The Real Estate Tomato: Internet (Sites and Tools)

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June 18, 2007: Know The Facts: Proprietary Vs Open Source In Real Estate Web Design
Comments: 9 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0

One of the least understood, yet most important elements when choosing your web design provider is knowing the difference between purchasing a proprietary product and an open source product. Now that the internet is literally driven by open source (Wordpress, Firefox, Joomla, Thunderbird, Linux, Apache, MySQL, phpBB, OpenOffice.org, OSWD, WikiMedia, and more.) consumers have better, more affordable options and more effective tools for their needs. Don't find yourself handcuffed to a product or company that has developed a limited and expensive solution for your current needs. Open source grows with you, and your options for service and development are approaching limitless. Know the facts: 1. Ownership Do you own the elements that make up your real estate website, blog or blogsite? Open Source: In most cases, yes, you do own all the elements of your site. You have dominion over the code, graphics, functionality and content. The site can in...

May 23, 2007: Open Source, Freely Taking Over the World
Comments: 8 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Jason Benesch , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0

1. We support the democratization of local governments through the use of digg-style lawmaking. 2. We believe social media websites represent the future of participatory governing. 3. We believe traditional voting processes should be augmented with secure web-based voting systems. 4. We want to see open source software, formats and philosophies replace proprietary products such as the ruling Microsoft monopoly in public agencies. 5. We demand that all politicians keep regularly updated blogs, with open comment systems, to maintain contact with their constituents. (That one is my favorite!) 6. We want to see wiki-style collaborative writing of proposed laws and bills. 7. We demand that all governing bodies publish Youtube-style video of all public meetings and votes. 8. We support a total reform of patent, copyright and intellectual property law to reflect free and open Creative Commons-style licensing. 9. We are against the implementation of Draconian DRM systems. 10. We...

April 2, 2007: One Username And Password For All Online Real Estate Applications
Comments: 10 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marc Grayson

This week, Mr. Marc Grayson, our resident Internet Marketing Tool Specialist brings yet another insightful offering. Marc examines the value of developing a single ‘sign on’ username and password for your many (and growing) online real estate services. One Username And Password For All Online Real Estate Applications By Marc Grayson Yes, that would be nice, considering many people now-a-days have 10 username and passwords for all their online accounts and identities. You're not only inundated with many user accounts (agent profiles, logins and passwords), but moreover, many distinct, monthly or annual subscriptions with online RE Applications. Whether talking about your MLS, online forms provider, transaction management tool, agent website, virtual tour provider, Podcast provider, your many email accounts, and of-course social media websites (i.e. ActiveRain, RealTown, your own blog)…you're swimming in many online RE applications. Problem - More RE Applications Coming Guess what, more online real estate apps are...

February 15, 2007: Would You Like To See High-Res Video Supported On Your Property Listing?
Comments: 2 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

How would you like to see high-res video supported on your individual property listings? Last October I introduced Classifieds 2.0 provider vFlyer and earlier this year I told you about the company’s real estate service enhancements, which were based on the requested needs of real estate professionals. The company’s founders are very keen on listening to what you want, and recently founder Aaron Sperling asked us here at the Tomato what we thought about supporting high-res video on flyers. Here is your chance to tell him your comments and thoughts on how you’d like high-res video to be supported on your online listings: Is the quality of video streaming on YouTube and blip.tv acceptable? Do you expect you should pay for hosting and streaming of High-Resolution Video? What would you expect to pay? $.15/view $.30/view $.50/view $19/mo. $29/mo. $39/mo. Other Leave your responses to the above in the comments, and...

February 9, 2007: Is This The Most Powerful Listing Tool?
Comments: 9 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marc Grayson , Marketing Solutions

Mr. Marc Grayson, our resident Internet Marketing Tool Specialist has returned with another insightful weekly offering. This week Marc examines the value of promoting properties for sale with the singular listing website. Thank you Marc. - Today, we see a number of sources to place listings on-line: your agent website, broker website, MLS/Association website, vertical search engines like Trulia, Propsmart and online classifieds such as Oodle, LiveDeal, GoogleBase, Realtor.com, Point2NLS, Zillow, Postlets, VFlyer etc. Given these numerous outlets to list properties to a nationwide audience, I'd like to present a listing tool that is a return to your "local" scene. Return to what is good and local Besides agent/broker websites, we've seen many posts on the Real Estate Tomato about being "Local" vs "National". Teresa Boardman talked about Keeping Local Real Estate, Well...Local, and how blogging can support and express your local knowledge and expertise within the microcosm of your...

