Real Estate Information Archive

I've had some great questions about Facebook business pages so I decided to write a quick FAQ. If you have other questions, please let me know and I'll update this post.  See other posts regarding Facebook Business page:
Why you need a Facebook business page.
Facebook business page examples and our setup process.

Can I use my existing Facebook account?
Yes, we are creating a separate page.

What if I already have a business page?
We can build over that page or create a new one.

Will my current "friends" and people that have already "liked" me see this page?

No, this page is for "new" likes and friends.

How can I get my current friends to see this new page?

1. Email an announcement or create a Facebook post that takes them directly to the new business page. This page can be found anytime on the left hand column of Facebook, under the link to your wall.

How can I see if people visit this page?

Facebook offers page statistics  with what they call "Insights".  These powerful statistics display in a graph format and include "Page Overview", "User", and "Interactions".  How many people viewed your posts?  How many people "Liked" your posts, photos, or videos?  How many people have "Liked" or  "Commented" on those?  How many people "Liked" your page on a certain day.

We just announced the release of Facebook Business pages for our current clients. This is such a timely offering and just what agents have been asking for.

These pages are very professional, cost effective and can help generate more leads to grow your business. You can read this Great Active Rain Post by Sam Miller.

Want to get started? Give me a call for details. 541-743-8511.

I'm off to Nashville, TN on April 28th for a unique Real Estate training event. It is unique in a couple of ways; One it is Free and two it is at a bar (or at least very close to one). Yes, a bar.... hence the name bar camp.

Click on the logo below to go to the official website for details.

Registration may be full, so if you would like to attend, register right away.

Whether you are looking to learn more about Real Pro Systems, or if you are a current client and would like to review your how you are utilizing you system and make sure you are getting the most out of it, please come and meet me at the show.

I already have a few scheduled appointments and if there is enough interest in a group demonstration, I'll schedule one for the evening of the 28th. Please shoot me an email if you are interested in attending. charlee@realprosystems.com

I know you are always looking for ways to generate leads. I received an email form an agent that sent out a blast to his database and I thought is was clever.  For those of you looking for ways to get prospects to take action on something like Market Snapshot from Top Producer, this is a good example of what to say.

"One of the things I really do not accomplish as well as I would prefer is to keep you up to date on all the services that are available to my customers and friends that are not "in the transactional mode".  With the market a little slower these days I am trying to catch up and do a better job of keeping you informed. 

Real Pro System's General Manager, Caine O'Brien, hosted a "webinar," entitled "Sorting Through the Maze of Online Marketing Technology" for Star Power clients last Tuesday. The response was terrific. We had many requests for the "technology pyramid" so here's a link to download a copy.

    "Excellent stuff! Can I get a copy of the presentation for use as an action plan?"

    "Good session! Caine is a very knowledgeable and easy to listen to presenter. It is a nice little reminder for keeping us on track."

    "Everyone should have been on online; what a great topic. Are you going to make this seminar available online to re-watch?"

Would you like to see the recorded webinar? Give me a call and I can send you a link. Please leave any comments, below.

Galand Haas, of Keller Williams Realty Eugene and Springfield, provided a great example of an  email that he sends out with his "Monday Morning Coffee" blast. The Monday Morning Coffee is a link to an inspirational message that appears on your website and is updated weekly by Real Pro Systems. 

The email is usually topical to local events/weather and then mentions something regarding the local market conditions over the past week. Sometimes it includes national information like the email below. 

Now for the best part.....This content is perfect to copy and past into your Real Pro Systems Blog. This gives you relevant and unique content that will help with your search engine optimization. So now you can accomplish two tasks at one time.

To learn more about Monday Morning Coffee and Blogging, please contact me by phone at 541-686-0015

Good Monday Morning!

Congratulations to the Marist High School Spartan football team and the Sheldon Irish High School football team for their state championships in Divisions 4A and 6A.  Way to go.

mortgage interest rates continue to decline.  Last week I saw some 30 year fixed loans at 5.5% to 5.6%.  This is the lowest these rates have been in several years.  Over the past several months, I have been telling prospective home buyers that this is the time to act.  You may not see the market get any better for purchasing a home than what it is right now.  Good markets are hard to hit and many times we wait to see if they will get even better and then miss the chance to really hit it right on.  It's impossible to predict the future, but we just very well may be a that point where you want to think about making your home purchase.

Have An Awesome Week!

AND HERE'S YOUR MONDAY MORNING COFFEE!!

Sincerely,
Galand

 Is the negative media a challenge to overcome? Well, you are the expert in your area.... share your knowledge and set the record straight. Here is a great example of  Blog material from Steve Arbuckle in Utah.

Utah Real Estate Market -- Salt Lake Tribune gets it wrong.

At a time when Money Magazine and The Associated Press are reporting that Utah is bucking the national housing slump, the Salt Lake Tribune is saying “Utah’s housing boom now a bust.” Thursday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported on its front page that new home demand was at a 17-year low, a story that included broad generalizations about the Wasatch Front housing market.

The Facts Are:

• The story’s headline, which said, “Utah’s housing boom now a bust,” was misleading and inaccurate. The story only cited statistics regarding home-building permits; the story did not mention existing home sales or the pockets of new-home construction that are doing well. The headline led Tribune readers to believe that all segments of Utah’s housing market are doing poorly. If such broad generalizations are going to be made in headlines, the Tribune needs to include information about each part of the housing market in the story.
• The Tribune article quoted an individual who said, “ ‘People are afraid to purchase’ a home right now,” a misleading statement that could cause buyers to miss out on great appreciation opportunities. It’s a disservice to the Tribune’s readers to suggest that prospective Utah home buyers shouldn’t buy now when the National Association of REALTORS® projects Utah will see home prices increase anywhere between 7 and 10 percent in 2008. That means the buyer of a $200,000 home could miss out on $14,000 worth of appreciation by waiting to buy.
• The story suggested that Utah buyers have been unable to obtain loans when in fact financing is readily available and affordable. mortgage rates are still at historic lows, with interest rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage near 6.38 percent, much more affordable than the double-digit rates seen over the years. For buyers who would have needed subprime loans that are no longer available, safer FHA products will be able to help serve their needs.
• Utah has strong market fundamentals — good job growth, population gains and low unemployment, which will keep demand for housing high.
• Real estate markets are complex and the Tribune’s readers are not served by misleading generalizations that don’t tell the entire story.

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is, " how do I get my website to the top of the Search Engines? " There is no simple answer to this question, but it is not as hard as it may seem.