“We’re in the business of solving problems for people, so we try and do what it takes to make that happen,” said Mr Otton in the podcast.

Rick Otton’s techniques can be quite a time saver and work effectively for long distance property transactions. Apart from technology which helps along, financial transactions are also quite easy to tackle, as the complexities of traditional bank mortgages do not apply. Instead, deposits are easily made and new buyers can move in a matter of days.

The podcast also includes a success story: Melbourne-based Sheree Becker has become a full time real estate entrepreneur after starting to employ Mr. Otton’s methods seven years ago.

According to Otton, the true beauty of his creative real estate strategies is the flexibility and versatility that property investors have in each situation.

“You just design ‘the piece of paper’ to fit all the different situations that come up,” Mr Otton said.

The free full podcast can he listened to on iTunes and it is available at CreativeRealEstate.com.au .

Image via Freedigitalphotos.net

Then I had one of those V8 moments. (Where you slap your head and say, “Now I get it.”)

I realized I was leaving money on the table by not looking creatively at how to leverage relationships in my real estate business.

So I came up with an idea…a 3-way win-win-win. Maybe you’re already doing it or know someone who is, but if it’s a new idea to you, then give it some thought.

Spice Up your Strategic Alliances Using “Special Offers”

First of all, you have to understand the power of strategic alliances. A strategic alliance is a partnership with a business person who has clients who could be your clients, and visa versa. Many agents think of their lender as a strategic alliance partner.

But in my experience, most lender-REALTOR relationships only go one way… the agent giving leads to the lender, but seldom getting anything back from the lender. That’s because lenders get most of their leads from other agents and they’re not free to refer those leads to you.

But what about your plumber? She knows home owners, and I need to meet home owners. Perfect match. And she needs to meet new home owners who might need plumbing help. I know home owners, especially new home owners. Perfect match.

Now if we can figure out how to introduce one another to each other’s database in a way that benefits both of our databases, we’ll have a strategic alliance.

For example, I could provide an exclusive rebate (if legal in my state) to her plumbing clients. Or I could provide a free book or other “bait” to entice them to contact me to create more leads for my real estate business. In turn, she can provide a sharp discount on her plumbing service for my database. I win. My plumber wins. And both of our clients win.

Once you’ve set up one of these alliances, you can do it multiple times with multiple business partners, including your carpet cleaner, electrician, dietician, painter, auto mechanic, and so on. It takes a little creativity, and you may need to try it a few times to work out the kinks in the system, but if it can work for a multimillionaire like Jay Abraham, I’m pretty sure it can work for you.

Be consistent. Be bold. Be smart. Linda Schneider is a real estate business coach for smart real estate agents who want to be more powerful in their business. Drop by RealEstateBusinessCoaching.com for more about selling skills and real estate marketing ideas to take your business to the next level.

But if you’re one of those Realtors who combines your actual name with a business or service—Joe Heath Chicago Realty Company—it’s time to convert over to an actual Facebook Business Page.  First of all, not only is using a false name against Facebook’s Terms of Service, but following this format also gives users the perception that you are completely out of touch when it comes to using social media for professional purposes. Business pages are nothing new to the social media world. In fact, LinkedIn recently re-launched their version of Company Pages and Facebook Pages have been around long enough that it’s now almost common for users to follow just as many large or small business pages than friends, colleagues, or clients.

In addition, Facebook has made extremely easy and convenient to update and manage your business pages. Of course there’s always the opportunity to log into your personal account and proceed to click the tiny drop-down arrow next to “Home” to use Facebook as your business page; but along with that, users now have the ease of  updating, posting, and checking their business pages using the new Pages Manager iPhone App.

There’s no excuse for misusing social media. It’s a free tool that’s useful, engaging, and will certainly drive business and exposure, as long as it’s used correctly. So do yourself and your followers a favor and distinguish how you want to use social media and proceed using it the right way.

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working as a Market Research Associate and writing published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing/SEO Specialist and is a managing partner at Real Estate Web Creation, LLC.

Google+ Events

Once logged into your Google+ account, users will now be able to setup or create a new event, which at first, will act as an invitation. With that, you’ll be able to select different event themes, also known as cinegraphs, which were custom-created by Google and feature appropriate images and animations specific for each event type such as birthdays, weddings, or even something as simple as a picnic.

