Digital Home Info

How to Insert Photos into Email Marketing Campaigns

Adam Small — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:34:36 +0000

For the purposes of this tutorial we are going to assume that you are already working on an email campaign and that you are on the HTML editor/designer page.

To use a photo in your email marketing campaign click on the photo icon. It is the last icon on the right in the bottom row of the email editor menu bar.

This will bring up the “Image Properties” dialog.

At this point you have two options. You can use a photo from your photo gallery (which displays all of the photos you have already uploaded) or you can upload a new photo.

Photo Gallery

To use a photo from the gallery click on the “Browse Server” button. This will bring up the photo gallery.

Click on the “Select” link under the desired image. This places the select image in the “Image Properties” window.

At this point you can adjust the size of the image, add a border and change the alignment. Once done editing the properties press the “OK” button and the image is inserted in to your email.

Upload Photo

Click on the “Upload” tab in the “Image Properties” dialog box.

Click the “Choose File” button, browse and select the desired photo. Once you have selected your photo press the “Send it to the Server” button.

This will take us back to the “Image Properties” screen. Where we can adjust the size, border and alignment of the image.

When done press the “OK” button to insert it into your email.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

10 Steps to Build a Better B2B Twitter Strategy

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:55:25 +0000

I recently read that Twitter still has twice as many users as does LinkedIn. With the plethora of Twitter apps and integration, the ease with which tweets are amplified is also much much greater.

http://www.marketingtechblog.com/b2b-twitter-strategy/

Home prices at lowest point in more than 10 years

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:50:22 +0000

Realtors’ reading on existing home prices falls to lowest point since November 2001, but that drop in prices, low mortgage rates, sparks pick-up in sales pace.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/real_estate/home_sales/index.htm

20% Down Rule Will Stifle Housing Recovery with Majority Unable to Buy

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:45:20 +0000

The 20% down payment rule threatens middle-income and minority borrowers’ ability to be home owners.

http://www.houselogic.com/blog/why-home-ownership-matters/20-down-stifle-housing-recovery/

Mortgage rates highest in 4 weeks.

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:40:17 +0000

Mortgage rates highest in 4 weeks.

http://www.zillow.com/blog/2012-02-21/30-year-fixed-mortgage-rate-rises-to-highest-rate-in-four-weeks/

IDX, syndication battle in Austin may lead to sweeping national changes – AGBeat

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:35:15 +0000

IDX rules challenged in Austin In recent months, a groundswell has begun of real estate professionals dissenting against major real estate search sites,

http://agbeat.com/real-estate-news-events/idx-syndication-showdown-in-austin-may-lead-to-sweeping-national-changes/

Mortgage help for homeowners with hospitalized child | Inman News

Adam Small — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:29:19 +0000

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/stevebergsman/mortgage-help-homeowners-with-hospitalized-child

Bankers group to support charity in 3 new US locations. Last autumn, Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO David Stevens announced that his organization had created a new, nonprofit entity — MBA Open Doors Foundation — to be the umbrella operating unit for all the MBA’s philanthropic activities. The first charity the MBA chose to support was Spare Key, a Bloomington, Minn., nonprofit that helps families with critically ill or injured children by making a mortgage payment on their behalf.

REALTOR® University Granted Approval to Offer Master of Real Estate Degree Program

Adam Small — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:29:00 +0000

http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2012/02/realtor_university_granted_approval

More Deals Falling Through

Adam Small — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:22:15 +0000

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/02/07/more-deals-falling-through

A third of real estate professionals in a recent survey say their contracts were cancelled before making it to the closing table because of appraisals.

New Appraisal Tool for Solar-Powered Properties

Adam Small — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:21:43 +0000

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/02/06/new-appraisal-tool-for-solar-powered-properties

Homes with photovoltaic (PV) systems have historically been hard to appraise if there weren't other PV systems nearby. PV Value is a new resource that assesses the worth of solar-power homes wi

Qualify to buy before selling current home | Inman News

Adam Small — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:21:16 +0000

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/dianhymer/qualify-buy-selling-current-home

Bridge financing, hybrid loans take stress out of equation. Buying a first home is hardly easy, but it pales in comparison to buying your next home. Usually, two transactions are involved: the purchase of the new home and the sale of your current home. In other words, double the complexity. Most homeowners would rather know where they’re going to live next before they let go of their current home, particularly if they have small children. However, stringent lender qualifying requirements make it impossible for most buyers to buy before selling.

