We have built something that will reinforce what a powerful tool RealtySites PLUS truly is.

If any of you have heard of the “David Knox” video series and DVD’s, you would know how effective his videos are in providing top-notch insider secrets and principles of successful real estate transactions. They are something I have personally used for 15 years to lend to clients at open houses, listing appointments or FSBO solicitations. I would get my clients info (address, name) and pick up the video or DVD later in the week after they have watched it. It was GREAT because it differentiated me from other Realtors and gave me something of value that I could use as a way to earn my clients respect and trust.

David Knox has made an excellent decision in putting his videos online! Below are links to various sites to give you all the info you need. I highly recommend that you sign up for a free trial and send the video to yourself (and a couple of clients!) to see how effective they are in their content and as a means of building strong relationships between you and your client. It is simply a fantastic application.

The pricing sheet is below (on his website) and I believe that there is a ton of value. I have also automated the whole process as to putting it on your site.

All you need to do is:

-Create a menu item title in the “control panel content manager” section
-Go into the “content library” and click the first box “real estate consumer videos”

-Go in and turn it on. Put them in the order you want them to appear on your site menu and viola!! This takes all of two minutes. When someone registers on the sign-up form you have provided on your website, you will automatically receive an email sent to you as a lead. You then manually go into David Knoxs site (your account) and type in the clients name and email information that you have just received. Click send!

If you have any questions, just give us a call.

At RealtySites PLUS, we are always trying to add value to your lives and your business.

Terry LeClair

CEO, RealtySites PLUS

http://www.terryleclair.com/index.php

http://www.terryleclair.com/content.php?pid=3498

http://www.realestateconsumervideos.com

http://www.realestateconsumervideos.com/prices

What is Social Networking?

Millions of people are meeting other people, gathering and sharing first-hand information and experiences through the internet.

Social networking websites work like an online community of internet users. Depending on the website, many of these online community members share common interests. Once you have access to a social networking website, you can start socializing by reading the profile pages of other members and perhaps contacting them. But the friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. Another benefit includes business networking. You can use online social networking as an integral part of your marketing plan. Consider every social networking opportunity to communicate your value to your online consumers.  You can communicate, advertise, market, give and receive information, sell services and products etc.

A strong network can provide you with leads and a venue to access the now potential consumer and build your business. Research shows that customers are found through networking. Everyone you know or meet and every situation you encounter is a genuine opportunity to grow your network. Every family member, social or business acquaintance is a potential member of your network.

NAR (National Association of Realtors) publishes the results of their surveys to the clients that Realtors service. The surveys show, year after year, that over 45% of business by real estate professionals is through referrals. So take advantage of every referral possible. In fact you need to take advantage of referrals for people who you may not know directly – hence – social online networking.

Finding buyers and sellers is a challenge for every Realtor. You can use Social Networking to help others do the finding for you.  People are going to be looking to their friends (some of them they may never have met) for recommendations on who to use for services and you want to be at the center of networks so you can receive referrals in and out of your area.  Technology has gained momentum as powerful networking and marketing tools for Realtors. Social networking websites and applications take the lead when it comes to “must have” technologies.

If you don’t want to join a social networking site, make sure that you create an atmosphere on your website or your blog that encourages interaction and even networking.

Let’s take a look at some tech tools you absolutely must know about to reach those tech savvy consumers. Not a techie? Don’t worry – we’ll provide you with the basics, the sites will provide you with info on their product and sometimes even free training – and you take it from there!

1)  Text Messaging

I’m sure most of you are familiar with this first one.  Text messaging enables you to send and receive messages that are 160 characters or less through your mobile device via SMS – Short Message Service. Some companies offer SMS free of charge, but most charge a monthly or per-message fee. They can be sent from a cellular service provider’s web site, or by visiting some web pages that offer to send text messages for free. You can use text messages to interact with automated systems like entering contests and ordering products and services.