And if you’re at all familiar with everything Google offers, then you already know about the Calendar feature that’s available once logged into your account. Of course, Google+ Events is automatically synced and integrated into your Google Calendar, which is also an added convenience. In fact, if you’re looking at your Google Calendar and have added an event, you’ll be able to not only get all the details about the event, but also view the theme chosen for that event, as well as see who will be attending and who else was invited, as long as they have a Google+ account.

So far, Google+ Events sounds pretty basic, right? Well here is where it gets interesting. Google+ Events also has a feature known as “Party Mode” which allows everyone on Google+ and invited to the event to automatically upload photos and videos to the event page you created. As long as you have the latest version of the Google+ app, the program will pretty much do everything for you.

One article I read about Google+ Events mentioned the idea of having a large screen set to your Google+ Event page, giving everyone the ability to watch photos and videos of the party being uploaded in real time and available to see, which I think is a great thought. For real estate open houses, I think this is especially cool because you can encourage every attendee to take photos of all the things they like about the property, giving you all the information you need on how to further market the property.

In addition, everyone invited to the event will automatically get an e-mail reminding them to upload their photos to the event page and to make this as easy as possible, each person will have a “folder” that allows them to easily submit anything and everything they want.

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

© Danilo Rizzuti – Fotolia.com

What I’m talking about is starting a stand-alone website for a single property you have listed. But instead of buying a domain name using the address or something specific for that property, use a broader URL such as MyFeaturedListingForSale.com that will enable you to re-use the domain once each property is sold.

To make starting a single-property website as easy as possible, build out the framework of the site to be somewhat generic. Use page names such as “Floor Plans”, “Photos,” and “Listing Details” as this will make the pages much less time consuming to change-out once each listing has sold. Obviously using generic page titles in this way isn’t the best search engine optimization strategy, but the main purpose of this site isn’t to get results organically. Instead, it will be up to you to distribute the link through e-mail, social media, blogging, and other forms of marketing you regularly use to sell homes.

Along with floor plans, photos, and written copy about your home listing, also include video tours, an open-house calendar, and a map with the home’s location. Finding relevant information to put on the site about each property should never be a problem. Another suggestion for a single property website is to include a blog feature that allows you to inform the site’s viewers (aka-potential buyers) of all the latest updates on the home. Talk about things like the latest showing you had, upcoming open houses, and price reductions. Again, finding topics to discuss should never be that difficult.

Having a single property website is beneficial in more ways than just marketing a home you’re trying to sell. As long as you build a site out that looks and feels professional, it should automatically impress the seller and let them know that you’re doing everything possible to get their home sold. Consequently, this should also build up your reputation as a premier listing agent in your market and get you even more listings down the road. And if you’re worried about cost, don’t. If you’re even just a little bit web savvy, creating a site for a single property shouldn’t take too long, and if you want to have it done for you, I’ve built out similar sites for clients for between only $500 and $600. This type of minimal investment can go a long way in building your real estate brand, so it’s something every real estate agent should look into right away.

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

Building your brand means doing anything it takes © kikkerdirk - Fotolia.com

Like you, I’ve seen all the staggering statistics relating to how many home buyers look online before making a single phone call to a real estate agent or agency. Whether it’s that roughly 84% of all home buyers use the internet to search for a new home or that the percentage of people learning about homes for sale directly from a realtor has dwindled to below just 20%, it’s becoming pretty apparent that consumers are using the internet to find everything from shoes to a brand new condo or single-family home.

So knowing that the internet is your strongest resource for finding new clients and people searching for real estate, it’s imperative you go the extra mile to promote and brand your business or agent website. Just the other day, I noticed that Diane Freeman, a professional realtor in Chicago, has chosen to brand her website on various floor plans she reproduced for a particular condo building she represents.

If you visit her site, you’ll notice that on the 1040 N. Lake Shore Floor Plans page, she has 6 different images displayed, all with her website address watermarked on each. Now, obviously if you’re already on her site, you certainly don’t need to know or remember what her web address may be. However, should she pass these floor plans out at an open house or to various clients interested in the condos at 1040 North Lake Shore Drive, her domain name will be clear and visible to everyone who obtained these images, dramatically increasing the chance she’ll get the first phone call from whoever wants to move forward with a unit that’s for sale.

