Housing News
SEO Tip – It’s Time for a Pop Quiz
Time to find out who’s been paying attention
This week we are not having a tip, this week it’s time to see who’s site is doing well, and who’s needs some more help. After all, how can I possibly know what kind of help (or how much) you need without testing your skills?
But, this is not a pencil and paper type of quiz, I’m going to review your sites, see what you can improve on and what you are doing well.
Obviously I can’t test all of your sites, that’s alright, I suspect there are some who don’t need it, and some, who like the kid that didn’t do his homework, hope I don’t ask to see theirs.
So, this becomes a bit of an honor system – and I HOPE you are willing to participate. I want you to submit your site for me to look at. You can either post it in the comments, or send me an email (if you are shy) to jack@jackleblond.com. I’ll pick a handful and give them a thorough review, looking for ways to improve them both on and off page. But, there’s a catch. The reviews will be be posted here so that all of the AG readers have the chance to learn from them.
Assuming you are willing to play along, I hope to post a review each week for several weeks.
Enjoy your holidays.
Austin
Austin tops the list of best places to buy a home
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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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Eric Hempler
December 19, 2009 at 8:24 am
I could use some help I’m sure.
http://www.erichempler.com
http://www.erichempler.com/blog
Their not seperate sites, but the blog section is where I’m putting a lot of material right now. I would like to eventually make the blog my site and the website would an extention of the blog. If that makes sense.
Stillwater Real Estate
December 19, 2009 at 9:15 am
Well I’m not afraid of a little public humiliation. It’s a very nice gesture and I’m open to finding out how I can improve my site. Thanks for the consideration.
Matt Thomson
December 19, 2009 at 10:47 am
If you’re willing to assess a blog, I’d be happy for you to undress http://www.GigHarborUndressed.com.
Jerry
December 19, 2009 at 11:58 am
I’m game Jack. Spent several thousand $ last year on my new design. ? And would welcome (and appreciate) your review.
okchomeseller
December 19, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I’d be happy for you to take a look at mine.
okchomesellers.com
Real Estate Feeds
December 19, 2009 at 1:26 pm
SEO Tip – It’s Time for a Pop Quiz: Time to find out who’s been paying attention
This week we are not having … https://bit.ly/5sqfuP
RealEstate Babble
December 19, 2009 at 1:35 pm
AgentGenius: SEO Tip – It’s Time for a Pop Quiz https://bit.ly/4XrmSJ Full https://bit.ly/6Jiayp
kristin terry
December 19, 2009 at 2:52 pm
SEO Tip – It’s Time for a Pop Quiz: Time to find out who’s been paying attention This week we.. https://bit.ly/6ADg2Y
Don Shurts
December 19, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Sure, get out the “teacher’s red pen” in honor of the season and let it bleed on our site! Merry Christmas!
Carrie Isaac
December 19, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I feel like our basic site structure is pretty good, but I’m not sure we’ve really optimized the landing pages and interior structure all that well. Would be interested to hear your insight! thecircagroup.com
Melissa R. Moore
December 19, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I would love the critique and help. Thanks and I look forward to your recommendations.
Dan Connolly
December 19, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I would be happy to hear what you think about my site! The Atlanta Georgia Real Estate Guide
Dan Connolly
December 19, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Hmmm something is wrong with that link. click my name and you will see my website!
SEO News & Tips
December 19, 2009 at 6:06 pm
#seo: SEO Tip – It's Time for a Pop Quiz https://bit.ly/5sqfuP
Fred Romano
December 19, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Hey Jack, would like to have you check it out. ctflatfee.com
Jeffrey Douglass
December 19, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Jack, What an offer, have been reading you for some time. Love to have any comments you have on SanDiegoLifetyle.info
Keep up the great work!
LaurieMcCulloch
December 20, 2009 at 12:46 am
SEO: SEO Tip – It's Time for a Pop Quiz https://bit.ly/5sqfuP
Dean Ouellette
December 20, 2009 at 1:57 am
Im in Jack, and mine would be different as most of my posts are videos
stephanie crawford
December 20, 2009 at 3:15 am
Ohhhh. pick me, pick me!!!! When I switched from a company template to a GoDaddy hosted WordPress template from ThemeForest.net I lost all my rankings. I’d love to get them back.
StephanieCrawford.net and NestingInNashville.com – same site.
