When I was a brand new agent, before I even had a listing, I bought a subscription to Real Estate Shows.  I considered it an investment in my new business.  But even as inexpensive as Real Estate Shows is, I still wanted to get some use out of something I’d spent money on.

So when I made showing appointments for my first buyers, I asked the listing agents if it was OK if I took pictures of the house so my clients could keep the details fresh in their minds.  As we set off to view several houses, I told my buyers that I’d take pictures for them and asked them to let me know what they especially wanted to remember about each house.  They were quick to let me know if a particular house wasn’t photo worthy, but if it was a good one they’d smile, nod and let me know what they really liked about the house.  (If you have clients who have a hard time describing what they really want while sitting in your office or in an email, this process will get them talking.)

After we’d viewed the listings and I knew their favorites, I created Shows and emailed them the links that afternoon.   They had no idea how quickly the Shows could be made, but they felt I’d gone out of my way with their “reminder Shows”.  Since Real Estate Shows doesn’t charge by the Show, my only added cost was a little time – which I was more than happy to give them.

They watched these Shows over and over again, and I could quickly tell by looking at my Tracking Reports which was their favorite.  I wasn’t surprised at all when they called to tell me they were ready to make an offer.  As we approached settlement, the hits on that Show continued to pile up as they sent the Show to their friends and family, excited about their new home – and each time my branding quietly announced that I was their agent.

For the final walk through, I brought my camera again.  I took pictures of the empty rooms, ready for the changes they’d make over the years.  Before we left, I got a picture of them in front of their new house.  Of course, I made them another Show, this time announcing their new address for their friends and family.  I made them a copy on CD to keep and gave it to them the next day at the closing table.

I could have just waited until I had a listing to use Real Estate Shows, but I’m glad I didn’t.  One of my first listings turned out to be for one of their family members, and I dealt with several others from their family over the years.  I can’t say for sure that Real Estate Shows brought the business to me, but I’ve always thought that it helped them to remember their “family real estate agent.”

Have you wished Real Estate Shows had a certain feature, or maybe worked in a different way?  If so, we want to hear it!  We’ve just unveiled our new Feedback Forum and we’d love to have your input.  If you have a suggestion, please feel free to add it.  If you see a feature idea you want, please vote so we know what’s important to you.  Check back and we’ll let you know what we’re working on!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Let me tell you about my search for a hotel in New York City for an upcoming anniversary trip.  (You’ll learn why I want you to hear about  it in a minute.)  To begin, I checked a hotel review site online and concentrated in the area where I knew I’d like to stay.  Then, social person that I am, I asked friends through Facebook and Twitter if they had recommendations.  I narrowed my list and looked at hotel websites.

Aside from a few with real personality, most of the websites offered a handful of photos and some flowery words that could have applied to any hotel.   This led me to wonder what the hotels were really like, so I searched Flickr for pictures from people who actually stayed in the hotels.   After narrowing my list down to two hotels, I used online maps to time the walking distance to attractions I knew my husband and I would like to see.  I wrapped up my hotel stalking with a street view from Google maps that allowed me to “walk” around the neighborhood.  Decision made, I booked our hotel.

All this for a three night stay.  Obsessive?  Well, maybe.  Or maybe I’m just comfortable with my computer and online tools and want to be sure I’m spending my money wisely.  All of these hotels had a chance to use simple tech tools to let me feel as if I’d just stepped into their lobby, met their smiling employees and soaked up a little of the atmosphere that makes them special … and yet very few of them bothered.  The ones who did really stood out.

Now let’s imagine me as a home buyer.  I’m no different from the others, I start my search online long before I’ve made a firm decision to move.  I’m toying with the idea and looking for information. 

• Is my current house worth enough that I can afford to move? 
• Can I find a home that fits my needs in a price range I can afford? 
• Should I expect my house to sell immediately, or are they taking ages to sell?  (Think of your website, will it answer my questions quickly and easily?  If not, I’ll move on.)

If I find positive answers, I’ll start peeking at houses currently for sale.  I know it’s not likely I’ll end up with any of these, but that’s OK.  I want to get a feel for the neighborhoods, start forming an idea of exactly what I want and what I might need to spend to get it.  And I’m paying a lot of attention to what information I can find.  In my search, I’m hopeful I’ll stumble across an agent who gives me pictures, maps, school information, panoramas, videos, floorplans, maybe even helps me virtually pass around the house in social networks for my friends to see – let’s add lots more photos, can’t have enough photos — I want a wealth of information at my fingertips!  This is what it takes, enough details and photos for me to feel an emotional connection to a house, and the data to know that it’s a likely a good fit for me.

I want to hire a real estate agent to make this whole transaction easier for me.  If you can give me everything I want to see about a particular house, I know you’re going to make it very easy for someone else to find my house and know that it’s the right one for them.  You’ll be the one I call when it’s time. 

Using Real Estate Shows puts the tech tools you need within easy reach.  It isn’t difficult to be the agent who stands out and gets the business.  If you’d like to be personally tutored how to use our online flyers, video conversion, widgets and more, please call us at 888-580-7627 or email us at info [at] realestateshows.com.

We have a new Mother’s Day Show available in Instant Shows. This Show features beautiful, welcoming homes and is suitable for sending to your Mom clients.

If you’d like to have this Show in your own Real Estate Shows account, just click Instant Shows on the Main Menu, then Import Show. Once it’s in your account, feel free to edit or personalize in any way you like.

Don’t forget your own Mom — she’d probably love a Show with pictures of you growing up, and Grandma might appreciate a Show of her little angels to share with all her friends!

There’s a phenomena popping up all around the country called Real Estate BarCamp. If you’ve been thinking you’d like some fresh ideas for marketing and managing your business online or maybe you don’t even know where to begin – this was created for you.

The way Real Estate BarCamps developed is very similar to the way they work: someone had a great idea and ran with it, others added their expertise and it became something really special. The inspiration for Real Estate BarCamp came from the tech barcamps and “unconferences” in the bay area where Andy Kaufman lives. Andy thought it would work well for real estate and decided to try one the day before Inman Connect San Francisco 2008. When he announced it on Daniel Rothamel’s Zebra talk radio show, Todd Carpenter immediately called with an offer to build a Real Estate BarCamp website. The rest of RE.net fell in love with the idea and here we are — Real Estate BarCamp has even become popular enough not to need the draw of a conference to draw attendees. In fact, I’ll be driving six hours myself to attend REBCVA and I can’t wait!

BarCamps are fast paced, fun and extremely educational. (And strangely enough, they don’t take place in bars, although you can usually find a few attendees who would be glad to help you find one afterward.) You’ll learn about the newest tools and fresh ways to make use of what you’ve already got. You’ll find a great mix of Real Estate Rock Stars and those just starting out, and the ideas from all blend and create something new we wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s an amazing thing to take part in a BarCamp!

All this and they’re FREE to attend! I hope there’s one near you and that you’ll give it a try. Here’s a list of some upcoming BarCamps, please click for more details:

• Fredericksburg, VA March 3
• Los Angeles, CA April 2
• Portland, OR April 23
• Phoenix, AZ April 23
• Denver, CO May 22
• San Francisco, CA August 4

Each of these BarCamps will have a free Real Estate Shows subscription up for grabs! (It’s worth attending just for all you’ll learn, but a chance to win a year of free RES isn’t bad either.) If you win you’ll be given my contact information and I’ll personally help you set up your account and get you started.

Go, learn, have a great time and tell me all about it, OK?

I work at the Help Desk of Real Estate Shows, so I get to answer a lot of questions. I’m also listening quite a bit, not just so that I can be sure I’ve fully answered the question, but also because there is ALWAYS more to learn.

And our clients have some great ideas, that’s all there is to it.

Speaking to Esther Krakower, I learned that she has a special way of letting her clients know what she’s doing for them. Instead of reporting back immediately that she’s connected their listings to Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, YouTube, Facebook, Geebo, Hotpads, Vast, Viewr, Google Base, Digg and so on, she’ll tell them a little at a time.

One phone call may let them know their Show is now on Realtor.com and YouTube. Then an email with a link to their Flyer to let them know it’s now Google Base. The next call might let them know about Facebook, and so on. Who’s going to remember that jumble of dot coms if you rattle them all off at once? It’s information overload!

So each time she has contact with her clients, she can tell them a little bit more about she’s done for them. Each time she checks in, she’s making sure the lines of communication are open. They feel pampered knowing she’s taking care of their listing and have an opportunity to ask questions about that specific distribution.

If you read statistics about client dissatisfaction, lack of communication is always high on the list. I’m thinking Esther must have some very happy clients. Sometimes it’s not what you’re doing for your clients,  it’s the way you tell them that you’re doing it.

Announcing brand new Thanksgiving Greeting Templates just in time for you to send Thanksgiving greetings to friends, family and clients both new and old!

If you’re pressed for time, we’ve even created a couple Thanksgiving Instant Shows for you. Just click on the Instant Shows button on the Main Menu where you can add the Show to your account with just a click, then personalize in any way you like.  Use the Create a Flyer link from the Manage page to choose one of our new Templates.