Including your website on your business card or a mailer is a given. Every real estate agent should have enough common sense to follow these basic marketing principles. But it’s the out-of-the-box ideas such the watermark on Diane’s floor plans that will really pay off in terms of getting more recognition, boosting your website traffic and eventually closing more deals.

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and possesses a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

Which name? What name? © Scanrail - Fotolia.com

The first problem you will likely stumble upon is making sure the domain name you want is actually available. Of course most of the generic real estate domain names are already taken and used by other companies, so narrowing down a list of factors you’d like to incorporate in your real-estate-related domain will definitely make the domain selection process much easier and faster.

First, what real estate market are you serving? If you are a real estate agent working in a large market like Miami or Chicago, incorporating the city name in your domain may be a bit more challenging than in smaller markets. Obviously larger markets have many, many more real estate agents with already existing websites, and the chances of these sites already having a domain name you may want are a lot greater. But on the flip-slide, if you live in a much smaller, less competitive real estate market, such as Greenville, Indiana for example, the likelihood of multiple real estate websites with a quality domain name isn’t nearly as high.

Next, you’ll want to make the decision of whether or not to include keywords in your domain. Often times, real estate professionals choose to use their name (johnsmith.com) as the domain name for their business website, which is something that has always been puzzling to me. The purpose of a real estate website is to generate traffic and increase sales leads. So naturally, the higher your site ranks in a Google search, the more traffic you will see and the more leads your site will produce. As mentioned above, having your market or city name in the domain name is a great keyword strategy when deciding how to build your real estate site, but other main real estate keywords such as condos, homes, real estate, or realty will also go a long way in getting your site to rank well organically.

The final dilemma you may encounter when choosing a web domain is whether or not to buy all your domain’s main extensions. Once you’ve spent all the time it took to finally come up with the perfect real estate domain, the next immediate question is should you buy XYZRealEstate.COM, XYZRealEstate.NET, XYZRealEstate.ORG, and so-on. Say you only purchase the .com extension and are trying to save money by not worrying about someone trying to cheat their way to the top and copying your website concept.

Can someone start a similar website with a different extension and intentionally mislead homebuyers into thinking their website is your website? Absolutely they can; an even worse, what if their site, still with a different extension than yours, starts to rank even better during a primary search-engine result? In my experience, this doesn’t happen as often as one may think; and anyone sinking to this level is typically not savvy enough to overtake your website by generating more traffic and sales leads. But buying multiple extensions, even if it’s only the main .com, .net, and .org extensions, is something you should consider, especially when in a larger market with a high number of real estate agents looking to gain an edge.

Starting a real estate website should be fun and exciting. So when choosing a domain, keep it simple and ask yourself if the domain you’re considering is something you would easily remember or have no trouble typing out in the address bar. If the answer is “yes”, then I think you’ve made the right choice towards building a terrific new real estate site.

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and possesses a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

"Green stairs" = very appealing! Image by Alyssa L. Miller

Investing in “Green” products for your home or condo can clearly go a long way towards increasing the value of your home, and of course, selling it faster when it’s time to expand your living space or perhaps downsize to a maintenance free lifestyle. Some of these eco-friendly upgrades may include purchasing Energy Star kitchen appliances, switching out your old windows with a more high-performance window, or even installing advanced toilets, shower heads, and dishwashers for a better and more efficient water flow.

And while Energy Star products such as windows, kitchen appliances, and bathroom products may be the more obvious ways to transform a regular, outdated home into a new-and-improved eco-friendly paradise, there’s also an out-of-the-box upgrade that will both catch the eye of potential home buyers, as well as give your home something extra that many other homes don’t already have; ultimately giving you the edge when marketing your home to buyers.

Eco-Friendly stairs not only improve your Home Energy Rating, but often have a very modern, sleek look that will make any home’s living space stand out when showing it to potential buyers. Eco home builders and contractors will often use an economical hardwood such as poplar, beech, ash, red oak or hickory for your new staircase, and even choosing a product like bamboo satisfies the energy efficient aspect towards achieving the highly sought-after “green” status that so many home owners now seek.

In fact, using bamboo instead of a traditional wood for your stairs is not only eco-friendly, but it also gives off a unique appearance, has additional flexibility, and is much more resistant to wear and tear over a longer period of time.