January 29, 2007: Going Paperless: Bringing Value to an Undervalued Process
Comments: 9 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marc Grayson , Marketing Solutions , Technology - Gadgets

A couple of weeks ago, Marc Grayson made his debut on the Tomato with a very informative article regarding the tools available for determining the value of a property. Ironically, the article has the Tomato coming up quite competitively for the search phrase: “What is my home worth?” So, I couldn’t wait for him to contribute another piece, expecting more great SERP success! This week Marc breaks down the process of how to take your real estate business paperless. This was a topic that was quite interesting to me, given I threw my printer away about 3 years ago, and have never looked back. Going Paperless: Bringing Value to an Undervalued Process As the Web 2.0 era is in full-swing, consumer-centric, real estate websites have allowed and inspired consumers to list their own homes, discover house values, conduct neighborhood searches, and further self-serve elements that were once the sole responsibility...

December 26, 2006: Adding Your Two Cents - Stay On Top Of Your Comments
Comments: 9 | Categories: Blog Participation , Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Jason Benesch , Real Estate Blogging

Commenting is the lifeblood of a blog. The author feels a sense of recognition and acceptance when their audience makes the effort to participate by leaving their two cents. The potential exchange that can take place in the comments serves many benefits: 1. Increases content depth for the article: Search Engines will eat this up too. 2. Helps audience recognize the humanness behind the blog. 3. Develops sense of community through participation and encouragement. 4. Hones article's message to a collaborative "truth". Here are the Tomato, we love to see people leave comments on our articles. It let's us know that people are not only reading, but finding value in our content. We also love following up on comments that have been left by other members of this community, letting them know we are here to engage. However, there is a challenge. How can our audience stay informed of updates...

December 11, 2006: A Del.icio.us Discovery
Comments: 8 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Web 2.0

Before this weekend, I had still not taken the time to look into the power of using del.icio.us within my arsenal of convenience. Now I am addicted. What inspired me was a conversation with one of our newest clients, Marc Brinitzer. Marc was describing just how easy del.icio.us had made his blogging life, and I was immediately interested. Rather than describe his revolutionary experience myself, I thought it would be better first hand from Marc himself. A Del.icio.us Discovery You've been there. A new piece of software or add-on (Firefox) looks really cool. You download it with great anticipation, only to have it wreak havoc on your browser's feng shui. So it was when I first downloaded del.icio.us. I had just finished organizing & arranging my favorite toolbar icons. I had shortened the long bookmarked names to fit all the good stuff in, and then wham, in a download, it...

December 4, 2006: Useful Tool: BlogJet: Desktop Blogging Made Easy
Comments: 4 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools)

I have tried several blog publishing tools over the last 6 months (Performancing, Writely, GoogleDocs, Ecto and 3 different WYSIWYG’s). None of them are as slick, smooth and sexy as BlogJet. What do I love about it? 1. No browser required. 2. Image editing is a snap! 3. Intelligent spell check 4. Edit past posts in a click 5. Text formatting couldn’t be easier 6. Access to unlimited accounts 7. Super clean HTML 8. Stats 9. Online help 10 Voice Recorder 11. Category 12. Page breaker 13. Smileys 14. BlogThis for blogging right from the browser (IE and FF compatible) 15. Instant YouTube upload 16. Instant File Upload (PDFs for example) What challenges are there? 1. Can’t create categories, must use the ones already on your blog 2. It’s not free ($39.95) Other than the price, I imagine that they will solve the above challenges in subsequent versions of the...

November 26, 2006: Cool New Blogger Bling
Comments: 5 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

When over at Joel Burlsem's Future of Real Estate Marketing, reading a fantastic post: 5 Great Ways To Improve Your Designs, I noticed something eye-catching that I hadn't seen before. Upon "rolling over" a text link in the article, up popped a preview window with a picture of website I was considering visiting (by clicking the link). My first thought was: This is cool! Next thought was: Where do I get this? The answer was easy. At the bottom of every preview pane there is a link to Snap.com, where you can get the FREE code for this slick tool. Setup (it was a 'snap'): Go to Snap.com. Sign up for the free service by providing name, email, and URL. Copy javascript code they generate for you Paste code into Main Index Template of blog just above the line that begins: Republish blog and you're done. Challenge: Now every...

November 22, 2006: vFlyer Suits Up For Real Estate With New Features And FeedExpress™
Comments: 2 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

Last month we introduced online listing newcomer vFlyer, an online classified service that lets you create a great looking listing flyer in a snap and then post that ad to numerous marketplaces and search engines. Last week Patricia Ridgeway from IgnitePR informed me that vFlyer had made some upgrades to their product based on feedback from the first wave of Realtors that took advantage of their free service. Apparently, a large number of Tomato readers took the advice and signed up for the service. So, as a courtesy to you (and them) here's an announcement regarding those changes. vFlyer has added HotPads, Propsmart and Trulia to its ad distribution network, and Realtors can now post listings across new categories – including townhomes, condos, land for sale and commercial properties. Agents can promote Equal Housing and Real Estate associations as well as include headshots, company logos and Yahoo! Maps. The biggest...

