Author: Eric Blackwell (page 5 of 8)

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

Dateline: Motel room in Georgia on my way home

While many of the rest of the BHB gang are still in Orlando after BHB Unchained, I started my journey home yesterday. Since I stopped in Georgia to get some rest before driving the rest of the way to Louisville, thought it would be only appropriate for me to offer some thoughts and observations for those who might not have been able to come.

First off, I would be an ungrateful soul if I did not thank Greg Swann for letting me crash the party and stay at the house they rented. That was fun! It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I found you to be everything that I had hoped and more…and I had high expectations. Bless you, sir.

Secondly, Brian, Sean and Teri. You guys have been friends of mine for quite a while. It was so nice to finally meet and hang out with you. I learned so much from you guys and had a great time talking with you until 3am…hehe. For those who may wonder if the hounds that contribute here are real, honest, genuine, good people and that they care about others…just spend some time with them. They are purely authentic. Brian – pleased to hear about your success on Facebook.snort.

The 12 hours of Unchained was fun. If you were not able to be there to hear Mitch Riback, Kelly Kohler, John Rowles and the others that were speaking (I know that’s not a complete list, but hey, I am in a hotel in Georgia someplace-grin), you missed out.

I know the economic conditions crimped a lot of peoples’ travel plans and in many cases you’d have been there but for that. Not your fault. I think a lot of us felt that the travel and expense was a tough choice these days and we all have to make those decisions. It is part of being in business.

Well, maybe you didn’t miss out…they must have clipped the microphone to us for a reason…grin. I am sure they will let us know Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

One of the truly fun things about being a dawg and writing here is when readers communicate with you. I received an email yesterday from Mike Kennedy a REALTOR (whom I had never met) selling homes in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. (beautiful website BTW-my compliments on a job well done there). He tipped me off to an article in the NY Times about real estate blogging. Thanks Mike, for the the kind words, the heads up, and pleased to make your acquaintance. It is an article worth reading! I promised you a post on the subject and here ’tis!

I was especially drawn to this paragraph of the NYTimes piece:

The first thing that caught my eye were the words “pages and pages”…and the fact that good writing about everything from diners to energy drilling was what helped this buyer decide on his REALTOR. But the other part that grabbed me was the first sentence. Yeah, the one about how the guy FOUND the blog in the first place.

This REALTOR’S website and his blog ranks #2 on Google currently for all sorts of terms. Terms like “catskills real estate”, “sullivan county real estate”, “catskills new york real estate”, etc. That’s key because it was how his blog was found in the first place.

I have said before that a search engine friendly blog (along with a site) may well be the ultimate marketing weapon in the hands of a REALTOR that can write. It is a lethal combination of traffic and stickiness. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I enter this article into evidence as proof of that concept. (grin)

We are going to have some good clean fun in Orlando, talking about how to help you get your blog/site to be search engine friendly and rank and get the traffic that it deserves. Seriously. No more or less than that. Nothing that I would not be proud to teach if the folks from Google were standing in the room.

You do not need to try and trick Google (in fact, long term that almost NEVER pays off!). You do not need to be bombastic. Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

I recently wrote here on this blog about the need to go beyond REALTOR to REALTOR linking and that a blog, properly implemented could be a GREAT way to attract local RELATIONSHIPS and thus links. I also wrote recently on my blog about the fall of the newspapers, the vacuum that was left, and the advantage that affords us to be CITIZEN JOURNALISTS. And I promised to show some examples of what I was talking about.

Fast Forward.

A group of us got together to help each other find ways to do just that. Although there are (currently) only 10 of us in the group, I wanted to share a few of the cool bloggy ways that we are combining the principles above with some neat WordPress tools to generate local connections and go local.

One of the guys in our group is Scott Hack. He is a REALTOR in my office. Oldham County Wired is his attempt at building local relationships by disintermediating the dead tree media with a community blog of his own. Here are some cool things he’s done:

Used Eric Bramlett’s QuizMaster 3000 plugin to generate a University of Louisville fan quiz on his blog. (That got posted on a local sports forum 🙂 )

Had a friend write movie reviews. (Greg called it right when he said “Vanity thy name is author” and I can find local community members MUCH more willing and talented than the dead tree media can!)

He’s personally connected as he has done stories about local folks. (Think they might USE his services for Real Estate?)

Used his Google Calendar Feed to power a “Community Calendar Page“. Hmmm…how many folks do you think will come to his blog and connect with him because of him asking for dates for THEIR events?

On my token attempt, Southern Indiana Times, I am using a plugin called WP-Classified (just released in bug free enough to post here form) that adds a classified ad section to the “paper”. I will be adding more to that and using it to garner repeat traffic.

These are just a couple of the ways we are Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

If you are not familiar with the controversy brewing around Marc Rasmussen, here is a great place to start. Morgan has laid the essence of the story out for the world to see. Others are starting to chime in already on it as well.

