Many real estate blogs have talked about Zillow however most of the real estate agents we speak with really don’t seem to think much of Zillow despite the press it gets.
So when I saw this article about the FTC complaint against Zillow I wasn’t really surprised. Real Estate Marketing can be as simple or complex as you make it, but it all starts with good a content delivery system. The Best Content Delivery system right now is a Real Estate Blog.

Zillow started last February and quickly skyrocketed to popularity with its instant valuaions of homes and easy of use.

Albert Einstein summed it up pretty well, Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Let’s play the analogy game for realtors that expect to receive quality leads.  For years in the past the best sources were newspapers, magazines, the Real Estate Book that sits on the shelves at the grocery stores and local restaurants.  Any print campaign that is distributed to local ZIP CODES within their market.

Over the past 8 plus years, realtors have relied on their website to get them in front of buyers and sellers that need their services.  This involved getting a website and figuring out how to position their website on Google, Yahoo and MSN for searchers to find when they search by related keywords.  Some have had success others have been ripped off.  Needless to say, numbers don’t lie - over 80% of your prospects search the internet for information that ultimately should lead them to you - or your competition.

If you are an agent, and you aren’t getting in front of enough qualified prospects, what is your marketing strategy to fix this problem.  Should you rent more leads by throwing away your money in print campaigns.  Perhaps you could give top search engines more money to be a sponsored listing (PPC).  That will certainly put you in front of about 5% of their searchers.  Or you can make a long term investment into your business and start reaching consumers directly by marketing yourself in your real estate blog.

Think outside of the box and separate yourself from the standard.  Join the blogosphere and give people what they want - information!

Mortgage foreclosures in Florida are up. According to RealtyTrac, foreclosures jumped to it’s highest level in August with 16,533 properties entering foreclosure which was 50% more than July. Broward County ranked third in the nation in homes entering foreclosure, one for every 174 households. RealtyTrac also reported that 115,292 properties nationwide entered some stage of foreclosure up 53% from the same time last year. Article…..

We get asked often “what should I write about in my blog? ” and “Where would I get Ideas ?” Below is what anyone in any area might write about in their real estate blog. Any event that is an added value to living in that particular region, city, state etc…is a valid blog post. Real Estate Blog marketing is about sales and marketing, and part of sales and marketing is showing off the reasons a consumer would want to work with you, or buy your product… Below is one reason you might want to buy a house in Cary North Carolina, or in Regency Park in Cary North Carolina. Just one of many reasons that Cary Real Estate is some of the most sought after real estate in the Triangle area of North Carolina.

Pops In the Park in Cary North Carolina

An annual event in Cary North Carlina, Pops in the park features the North Carolina Symphony and finishes off the night with an impressive firewoks show over the lake at Regency park. Regency Park in addition to being the home of the Cary Amphitheater is also is one of the many nice neighborhoods in Cary.

Pops in the park happens once a year and is free to all. It’s a relaxing evening listening to the NC Symphony Free of Charge.

Cary Living at its best.

InvestmentRiches.com and Signil Wealth Consulting Group announced that they are hosting first Investor Summit 2007 - Real Estate Market Forecast in Las Vegas, NV, November 10-12, 2006.    The summit will guide investors toward the top real estate markets in 2007 and will offer the attendees advanced analytical techniques for statistical real estate data.   Article…..

Home price appreciation during the second quarter of 2006 was at it’s slowest rate since the forth quarter of 1999.  Nationally, home prices increased 10.2% from the second quarter of 2005 to 2006.  The East south central states had the highest home appreciation of 8.3% , while the New England States had the lowest home appreciation of 0.8%  Read more……

I read an interesting article in Classified Intelligence about a study which detailed the way that spending in real estate marketing is moving away from print and towards online. While realtors appear to be advertising more on free sites like Craigslist and Google Base, the main shift in spending was towards realtors personal websites and blogs.

This marks a departure from traditional online marketing channels such as paid search and online newspaper listings, and shows that realtors now realize that with a bit of time and effort they can become highly relevant in natural search and compete with bigger real estate firms.

This merely confirms what we have been saying for the last six months, which is that as a realtor you do not need to spend a lot of your budget on paid search, print, radio or tv. All you need is blog branding. The blog levels the playing field for smaller firms to be able to compete for the dwindling number of home buyers who are looking for something extra and want to work industry leaders.

When I discuss real estate podcasting, most people think that I am talking about something to do with the IPod. That is not a bad assumption as podcasts can be downloaded onto a portable device like an Ipod, but in reality most podcasts are viewed on blogs or websites. According to Wikipedia a podcast is a method of delivering multimedia files over the internet using syndication feeds. These files are then played back using a pc or mobile device such as an Ipod.

What that means in English is that realtors can use their blog to deliver video and or audio to potential clients. The podcast is an incredibly easy, effective and inexpensive way to create your own commercials. For realtors particularly, it is one of the huge side benefits of having a blog. The podcast enables them to show their personality to clients, and helps tremendously in creating a recognizable brand. Podcasting instantly differentiates the realtor from the competition and shows that they are willing to identify and embrace new ways of serving their clients.

Everyone has a story about how much of a pain it is to put together a website. Production delays, design issues, control issues, the basic functionality of the site; the list is endless. There are some good templates out there for real estate professionals, but for the most part getting a new site is a laborious and painful process.

In actuality, you don’t need a website. All you need is a real estate blog. The price point is low, and our company can deliver in a reasonable time frame. You get all the benefits of the blog; search rankings, podcasting, RSS, subscriptions without the high cost or hassle of having a website. We also add additional contact and information pages, profile pages, local resources, and can set up the blog/site so that you can import your mls listings.

So if you are thinking about a new site or a facelift for your old site, don’t use old technology. Use a blog. Blogs are the future of real estate marketing.

Real estate agents that go the extra mile for their clients should write about it. Here’s the thing….most real estate agent’s websites are the same. They list all of their credentials, showcase their awards but never display the hard work they put into earning them.

Real estate blog marketing gives agents the opportunity to tell their story. Agents can tell their prospects just how they have achieved what they have achieved over the years. Simply listing credentials and awards doesn’t cut it for todays knowledgeable internet searcher. With all the information they need to make a decision at their fingertips don’t miss the chance to showcase just what you can do for them.

If you aren’t telling your story online how are buyers and sellers supposed to know about your hard work ethic? Showcase your work ethic with your real estate blog and earn more business!