Text Messaging provides instant person-to-person communication. Some local Realtor Associations have taken advantage of this popular new trend to promote the Realtors listings. When searching for properties, consumers can receive information through text messaging from their Realtor that has detailed property information from their listing. There is also a Text Messaging Software System that allows consumers to request and instantly receive property listing information with their mobile phones. You can set yourself apart from your competitors by using a text messaging solution.

2) Facebook

This is another popular website. Facebook is a social networking website that was launched in 2004.  Users can join one or more participating networks, and once you become a member, you can upload photos, find people with the same interests or backgrounds, and communicate with friends.

Realtors can use Facebook to network. You can connect with friends, past clients and peers, create or actively participate in groups. This includes the ability to become the “local expert” through active participation. Facebook also allows members to create marketing flyers for targeted distribution through networks. The cost is either the number of clicks the ad receives (cost per click), or the number of times the ad is served up to users (cost per impression).

3) YouTube

Again, I’m sure you’ve heard of this one!  YouTube is a video sharing service. Anyone with internet can watch, share and comment on uploaded videos on YouTube.  Anything recorded with a webcam or any video recording device can be shared on YouTube.

It’s a great resource for uploading, sharing and tagging fun, informative videos. Realtors can advertise walk-throughs, selling tips, or how features affect property values on homes, create commercials, upload video listings of their homes. Agents can video themselves promoting their services, skills & knowledge – reaching out to a new generation of home buyers and sellers… all for free.

4) MySpace

MySpace was created for use by the general public as a social networking tool. MySpace is one of the  most popular websites in the U.S.

Although MySpace was begun as a social networking website, its usage has also spread to business applications. MySpace users often connect and reconnect with others for social and business purposes.  You can use MySpace for free advertising to promote your services and listings.

MySpace offers easy to use step-by-step instructions on how users can set up their own profile with photos, personal/professional information, links to other websites. A lot of independent musicians use this site because there is no service fee for using MySpace and it provides a lot of tools to take advantage of!

5) Blogs

What is a “blog”?

“Blog” is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe web sites that range from the personal to the political, and can focus on a particular topic such as web design, home staging, sports, mobile technology, one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects, or eclectic topics that provide links to all types of other sites. A blog can be an ongoing diary-style like personal journals, presenting the author’s daily life and thoughts. Separate professional postings, articles, and links to articles on other web sites, usually presented in reverse chronological order.

Blogs are a fantastic resource to create a job board or community board portion of your blog to create that sense of community.

Generally speaking (although there are exceptions), blogs tend to have a few things in common. They have a main content area with the newest article posted on top. Often, the articles are organized into categories.  There is an archive of older articles, a way for people to leave comments about the articles, a list of links to other related sites, sometimes called a “blogroll”, and one or more “feeds” like RSS, Atom or RDF files.

A Few Blogging Tips:

To stand out from the crowd of other bloggers, you want to be one of the few hundred thousand blogs that are actually visited. Don’t be discouraged if people don’t interact right away.  Here are some simple tips to help you on your way to blogging mastery: Post regularly, but don’t post if you have nothing worth posting about. Stick with only a few specific genres to talk about. Don’t put ’subscribe’ and ‘vote me’ links all over the front page until you have people that like your blog enough to ignore them (they’re usually just in the way). Use a clean and simple theme if at all possible. Enjoy, blog for fun, comment on other peoples’ blogs (as they normally visit back).(Info from Wordpress.org)

For more info about blogging go to http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

6) Vlogs

What is a “Vlog”?

Video Logs (vlogging) is a video form of Blogging through internet TV.

7) Flickr

Flickr is a photo management and sharing web application. It’s more than just an online photo album. With Flickr you can upload, organize, tag, describe, comment on, blog, and map your photos.

More info at flickr.com

Wikis

Wikis have rapidly become a powerful collaborative tool for real time online information sharing. This free and open source software allows both recreational and expert computer users to share hyperlinked materials and media in a way that is both accessible and functional.

