Your Website Represents You!

As an active real estate agent, you must have a website, of course. You may have a website that is provided by your company, an independent website, or both.

Each of these websites represents you, your services, and your company. It is your virtual ambassador, in a sense. How can you ensure that your website represents you in the best possible way?

At a minimum, your website(s) should include this information:

• About Me (your background, approach to real estate, and a little personal information, too)
  
• Your Listings (all of your active listings, preferably as a feed from your MLS)
  
• Your Solds (display all those for which the buyer has given you permission)
  
• Contact Me (an easy way for consumers to reach you)
  
• Your Marketplace (information about the marketplace you serve, including financing options, schools, recreational facilities, and so on)
  
• Blog (a key way to communicate to consumers).

Make each of your websites as powerful as it can be by, first, learning as much as you can about the features and functionality of the web template. Then, maximize your use of all of the capabilities of the template you have. For example, are there special widgets that show current housing prices in your marketplace? Can you link to your MLS listings? Is there a widget that supports podcasts? Use such special features to make that website stand out in your marketplace.

Investing time to polish each of your websites will ensure that you will be proud of your virtual ambassadors!

For additional ideas on keeping your websites current, visit Robin's Ruminations.

Accentuate the Positive

In your blog posts and prospecting collateral, follow the advice of the old Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer song:

Accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative -
Don't mess with Mr In-Between.


Why is this approach important? I offer two principal reasons:

1. Your view of your local marketplace can help balance largely negative national news reports;
   
2. People prefer to work with someone who has a positive outlook.

Any small gleam of progress and hope can stimulate a short blog post, newsletter article, or market update. For example:

• A house in your market received multiple bids;
  
• Local lenders have just reduced mortgage rates;
  
• Mass transit authorities plan to expand services to your marketplace;
  
• A decision is made to proceed with a new development.

There are lots of positive stories in every market. Your challenge is to be informed of what's happening, in all aspects of your market,