Why would I post videos to YouTube?

Adam Small — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:09:12 +0000

Yesterday I was speaking to a customer and they asked me why would they want to post videos to YouTube. This lead to a great discussion on the merits of video marketing and the value of YouTube in particular.

Some of our take away points:

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the U.S. – behind only Google (it’s owner)
YouTube passed 20 Billion pageviews/month in October 2011
The average YouTube user watches 7 hours of video per month
YouTube can push Videos to Facebook and Twitter
You can put links to Virtual Tours and your site in video descriptions

So even if only 1 percent of the pageviews on YouTube are real estate related that is still 200 Million pageviews a month. This is 200 Million opportunities per month to promote your listings or promote yourself as the real estate agent of choice.

Why wouldn’t you post videos to YouTube?

Digital Home Info Enhancements

Adam Small — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:19:15 +0000

Over the last month we have made a number of small enhancements to Digital Home Info. These enhancements include:

Music on the YouTube Real Estate Videos – If you have selected a music file to play on your Virtual Tour then the music will now be included in the YouTube video that we generate.
Panoramic photos are now included in the YouTube Real Estate Videos – Our YouTube videos will now scan panoramic from right to left.
Email Photo Uploading – We have made the process of uploading and inserting photos into an email easier. The process now directly inserts the photo into the email instead of having to drag and drop it from the gallery on the right side of the screen.
Email Photo Gallery – You select photos from your photo gallery and insert them directly into the email at full size instead of having to resize them once they are inserted.
Photo Trim – Sometimes photos imported from an IDX feed will have whitespace on the edges, especially if it is a vertical photo. This whitespace just doesn’t look right so we have placed a “Trim” link under each photo that will replace the whitespace with black space. This looks much better in the Virtual Tour.

If you haven’t yet had a chance, check out these enhancements and let us know what you think.

*NOTE – music has not been added to existing videos. To rebuild your video for existing listings rearrange the order of your listing photos in the gallery (make sure to restore the desired order).

How to upload panoramic images

Adam Small — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:47:33 +0000

We are commonly asked if our Virtual Tours support panoramic images. Yes, our Virtual Tours do support panoramic images. The steps below show you how to upload and set parameters on panoramic images.

Login to the Digital Home Info portal.
Click on the “Listings” tab.
Click on the “Edit” link for the listing that you are working with.
On the “Edit Property” page select the “Gallery” tab.
Press the “Add New Images” button.
Press the “Browse” button to find and select the desired image.
Press the “Upload” button.
Once the image has upload (it will be removed from the list) close the upload screen by clicking on the “X” in the upper right corner.
When the screen refreshes the panoramic will be in the list of images. Under the thumbnail of the panoramic, click on the “Edit Info” link. This will show a pop up screen.
In the pop up you can:

Add an Image Title
Add an Image Description
Change the time in seconds that an image is displayed on the Virtual Tour.
Change the direction an image moves in the Virtual Tour.

For a wide panoramic image select “Left to Right / Right to Left” in the “Direction of Image” drop down list.
Press the “Save” button.

Your panoramic image is now uploaded and setup to pan across the screen. If you need any help or have any other questions please feel free to contact us.

Easy Image Stitching for your Virtual Tours

Adam Small — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:50:25 +0000

Do you like panoramic photos in your virtual tours? Did you know that there is software available at no charge that will automatically stitch your photos together? Microsoft has released ICE (Image Composite Editor). This is a program that can be used to edit photos, stitch and crop images. Some of the features include:

Accelerated stitching on multiple CPU cores
Support for “structured panoramas” — panoramas consisting of hundreds of photos taken in a rectangular grid of rows and columns
No image size limitation — stitch gigapixel panoramas
Photoshop layer and large document support
Automatic exposure blending
Choice of planar, cylindrical, or spherical projection
Orientation tool for adjusting panorama rotation
Automatic cropping to maximum image area
Native support for 64-bit operating systems
Wide range of output formats, including JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, HD Photo

So if you want an easy way to make panoramic images check out Microsoft’s ICE.