One aspect of wikis which makes them so unique is that they can be viewed and modified by anyone with access to the internet, as there are usually no registration requirements. The user can access the information and edit it in a real time setting. Because there is no need to have in-depth programming or HTML knowledge in order to create a wiki, they are ideal for Realtors who want a quick, easy webpage that can handle links and pictures (ie Zillow Real Estate Guide)

9) Drupal

Drupal is a free and open source content management system that allows people to easily publish, organize, and manage lots of content on a website. Drupal also lets the system administrator to customize and manage the content and display of the website with little or no programming – great for us novices! There is even a Drupal training site that has a free step by step online tutorial on how to use Drupal.

Drupal may be a little more complex than some other Content Management System programs or basic blogging tools such as WordPress, but the polling functions, easy to use RSS feeds and other add-ons make this a great hybrid communication tool for the web. And because Drupal focuses on author/reader communication and not really programming expertise, a Drupal site would be ideal for Realtors looking to expand their community as well as reader interaction.

10) Microsites & Weblets

Microsites can be a good, low-cost option for reaching potential clients. Microsites (weblets) are similar to links on a website, although they typically have a separate url and are intended as an offshoot of the primary website with a specialized purpose.

Examples of microsites are:

1 – The REALTOR® Action Center

2 – The Face of Real Estate

Both of these examples are part of NAR (National Association of Realtors) but are considered separate entities in their own right. Realtors can position themselves as experts in specific markets (condos, first time buyers, seniors) by using microsites.  You can include articles/resources and any links that are geared to that market. Setting up a microsite is a simple matter of adding a page and inserting content to your existing website.

11) Widgets

When you look at some websites, you might see small advertisements for other companies or small screens that direct you to other sites embedded in the page. These are widgets. A widget is a small piece of code that can be inserted (with permission) into any HTML web page, without having to change the code of the page significantly. This function enables users to insert small bits of text, streaming video or pictures into a web page which do not have to be static. Widgets are being used on sites more frequently than ever before, and coding packages are readily available, for free, at numerous trusted sources such as Apple.com and Wordpress.com. For Realtors wanting an inexpensive way to advertise listings in real time, across numerous websites, widgets are the way to go.

12) Secondlife

This an interesting site.  Secondlife is a virtual world (secondlife.com) on the internet.   A free client program enables its users, to interact with each other through avatars. Residents can socialize and meet other residents, be a part of  individual and group activities, explore, create and actually trade virtual lproperty and services with one another.

A great resource about Second Life is this article posted on CNNmoney.com

http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/22/technology/fastforward_secondlife.fortune/index.htm

So here you have lots of wonderful tools and ideas to use technology to your advantage – promote yourself! Build your network! Grow your business! All thanks to the ever-growing variety of free online social networking! How’s that for a no brainer!

Carolyn Bickerton

Account Manager

RealtySitesPLUS

It’s time that someone finally comes out and tells all you REALTORS® that you don’t have to worry. Wal-Mart will hire us…when they put in their real estate offices in their stores.  Did you catch that? I said “us”.  Yes, the jerk writing this article is a REALTOR® himself. Telling you this doesn’t come with much trepidation and thought, but I am compelled to share this with you.

Why as an industry are we so slow to adapt? Why do we not embrace change and decide to make a difference early in the game? Why do we wait until our backs are against the wall and a gun is pointed at our heads before we wake up and decide to do something about it?  Now think about this for a moment: there is huge pressure by the DOJ in the United States – and now the Competition Bureau in Canada – to open up the MLS to anyone and everyone.  They want non-members, or members who decide they do not want to compensate selling agents, to have complete access to “our” MLS systems! The systems that our fees and thousands of man hours put in by REALTOR® volunteers built. The system we regarded as our “value proposition” and our “unique selling proposition” will be infiltrated by the public, the discounters or the shameless entrepreneurs trying to change our business for their shameless so-called profits.

But don’t bitch about it: we’ve done it to ourselves. It’s time we stopped whining about what is happening to our sacred MLS system and start to do something about it. Now don’t get me wrong, I still want to defend what we have built with as much passion and persistence that I can muster, but I am a realist and a planner. I want to look to the future and see that it’s NOT our use of MLS, but one of engaging the consumer. Quite frankly, you can NEVER engage and, more importantly, captivate the consumer with the data found on MLS.

