20 Hours of Snow in 38 Seconds (video)

Thanks Michael Black

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (video song)

Real Estate 12 Days of Christmas

(First release Christmas 2007) And so what if it was a real estate agent who wrote: "The Twelve Days of Christmas?" Might it have gone a little like this (don't forget the melody)...

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:

Twelve escrows closing

Eleven lenders lending

Ten qualified buyers

Nine ripe referrals

Eight listing agreements

Seven sensible sellers

Six accepted offers

FIVE DAYS IN MAUI!

Four contracts signed

Three walkthroughs

Two no admin fees

And a new client with some money!

Have a Merry Christmas, everybody!

Somebody To Talk To

You've been there before. (You may even be there right now.) The "there" I'm referring to is that place where, quite frankly, you just need somebody to talk to (thank you very much).

Sometimes it's because you're having a hard time that you need a listening ear. Other times it's because you just want to tell somebody about what's going on in your life. Still other times it's just for the companionship that comes from being with someone and the "aloneness" it dispels.

The problem is some of us are moving too fast (/at break neck speed?). We've got things to do, people to see, business to be gained. "Slow down to talk to somebody? Are you kidding? If we do that, we're gonna be left behind."

No, you won't. You ever see the speeder who passes you by on the road ~ swoosh? Nine times out of ten they're waiting for you at the next stoplight. (It's true.)

You actually benefit yourself and your business if you step outside the rat race once in a while to lend a listening ear.

And isn't that really what it's all about ~ caring for people?

(Some didn't even have time to read to the end of the post to hear that.)

4 Things That Haven't Changed in 4 Years of Blogging

It was 4 years ago this month that I began blogging for Sugar Pine Realty in the Sierra foothills (near Yosemite). As a way of celebrating, I went back to see some of my very first blog posts. The best way to describe it: It was like looking back at my high school yearbook from the 1970s. (Some of you mathematicians are calculating my age right now.) Long hair, bell bottoms, Saturday Night Fever, etc. You get the picture. (How could we dress like that, those of you that remember?) I have come a long way since back then (I'm talking about blogging again), but there are some things that haven't changed is what I really wanted to highlight in this post and in the list below. May it be an encouragement to you to keep at it no matter what year you find yourself in in your blogging career...

4 Things That Haven't Changed in 4 Years of Blogging:

1. I still have to work hard at it. 

Anyone who writes can relate. I've stared at a blank computer screen many an hour. (I've even done it for a portion of this post, quite frankly.) We live in a culture that wants everything the easy way (I sometimes do), but nothing worthwhile ever comes like that. If you're having to sweat a little (figuratively speaking), then you're on the right track.

2. I still need to read what others are writing. 

Cars don't get very far on "E" (empty). Similarly, bloggers don't either. So I schedule time to read (like going to a gas station for a fill up). I use a newsreader and subscribe to other bloggers, etc. New subject matter and ideas, exposure to other styles, what works, what doesn't work ~ it all comes from reading. Then I have something to give.

3. I still enjoy focusing on encouraging others.

It's just plain important to have a focus no matter what it is that you're doing. My focus is encouragement. Sure, I blog for a real estate company. But if you've read much of my stuff you'll notice that in between the statistics and the new technology posts, etc., are writings meant to build up and encourage people. (Some examples: You Matter, When You're Coming Apart At The Seams, Defining Moments, 3 Things To Remember About Starting Over.) So what's your focus?

4. I still have a lot to learn.

If I've learned anything over the years, it's this: The more I know, the more I know I don't know. When I started out blogging I had no clue about the importance of finding your voice as a writer (you have one you know), the need to promote posts via rss feeds, podcasting and social media (Twitter didn't exist like it does today) and so much more. The bottom line is blogging will continue to change from where it is right now just like it has over the last 4 years. And if I want to continue to be successful at it, I need to remain teachable and open to new things.

Mobilize Your Listings

Mobile devices have exploded on the scene. As an example first day purchases of the iPhone 4 this past June were an astonishing 1.5 million. With this in mind the question realtors® must ask themselves is: Are my homes and properties for sale easily viewable on a handheld? With vyoo.it they can be. (Pronounced: "View it.") This is a free application (in beta) that anyone with a Postlets.com account can use to configure their listings for mobile devices. Once logged into vyoo.it you will fill in a few simple fields of information, vyoo.it will import pictures and other data from your website and Postlets.com (you must have your listing already there to begin with) and ~ voila. Vyoo.it gives your property it's very own mobile device url/web address. You can include these vyoo.it generated url's/web addresses on your various media sites and literature so that people can view your homes and properties on their mobiles. (Here are a couple of examples: http://vyoo.it/1a8zz and http://vyoo.it/dj99d) Should anyone click on your vyoo.it link on a computer it will redirect them to the listing's website. Vyoo.it is just a real no-brainer to add to your real estate marketing arsenal. Check it out today.

Real Estate Twelve Days of Christmas

(First release Christmas 2007) And so what if it was a real estate agent who wrote: "The Twelve Days of Christmas?" Might it have gone a little like this (don't forget the melody)...

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:

Twelve escrows closing

Eleven lenders lending

Ten qualified buyers

Nine ripe referrals

Eight listing agreements

Seven sensible sellers

Six accepted offers

FIVE DAYS IN MAUI!

Four contracts signed

Three walkthroughs

Two no admin fees

And a new client with some money!

Have a Merry Christmas, everybody!

Don't Give Up on that Internet Lead

More and more people are using the internet to search for property these days (duh). And when they need a real estate agent, that's when they contact us! Depending on the area of interest (Sonora, Soulsbyville, Twain Harte, Groveland, etc.) that will be the office and agent that will receive the inquiry/lead. What happens at that point is what I want to briefly talk about. Internet leads are a little bit different than up (phone) calls, but not too much. The word you want to keep in mind is: incubation. Case in point: Kelly calls you with a lead. Someone's interested in finding out about homes in Pinecrest. You accept the lead. You have the person's email address, but no phone number. You email this person saying that you'd like to help them, could they please give you a call. You may even email them Pinecrest listings, too. The problem is - they don't respond. And so what do you do? Three choices: Choice #1 - You blow them off; Choice #2 - You call Kelly and yell at her; Choice #3 - You continue to pursue the lead. If you answered Choice #3, you're right. This is incubation. Sure you haven't heard back from these folks after the first email (or maybe second or third). But if the emails went through you gotta believe they got them. So put them on an automatic email notification for listings in the Pinecrest area. Why? Because industry studies say that it can take from 12-18 months for internet leads to finally blossom. But if you blow them off or call to yell at Kelly instead of Choice #3, you'll never see much of anything from the internet. The moral of the story: Don't give up on internet leads. Sure, a number of them won't pan out, but you don't need but a few to close escrow to make your investment in this area worth your time.