Real Estate Infographic – Social Media Infographic

Adam Small — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:03:01 +0000

According to the infographic (by FIXR) below Social Media is delivering a greater ROI than Blogging. Have you experienced this?

Real Estate Infographic – Real Estate On The Go

Adam Small — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:52:45 +0000

The inforgraphic below outlines how the iPad has changed the work habits of REALTORS®. Has it changed yours?

Real Estate Infographic – Real Estate Industry & Social Media Use

Adam Small — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:39:30 +0000

Real Estate Marketing was altered forever with the advent of Social Media. REALTORS® are using social media more and more every day to promote their listings. The infographic below (put together by POSTLING) outlines how the Real Estate Industry is using Social Media.

‘Pervasive Fraud’ Among Massachusetts Mortgages, Officials Say | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:48:45 +0000

The register of deeds in South Essex County, Mass., told NBC News his department has uncovered 26,000 mortgage documents containing fraud. The Massachusetts’ attorney general has filed a lawsuit against five major banks, alleging they illegally foreclosed on home owners in the state by using deceptive loan servicing practices, such as

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/06/pervasive-fraud-among-massachusetts-mortgages-officials-say

Neighborhood Blogs Offer New Way to Reach Buyers

Adam Small — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:58:33 +0000

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/16/neighborhood-blogs-offer-new-way-reach-buyers

It’s not just about selling the home but also the neighborhood in reaching today’s buyers, real estate agents say. Here’s how some are doing it through blogging.

Fed Leaves Rate Alone, More Upbeat About Recovery

Adam Small — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:57:28 +0000

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/14/fed-leaves-rate-alone-more-upbeat-about-recovery

At its Tuesday meeting, the Fed reaffirmed its pledge to keep the federal funds rate — which serves as a benchmark rate for many types of loans, including mortgages — near zero until mid-2013.

Virtual Tour Features – New Small Photo Virtual Tour and Image Trimming

Adam Small — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:13:46 +0000

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance and improve the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing Platform we have recently released a few new features. A new small sized virtual tour that is ideal for displaying small images and auto-trim and correct photo processing.

The new small virtual tour has all of the same features as our larger animated virtual tour (Home Information, Google Maps, Mortgage Calculator, Appointment Scheduler, Auto-generated PDF Flyer, and photo browser) it is just optimized for smaller files sizes. We have noticed that many of our agents use photos from their local IDX system and that these photos tend to be around 640px by 480px. Although these looked good in the larger virtual tour, sometimes you could tell that a photo had been stretched to make it fit right. So we created this version to match the need. If you upload your own photos or your photos are large you can still use the larger virtual tour. We just wanted to provide another option so that you can get the most out of our service.

Something else we noticed with the IDX photos was that they sometimes contained whitespace (borders) around the edges. So we set out to find a way to remove the whitespace without altering the photo. This is where Auto Trim comes into the picture. Now you can simply click on the “Trim” link under each photo in your gallery and Digital Home Info will automatically remove the whitespace. This greatly improves the presentation of the virtual tour since the white is no longer there to detract from the overall presentation.

We will be blogging how to’s on both of these new features in the coming days so look for those soon. If you have any suggestions or comments please let us know.

The Content Strategy Burger [Infographic] | Social Media Explorer

Adam Small — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:49:48 +0000

A good content marketing plan contains a number of different elements including theme, audience, tone, publishing channel, etc. But how do all of these components come together to form a cohesive strategy?

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-content-strategy-burger-infographic/

Real Estate Infographic – Home Affordability

Adam Small — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:24:26 +0000

This Current State of Home Affordability infographic was put together by Creditscore. It illustrates a number of interesting points.

