It’s NOT About YOU (in Black and White)
February 28, 2008 | 13 Comments
Check out the latest episode of Real Estate in Black and White, entitled, “It’s NOT about YOU.”
Episode #2 was a true video-style presentation, but for this episode, I went back to the roots of Real Estate in Black and White.
One idea I think that deserves more explanation is my concept of the “listing conversation” vs. “listing presentation.” I’ll be writing more about it later, but this episode of Black & White does a pretty good job of introducing the concept and explaining why I think it is important. It should be just enough to make you think a little, which is always a good thing.
Enjoy!
Nominate the Zebra in the Blog Brawl (EARLY and OFTEN)
February 28, 2008 | 5 Comments
Ben Martin, creative and cool association exec that he is, had the very fun idea of conducting the world’s first Real Estate Blog Brawl. You can nominate any blog you want, as many times as you want. Then the top nominees will be seeded and go head-to-head a la the NCAA Basketball Championship.
So, I humbly ask for your nomination.
And if it’s not too much trouble, multiple nominations 
What You Always Wanted to Know From the Zebra, But Never Thought to Ask
February 27, 2008 | 6 Comments
No sooner had I been alerted to the fact that I was mentioned in the REALTOR Magazine feature article, “Welcome to Real Estate 2.0,” than I received an email from an agent who had seen the article.
The email came from John Duncan, a Keller Williams agent in Houston, TX (Clear Lake, to be specific). Having since spoken with John on the phone, he seems like a very competent, conscientious agent. He is the type of agent I love to have the opportunity to meet. John said the following in his email:
Good job,
Not the same old boring crap, put out by so many REALTORS who don’t get the idea of leading with a giving hand, being helpful first and being transparent enough to let the consumer know that jeez, you ARE a real person.
My hat is off to you. You seem like a fine young man. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a referral to pass up that way one day.
Your stuff is an encouragement to an old time REALTOR who is trying to break into the social marketing/ blogging bit.
I called John and told him that I very much appreciated his email, and that if he ever had any questions for me, just let me know.
John did just that.
In fact, his questions were so good that I told John I would answer them in this post so that, hopefully, others who might have been wondering about the same questions, but just never asked, could learn right along with us.
So here are the questions John asked me, along with my answers. My hope is that not only will John benefit from the answers, but you will, too:
What blog service do you use? And why?
I use Wordpress. Specifically, I use the hosted version of Wordpress and I host it with ANhosting. I love Wordpress. First of all, Wordpress is totally free. You just have to pay for hosting. If you want, you can make it TOTALLY free by hosting your blog with Wordpress.com. Of course, if you do that, you should still go out and buy a unique domain name and point it to your Wordpress.com blog. But really, what does that cost, $10/year, if THAT much. You can’t find more bang for your buck than Wordpress. To me, it is the gold-standard of blogging platforms.
When I first started blogging, I used Typepad, but I didn’t like the fact that it isn’t as flexible as Wordpress (it was also more expensive). Since Wordpress is open-source, and there are a ton of developers out there working on it, the sky is pretty much the limit with what can be done with Wordpress. On the other hand, Wordpress does require a bit more effort from the user (especially the hosted version). If you are going to host your own Wordpress blog, you are going to want to learn a little bit about things like ftp and at least learn how to find, copy, and paste basic html and php code. It isn’t terribly difficult, but there is a learning curve, so be aware. If you just plug some tutorial searches into Google, you can find plenty of good web resources for coding help for just about anything you want to do. YOU CAN DO IT!
I noticed your email is spelled out and not a link. I’m guessing that’s to keep spammers at bay?
Bingo. At least, it is an attempt to thwart potential email scrapers from spamming me to death. It might be a feeble attempt, but something is better than nothing, right? As far as spamming the blog and the comments, I moderate all of the first-time commenters, and I use the Askimet plug-in to filter the spam. It has worked well for me thus far.
If you had to start over, what is the one big thing you would have done differently?
This question is a real doosie. I had to think hard about this one. The one thing that I wish I had done differently was more intensive research before I began blogging. Pretty much from the beginning, I have been sort of “learning as I go.” I don’t mind that, since it is my nature, but I wish I had done a little more research before I launched my blog. Had I done that, I probably would have gone straight to Wordpress, rather than messing with Typepad. I also would have not written so many crappy posts in the beginning that were merely regurgitating articles and stats and stuff I had found. I would have had a better plan for what I wanted to write and discuss and how to approach it all.
In some respects, however, I am very glad that I just jumped into the deep and started swimming. It was frustrating and difficult and annoying at times, but it was all worth it. If you don’t make mistakes, then you can’t make anything.