November 12, 2006: Fantastic Tool For Bloggers
Comments: 8 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Here and again I am impressed with a tool so slick that I feel it deserves its own blog post. You are reading such a post about such a tool. One of the most common challenges I come across when it comes to training new bloggers to add pictures to their articles is the whole resizing issue. Cameras provide novices with poster-sized images that simply will not do. In addition, most don't have a quick and easy solution to resize or crop images making them web-ready. I usually end up spending 30 minutes downloading, installing and training clients on irfanview. I have just come across the tool that will save us all time, training and headache. PIXER.us is my new best friend. An AJAX, online solution for resizing, cropping, rotating, flipping, and effect editing. It works like a dream. Upload a picture from your harddrive, make desired changes in real-time,...

October 17, 2006: Postlets Has Competition: VFlyer
Comments: 13 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

On two occasions I have reviewed and recommended the services of Postlets.com. Now I have an opportunity to offer an alternative: VFlyer.com. Create handsome, online flyers for classified service websites search engines such as: eBay, Craigslist, LiveDeal, GoogleBase, Vast, Edgio and more. In addition to generating an HTML style flyer in a snap (no brainer easy), Vflyer also provides you with an online 'landing page' for your listing. Each listing allows for ample content and several high quality photos. Designs can be customized based on around flexible template layouts. Lead generation pages, photo gallery and traffic tracking systems round out the tool nicely. PDF's can be created for your listings as well to convert them into traditional or emailed flyers. The service, although useful for advertising anything for sale (with up to 40 categories to choose from), has mostly caught the attention of Realtors who are using it for their...

October 1, 2006: Why Craigslist Works
Comments: 11 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

10 days ago Teresa Boardman posted an article on her ActiveRain blog regarding her fascination with the success that Craigslist can generate. The article below was inspired by her post. There are several reasons why Craigslist fails to live up to the hype for real estate agents, and I'm sure readers' comments will fill in these blanks. However, there is a ton of success being flaunted by agents that have struck gold by simply posting a free listing on the site. How is it, that a haphazardly strung together database of random listings is able to attract so much traffic when there are much more sophisticated, complete and user-friendly resources that are struggling to generate leads? 1. Mind Share. The more people talk about it, the more people talk about it. Once Craigslist achieved household name recognition, it became foolish not to give the quirky city-sized yard sale a try....

September 21, 2006: 2 More Awesome Online Tools
Comments: 6 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Technology - Gadgets

My 2 New Favorite Online Tools. IntelliContact - This website is invaluable! With IntelliContact you can "Easily Create, Send, and Track Email Newsletters, Surveys, and RSS Feeds!" You can even create custom forms, with autoresponders and CRM (customer relationship management). This is all "click of a button" easy and there are even video tutorials to help. I give IntelliContact a 10 out of 10 when it comes to online email marketing and management. Writely- When Writely was acquired by Google last year, they halted all new memberships... and I have been waiting to try them out ever since. I never did receive my notice, as they promised... However, a few weeks ago I saw someone bragging about using it and it reminded me of how anxious I was to check it out. Goodbye Microsoft Word. Why would I ever want to use your cumbersome product ever again? How sweet is...

September 19, 2006: Blogging Your Listings
Comments: 9 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging

It is hard enough to maintain one blog. Why would anyone want to try and develop multiple blogs for their listings? Below are the options and answers for this subject. Please feel free to expand upon this topic with your comments. Options 1. Blogging your listings within your blog This is when you write an article in your blog that is about a specific listing. The blog itself is not geared specifically towards the showcasing listings, but you figure you might as well drop them in there anyhow. This is the easiest and cheesiest way to promote listings with a blog. Easy because you don't have to create a separate entity just to post, and cheesy because your audience, although interested in your savvy, is not coming to your site regularly to check out a single, uninteresting listing. 2. A new blog for each listing Each listing is a new...

September 12, 2006: A La Mode + Firefox = Disaster
Comments: 4 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

I use Firefox because of its versitility as a web-browser. It's usership grows everyday, and there is little the MIcrosoft has been able to do about it. Looking at real estate websites and blogs is my life job. Recently I have noticed a little problem with the way 'A La Mode' websites appear in the Firefox browser: They are all jacked up! Example 1: A La Mode in Internet Explorer A La Mode in Firefox Not so pretty, huh? Example 2 A La Mode in IE A La Mode in Firefox It seems that the intended formatting is lost in Firefox, leaving the site to look incomplete, or amatuer. I am not picking on the sites above, but rather, hoping to educate A La Mode users of this glitch in their product. If you would like to learn more about Firefox visit their website.