So then why are so many REALTORS® relying only on MLS and the data contained in it for their web content? If you were to list your own home do you think that one paragraph of text and a few dimensions is enough to compel someone to come and see your home? I didn’t think so. Consumers are not idiots! They are demanding, and expect service and a professional to “market” their home the most effective way possible. For those of you who think that the MLS is the best marketing solution for your listings, I have a fantastic little blue apron with a pretty name badge on it that is made just for you.

For those of you who really don’t want to end up at Wal-Mart, listen up: we REALTORS® need to take charge right now, and change the way we do business. We MUST re-invent, re-develop, embrace and execute Real Estate 2.0.  We need to start work harder and stop thinking that MLS and its technology is the tool that’s going to make our jobs easier. In fact, it’s going to be the tool that puts us out of work if it’s the ONLY thing/tool we rely on.  What’s stopping Wal-Mart from putting in company-owned real estate offices in each of their stores, hiring out-of-work “goober” REALTORS® for $15 an hour and offering full MLS access for $499? “Bring in your photos and fill out this form and we will put your home on MLS”. Is it possible? Yes! Is it inevitable? NO!

We all must make an effort to create that Real Estate 2.0 experience. We must embrace great technology that makes us leaders in our market places. Technology that engages the consumer and gives them a captivating experience that they just can’t get from MLS – or Wal-Mart for that matter.

One thing’s for certain, the consumer will not stop expecting more, and there will be entrepreneurs that will be ready, willing and able to give them what they want. Let’s make a deal: why don’t we all decide to be the innovators, the creators, the professionals that people use to buy and sell real estate?

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have no plans wearing a blue apron and working for someone else.

Facebook is an essential component of any business. When you consider that Papa John’s Facebook Strategy was directly responsible for improving sales by 28% in 2009 and Levi’s reported a 50% increase in traffic to their website they traced directly back to their “Like” button and the integration of Facebook Connect and OpenGraph, you start to recognize its power. For real estate, a business page is critical, but the fact is, most real estate professionals do not utilize the features and functionality of the page to the best of their ability. So, here is my definitive guide to building a successful real estate business page that does NOT require tons of your time. I like automation and conversion, so that’s what this guide will focus on. Building a page with features and content that are designed to impress visitors, create fans and push them back to your website and lead generators where they can convert to contacts, leads and clients.

What most Realtors fail at is landing page optimization. A Facebook Fan Page is nothing more than a landing page that is designed to call visitors to action to both “like” the page so you can message them later and drive traffic back to the lead generators on your website. NOTE: nowhere here did I say, make yourself a fan page and extol all your virtues and talk about yourself!!!! Sadly, that is what real estate professionals do. They take a great opportunity to reach the 450 million people on Facebook and turn it into an “About Me” fest.

If you are like me, you have probably noticed that in the past 8-10 months you have been bombarded with requests to “like” the pages of hundreds of Realtors. If you are also like me, you probably didn’t “like” these pages! Why? Because they were irrelevant to you, they were boring, or worse yet, YOU ARE A REALTOR IN THE SAME MARKET and it would make very little sense to support your competition’s page! Needless to say, I didn’t.

What makes you want to “Like” a page?

1.    Relevance (it needs to be relevant to people that would use your services). So you need to provide status updates not just about real estate but also about the community!

2.    It needs to have tools that allow people ready to value their home or search for a new home. So, make sure you have conversion tools like a property search, contact form and home valuation tool on the page as well as your recent listings.

3.    Visual Appeal! The page needs to be pretty and capture the attention of the audience.

Think you can’t do that in Facebook?