Lastly, what are some blogs or materials you follow up on to learn about blogging? For example, someone turned me on to Seth Godin’s blog.
This one would be easier if I weren’t going through my RSS Blackout right now, since I have tons of good feeds in the reader. So I am going to have to give you a few examples from memory. I’m leaving off the RE.net blogs, since you can go to the blogroll in the sidebar to find good examples of those. In this list, I’m only talking about blogging and business-related sites.
1) John already mentioned Seth Godin’s blog.
2) CopyBlogger is a great resource for writing effective copy. Good not only for blogging, but business in general.
3) Problogger is a resource for people who are interested in being paid for blogging (Pro Bloggers). This might not necessarily apply to you, but the strategies and techniques discussed are not any less helpful because of that.
4) The blog at SEOBook.com is a great resource if you want to learn more about SEO. People who talk about SEO often get way too technical for most people. SEOBook is written in terms that just about anyone can understand, and the advice and resources are all top-notch. The debate still rages about how important SEO should be when you are blogging, but no matter how you feel, you should at least have a basic understanding of some of the strategies.
5) Chris Brogan is an incredible source of inspiration and information about using social media in business. In some ways, I think that his site is even better than Seth Godin’s. A lot of people wish that Seth Godin would share more concrete techniques to practice. Chris does that.
So there you have it, John asked me 4 very thoughtful questions, and I tried to answer them as best I could. I hope that John finds the answers helpful. I hope that you do, too.
And remember ANY time you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. You can always send me an email, or just leave a comment.
REALTOR Magazine Gives Bloggers Some Love
February 23, 2008 | 5 Comments
One of the funny things about my current RSS Blackout is that much of the fluff has been removed from my Internet life.
Previously, I had been using my RSS reader to scan EVERYTHING that went on, and then I was deciding what looked interesting to me. Now, however, without RSS, I am having to rely on others to tell me what is interesting to THEM. That is a significant difference. I have to pay closer attention to conversation. I like it.
One such thing that came up in conversation (on Twitter, incidentally) was the feature article in the March 2008 edition of REALTOR Magazine. The article is entitled, “Welcome to Real Estate 2.0.” (for some insight into the controversy this might cause, see Benn’s take) The article is all about agents using Web 2.0 tools (blogging, social networking, etc.) to do business more effectively.
St. Paul Uber-Blogger Teresa Boardman was featured prominently in the article, along with many others. For a more complete list of all those mentioned, check out Jim Cronin, of the Real Estate Tomato, who posted a good rundown of the article and one of his clients, who was also featured in the story.
This article is significant in that is shows that, contrary to what many have believed, the National Association of REALTORS does have Web 2.0 on its radar, which is definitely a good thing. I’ll have more analysis of the article and its potential impact when I have some time to read, mark, and inwardly digest the whole thing. After a brief perusal of the article, I can say that one of my favorite parts has to be the final section, called “Well-Known Real Estate Bloggers.” Although, I admit that I can be horribly biased in that respect. 
Kudos to all of the agents, bloggers, and members of the web 2.0 real estate movement who were mentioned in the article. Kudos to NAR, as well, for recognizing the talent and commitment of these fine people.
Sit at the ZebraTalk Table and Partake of the Knowledge Feast
February 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
Last Friday’s episode of ZebraTalk was a real doosie. Besides spending time going over what it takes to apply the Superstar Attitude to your business, and finding out all about the latest news from REBarCamp ‘08, a very enlightening round table discussion took place.
Take a listen to the show, but you definitely won’t want to miss the last 25 minutes or so of the broadcast. . .
Guests on the show included Andy Kaufman, who gave his REBarCamp ‘08 update.
Jeff Turner, of Real Estate Shows.com
Mike Price, of MLBroadcast.com
Ben Martin, Association Executive Superstar of the Virginia Association of REALTORS
Rudy Bachraty, Social Media Guru from Trulia
Benn Rosales, the UberGenius
Towards the end of the show, we just sort of hung out a little and talked about the social media issues of the day, and how they relate to the real estate industry. Rudy posted a particularly good review of the discussion yesterday.
This is what I hoped ZebraTalk would be all along, a place for industry experts to gather, discuss, learn and grow. More of the same is sure to come, so don’t forget to check out the ZebraTalk homepage for updates on upcoming episodes, and archives of past episodes. Most importantly, be sure to listen to the shows live, participate in the chat sessions, call-in, and heck TELL A FRIEND!
Respect the Game.
February 18, 2008 | 5 Comments
Respect the game.
