Housing News
Listen Louder
One question I get in class all the time is, “how long do you spend a week on your social marketing?”
That tells me that they still have a block to the concept of social capital making a real difference in their business. I have found that they need to say “Yes!” and as the saying goes, the teacher arrives when the student is ready.
I tell my coaching clients that they need a Social Networking Plan. Of course a blog adds quite a bit of time to that schedule but if blog posts are done consistently with relevant content the return is phenomenal.
I even tell some to spend 15 minutes every morning to post on your social networks and again in the evening. Of course those of who have success will start preplanning our posts, just like we do with our blog posts.
Some software allows you to plan your posts and schedule them, like seesmic desktop, ping.fm and others.
Engage and influence:
Whatever you decide your schedule to be, you need to engage and influence often without authority. Your sphere and clients and customer need insights NOT information.
1. Identify key relevant topics
2. Be a source of internal and external insights
3. Engage with unique value add whenever your post
4. Deliver an exceptional experience when they finally work with you
5. Influence best practices for future success
Austin
Austin tops the list of best places to buy a home
When looking to buy a home, taking the long view is important before making such a huge investment – where are the best places to make that commitment?
Housing News
Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
Click here to continue reading this story…
Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
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Chuck G
August 30, 2009 at 11:59 am
Amy,
Great point about adding value to your posts. I see lots of sites that just cut and past a very informative (some times too informative) graph from a research company (Altos, et al) and just call it a “market update.” But when I look at these through the eyes of the average consumer, the first question that comes to mind is “What do these numbers mean to ME?”
Charts and graphs are great, but we often miss the golden opportunity to put OUR opinion and analysis behind what the numbers really mean. And THAT is what your readers are looking for in the first place, not a fancy chart.
Adding Value = Building Credibility
…and that’s the whole reason we blog in the first place, isn’t it?
Barb Dragotta
August 30, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Though I do maintain our Business web site on Point2; the most fun that I have is in the ‘Rain’ [Activerain.com] where our main Blog is posted. Generally, it appears that this is for those who lurk in the background rather than comment. However, google has posted some entries; wish they would ask which one I would choose–but that is what is meant by random robot crawling. Anyway that it is discovered is good, Right? Blogs,& other social outlets as twitter can be difficult for those who find it hard to write, but it is a skill worth developing. One disclaimer now coming: choose carefully that which you post on the web; items do seem to grow a life all their own. Personally, I am grateful that God gave me the gift of gab, for I don’t know
how others who are shy or who find putting forth their views to others troubling, ever do get their nerve up & post. To them, I say Congrats!
MIssy Caulk
August 30, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I didn’t ‘plan’ it but I tend to be on Twitter in the AM and Facebook at night. I’ve often wondered how that happened. But seems I get more engagement on FB.
Amy Chorew
August 30, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Thanks all for your comments. I recently was at a session with my business coach and it became abundantly clear that to make a change in a business model or system the mindset has to change FIRST!!
Ken Brand
August 31, 2009 at 11:45 am
This sentence is worth etching in stone: “Your sphere and clients and customer need insights NOT information.” Information is worthless without interpretation, perspective, commentary, etc.
Great post.
Cheers.
teresa boardman
October 21, 2009 at 6:38 am
I have always had a schedule for writing blog posts that is why I have been able to do it for four years. The rest is random and unplanned but I am not a social media marketer I just use social media to stay in touch.