It boils down NOT to trademark (because MLS is NOT a trademark that NAR owns), but greed and envy from fellow REALTORS over a guy who worked his butt off to get ahead. It boils down to an Association that is run amok. They battle a guy and take him to court and when they finally win, and he redirects the domain, they then go to ICANN and try to win the right to take ownership of it, by claiming his domain is confusing to potential customers and Cybersquatting. And he is now appealling ICANN’s decision that will send his site–and the authority that it has built (his site is dominant in the search engine rankings)–over to his association. When he re-directed the domain, the battle was over. He was no longer “cybersquatting” at that point. He was no longer hurting them, but by them trying to grab his domain, they were trying to take away his asset and livelihood pretty much to make a point.

That is not right. That is a land grab. That is PUNITIVE.

He (Marc Rasmussen) is no different than you or I. He built his website’s authority over a number of years. I have known him for several of those years. And because he had the courage to buck the MLS “supposed trademark that they do not have” issue, he had to fight his own “Association”. Standing up against idiocy. Many of us have had local issues that we stood up for. And yet, this one will cost Marc dearly.

My take? (Glad you asked!) I am TIRED of jealous folks at a local Board of REALTORS using thug tactics (and loopholes brought about by IDIOTIC NAR regulations that should never have been made in the first place) to bring someone who is extraordinarily achieving into line with the rest of their Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

I have been pondering something all weekend and now Greg’s post about Redfin’s layoff has changed my focus even further. Please allow me to explain:

Saturday morning: I get an email from a blogger and friend telling me to check my email. In it comes a link to this post. The post indicates that Trulia just hired some pretty heavy hitting folks to help them “connect” with MLSs and NAR. Liasons we will call them. Ah, hell…let’s just use the REAL word-grin. Lobbyists. I even posted my own editorial on the subject of the dangers of Lobbyists on my E & O page on my own real estate blog.

After muttering to myself for a couple of minutes, conversing with my blogger friend, and thinking through it, I came to TWO opinions:

1) They don’t hire a TEAM of new folks to connect with people without expecting to get a SOLID return on that investment. Especially not whilst everyone else is shrinking and laying off.

2) What is the ONLY thing that they would want to get from MLS’s and NAR, pray tell? My opinion?Listings.All of them. Texas tea to wildcatter third party types with limited funds to keep drilling prospecting wells. It is Trump for Chumps. Without it, they are just Joe Home Depots. (grin-still savoring that post, Geno) Listings are the black gold that generates traffic that generates ads that generates revenue that generates more investment as burn rates eat at bank accounts.

Am I waiting with baited breath for the flatline beeeeep of a failed bot? Nope, but I have been stewing on it a bit…and given the difficulties that Redfin (and real estate in general ) is undergoing, can the bots be far behind? Methinks not. They will bleed slower with their advertising revenue model, but they may well bleed out. Is the only reason that they are not laying off because they were the most recent VC funded startups in the real estate space to get funded, so they still have coin (for now) in the account?

I have no way of answering that, but I can predict one thing from Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

A while back, I wrote a post about how my blog was hacked and what I did about it. Turns out it dropped me out of Google for a week or two, but the experience was well worth it. Shortly thereafter, Eric Bramlett posted the solution of setting Google Alerts on your site. (Can’t find it, or I’d link to it). Trace and others had some good comments and suggestions as well. I did what Bramlett suggested and I want to show you an example of how it works.

This morning, I received an alert (one of many that I have on my site), to wit:

Google Web Alert for: site:ericonsearch.com +viagra

High gas prices and online marketing…a correlation? : Southern …
… phentermine shipped tramadol without perscription dopamine phentermine generic cialis pills generic viagra levitra prescribing information valium valium …

This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

I quickly went and found the offending post(s) and promptly deleted hundreds of “bad neighborhood” links. Nice. And yes. I am making further changes to beef security that I am not going to talk about publicly. Will be happy to share them with you privately one to one if you have been hacked.

The good news about this go around is that we are being PROACTIVE and getting to them before we have to bug Google or other search engines about it. By setting yourself up a boatload of alerts for site:mydomain.com +(insert poker,porn, or pharmaceutical term), you can get ahead of any issues that arise.

If you Google “Indiana SEO” or other similar terms, you will see that as of today’s date, I am still blessed to be doing OK for now.

So if you haven’t taken the time to do this to your blog… Now’s a good time.

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

One of the coolest parts about my job is that I get to hang out with some of the best REALTORS that Louisville has. That’s not hyperbole. I am not blowing sunshine up anyone’s hindquarters. It is simply the truth. Often, when I am lost in my own thoughts or troubles, or in solving the latest issue at the office, or maybe even worrying a little too much about the latest market news, one of these great people will snap me out it.