More than 7 Million new privately owned housing units were authorized from Sept. 2009 to Sept. 2010
The Median price of a home is up 7x over 1940.
It would take the average american household 4 years to save enough money to buy a median priced home, if they spent on nothing else.

Real Estate Twitter Marketing Webinar

Adam Small — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:30:18 +0000

On Thursday January 26, 2011 we will be hosting two free Webinars. The first session will be an introduction to the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing system. The second is Twitter Marketing for REALTORS®. Registration info is below.

Thursday, January 26, 2011

Introduction to Digital Home Info 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST Click Here to Register

This session is an introduction to Digital Home Info. The session will be about 30 minutes long. We will cover the features and benefits of the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing system.

Twitter Marketing for REALTORS® 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST Click Here to Register

This session will last between 30 minutes and an hour. We will cover basic Twitter Marketing strategies for REALTORS® and tools available for automation.

Are you ready for 2012?

Adam Small — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:07:37 +0000

About this time of year, many people are looking to the next year and thinking about what they can make better. A slimmer figure and more money in the bank are a couple things that end up on many lists. Every year people fail to meet their goals set for the New Year. Here are few reasons why this happens and how you can overcome them:

Too high of an expectation/Setting yourself up for failure. If you can’t remember the last time you exercised and set a goal of losing 50 lbs by spring or to exercise every single day, you will likely not achieve that goal (unless you are dropping everything to go do it on a reality show). Same would hold true if you set out to double your income each month. You will not change your habits overnight. Jumping into the New Year with such aggressive goals can make you feel like a failure fast. Start with a smaller goal for January or the first quarter and a set a higher goal for the later months. Your success early in the year will motivate you to continue to have successes.

No plan. What adjustments will you make in the New Year in order to be more successful? Why didn’t you exercise more in 2011? Why weren’t you making more money in 2011? Have you identified what has kept you from reaching your goals in the past? The change of the calendar doesn’t offer you more opportunity. It’s just another day with a different number on the end of the year. People feel like it’s a perfect time for a fresh start, but in reality, you can make a fresh start any time of the year as long as you have a plan and the desire and dedication to implement it. Think about what you can do differently in order to reach your goals.

Vague goals. We’ve heard a lot of agents say that next year they will be more involved in Social Media, will network more, or will do a better job of keeping in touch with their contacts. When asked how though, many are unable to define what that means. More involved in Social Media-Does that mean you’ll set up a Twitter account and Facebook Page and hope it helps or will you commit to learning something new about a specific application and make a post each week? How will you keep in touch with your contacts? Email marketing twice a month? Personal follow ups at 1 month & 6 months after you complete a sale with your buyer/seller? Direct mail 4 times a year? Be specific about your goals. Make them realistic and measurable.

No accountability. What happens if you fall off track? Do you quit or do you identify why it happened and determine how you can get back to making progress toward your goal? Statistics have shown that people are more successful in achieving their goals if they both write them down (and put them where they can be reviewed often) and also share their goals with someone they care about and respect. Try sharing your specific goals with a spouse or colleague and ask them if they would be willing to ask you every month how you are doing. Offer to do the same for them. You won’t want to disappoint them.

5 ways overconfidence kills real estate deals | Inman News

Adam Small — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:17:15 +0000

Mood of the Market. I love a discount. It’s a serious rush-generator for yours truly. Yet and still, there are several things I just don’t believe in cutting costs on. Attorneys, for one. Surgeons, for two. Yoga pants — some things just need to work, perfectly, every time, and the discount version causes bad results. And I feel the same way about overconfidence. Much of the time, it actually serves our interests to take a reasonable estimate of our abilities (which we tend to be overly conservative about, as a rule), and jack it up 10 or 15 percent: When we go into a sales pitch, or start a business, say — maybe even when it’s time to approach the man or woman of our dreams and start that first, terrifying conversation.