Check out these 2 pages

Kevin Tomlinson

Kevin Tomlinson is a celebrity real estate agent selling condos in the Miami Beach area and uses a custom FBML page to visually appeal to his audience and solid call to actions to drive people seeking information through his mini site on Facebook then through to his website to begin robust property searches.
See Kevin’s Custom Facebook Page

Arbour Realty

Arbour Realty had a very unique and developed green eco-conscious brand with lots of tools including property search, an ajaxed home valuation tool and a community gallery. They sought to preserve the brand and tools on Facebook and developed a page that mimicked their website as closely as possible with a multiple tab layout. The result is breathtaking – you almost forget you are inside Facebook while navigating the page.

See Arbour Realty’s Custom Facebook Page

The secret sauce is creating a call to action welcome page and a Listing Search page then supplementing the functionality with applications like LinkedIn, Realtor.com’s MyListings and Slideshare. Creating a multimedia experience along with the delivery of quality content all within an interactive user experience is the key to creating the most valuable experience possible for visitors.

Here are 5 Tips that will help you build one of your own.

1.    The custom welcome page and/or custom IDX search page

Landing on a Facebook wall is just boring. It is a wall of information that really doesn’t give people the full picture of your real estate business. And let’s face it, most of the real estate content there is somewhat boring, so create a custom Welcome page that uses proven conversion psychology to call visitors to action to fan your page and push over to your website and lead generators. Make sure you include a brief bio, all your contact information and call to actions to your lead generation tools like property search, market reports, contact form and even community profiles. Resources for buyers and sellers would also be helpful.

Examples: Kevin Tomlinson Leigh Brown Sotheby’s Sam Miller

Bonus Tips: Be sure to use the FBML application to customize your landing page and set the new page as your default landing page for new visitors. Also, remember that calls to action that push visitors back over to your website are the most crucial thing you can include on a custom welcome page! Any decent web designer can help you create a page of your own or if you are interested in trying your hand at FBML, then you can purchase templates for real estate fan pages here.

2.    The things people forget!

Fully fill out your fan page profile – make sure you include your name, a profile picture of you or your logo, contact information, brief bio and

Promote your new Facebook Fan Page to your friends by suggesting it to them through Facebook and list it as a link on your personal profile alongside your website and/or blog.

3.    Promoting your fan page.

Make sure people know about your fan page so, be sure to write a new blog post about your page and ask people reading to fan it and use the Fan Page Widget to promote your new page on your website or blog. You can also buy the Facebook ads to it, if you want to spend a little money to build your presence. But, truly the best way to gain traction is to just suggest it to your friends.

Bonus Tip: Most people forget that your largest Facebook presence is on your profile, so remember to list your Facebook Fan page as one of your websites on your Facebook profile.

4.    The essential applications

Creating the right content for a Facebook Page is essential, but also making sure you use the right application and streamline that process  is important to keeping a page fresh. Here are a 5 tools to help get you started in providing a richer more useful experience for visitors and an efficient experience for you.

Realtor.com’s See My Listings if you currently use Realtor.com, you should definitely have this application on your page. It will automatically pull in all your Realtor.com listings onto your fan page.

Social RSS Got a blog? Then make sure all that content is pushing back over to your page with this handy application.

My LinkedIn Profile allows you to install a LinkedIn widget to your fan page so you can connect oyoru Facebook and LinkedIn networks.

I Endorse. I Endorse is a Facebook application that allows you to collect endorsements for the purpose of building your reputation whether you provide a product, service, or just want to have fun.

Slideshare. SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations. Upload your presentations, documents, PDFs, add mp3 audio to make webinars or embed Youtube videos into them. You can also import your SlideShare.net presentations into Facebook. Every Realtor should be using Slideshare on their profile and page!!!! It allows you to share listing presentations with potential clients and instantly makes you an expert!

Bonus Tip: Use Friendfeed.com. If you aggregate and push your entire lifestream of social media content through Friendfeed, you can easily populate your page content from your Digg, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Youtube, etc accounts.

5.    Use the custom url/username feature

Once you have over 100 fans, you can apply for a keyword rich custom username by going to www.facebook.com/username. This keyword rich url is public and is searchable by Google so you can build SEO value to your page which pushes some of that value back to your primary website (of course, this assumes you LINKED to your website in your profile!).