I used to write that under the bill of my baseball cap when I played. It was something that my high school baseball coach stressed to all of us. It was an all-encompassing philosophy. Respect for the game meant that no matter what happened, you made sure that you hustled, that you played hard, that you treated your opponent with respect, and you treated the umpires and coaches with respect. You did this not because it was required, but you did it because those that played before you did it and gave you an opportunity to do it, and you did it as an example to those that would play after you.
Respect the game.
It is something that I have carried into officiating. In my pre-game captains’ meeting, the only thing I tell the players is, “Respect each other, respect the officials, respect the game, play hard, and have fun.” For me, that about sums it up. If the players do those things, the game always goes very smoothly.
Respect the game.
It is something that I have carried into business. I’m not the first person to practice real estate, and I won’t be the last. There have been many before, and there will be many more to come. Those that came before worked very hard and sacrificed much to lay the groundwork for what the profession is today, and the opportunity it affords. I respect that. I also know that I’m not the best REALTOR that has ever been. I don’t hold all the answers, but I hope to serve as an example for my contemporaries so that one day they might be able to survey my professional career and say, “whatever else, he did things the right way.”
Respect the game.
One unfortunate consequence of the Internet age is that it is largely anonymous. There is no need for real, face-to-face, human interaction. That is a shame, because it erodes the need for respect. It’s easy to say just about anything when all that is required is a few keystrokes before a back-lit screen in the privacy of your own room. I think that sometimes, everyone could benefit from spreading around a healthy dose of respect on the world-wide-web. This is especially true when the person to whom that respect is directed is a person with whom you may disagree.
Respect the game.
Some Superstars for You to Consider. . .
February 14, 2008 | 1 Comment
Earlier this week, I told you that the next episode of ZebraTalk is about how adopting a “Superstar Attitude” can help you succeed in this current real estate market. You are probably wondering what a superstar attitude is.
Well, I’m not going to tell you, just yet. You’ll have to listen to ZebraTalk on Friday at 1pm EST for that. I will however, give you a little peek into where I’m going with this.
Take a look at the pictures of the three men above: Tiger Woods, Joe Namath, and Steve Welmer. You probably recognize the first two, you might want to Google the third. One thing that all of them have in common is that they are Superstars in their professions and all of them have honed their superstar attitude in order to achieve success.
Think I know what I mean? Think you are on the right track? Tune in Friday to find out how it all ties together.
“The Superstar Attitude” and an REBarcamp ‘08 Update
February 12, 2008 | 3 Comments
Let’s face it, as far as the real estate industry goes, times are tough. Well maybe not exactly, but times are tougher than they have been recently. A lot of the talk I hear from agents has a very defeated tone to it.
That’s not how I roll– and you shouldn’t either.
The attitude you should be taking is that of the Superstar.
Wanna know what it means to adopt a Superstar attitude? You are going to have to tune into the next episode of ZebraTalk on Friday at 1pm EST to find out. I’ll be discussing what it means to adopt the Superstar attitude, and how it can help you succeed.
You will definitely want to stick around for the second half of the show, as we will be getting a REBarcamp ‘08 update from Andy Kaufman. You can find out the latest about how the planning is going, and what you can do to help. We’ll be doing REBarcamp updates on a monthly basis.
So there you go, you now have TWO great reasons to listen to ZebraTalk this Friday. There are even more great reasons for you to call-in and participate, just like Benn did to discuss the NAR marketing campaign and real estate coverage in the media during the last episode.
Help Those Affected by the Tornadoes
February 8, 2008 | 1 Comment
Those affected by the recent tornadoes could use your help. Luckily, the RE.net has put together a way for you to help. Helping is a lot easier than you may think. All you have to do is visit these posts on AgentGenius and BloodhoundBlog in order to make a much needed donation and help spread the word.
What are you waiting for?
Real World Stuff Makes for Light Posting. Hold Yourself Over With ZebraTalk
February 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Posting has been light for the last few days.
I love the virtual world, but the real world sometimes must take precedence. This week, Kari and I have been running around trying to get organized as we move into our new house. On top of that, there is still much real estate related work to be done, and I have at least one basketball game every night through Saturday. Oh boy.
Not to worry, however, as you wait with baited breath for the next post, you can satisfy your need for some zebra-striped goodness by listening to the latest episode of ZebraTalk, which aired last Friday.
I discussed the impact of the media on the current real estate market, and Benn Rosales of Agent Genius was gracious enough to call-in towards the end of the show and offer his insights. Its all good stuff, so enjoy!
Now, off to find stuff buried in boxes. . .
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Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