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/taranichollenelsoninmancom/5-ways-overconfidence-kills-real-estate-deals

How Ideas Spread With Social Media

Adam Small — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:15:36 +0000

Have you heard of the expression social media myth? Would you recognize a myth if you heard one?

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-ideas-spread-with-social-media/

Real Estate Email Marketing Reports

Adam Small — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:14:56 +0000

What do all of those terms in my email marketing reports mean?

Opened – The number of unique people that opened an email at least once. Even though they may have opened the email more than once they are still only counted once.
Unopened – The number of emails that were not opened.

Bounce – An email that was unable to be delivered because of an issue with the email address. i.e. bad email address, miss- spelled name, domain is expired etc…

Delivered – The number of emails that were delivered.

Total Opens – The total number of times the email has been viewed. Each time the subscriber opens the email is counted.

Clicks – The total number of times a link in the email has been clicked.

Unique Clicks – The number of times links in the email have been clicked. If a subscriber clicked on a link more than once it is only counted once.

Forwards – The total number of times that the email was forwarded using the “Forward” feature link in the email.

Opt Outs – The number of people that opted out/unsubscribed from your list using a the link in this campaign.

Feel free to contact us if we missed any terms.

First-time Home Buyers Scared Off? | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:14:43 +0000

Home prices have fallen to 2002 levels and mortgage rates are at record lows — so why are the number of first-time home buyers decreasing instead of increasing?

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/05/first-time-home-buyers-scared

Digital Home Info Now Available on Google Currents

Adam Small — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:42:43 +0000

If you have a smart phone or tablet then viewing a website or reading a blog can be difficult. Google just released Google Currents to make it easier. Douglas Karr has a great video on Google Currents at the Marketing Technology Blog.

Digital Home Info is now published on Google Currents. You can find our Publication at: http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAow-PY3/digital_home_info

Flawed Appraisals Killing More Deals, NAHB Says | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:11:11 +0000

In many recent cases, new homes are being appraised for less than the cost of construction, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Builders are blaming flawed appraisals for holding back the housing market’s recovery.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/09/flawed-appraisals-killing-more-deals-nahb-says

Real Estate Infographic – America’s Top Cities

Adam Small — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:18:44 +0000

This is a great infographic from the people at CreditSesame. It compares the cost of property in cities across the U.S. against cities around the world.

How does your city compare?

Facebook Page Webinar – Next Week

Adam Small — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:21:21 +0000

On Thursday December 15, 2011 we will be hosting two free Webinars. The first session will be an introduction to the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing system. The second is Setting up a Facebook Page. Registration info is below.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Introduction to Digital Home Info 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST Click Here to Register

This session is an introduction to Digital Home Info. The session will be about 30 minutes long. We will cover the features and benefits of the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing system.

Setting up a Facebook Page 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST Click Here to Register

This session is a tutorial on how to setup a Facebook Page. We will cover the steps required to setup a page, provide tips and tricks on promoting your page, and content generation.

Facebook Real Estate Integration

Adam Small — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:59:22 +0000

We just updated the way that Digital Home Info integrates with Facebook. The changes include:

Easier set up of “Listing of the Day” status updates
Publish “Listing of the Day” to multiple Facebook Pages
Install “My Listings” tab on multiple Facebook Pages

Here’s how to setup the “Listing of the Day” feature. (You must do this to before you setup a “My Listings” tab.)

Click on the “Account Info” tab in the Dashboard.
Select the “Social Media Settings” tab on the Account Info page.
Click on the “Click here to authorize Digital Home Info access to your Facebook account” link.
Click on the “Login to Facebook” link.
Click on the “Allow” button on the “Request for Permission” page.
Check the box next to each Facebook page that you want to push the “Listing of the Day” to and press the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen.
When the page refreshes the Facebook pages you selected will be listed with checkboxes for each day of the week next to them. Select the desired days and press the “Save” button next to the Facebook page.

To setup the “My Listings” tab:

Goto http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=258943535455
In the bottom left section of the page you will find an “Add to My Page” link. Click on it.
Select the page that you want to add this application to and press the “Add to Page”.
At this point the application has been added to your page. You may add it to as many pages as you like as long as the page is authorized above.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance in setting up your account.