The dreaded “Goober Call”…just the thought of it makes me squirm like a child waiting in the dentist’s office. Some of you may be asking, “What the heck is a goober call?” We Realtors have ALL experienced the goober call on many occasions, some more often than others. A goober call, my fellow Realtors, is when a Seller calls and asks you things like, ”Hey, why isn’t my house selling?”, “How come I haven’t received any feedback on that last showing?”, or – god forbid – “Just what the heck are you doing for all those commission dollars I’m paying you?”

Actually, a goober call is almost every call the Seller makes to you. The reason I say that is because most of the time the call doesn’t start out as a goober call, but turns out like that. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t mean that I think the Seller is a goober, I just think that the conversation is a goober call, and honestly, the goober is usually the Realtor if they get that kind of call. Why am I dissing my peeps, my colleagues, my own Realtors? Simple: if you get a goober call, it’s usually your fault. These types of calls can be prevented with a little effort and strategic planning.

“Terry, how can we avoid goober calls?” I’m glad you asked! The first way to prevent goober calls is to ALWAYS do a listing presentation using proper presentation software (like PowerPoint). Yes, I said ALWAYS. A good listing presentation is invaluable to you as a Realtor. First, it should set out all the parameters with regards to marketing efforts, advertising, communication and feedback systems, and how your client will use your systems. You must explain your processes, commissions and any other ancillary services you may offer. The key is to never over-promise and under-deliver. If you say you’ll communicate feedback from every showing, you’d better darn well do it.

Another strategy I use in my business is to send the Sellers a `Stats Update’ letter every two weeks. This letter should explain to them what the current market conditions are, what comparable homes have recently sold or been listed, and how many web hits MLS and your website have generated. By giving the Seller this information BEFORE they ask for it or even want it you eliminate the goober call. On opposite weeks to the stats update letter, send a marketing update letter and include PDF`s of any ad or marketing piece. Let them know where and when their home will be exposed to the market. Also, send them all the listing and selling documents via email so they have the ability to answer their own questions before they call you, and the conversation turns into a goober call.

This approach has helped me greatly in my business. I’ve sold 100 homes every year for the past 12 years with NO buyers agent, only an admin person. And, I did it working only the odd weeknight, and hardly ever on weekends. That, my fellow Realtors, is what happens when you eliminate the goober call.

Just like the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign that’s run for years, the question of ‘Got Content?’ is everywhere. And, it’s as good for your website’s health as milk is for your body.

Website content – not just well-composed web pages, but helpful articles, blog posts, photos, videos, and more – is a must for today’s businesses, and real estate’s no exception. Content marketing isn’t just a new buzz term, fad or idea, it’s a proven, viable tactic.

There are several reasons behind using a content marketing strategy: improved search engine rankings (SER’s), evergreen content, lead generation, consumer education, brand building and reinforcement – the list goes on. Largely, it’s about being (and staying) top-of-mind with consumers. If most resources and helpful articles they read have your name on them and establish you as a knowledgeable industry professional, it increases the chance that a prospect will call you rather than a competitor.

When it comes to a content strategy, you should ask yourself:

-       Why am I creating it?

-       What’s the desired outcome?

-       How will I use it?

Creating a successful content strategy isn’t rocket science, but sticking to an editorial schedule might be challenging, especially if sitting down to write doesn’t come naturally to you.

We here at RSP have already done a lot of it for you. While we can’t create your strategy or editorial calendar for you, we’ve included content like consumer tips and helpful articles to use on your website – all you have to do is include them in your menu. You can add to this library with content items of your own or someone else’s (just make sure you give them credit). And, with ready-to-go content at your fingertips, creating and sticking to an editorial calendar will be a snap.

But don’t stop there. Make your site even more robust by adding as much detail as possible to your listings, uploading other articles or photos, and adding video to your blogs or bio. There’s really no end to the possibilities, as long as you keep the content relevant and useful. And, don’t discount using social media to share your content and interact with people, especially now that social search is being included in results.