September 7, 2006: Postlets Launches PostletsPlus (beta)
Comments: 4 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

Asher from Postlets has just notified me that they have launched their latest, greatest upgrade to thier core product: PostletsPlus. What you need to know: 1. Template is now multi-themed and multi-paged 2. Images are quadruple the size 3. Google maps are integrated 4. School info 5. Mortgage Calc 6. Links for virtual tours and external websites (yeah!) 7. Video Upload (googlevideo and youtube) Cost: For now, it's a free listing in exchange for any referral that signs up to Postlets. Future Cost: a couple of bucks or so per listing. Commercial listings? No. Sorry Brad.

September 1, 2006: Love The Tomato? Love These Three!
Comments: 6 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Of the hundreds of websites and blogs I visit weekly (somebody has to), there are gems that I look forward to reading more than the rest. At the top of each month I look to bring some readership to these fantastic examples of exemplary real estate blogging. Sellsius Blog I have been looking forward to the daily articles by Joseph G. Ferrara and Rudolph D. Bachraty III on Sellsius Blog since I first found them last month. Their mission is to provide information on all aspects of real estate, in an entertaining way. However, they are also threatening to launch a unique destination/solution for the affordable marketing of nationwide listings... Realty Blogging Realty Blooging is a fantastic resource for getting a broad perspective on real estate blogging. They describe themselves as "A Network of Blogging Evangelists Writing on Effective Real Estate Blogging." They showcase a panel of real estate bloggers...

August 22, 2006: Google Base's Next Move With Real Estate
Comments: 11 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

If I were a realtor, that just scored a listing, the next thing that I would add to my marketing plan would be to get that listing into Google Base. Google has snuck in their Base real estate listings at the top of their search results whenever you include the words "real estate" with major metropolitan geographical searches. Try it out. Here's San Diego; here's Seattle, here's Sacramento, here's Boston... If you have been taking the time to add your listings to Craigslist. Stop. Sign up for Postlets.com. They will post your listings in Craigslist, GoogleBase and 8 others, for free!. Now you can tell the seller (with a straight face) "I'll have your home at the top of Google."

August 11, 2006: 10 Links In 10 Days
Comments: 2 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

In addition to the monthly installment of "Love The Tomato? Love These Three!," we are starting another scheduled link fest: "10 Links In 10 Days." Whereas the "Love These Three" is showcasing 3 real estate industry blogs that we feel stand out above the rest, "10 links" will link to newsworthy articles from around the blogosphere. All articles are RE Tomato topic related, and worthy of comment, but we just don't have time to squeeze them into a formal post. Enjoy the the Juicy 10! 1. Day of the Long Tail Movie Trailer: In celebration of the publication of Chris Anderson's book, "The Long Tail," The old world of media faces an invasion... 2. Trulia Markermen Rap Underground video of trulia markermen rap, very funny real estate mascot video. 3. Top 10 Women Real Estate Bloggers Sellsius showcases our X and Y chromosome bloggers. 4. 9 Reasons Why Blogs Beat...

August 10, 2006: A New FSBO MLS
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

This week's 'Beta' site is ByOwnerMLS. It boasts on its homepage that it "is a Multiple Listing Service that displays virtually every "For Sale By Owner" property." That claim is a bit bold; a quick search in the Sacramento, CA area pulled a whopping 5 single family properties for sale. On a brighter note they continue: Our Real Estate search engine combines the inventory from multiple For Sale By Owner Listing Services into one searchable database. The listings are uploaded and revised daily, providing you with the most current inventory available. Best of all, its FREE to use and no sign-up is required!" Their database offers search parameters for Homes Condominiums, Town homes, Rentals, Land, Vacation Homes, Time Shares, Multifamily, Commercial and New Construction. An Inman News article quotes Dominic Muttillo, chief operating officer for ByOwnerMLS.com, as stating: "We believe that the for-sale-by-owner industry is one of the most minimally...

August 9, 2006: Buying Homes Online - The Video
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

I found a great post on the Sellsius Blog today with a link to a news report out of San Francisco regarding using the internet to BUY a home. Take the 2 minutes and 51 seconds to watch this video (below) about how to do just that using a new service called Redfin. The most enticing element of the Redfin service is that the buyer receives 2/3 of what would be the buyers agent commission. The offer is closed by a Redfin agent, hence the 1/3 part. I don't feel that the buyers agent will ever go the way of the travel agent, but I do feel that this service will cater to a certain (if not significant) percentage of home buyers. A recent study by the US Census Bureau presented in the Wall Street Journal states: People in their 20s are more inclined to buy real estate now compared...