Col Southern
December 20, 2009 at 3:33 am
SEO Tip – It's Time for a Pop Quiz https://bit.ly/6xsO3S
Matt Stigliano
December 20, 2009 at 7:27 am
Gulp.
Jack – I’m in.
rerockstar.com/
PS I sent you an email awhile ago, but never heard back. The question revolved around when we were talking about whether .com/ or .com made a difference in links as far as building authority.
The question is this – in Google Analytics, does it matter to Google if you use www. or not? I have a site that seems to have little traffic (I have it set up in Analytics as a www. site), but I noticed one day it always resolves to the non-www. version. Could this account for the poor readings on traffic?
FamilyHOMES4You
December 20, 2009 at 7:33 am
SEO Tip – It's Time for a Pop Quiz: Jack Leblond is a SEO/SEM professional working for a large corporation full t… https://bit.ly/5oKzD1
William Webb
December 20, 2009 at 7:40 am
SEO Tip – It's Time for a Pop Quiz https://bit.ly/7KCCOs
Betty Byrnes
December 20, 2009 at 8:11 am
Another “Pick me, Pick me” plea – this one for: LiveInKokomo.com
Even if you don’t pick me, your critiques of other sites will definitely help all of us.
Thank you!
chris
December 20, 2009 at 9:48 am
My site is greystoneclassics.com
I’m looking to take it to the next level make it much more entertaining and intereactive. I have a few videos being edited now that I plan to add that will help as well as a free report.
Lisa Heindel
December 20, 2009 at 10:06 am
Yikes! I’m a little scared, but count me in as well for westbankliving.com
Paula Henry
December 20, 2009 at 10:40 am
Jack –
It looks like you have your hands full, but feel free to tear apart my site. IndyRealEstateTalk.com
Rob McCance
December 20, 2009 at 11:21 am
Jack:
You must be on vacation for the next three weeks to make such an offer! But it’s a good educational exercise for everyone involved.
Here’s an old school hand coded blogless site:
atlantarealestateinfo.com/
Here’s one I out up last week after spending a couple of days looking at luxury townhomes ($500k+) near the city of Atlanta. I had a lightbulb moment that hey, there’s a serious market in this segment. Did a quick KW analysis, checked the competition and ended up chasing “Atlanta Townhome(s)” as a KW:
atlantatownhomeinfo.com/
This site is still a baby and I have not even replaced the default images, but it shows you how quickly you can get something up with WP + Thesis.
Ted Jernigan
December 20, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I am in. I always like to have an independent perspective. I have owned the URL for over 10 years and it is not due to renew for 5years. The current site and Blog is only about a year old. TeamJernigan.Com
Jack Leblond
December 21, 2009 at 10:10 am
WOW! This is far more than I expected, thank you! I’ll start making a list, and checking it twice. I’ll pick my first batch soon and let you if you are chosen. Even if I don’t get you in this round, I’ll hold the list and slip a review on the site from time-to-time.
@Matt – *most* sites are set up to automatically redirect non-slash to full-slash addresses when file name is not specified, however – you should try to be consistent how you reference them. Your settings in google tools *MUST* match how your site is configured, if not the conflict will cause problems.
Matt Stigliano
December 21, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Jack – Thanks for the answer, it might explain some of the poor performance I’m seeing. This site in particular (which I have no say over how it resolves – www. or not…it always cuts off the www.), is set up in Google Analytics with the site name as www. format. I’ll switch it around and see what happens.
I do try and always reference my sites (and posts) the exact same way each time.
Gwen Banta
December 21, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Hey, Jack – As you know, I contacted you before with pleas for help. I am truly archaic and clueless. If fact, sometimes I think I am beyond help. I came to computers as a novelist who only used word processing. SEO’s and Pingbacks are so foreign to me I may as well be living on the Millenium Falcon. Help me, humiliate me, horrify me – I can take it. Check out LAhomesite.com. Gosh, now if I can just figure out how to submit this without somehow screwing up…
Doug Francis
April 26, 2010 at 8:48 am
I have been going back to your old posts to get a refresher course. But this post wasn’t one I remembered seeing and am interested to know what the results were.
Here is my question, why does my site dougfrancis.com seem to load slower now than it did last fall? The Google webmaster test last week seemed to have it loading at 6 seconds which slower than 80% of sites, yikes!
(Funny, but it just loaded a lot faster than last week and maybe because I deactivated a couple of plug-ins… anyway, I always appreciate your insight.)