If you need help creating content or adding a little “oomph” to your RSP website, give us a call. We can help!

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

Now that spring has finally arrived it’s time to de-clutter and get organized. The summer months are just around the corner and we all know how fast they blow by simply because it’s typically the time of year many of us enjoy the most. You don’t want to spend your time sifting through piles of junk on a sweltering hot sunny day when you could be wading in the pool with a cool pint of refreshment.

Time is of the essence if you want to make the most of the warmer weather. I have a principal rule I follow when it comes to thinning out the closet. If I haven’t worn it in the past year I try and find it a new home. I admit I can be somewhat of a pack rat, but fears of becoming a hoarder and infinite threats from my “Better Half” have forced me to depart with stuff I would’ve hung onto for decades. And, let’s face it, once you make the commitment to get rid of it you never give it a second thought anyway.

The 80’s & 90’s were great decades, but do I really want to go grunge again, unless, of course, fashion really is cyclical. Mind you, I don’t really want to be single again – especially at my age – and the kids wouldn’t be seen in public with me, so grunge is probably not a great idea.

De-cluttering other parts of the house can be equally as painful, especially when it comes to “Man’s Domain”: the garage. I mean, who knows when you might need that piece of twine or a few hundred odd sized nuts and bolts? I’m telling you, there have been times that I’ve tossed something I thought I would never use again, only to need it for a small handyman’s job around the house a week later.

Spring cleaning is a very stressful time of year for me, but in the end it always feels great to get rid of the stuff taking up precious space, and I’m all but guaranteed I won’t be single for at least another year when it’s time to do it all over again. Now to find my flippers and jump in the pool. . .oh wait, I threw them out!

If you want to de-clutter your real estate business, try using an all-in-one web solution like RealtySites PLUS™. Our members have access to an assortment of tools to help keep them organized and effortlessly on top of their game.

Whether it’s online document storage, communicating automatically with your prospects and clients, or keeping track of your stats, RealtySites PLUS™ will keep you organized and clutter-free.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Did you know…The word exercise derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off”?

And, did you know the term “to exercise” means to practice, put into action, train, perform, use, improve?

Biologically, it was part of survival, in the form of hunting and gathering or raising livestock and growing food. Historically, it was built into daily life, as regular hours of physical work or soldiering. What is now considered a form of exercise – walking – was originally a form of transportation.

Scientists in the UK believe they have found a chemical in the body that may explain why people feel better after doing exercise. The chemical phenylethylamine is thought to help regulate peoples’ moods, and they’ve found the chemical is not as abundant in depressed people as in happy people.
Researchers have found that, after exercise, the levels of the chemical in the body rise by around 77%. It’s thought there are other factors involved as well,  but STILL! (Source: news.bbc.co.uk)

I know you know exercise is a natural part of life, although these days we have to consciously include it in our daily routine. Recently, I have come to realize that physical activity doesn’t have to be hard. I always felt that you had to be a fanatic
and therefore I could never really maintain any fitness program. I always fell off the wagon because I couldn’t keep up with it, or I got sick of the sport/routine, or I just wanted to visit someone, or hang out with my daughter. We have a lot of responsibilities and obligations in a day, and sometimes all I want to do is chill.  But you know what? Anything is better than nothing – even just 30 minutes a day can help improve your health and generate feelings of well-being.

Fitting 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine is easy, especially if you break it into 10-minute increments. Try dancing for 10 minutes, taking the stairs wherever you are, parking your car further away (even easier now with the nice weather), or even a 10-minute stretching break at work. I bet you can find some simple exercises on the internet to do at your desk. I used to use an exercise ball as a chair when I worked from home – it forces you to sit up straight, if nothing else!

Exercise does more for you than just help you lose weight or build muscle. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins – chemicals that can help a person feel more peaceful and happy. It builds positive self-esteem, improves your confidence/mood, and gives you a more positive outlook on life.

