 768 pixels instead of 1024 by 768. There are an extra 300 pixels of length, so it’s 16:9 widescreen resolution instead of 4:3. And the Web browsing experience is even better than the iPad, because of the size of the screen.”

One thing to note – the JooJoo won’t have an app store.

Is Steve Jobs worried? Probably not

What do you think? Leave your comments here!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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The rest is here:
Competition for iPad? Meet JooJoo: the iPad alternative with Flash

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Submitted by Sawitonline -LUXURY/beauty/serenity/comfort: How RARE to find all in one fabulous affordable contemporary updated 1st floor condo with TO DIE FOR lake views. Seller is top premier Polo contractor and has brought the same bells and whistles to this unit that he installs in multi-million dollar Polo Club homes.

Entry to Polo Club lifestyle of elegance, relaxation or activity, a mix of friends & a lifetime of fine amenities. Security is heavy, but not obtrusive: you need us, we are there at once. You might WANT to cook in this gourmet chefs kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, custom wood cabinets, Saturnia floors. E-Z garage entry. Sit in the media room/den/guest bedroom, enjoy football & baseball games. Invite neighbors & friends in as the flow is easy & comfortable. From the patio, watch beautiful birds fly by & the water flow easily & endlessly. Dine in formal dining area. Work at your office niche & change your pace a few minutes by looking out at that wonderful lake. The large master bathroom has Saturnia all over, separate jetted tub & frameless shower, dual sinks. E-Z-to-maintain unit.

Den can be converted to 3rd bedroom.

Walk to worship, shop, main clubhouse, pretty community pool.

The rest is here:
ALL UPDATED First Floor Lakefront Condo in THE POLO CLUB

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This week every major tech blog has been buzzing about the iPad. Thank you to all the FOREM members who posted comments here as well as on our Facebook page. It was really exciting to see all the online chatter going on across the nation, as people waited to hear about ‘the big announcement.’ Whether the iPad will be a ‘game changer’ or not – especially for the real estate industry – is still up in the air.

In the meantime, I thought I’d add a little humor to the conversation. Enjoy!

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Submitted by Sawitonline -Search all the MLS listings in Media between $275k – $325k. Displayed on an easy to read Google map. Simply click on the link below

http://www.homefinderxl.com/idx/map/?search_zip=19128&min_price=260000&max_price=310000

Read the rest here:
Roxborough

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Submitted by Sawitonline -
This is th ebest time of the the year to but a home

Read the original here:
Media 450

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Submitted by Sawitonline -
Find all the house a snh homes you are intereseted in wright here

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Media 525

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You can get 5,000 Twitter followers with no measurable benefit. You can blog until your fingers hurt with no readers.  Learn how to get measurable results from social media and increase your business for 2010!

FOREM members: you are invited to a BRAND NEW session at Real Estate Connect:

LIVE LABS: Building Brand and Influence Through Social Media: Selling Technology Solutions in Real Estate.

Thursday, January 14th 3-4pm

Register today and SAVE $100 off!! (use code “forem”)

Led by business development guru Paul Chaney, author of The Digital Handshake, you will learn how to get results, move beyond participation to engagement on the social Web, and measure your success.

During live labs you will get the opportunity to “roll up your sleeves” and mix it up with your fellow attendees at Real Estate Connect. Each Connect Lab starts with a presentation by an expert  leader aimed at giving you practical takeaways you can implement back at home. The second half of each Lab will focus on audience-generated discussion and debate facilitated by your leader. These sessions will deliver an intensive 90 minutes on the issue that matters most to you.

Get the social media “secret sauce” to reach potential clients and leads!

See you at Connect! 8 days left!

Register today and SAVE $100 off!! (use code “forem”)

Questions about registration?  Please contact us at registration@inman.com or by calling 800.775.4662 ext 143

View the complete conference program

p.s. Have you downloaded the ConnectNYC app yet? It is available for use on any smartphone. Go to http://connectnyc.boopsie.com on your mobile browser or for iPhone users, go to the iTunes App Store and search for ‘ConnectNYC’

posted by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Submitted by Sawitonline -http://www.homefinderxl.com/idx/map/?search_city=Media&min_price=280000&max_price=330000

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Media 300 latest

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Submitted by Sawitonline -Finding a home Media is now easier than ever before. To see all the MLS listings between $350k – $400k displayed on an easy to read Google map just click on the link belowhttp://www.homefinderxl.com/idx/map/?search_zip=19063,19086,19014&in_county=delaware&min_price=320000&max_price=370000
>

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See all the MLS listings in Media

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Submitted by Sawitonline -All MLS listings plotted on an easy to read Google map. To view all the homes for sale in the Media area between $400k and $475k, just click on the link below…http://www.homefinderxl.com/idx/map/?search_city=Media&min_price=400000&max_price=475000

More here:
Media 450 map

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