Case in point.

Michael Higdon is one of the agents in our office. He dropped by on Tuesday, and plopped down in a chair across from my desk. “2009 starts tomorrow, and nobody around here knows it.”, he announced.
“At least they are not acting like it.” It kept coming. “They are gonna slow down…do less prospecting…when what we are doing today will be the checks that get cashed in January.”

*2009 starts Wednesday, October 1.” he said with finality.

My first response (in my own mind) was “That’s a great way of mentally overcoming all of the negativity.” (I did not say it out loud, but my mind was still churning on the fact that my wife had just called with an plumbing issue at home, I had not finished up the taxes, the incessant bad economic news, a 5 year old nephew that had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and a myriad of other issues….the same ones that ALL of us have).

He went on to chat with me about some of the things he was doing to CREATE the RESULTS and the WORLD that he desires for himself and his family (and more importantly how he was going to not let the outside world be the arbiter of his efforts). Bottomline: He was taking ACTION. As my mind let go of the troubles of the moment, I started to focus more clearly on the IMPORTANT things that needed to be done. I gained some clarity that rather than worrying about the stuff I could not control, I could turn the knobs that I was able to and, as a result, create Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

On my way back from British Columbia this past week, I had time to think. (Truly a dangerous thing…). This is a difficult market. We live in difficult economic times. To win, we (and our businesses) have to be survivors. That brings to my mind THIS:

Yeah, I know a cheap spoof off of the series. Then came an interesting question into my mind. WHO? Who are we supposed to Outwit? Outplay? Outlast? It, in my opinion is not Who. It is what. It is the marketplace.

Sometimes when times are tough our character comes out as we lash out. We let ourselves think that other REALTORS in our market are our competition. We try to Outwit. Outplay and Outlast them. Bloggers do the same. So do SEO folks. (I claim citizenship in all three of those countries…and each is the same iin this regard.)

One of the things that I enjoyed most on my trip to Canada was that everyone was willing to share ideas and help each other. The synergy I found shored up my belief that by finding those that are trustworthy and sharing with them, one can survive difficult times more easily. The arena of ideas in blogging is a big place. So is the real estate marketplace. SEO likewise.

We can Outwit. Outplay. and Outlast the market more easily…if we Wit. Play. and Last. Together.

(Hint: the TOGETHER part is the key…)

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

There was an interesting article just published in Editor and Publisher Magazine. (HT to Jon and Jennifer Karlen for sending me this via email this morning) It describes the new real estate advertising deal between 282 newspapers and Zillow.

Rather than offer my opinion(s) on this up front, I’d like to have Bloodhound Blog Readers take the time to read it and offer THEIR take in the comments section….here’s your chance to analyze today’s real estate news! (grin).

Let me ask some questions to get the party started!

Will this change SIGNIFICANTLY change the fortunes for either Zillow or the 282 papers? Will this add the local traffic that they are starving for? Which entity will get the “better end of the stick” in this deal? Is it really REALTORS vs everyone else in the battle for eyeballs? Will it be a saving move for both entities as they push for more traffic? OR is it rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

Bonus research question: Is your location impacted by this deal?

Ok, folks…if you have been longing to throw your views out there for a while and have not done so, here’s your chance!

What say you? ( I will offer my opinion in the comments section after the conversation’s in full gear!)

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

Who is Adam Brickley?

Well before I go there, let me say that this post is NOT political. It is about the power of blogging. When Dan Rather and CBS news botched their report of George Bush shortly before the 2004 elections, it was bloggers who brought it to light. A novel concept at the time. But those bloggers went largely unnamed. This one won’t.

Now enter Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, but a virtual unknown to the Washington DC power circles. Besides, who would want someone from ALASKA to be a VP candidate? It went against all of the normal calculations of the electoral map.

Enter a 21 year old college sophomore and blogger, one Adam Brickley. Hat tip to Slate.com. He and a few friends started a blog to DRAFT Sarah Palin as the Republican VP candidate. The month was February 2007. They started into Facebook, Wikipedia and other venues as they went. Totally new media at first. 100% EARNED media.

Then some media members started to notice. Notably Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard. Later that exposure grew to include Rush Limbaugh. This merry little band started to grow and even some of the campaigns took notice…

And then Sarah Palin was named to be John McCain’s running mate.

This last Friday, young Adam got a phone call from two new friends, Todd and Sarah Palin, on the day she was announced as a candidate for Vice President. Here are the details. And he has not slept much at all since then, handling all of the press. Pretty cool, huh?

Like I said, this post was not about politics, but rather about the power of blogging and its ability to influence the media and the powers that be.

If a 21 year old college sophomore blogger can impact the presidential elections, we (collectively) should be able to impact the constant negative spin of the mainstream press on OUR industry, don’tcha think? (grin)