ZipRealty settles labor suit for $586,000 | Inman News

Adam Small — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:00:51 +0000

State continues to press M wage suit. ZipRealty Inc. has agreed to pay 6,000 to settle claims by the California Labor Commissioner that the company failed to pay minimum and overtime wages to four of its agents in Kern County.The Emeryville, Calif.-based brokerage denies the allegations, and California Labor Commissioner Julie Sue will continue to press a case filed on Sept. 26 in Alameda County seeking more than million in back wages, damages and penalties on behalf of ZipRealty agents throughout California.

http://www.inman.com/news/2011/11/30/ziprealty-settles-labor-suit-586000

Rhode Island hit with ‘perfect storm’ of housing problems | Inman News

Adam Small — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:00:49 +0000

Rents climb as foreclosures hit multifamily buildings. New England weathered the recession fairly well, except for one state — Rhode Island — which, according to affordable housing group HousingWorks RI, has the highest rate of foreclosures and serious delinquencies in the whole region. In the fourth quarter of last year, the country’s tiniest state boasted 13,300 mortgages either in the foreclosure process or more than 90 days delinquent. That meant the state’s foreclosures and delinquencies were 20 percent higher than neighboring Massachusetts; 17 percent greater than western neighbor Connecticut; 34 percent more elevated than New Hampshire; 7 percent bigger than weak-economy Maine; and double Vermont’s rate.

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/stevebergsman/rhode-island-hit-with-perfect-storm-housing-problems

Insurance Against Faulty Appraisal Valuations | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:43:53 +0000

Low appraisals have been blamed for continuing to hamper the real estate market. So Kirchmeyer & Associates is debuting an appraisal warranty insurance program to its appraisal management services to protect lenders and investors against faulty appraisals.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/11/29/insurance-against-faulty-appraisal-valuations

Foreclosures Continue to Weigh on Home Values | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:01:07 +0000

Distressed homes continue to chip away at overall home prices across the country, but the “plunging collapse of prices seen in 2007-2009 seem to be behind us, “David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard and Poor, said in a recent statement. For the third quarter, market research firm CoreLogic reports about 22 pe

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/11/30/foreclosures-continue-weigh-home-values

Winter-Selling Tips for Overcoming the Gloom | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:00:28 +0000

Selling a home in the cold, dreary winter months may not be ideal but there’s still plenty you can do to get a home to standout. “Buyers out looking at homes in December or January are, as a group, quite serious about buying,” Laura Ortoleva, a spokesperson for the RE/MAX Northern Illinois, told RISMedia.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/12/02/winter-selling-tips-for-overcoming-gloom

Getting Started with QR Codes for REALTORS®

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:26:43 +0000

Below is an instruction video on how Digital Home Info implements QR Codes into its’ Real Estate Marketing Platform.

How to Add a Listing

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:26:26 +0000

The video below explains how to add a listing to the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing Platform.

How to add a Listing via IDX

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:25:54 +0000

Below is an instructional video on how to add a listing to the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing Platform using an IDX integration. If you don’t see the IDX option in your dashboard feel free to contact us to find out how we can integrate with your local IDX.

How Many Referrals Do You Get?

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:20:04 +0000

I probably see or hear hundreds of subtle requests for referrals from agents on a daily basis. I see them in emails, on voicemails, in signature blocks, and on business cards. While I’ve seen some clever ones, most are one of a few standard cookie cutter messages. I’ve been asked a number of times for recommendations for a good realtor followed by a statement as to what the person is looking for (experts in a particular geographical area or someone good with helping first time home buyers etc.) I’ve never once been asked if I know of a good real estate agent who is “not too busy” to sell their home or help them find a new one. For this reason alone, I struggle with the popularity of this quote as a means to encourage referrals. Imagine another industry using a similar quote, “I’m never too busy to sell office products to your friends and family”. Sounds odd, does it not?

