The LA Times wrote an interesting article talking about the success that Realtor Bloggers are having in this ever changing real estate market. Take a moment to check out the article.
Many agents think that locking down the MLS data, password protecting it and requiring visitors to login is a great way to gain leads. I don’t agree.
I agree with what Larry Cragun said in the above article:
“There is a new wave growing. Agents that blog. We believe you will eventually only use an agent that blogs. Why? Because . . . if they blog about a community they must know it. . . . You also learn more about them as they blog.”
Agents will get leads by putting their thoughts and opinions out there on the internet. If you write about the areas you work in, talk about the changes, your thoughts on the market, etc people will come to you for your opinion and in turn give you their contact information. That is a LEAD!
2/12/2008 at 11:23 am
There are many good blogs in the LA area, which the Times failed to mention. The newspaper actually has one of their own. It seemed to me that there was very little research done on the article. I believe the importance of the piece was lost since it did not direct any of its readers to the local blogs and the active community they have created.
2/12/2008 at 1:23 pm
Those of us that blog can only hope this is true. Why do UBERTOR blogs not have a comments though?
2/12/2008 at 4:33 pm
@ Matt – Ubertor blogs don’t have comments enabled as we found that most agents were not monitoring them. As you know, it does take some work to deal with comments, comment back, etc. Most of our advanced bloggers are using WordPress in association with their webpage. WordPress is by far the best blogging platform on the planet.
2/13/2008 at 4:47 am
Absolutely true I think blogging for realtors does so many things. As you stated it shows they know what they are talking about. Many deals can be made on blogs and forums and hence a lead is born. Yes some sites have a no comments and that can be frustrating but as this market grows people will realize that they need to answer comments as much as emails and phone calls.
2/13/2008 at 2:44 pm
People anticipating a real estate transaction are converging on the internet in great numbers, we are all aware of this. Blogs by Real Estate Professionals are a great way for you to introduce yourself to prospective clients. The key here is to remember who you are marketing to. The real estate transaction consisits of two party’s, both with opposing needs. If I come to your site as a buyer, and see numerous blog posts about all your various listings, it doesn’t really tell me a lot about your ability to represent my interests. On the other hand, if I’m reading about your knowledge of the local market you’re now my resource for that location and any other community information I may need. A great way to start some real dialogue!
2/14/2008 at 6:02 am
It is a great way to network and pick peoples brains and get insight into current trends and how people are responding to housing industry.
Good point to make your blogs address both issues from a buyers and sellers point.