August 8, 2006: 13 Ways To Post Your Listings For Free
Comments: 15 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

Reading Bernice Ross's "RealClues" - The Weekly Newsletter for Real Estate Professionals is a fantastic way to keep abreast of what's working for agents in the marketing world. She has just started a 5 part series regarding the Inman Connect called: Hot Strategies from Real Estate Connect: The Ins and Out of On-Line Lead Generation. This week's article focus's on how to gain maximum exposure for your listings with the least amount of spend. She mentions Postlets as a great source for its all-in-one-effort service. I follow up with a few more, and invite you to chime in with any services you have found useful. Check it out: 1-10 Postlets.com (update: Postlets has competition: VFlyer. And, Postlets lauches PostletsPlus) The first 10 come in a neat little package called Postlets - "free classifieds creation and syndication" Build your online flier once, and have it automatically post to: Backpage.com Craigslist.org Edgeio.com...

August 7, 2006: Attention! How Craigslist Makes A Profit
Comments: 6 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Forgive the lengthy look of this post, but all parties using Craigslist to advertise their listings, wares and services should make careful note of some changes to the Craigslist Terms Of Use (TOU). A whole new set of T's and C's (20 in fact) show up when you log in to make a post starting this week. The most alarming Term that you must agree to is #19. Consider yourself warned. The below has been copied directly from Craigslist Terms Of Use (version 1.23): 19. VIOLATION OF TERMS AND LIQUIDATED DAMAGES Please report any violations of the TOU, by flagging the posting(s) for review, or by emailing to: abuse@craigslist.org Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. You understand and agree that, because damages are often difficult to quantify, if it...

August 3, 2006: Useful Google Map - Zip Code Boundaries
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Quick post - Chalk it up as another useful item. And just one of a million uses for the Google API. Clear zip code divisions for the whole country mashed up and served on a google cracker. Source: John Coryat Systems Want to try making your own custom Google Map? I know you're not bored... but here's the best Google Map MashUp List I could find... and there's always Platial. Add to: | Technorati | Digg | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

August 2, 2006: CatchUp With SketchUp
Comments: 2 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

I little piece of my mind was blown today. If you want to know what it feels like check out this demo of Google's next masterpiece, SketchUp. Mike and Rich, two developers of Google SketchUp discuss the usability and usefulness of this revolutionary software and their 3D warehouse. I had looked into Google SketchUp some months ago when the buzz first hit... but found it all too intense to roll up my sleeves and start a project. The above demo, although still a bit intense, is shining some light on just how exciting this program is as it integrates seamlessly with Google Earth. (For those of you who haven't experienced Google Earth, clear you schedule for the rest of the afternoon and zoom in over all your favorite spots on earth. I apologize for wasting the rest of your day.) Just considering all the possible uses the innovative real estate...

July 26, 2006: "If You Write It They Will Come!" - The Long Tail In Real Estate
Comments: 10 | Categories: Blog SEO Advice , Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Search Engines , Web 2.0

Some of you are sick of hearing about the 'long tail.' Some of you still have no idea what it is. Finding a way to leverage the long tail is what keeps it interesting. The long tail phenomena can be read about here. However, it is best understood by example. The mainstream music scene crams their latest releases down our throat as the must have, and they will certainly sell millions of records, cd's let's go with units. The long tail effect is that there will also be millions of units sold by thousands of other less popular artists combined. The tail may very well out-sell the mainstream. Online companies offering millions of titles such as Napster, iTunes and Rhapsody experience enormous success because they offer the whole tail. You can see the long tail in real estate as well. The internet traffic to sites like Zillow and Realtor.com is...

July 25, 2006: Protect Your Kids - Know Your Neighborhood
Comments: 1 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

FamilyWatchdog.com is making an effort to educate families across the country of not only the location of sex offenders in their neighborhood, but also how to protect their children from possible attacks. Step one: Know the facts Step two: Find offenders Step three: Sign up for alerts Step four: Share awareness Every Realtor's website should have a link to a website like FamilyWatchdog.com. Beyond the amenities of a neighborhood, Realtors should also be responsible for educating their clients on the dangers as well. Other websites promoting the safety of our children: AmberAlert.org NationalSexOffenderPublicRegistry TheSafeSide.com

July 22, 2006: Vyew: Better Than Sliced Bread
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

After fully reviewing this new web application, you will be saying "Wow!" What we've got here is an incredibly simple online app giving you the power of a shared desktop. Open a screenshot, upload an image, load a powerpoint or word file... instantly your Vyew guests will be able to experience in interactive discussion about it. Write on it, draw on it, talk about it. This is the best example of desktop sharing I have ever experienced. It is going in the Useful Items list immediately. Check out a demo presentation of Vyew. If anyone has an interesting use for Vyew that they would like share, please leave a comment. Realtors should consider using this when discussing the layout of their marketing materials, websites etc. Best of all: It's Free! Registered users can have groups of up to 20 meet online to discuss a project. Hat tip: Chris Daley from...