So once your home’s modern, light-toned staircase is installed and ready to “wow” both real estate agents and home buyers alike, be sure to have your Realtor add this little tidbit of information the MLS description when putting your house up for sale. Be honest, of course it sounds good, but how many real estate listings have you scanned over during you last home search include something like “custom, eco-friendly staircase with chic, contemporary design”?

Sure, eco-friendly upgrades will ultimately seal the deal when selling your home, but simple and clever wording of a real estate listing is sure to get homebuyers at least talking about the property. And as you may know, once the talking begins, it won’t be long until the buying soon follows!

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and possesses a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

Images are everything in real estate

What continues to draw users to Pinterest, and more specifically real estate agents, is the attractive, image-based structure that nicely displays and organizes all of the shared images users post. Believe it or not however, Pinterest developers aren’t the only ones taking notice of this modern, image-based format that catches the eye of everyone clicking onto their site. Twitter Stories, a recently released spin-off of Twitter that documents stories of how using the popular social media platform has affected its account holders, also uses images to reel in users and capture the attention of each reader in a very similar way.

Obviously, the real estate business is 100% visual, and as many agents already know, even the slightest clutter or tasteless décor can often mean the difference between an easy-sell and a property that will likely sit on the market for longer than desired. So when real estate agents have a client with an immaculate home for sale, the obvious first step towards getting the property sold is to take advantage of its picturesque quality.

Just how should you do that, you ask? Simple! Create an affordable website or blog site that follows the exact same formula as popular sites such as Pinterest and Twitter Stories. And to go along with the “visual” theme of this blog, I even created a mock-website to help give you a general direction of where to go when creating your site.

How much easier is it to sell a home that looks like this?

Whether you want to use it as a general blog site, or specifically market one aspect of your real estate business with such a site (i.e. luxury real estate, high-rise real estate, etc), all you have to do is attach some great photos relating to that specific subject matter and you’re sure to get a positive response from both your existing clients and potential home buyers surfing the web!

Joe Heath is a graduate of Indiana University and possesses a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from Drexel University. After working in the market research sector and authoring published Market Snapshots for Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, Joe now works as a Web Marketing Specialist and co-owns Real Estate Web Creation with his partner, Ted Guarnero, a 25+ year real estate veteran.

Image courtesy NS Newsflash via Flickr.com

If you have your own blog, these sources can also help you come up with content ideas of your own. Writing about trending topics is a great way to get your posts picked up by search engines. Just find an angle about the trending topic that no one else has covered and go for it! The following blog directories will help you find the latest news in the real estate industry from the top sources.

Alltop

Alltop

Alltop is a blog directory that collects the top five news stories from the best blogs and media sources for a given topic. Alltop’s real estate page includes the latest five posts for over 200 sites that talk about what is happening in the real estate industry.

Want your blog listed on Alltop? You will need to create an account and then submit your site using their submission form. Listings can take a few weeks to be approved and added, but you will get an email notice if they do decide to add your website..

Technorati

Technorati

Technorati is a blog directory that rates blogs based on overall authority. You can find real estate blogs two ways. First, you can do a search for real estate and go through the list of high authority blogs that cover real estate. You can also see the latest posts on real estate by checking out the real estate tag.

Want your blog listed on Technorati? You will need to create an account and then claim your blog by adding a custom piece of code they give you to your website.

PostRank

PostRank

PostRank is a blog directory that organizes blogs by their social popularity. Social engagement scoring includes comments, tweets, Facebook likes, and shares on other social networks. If you look at the real estate topic on PostRank, you will see the top posts on each blog discussing real estate based on engagement. The engagement scores for each site is comparative within the site only, so a post ranked 7.8 for one site could mean it has 100 comments, and a post ranked 7.8 for another site could mean it has 10. Regardless, it is still one of the most popular topics for that site.

Want your blog listed on PostRank? Just search for the URL in the search box. If you’re listed, your site will popup under the search box. If not, you can click the search icon, and PostRank will ask for your email address to notify you when your blog is added to their directory.

What news sources or blogs are your favorite for keeping up with real estate news? Please share your sources in the comments!

Contributing writer Kristi Hines is an online marketing consultant, freelance writer, blogger, and social media enthusiast.