I know that when I even do a little bit each day it makes me feel good, and helps me reduce stress. I also found out that regular exercise (even just a little!!!) can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, actually INCREASES energy, improves posture and balance (back to the exercise ball), improves circulation, strengthens your immune system, helps with heartburn and constipation, improves your love life, and helps prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, osteoporosis and cancer.

PLUS, regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure, lowers total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high density lipoproteins (HDL or the “good” cholesterol). And of course, it strengthens your heart, and gives you stronger muscles and bones.

Exercising is like a lot of things – it takes discipline to stick with it, but as you can see, it’s pretty easy to increase your activity level without doing a whole lot. It’s just as easy to improve your online marketing and web presence. In just a few minutes a day, whether it’s using social media, writing a blog post, or simply working on your website, you can greatly improve your search rankings and generate more leads.

Like Nike says: “JUST DO IT!”

Carolyn Bickerton, Account Manager

I may be working in the high-tech software world, but, like many of our clients, I’m not the sharpest tech knife in the drawer. In my professional life, technology has always played a major role, but thankfully I’ve been able to work with people much more talented than myself to make the magic happen.

I have to admit, I’ve not always been quick to adapt. My family and friends still tease me occasionally of the fact that when bank cards became the norm (many years ago now), I still stood in line at the bank because I liked dealing with an actual person rather than a machine.  The truth is, technology has made our lives easier, but it’s also taken the personal touch out of daily transactions with our customers and clients.

Call me a little old-fashioned, but what I enjoy the most about my job is the fact that I can build relationships and actually get to know a little bit about our clients. I think this is so crucial to business because if we know our clients personally we can better tailor our products to suit their needs.

These days, when you call a company – especially a software company – you’ll be hard pressed to actually speak to someone in person without having to jump through various automated-attendant hoops that are both frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why I’m so proud of the relationships we’ve built with our clients, and the customer service we provide. An actual person answers our phone (usually me), and as a result I get to know our clients just a little better.

RealtySites PLUS™ has improved immensely because of the dialogue we have with our amazing customers. Technology is only as good as the people that develop it, but if there’s a disconnect with the people you’re serving, it becomes obsolete in a hurry.

As our company continues to grow and improve I know we’ll continue to offer the best of both worlds: amazing technology and good, old-fashioned personal service.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

In my last blog post I spoke about going on vacation with my family and the importance of nurturing relationships and creating memories. We have been home for a week now, and I’ve had time to reflect on some of the lasting impressions that were made on this trip.

One that comes to mind is when one of the kids dragged me off of my lounge chair and insisted that I help her make a sand castle. Considering that we lacked any sort of proper digging tools other than a plastic spoon, we decided it would be better to make an object out of the sand, and agreed on an alligator. Once the preliminary outline was etched into the sand, I began the task of carving out the outline of our soon-to-become masterpiece.

As I was digging my hands into the well-packed, dampened sand, I couldn’t help compare what I was doing on a sunny beach in Punta Cana to my work. It seems almost impossible to do something well, especially if you don’t have the proper tools.

Not to disappoint, I persevered with the same tenacity our team of professionals do at RealtySites PLUS™. I used that plastic spoon to carve out the intricate details to our giant sand sculpture and my bare hands to do the grunt work of digging and piling what seemed to be endless amounts of dampened sand. In the end, it occurred to me that I had the right tools after all.

At first glance a plastic spoon seems like the unlikely tool to create a great sand sculpture, but it worked. The same can be said of REALTORS®’ marketing strategies: a website doesn’t seem to be the first choice for many REALTORS®, because billboards and print ads seem flashier, and as a result many would think a more effective marketing tool. We know from recent statistics that the best way for REALTORS® to market themselves is with a strong internet presence and lead-generating website.

Just like the spoon I used to build a great sand sculpture, you can carve out more business than you ever thought possible with the right website and online tools to captivate consumers and cultivate leads (which of course result in closing more sales).

All it takes is a little time and effort, and before long you will amazed by what you’ve accomplished, just as I was with what I created using one little plastic spoon on the beaches of Punta Cana!

Rob Matton, Director of Sales