This has been a rough year for many, but there is always (always, always) something to be thankful for. Remind those close to you that you are thankful to have them in your life.

And we thank YOU for allowing us to be a part of your life as well!

This is the slow time of year for real estate over much of the country. When things slow down for you, things slow down for us. We tend to use this time to come up with cool new stuff to give you — stuff I’m excited about because I am a Real Estate Shows user, too — you’re going to love it!!

… But back to here and now. If this is your slow season, it’s time to focus on what’s working, what’s not and what might work better. I want you to take a good hard look at Real Estate Shows because there may be some ideas that are slipping by. If you’re watching your budget, this is especially important.

One of the best ways to save money is to get as much use as you can out of the money you’ve spent already. We want to help with that.

In the next few weeks, we’re going to be doing a push here in the Real Estate Shows Blog to help you get the most out of your investment in our product.

• We’ll help you stay in touch with friendly new Instant Shows.
• We’ll help you communicate with people in a way that is comfortable for them, so that they’re more prepared to hear what you’re saying.
• We’ll teach you new ways to use a product you already have because that saves money.
• Jeff will probably teach us all some cool new tech stuff. (I expect that from him so I hope I get it.)

It’s time to settle in and learn some new stuff. You may have heard some of our tips before, but sometimes hearing it in a different way will spark a brand new idea. I encourage you to check back in frequently or add our blog to your feed reader if you haven’t yet. I want you to know how to use Real Estate Shows to it’s best advantage to help you meet and exceed your career goals.

Our business is helping your business.

photo credit: James Sarmiento

Let’s talk about your online presence for a moment. I’m hoping that you have one, that you’ve at least put your foot in the door of social media and that you realize just how many buyers are using the internet to find their next home. (Hint: it’s pretty much all of them.)

As a listing agent, part of your job is to put your listings in front of as many people as possible. One of the challenges in doing this is that everyone uses the internet in different ways. The days when the MLS, Realtor.com and your own website were enough of an online presence are gone. You’ve got to put your inventory in THE BUYER’S online territory. And there’s a lot of territory to cover!

It’s OK, we’ll help.

1. Video: First, I’m hoping you know that you can embed your Real Estate Shows in your blog or website. (Mouse over Publish on the manage page and choose Embed Code.) Did you also know that you can convert your Shows to video? You can, it’s easy and it’s fabulous. Click on Publish, then choose the Video tab. Look, you can upload to your FREE YouTube account! (If you don’t have YouTube account, shame on you and we’ll wait while you go sign up. Did I mention it’s FREE?) Now be sure to convert your Real Estate Shows to video and send them directly to YouTube, where you now have your own landing page. You can also download your video and upload it to all your favorite video hosting sites. (I love Flickr, and if you like I can tell why you should love them, too.)
2. RSS Feeds: Look for the nifty little RSS icon on the Manage page just to the right of the All tab. Click that and you’ll be able to set up a feed for any of your Shows where you’ve checked Viewable in Other Shows. Then you can set up an RSS feed widget in the sideline of your blog to show off your listings. Many blogs come with a standard widget for this, but if not you can use the RSS Feed Widget provided by Grazr.
3. Social Bookmarking: Are you using sites like Facebook, Digg, Del.icio.us and StumbleUpon? Chances are your clients are! If you go to Edit Show/Edit Buttons, you can scroll to the bottom and click Enable Social Bookmarking. Then watch your Show and at the end, just click the Facebook button to send to your Facebook account and so on. Very easy!
4. Twitter: If you send your Shows to Realtor.com, they’re already being sent to a feed in Twitter, @RealEstateShows. You may also want to tweet a link out if you have a specific follower who might be interested in a certain home, or if you want your followers to have very quick access to your listings.
5. Flyers: From the Manage page, you can click Create a Flyer and in a matter of clicks have a beautiful Flyer ready to go online or in print! Check a few boxes on the Distrubute Flyer page and you can send the Flyer out to Google Base, Oodle, Trulia, Zillow, Hotpads, Geebo, Viewr and Vast. It really is that easy! And if you’d like a nice print quality Flyer with no additional hassle, click Download to PDF and print off your full color Flyer. (Your clients will think you spent ages on all this, I won’t tell them any different.)

There’s always something new, a new way for people to connect, find the things they want and communicate with each other. The internet makes it easier to get in touch with a large group of people very quickly, and when used properly can help keep your business moving at a fast pace, too. We’re continuing to make changes to how Real Estate Shows can be used to help you market your listings (and yourself) quickly, simply and most importantly, effectively. If you have questions or suggestions, we’d love to hear them.