July 20, 2006: Steal This Blog!
Comments: 3 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions , Web 2.0

The large majority of the Tomato readers are Realtors. It is my mission to help this audience better understand how to embrace the tools that are going to keep them successful. The Tomato itself is an example of embracing a new tool (the blog) only to in turn illustrate how to leverage it yourself. Effective blogging will make you breakaway from your online competition. That is why I implore you to continue to pay attention to this site. Lofty goals for the Tomato inspire daily content and strategy focus. Learn as I we grow; come along for the ride. The Internet is shifting to what is being referred to as Web 2.0. Descriptive titles such as "collective collaboration," "participant architecture," "peer production," and "crowd sourcing" have been used to describe the core value of this shift. Blogs, MySpace, Wikis, Flickr, eBay, YouTube, Craigslist, Shoutcast, Forums and Mozilla are among the...

July 20, 2006: When Your Website Just Isn't Enough
Comments: 0 | Categories: Guest Author , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

This week’s guest author is Chris Daley. With nearly six years of commitment to providing Realtors with the tools and knowledge they need to make their presence online a profitable experience, he comes to us today exploring the benefit of landing pages. Chris focuses on how landing pages can represent the missing link between your website and your next marketing campaign. Two ways to NOT use your website and find success “Make your personal website the centerpiece of your marketing!” Sound familiar? Give the client all of the information, all at once and they are sure to leave a name and phone number. Sounds like a plan! Once you get going, advance to search engine marketing like Google or Overture. That will really turn up the volume and increase your leads. Right? Thousands have followed that logic. Few have found tremen dous success. Most have found enough success to cover...

July 17, 2006: Haughty Haute Hot - The Million Dollar Real Estate Site
Comments: 3 | Categories: Entertaining , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

I received an email last week pitching the MillionDollarHomePage clone PickYourRealEstateAgent.com reaching out to real estate agents to buy up pixels. Buy pixels (shelf life 5 years) from a map of the USA, and receive dominion over the area selected in turn increasing your site's traffic. You know the drill. I had forgotten about these guys, so I checked in. As of today they have already sold over 75,000 pixels in around 6 months. There hasn't been much chatter about it on the wire lately. Technorati pulled one result. (update, now there are none... postings only show for 90 days) Blog Optimization Blog's article is a blantant advetrtisement, but it is the take on the future of real estate agetns that I found most compelling. "Eliminating the real estate agent from the buying and selling process is the latest trend in real estate on the Internet." and "While competitors seek...

July 14, 2006: Traffic Experiment - Linkie Winkie
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

When looking over my traffic stats and referring sites, I keep seeing this funny little name: Linkie Winkie. When you visit their site: LinkieWinkie.com it cryptically mentions: Linkie Winkie is a bit of a social experiment and we want to see what happens. We're not going to tell you much about it, except that its a very altruistic little site and loves to be talked about. So if you can work out what it does, and get your timing right, then Linkie Winkie might help you out for a while. My guess is that a kind word and link back to LinkieWinkie is going to be a traffic booster. A subsequent post will reveal any findings.

July 13, 2006: Search, Crop and Disable Caps Lock
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Here is an addendum an earlier post of useful online tools: Clean, quick and easy. Need to check on the availibity of a domain? Squurl.com sooths the experience with this cut to the chase site. iView The best general photo editting software ever. Crop, resize, sharpen etc without the RAM drain. Download it if you haven't already. This tiny program has keeps me sane. It makes sense that they call themselves Brain Systems.

July 8, 2006: Real Estate Forums - No longer just for us geeks!
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Web 2.0

Online forums have been around longer than the world wide web. Back when webpages were called 'bulletin boards' and everything was in green and black text the first online forums were born. Typing away on an Apple II+ in real time with a few other geeks across the country on a 7kbps modem seemed so amazing. Aesthetically, forums haven't changed much since then; they are still mostly text. But the audience is becoming less and less geek dominated. Real estate forum AgentsOnline.net boasts over 8100 registered members and over 85,000 posts. Nearly three dozen topics (threads) cover subjects that range from foreclosures to website success to ethics to product pitches and many more. Real Estate webmaster's and realtor's learning to master their website have made RealEstateWebmasters.com one of the most frequented real estate forums on the web. With stats like: 57,405 Posts, 4,684 Members and 7,949 Topics, it has more...

July 6, 2006: What Sellers Are Going to Be Asking You!
Comments: 1 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Web 2.0

I am so glad RealBlogging.com posted this article. This excerpt is the meat left on the bone for me: "As consumers become ever more aware of blogs and their use in the home buying/selling process, you can expect to be asked by sellers what online tools are included in your bundle of benefits. Perhaps it's time to include blogs in your answer." I see the constant promotion of the above in my near future. Offering and training Realtors on the best uses of online technologies available to them has become my career. Blogs are the next "website" for Realtors. Your clients are going to be looking for you to relate your expertise and experience to them as a vehicle to help educate them in the home buying/selling arena. Just offering the standard IDX MLS search, CMA forms, links to schools and demographics, mortgage calculators and some featured properties is so...

July 5, 2006: Get a Better Headshot For Your Website
Comments: 3 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

Most real estate agents like having their headshot on their website. However, not all headshots are created equal. A good first impression is imperative and can make all the difference when it comes to generating a lead with your site. If your headshot is unprofessional, then you look unprofessional. The world can be very superficial, and appearances do matter - people want to work with someone they feel looks "nice." LookBetterOnline.com is a website to locate a local headshot speacialist. They claim to be an online dating headshot company... but I see it as a great resource for professional headshots as well. However, if you have a face for radio, as they say, perhaps a cool, personalized logo would be better for you.

July 3, 2006: SmarterAgent - Property Value and History on Your Mobile
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Technology - Gadgets

SmarterAgent.com has a handheld service that allows you to easily: find an agent, determine the value of a home, find property for sale and read property history all from your cell phone. Their growing coverage area includes: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, San Diego and San Francisco. Their service providers are currently limited to Sprint and Nextel. I love gadgets - and gadgets for real estate get me all hot and bothered.

July 2, 2006: Improve Your Listing's Photos with HDR
Comments: 9 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Technology - Gadgets

They say that a photograph is worth a thousand words. Rarely is one of those words "Wow!" Sadly, when it comes to amatuer photographers taking snapshots of the listings thay are claiming to represent, the photographs are terrible. A good photograph will get buyers to the property. The more buyers, the better chance at an offer, obviously. I can't hold the camera steady for you, nor can I make sure you're standing in the most advantageous spot, but I hope that this tech tip can help you at least do justice to the properties and views you photograph. I have been fooling around with HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography for a few months now, and it has unleashed the muse in me. Now, I always travel with my digital camera and tripod. HDR is basically the blending of photographs taken with varying ranges of exposure. Some of the images are...

July 1, 2006: Have you heard of Google Base?
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Search Engines , Web 2.0

Me either, until today. Behind the curtain, Google really is looking to take over the world. We've got Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Maps, Picasa, Google Earth (see!)... and on and on and on. Just last week they announced Google Checkout and Now Google is going after Craigslist with Google Base. Their home page says: "Put Stuff on Google, Google Base is a place where you can post all types of content and have it show up on Google" Base is still in a beta mode, but given the web dominance of Google we should expect big things from any project they take on. In general, other than a handful of trailblazing agents, the only real estate listings I can find on it are mostly populated by homesandland.com, homesbyowner.com, therealestatebook and livingchoices.com. Here is an example of a search done in the Housing Section of Google Base for: Single...

June 29, 2006: HousingMaps.com
Comments: 3 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions

HousingMaps.com is a useful tool if you post to and troll Craigslist.com for real estate. The website is simply a blend of Craigslist Real Estate Listings with Google Maps. The properties appear as colored balloons that when clicked bring up the available images of the listing. Clicking on the address brings you directly to the post on Craigs. It's simple, it's curious.

June 28, 2006: Real Estate on the Web 2.0?
Comments: 3 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Web 2.0

With the ubiquitous popularity of MySpace (80 million accts) and blogging (40 million accts) can we assume that the future of real estate on the web is going to be viral networking and user generated content? I say, "Yes!" Real estate blogging around the globe has been stumbling all over itself to give an objective review of any new online networking service. Here are 4 entirely different models of what I mean. MeetUp.com MeetUp is not a real estate only networking site. It is a destination for creating networking groups of people who share similar interests, careers and hobbies in your geographical area. They boast over 2 million members and over 4500 "interests." I see it as a perfect match for the real estate community. Offline, there are many 'real estate groups' that feel that working together makes them stronger. They market with a larger budget, they share a larger...

June 25, 2006: What's wrong with Craigslist?: The people who post there!
Comments: 10 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Craigslist isn't the perfect platform to post real estate listings; listings appear chronologically so there's no convenient organization. What's posted just an hour ago seem to be rendered irrelevant by the dozens of subsequent posts piling on top of it. People post listings from all over the country regardless of the fact that the category is called "sacramento craigslist > real estate for sale." The results are also littered with advertisements for discount loans among other things. Yet, it's not the clutter and popularity within the real estate section of Craigslist that is the problem. The reason people are becoming disenchanted with their results on Craiglist is a result of the way they have gone about posting to it in the first place. Craigslist should be seen as another way to generate leads for the services you offer. I'm willing to bet that 99.9% of all visitors that browse through...

June 24, 2006: Here's the latest on Craigslist
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Given the popularity of Craigslist with Realtors... Here are two video interviews from News.com with Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.com, revealing the present and future of the internet's largest classifieds. Video 1 Video 2

June 23, 2006: If you don't know Zillow by now...
Comments: 1 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

If you haven't heard of Zillow.com yet then chances are you aren't reading this blog either. Just because they can generate more traffic per day than Realtor.com (not anymore) doesn't mean they've taken over the world or anything... Don't feel bad if this is the first you've heard of Zillow, I was actually first told about it by my 90 year old grandmother - I'm not kidding. Some Realtors are embracing Zillow: On Craigslist, I have already started seeing Realtors refer to the value of a their listing posts as determined by Zillow. A cool blog about Zillow called ZillowBlog.com takes a peak at Zillow Estimates for Elk Grove, CA. He had never heard of it before, but then again no one knew about it 10 years ago. Zillow can be more entertaining than seeing how much your home is worth, or what your boss paid for theirs... here's an...

June 22, 2006: ActiveRain:
Not real sure about this one yet.
Comments: 1 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

I am officially only the second real estate profile from Sacramento on this new network website. Let me know if this ever takes off.

June 21, 2006: Homethinking.com - Compare Realtors in Your Area
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

A beta version if Homethinking.com has been launched and I find it a very curious new tool. Their tag line is: "Find Exceptional Neighborhood Realtors to Sell your Most Valuable Asset" Basically what we have here is a search engine for comparing Realtors across the country. Search by location, price range and/or name. Once you have found an agent, Homethinkers then offers other agents that you 'may want to consider' as well. This is not unlike Amazon.com's "other items you might be interested in" feature where they are pitching related products to the one you have selected. Curious indeed. The details about each agent basically offer: contact info, current listings, recently sold listings, and posted comments about the agent. Comments can be made about an agent only if said agent sold your house.

June 20, 2006: Useful Items - Ever Growing
Comments: 4 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Finding a better way to go about doing (not so) everyday computer tasks is something that is always welcomed here. In an effort to share some of the more convenient tools I have stumbled across, here is an ever-growing list of those solutions. Please feel free to email me with some of your own, and I will be happy to give you credit with a link back to your personal site. 1. PDFOnline: Need to make a PDF but don't have a PDF maker like Adobe Acrobat? Save $100's in software costs by using this free online service to make PDF's up to 2mb large. 2. GetHuman: Sick and tired of having to press 1 for this and press 2 for that when trying to get to a customer service rep? This is a list of 'cheats' on how to get thru to a customer service rep with many major...

June 16, 2006: The Future of Real Estate Searching Online?
Comments: 0 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

Is Trulia the Future of Real Estate Searches? Watch this video from Inman Stories and see for yourself. Trulia is a residential real estate search engine that helps consumers search for homes for sale, trends, neighborhood insights and other real estate information directly from hundreds of thousands of real estate broker Web sites. You can create your own custom search by price, number of bedrooms, neighborhood and more - without having to submit a lead form, provide personal information or wait to get contacted by a lead qualifier who may not handle the property listing. It is indeed a fresh approach to real estate searching online, whether it is the "future of real estate searches" is yet to be seen. What I see as a great benefit to the Realtor's properties that are featured on Trulia is that the data is being mined directly from their personal websites. After running...

June 16, 2006: The Real Estate Tomato Launches
Comments: 0 | Categories: California RE News , California RE News , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Sacramento RE News , Sacramento RE News

The Real Estate Tomato Mission Statement: To provide Realtors with an online destination for news, knowledge, solutions and entertainment.

June 15, 2006: Logo Design
Comments: 1 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Products and Services

Brand your marketing with a memorable and professional logo that best conveys your image. Starting at: $99-199 Enhanced Text Logo 1 Mock Up 3 Revisions Unlimited Color Copyrighted 24-48hr Development Great for: Business Cards Website Email Signature Stationary Mailings Starting at: $249 Full Featured Design 2 Mock Ups 3 Revisions Copyrighted High Quality File 3-4 Day Development Great For Business Cards Website Email Signature Stationary Mailings High Quality Printing Video Starting at: $299 Personal Logo and Image 2 Mockups 3 Revisions Copyrighted Photograph* 3-4 Day Development *if feaseable Great For Business Cards Website Email Signature Stationary Mailings High Quality Printing Video Strong Personal Branding

June 15, 2006: Frequently Asked Questions
Comments: 6 | Categories: Internet (Sites and Tools)

What is the Real Estate Tomato? The Real Estate Tomato is a destination for real estate news, emarketing, internet insight, services and products. Our mission is to provide Realtors with the news, knowledge, service and technology to make them more successful. As we grow to embrace the tools of Web 2.0, our future will be defined as the destination for Realtors to get their daily eKnowledge. Why Tomato? Tomato is the unfinished fruit. Ripe, round, red and attractive on the outside, but somewhat amorphous and liquidy on the inside; versatile and tasty; a symbol of growth and production and a projectile of disgust. All these elements define our aim with the Real Estate Tomato as we look to enlighten, encourage and entertain Realtors throughout the world. What means 'Blog'? Blog is an abbreviation of 'weblog'. It's main distinction from a standard website is the element of being frequently updated. The...