So, what makes you stand out and helps people not only remember that you are a realtor but one that they would feel confident sending their friends, colleagues and family to? Below are just a few things (aside from providing great customer service to clients) that I have noted in agents getting a lot of referrals.

-The agent has a focus and shows expertise in that area. Maybe you love selling or helping buyers find a home in a particular area, or you are a condo king or focus mainly on short sales or new construction. Customize your referral tagline and marketing to include your ideal client.

-They are not all business all the time. Is your business facebook page or blog just full of listings? Is your “about me” section on your website nonexistent or filled with just who you are as a realtor? Give people things that they can relate to. Show them your character-be genuine. You might be surprised what people will remember from your “about you” section. Even with a referral, there is a good chance that potential clients will try to learn more about you online before reaching out to you.

-They keep in touch…often. A branded monthly email is a great way to stay top of mind with your contacts. Personal one on one follow up is important too-such as a call after a sale, a personal note or a request to have coffee or lunch. When is the last time you reached out to a past client? Do you remember your clients from 3 years ago? If not, chances are they won’t remember you.

-They don’t seem desperate. The housing market has been tough in recent years and while you may take any client you can get your hands on, promoting that is not a good idea. On more than one occasion, I have had an agent ask me within minutes of meeting me whether I knew of anyone looking to buy or sell a house. Complete turnoff.

-They are involved in their community. Showcase your leadership and marketing skills by participating in a group that interests you. Whether it’s a club, your church, a charity, or a hobby-take an active role and let people get to know you.

Have other tips for gaining referrals? Let us know!

How to Create a Real Estate Email Marketing Campaign

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:05:07 +0000

Email Marketing is an important part of any Real Estate Marketing Plan and one of the features included in the Digital Home Info Real Estate Marketing Platform. Many of our customers are eager to get started using this great feature but aren’t quite sure where to get started. So we created this tutorial to show you how to create an Email Marketing Campaign using the Digital Home Info system.

1) Once Logged in to the Digital Home Info Portal hover over the “Email Marketing” tab in the top navigation bar.

2) Click on the “New Campaign” link in the drop down menu.

3) Select an Email Subscriber List from the available lists. Press the “Next” button at the bottom of the screen. (Don’t have a list created yet? Click here to create an email marketing list)

4) Enter a Campaign Name, Subject Line and Select a Date and Time to deliver the email. Press the “Next” button to go to the template selection screen.

5) Select an Email Template to use. You can select from the provided templates or add a custom template and use it. Press the “Next” button to go to the Email Editor.

6) Edit the default content in the email template by typing over it or using the photo gallery to add your images. Click on the “Next” button to go to the “Text Only” version of your email.

7) This is a “Text Only” version of your email. It is for email clients that do not show html email. The text only version includes all of the content in the html email and tries to format it in an easy to read format. When you are done editing this press the “Next” button to go to the Campaign Review page.

8) On the Campaign Review Page you can review the settings for this campaign. Click on the “Edit” button next to each section in order to change the information. You can also preview the HTML and Text versions of the email by pressing the “Preview” button. Enter an email address to send a test/preview of the email. You must send a test/preview email before being allowed to actually schedule the email.

9) Once you have reviewed the test/preview email you press the “Schedule Email” button to send your email. Once an email is scheduled it may be modified from the “Pending” section at any time up until it is actually delivered.

Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.

This Facebook Marketing Book Might Be Just What You Need

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:58:41 +0000

Whether you’re new to the marketing game of Facebook or a pro looking for ways to improve your Facebook marketing strategy, Facebook Marketi

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/this-facebook-marketing-book-might-be-just-what-you-need/

Mortgage Rates Fall; 30-Year Remains Under 4%

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:57:01 +0000

Home-mortgage rates in the U.S. fell slightly as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has averaged at or below 4% for the fourth consecutive week, said Freddie Mac.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204452104577056581454081336.html?mod=residential_real_estate

New-Home Sales Post Biggest Gains in Months | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:56:28 +0000

New-home sales for single-family homes rose 1.3 percent in October, marking the best pace for new-home sales activity since this May, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. