Social Media. Real Estate. What’s the BIG deal?

Are you one of many who think social media is a Fad and you and your real estate business don’t need to be there? I was! This video by Erik Qualman at Socialnomics.net will change your mind!

As a real estate virtual assistant, I have been blogging for years and have understood the seo value of blogs. I also have personal profiles on the prominent social media sites, as well as created profiles for clients. But I have to admit, I did really GET social media.

This video and a webinar course with Social Media Magic his opening my eyes. You will hear more about what I am learning and how to make money with social media.

When I heard Gary Keller, author of the best-selling “Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times“  and owner of Keller Williams Realty, was going to be on “Good Morning America” last week, I was anxious to hear what he had to what he had to say about  how people can sell in a buyer’s market.

I was not only surprised but shocked to hear Gary Keller recommend sellers be present during showings of their homes. During my 17 years as a licensed Realtor®, common wisdom was for sellers NOT to be home and it leave the showings up to the professionals.

An example of why a seller shouldn’t be present is when I was showing a young Navy family with 2 young daughters houses. We went in one house with the sellers there. I started a conversation with the wife and asked why they were moving. She said, “We just had our second child and this house is too small for us.”  Needless to say, my family with 2 daughters didn’t buy that house.

What do you think? Has conventional wisdom changed? Has real estate changed this much in the few short years since I opened my real estate virtual assistant business?

Real Estate Virtual Assistant Buzz: Why Short Sales Are So Difficult To Close!

Short sales are a fact of life for most real estate professionals. Despite new government regulations short sale transactions are still difficult to close. You probably feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall over and over and over again!!

The question arises, why are short sale real estate transactions so difficult? Why do some banks act like the enemy?

This video from  www.ThinkBigWorkSmall.com,  show why some banks aren’t motivated to get your short sale closed. The good part comes after the CNN announcer stops talking.

Real estate virtual assistants can help get your short sales to a successful closing! Our team of Transaction Managers are Certified Distressed Property Experts (CDPE). We have the expertise needed to communicate with lenders, your clients and other real estate professionals to get you to the closing table. Contact us today and get more of your short sales closed!!

I feel part of my job as a Real Estate Virtual Assistant is to be on top of the latest marketing techniques. I take the time to educate myself in the latest tools needed to build a successful real estate business. I then share what I have learned with my clients to help them grow their businesses. I am currently taking a 4 week course with Social Media Magic learning how to create a strategic and comprehensive social media marketing campaign for real estate. Here is what I have gleaned from the first course… 

I’m sure you have heard the latest catch phrase, social media. Like me, you probably realize that social media has to do with sharing photos with friends, telling about the great party you went to last night and what you are having for dinner tonight. You may not understand what it has to do with your real estate business. Sure all the real estate trainers say you need to be on Facebook and Twitter, but what exactly IS social media and WHY do you and your real estate business need a presence there!! 

What is Social Media? 

Social media is a complex, organic online conversation between multiple people. The keyword here is ‘conversation’. In the old Web 1.0 Internet, you had no interaction or relationship with people. Your website is most likely is very static. The content doesn’t change much and there is no real time interaction. With the new Web 2.0, which social media is a part of, you are involving people in your business and empowering them to have a relationship with you. 

Social media is not just Facebook and Twitter. It does include social media networks, but also includes, blogs, microblogs, video and photo sharing, message boards, wiki, virtual reality, social gaming, podcasts and Real Simple Syndication (RSS). 

Why Do You Want to Participate In Social Media? 

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There has been so much confusion over the first-time home buyer tax credit being used for a down payment, real estate agents don’t know what to believe. Here is the latest news in an article from Realtor Magazine dated May 21, 2009:

HUD: Homebuyer Tax Credit Loans Still on Track
News reports that the federal government is backing away from its plan to permit eligible borrowers to monetize the first-time homebuyer tax credit are off the mark, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says.

“The technical details are still being finalized and will soon be published in a mortgagee letter and posted on our Web site,” Lemar Wooley, a HUD spokesperson, told REALTOR® magazine Wednesday afternoon.

Under the guidance that’s under development, state agencies and other HUD-approved entities would be able to provide short-term bridge loans that households could use to help with their downpayment. The loans would be repaid with the proceeds from the households’ federal tax credit.

The loans were announced on the opening day of NAR’s 2009 Midyear Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C., last week. In his announcement, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said guidance would be issued shortly.

When the guidance is released, it is expected to cover eligible lenders and set parameters for loan terms and repayment.

Source: REALTOR® Magazine Online

You can’t say real estate isn’t interesting!!

Real Estate News:

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Of course, if you need help with your Real Pro website, as your real estate Virtual Assistant, I’m glad to oblige!

Now that you have learned the basics of tweeting on Twitter, Why Tweeting On Twitter Is Good For Your Real Estate Business, its time to learn about some of the not so obvious features to make your tweeting life easier.

1. Advanced search.

Twitter likes to hide some of its best features, such as the ‘Advanced Search’. Scroll down to the bottom of any Twitter.com page. Click on ‘Search’ then click on ‘Advanced Search’. Here you can search specific people, date ranges, places and phrases.

2.  Tweet by texting.

Twitter limited tweets to 140 characters so they could be sent as a short message text service (S.M.S.). When you login, go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Devices’ and add your phone. The Twitter interface will add buttons next to each user you follow so you can turn update on or off. You’ll want to use this feature sparingly so you don’t run up your bill.

You can tweet form your phone by texting a message to 40404.

3. Twitter/Facebook integration.

If you use both Twitter and Facebook, You can add only one status update and have it go to both networks. Go to Twitter.com/widgets/facebook and click on ‘Install Twitter in Facebook’ and work your way through the configuration.

This will work in both directions, but it is a good idea to send your tweet to Facebook. It takes fewer steps and you know you are within your 140 character limit.

4. Favorites.

Want to save a tweet? Mouse over it and a star-shaped icon appears. Click the icon and it will link to Favorites on your Home page.

5. Share photos.

You can’t send photos, but you can send a URL for a photo hosted on a website. TwitPic will store your photos and create the URL. Go to TwitPic.com, use your Twitter user name and password and upload your photos. Share your photo by going to the photo page on TwitPic and tweeting from there.

6. Desktop apps.

Instead of going to Twitter.com to send tweets, you can use a desktop app which is more like using AOL Instant Messenger.

For Windows users, Digsby displays Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and your email accounts in a long, tall window. Mac users will want Twitterrific.

TweetDeck works on Windows and Macs and displays in multiple columns.

7. Phone apps.

There are numerous apps for smartphones. Try Twitterberry for Blackberry devices and Tweetie for iPhones. These applications make it easy to post photos from your phone.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Learn how a Real Estate Virtual Assistant can change your life!

“Why is Tweeting on Twitter good for your real estate business?”  you ask. Because that is where the people are!!  Twittermania began last month when Oprah ‘tweeted’ for the first time. For the week ending May 9, HitWise ranked Twitter.com as the #6 social networking website. All those young ‘20 and 30 somethings’ who are first time home buyers hang out there. Like all buyers, they want to know you and trust you before they do business with you.

The next question most people ask is, “What is Twitter?” Twitter is a micro-blog that allows posts of no more than 140 characters. As with other social networking sites, Twitter is not the place to sell, sell, sell and jam real estate down people throats, but a place to be yourself, be real and let people get to know you. Can you slip real estate in there once in awhile, sure, but don’t make it all about real estate. Camouflage your business related info and have some fun.

So how do you get started? Below is a Beginners Guide to Twitter to help you out:

1. Sign up.

Go to Twitter.com, click on the large green button that says, ‘Get Started – Join!’

Enter your name, user name, password and email address. Pick a user name that isn’t too cutsey. You want people to know who you are, but using your real name is better than sellyourhomefast.

2. Send your first tweet.

When you log in you will see a large box in the top left corner that says, “What Are You Doing?” Type anything you want here but don’t go over 140 characters.

3. Settings.

Click on? Settings in the top right corner and personalize your account. Add your photo and other information about yourself.

4. Find people.

Search Twitter for your friends, invite other to join, and check to see if friends from other email services have a Twitter account,

5. Follow users.

You choose who you want to follow. Click on the user’s photo or name to go to that person’s page. There is a list of suggested users to get you started.

6. Protect your updates.

You can protect your updates by only allowing people you approve to follow you. It is a good idea not to put anything on the Internet you don’t want your Mother to know about.

7. Search

Click on the ‘Search’ button at the bottom of your screen to search all tweets on Twitter like you search on Google. You can also bookmark search.twitter.com.

8. Notices

Twitter can remind you if you haven’t tweeted in less than 24 hours, email you when someone starts following you, and email you when you receive a direct message (private message just to you).

9. Apps

There are numerous Twitter applications so you can easily find out what your friends are doing. TweetDeck puts a widget on your desktop so you can follow tweets without logging in. It shows you everything you want to see all at once. There are lots more you will want to check out.

Consider jumping on the bandwagon and being where the action is. My user name is ruthannmacklin…I’d love you to follow me!

Don’t have time to set up a Twitter account? Contact me at info@myreassistant.com. As your real estate virtual assistant, I’m glad to do it for you!

Don’t miss out on 2008 Summer Session of the National Real Estate Cyber Convention and Exposition.

This is the perfect forum for real estate professionals and real estate virtual assistants to learn without ever leaving their computers. and with gas prices where they are…it’s a great deal!!

The 2008 Summer Session of the National Real Estate Cyber
Convention and Exposition is rocking with exciting video
presentations! To celebrate we are bringing you a star-studded lineup
of top notch national speakers!

If you missed the 7 day Convention in
February this is an opportunity to experience the Cyber Convention at
your convenience. If you attended the event in February, we welcome you
back to enjoy this special line up of speakers, to explore the
offerings in the Expo, to network with your peers
and more. Speakers include:

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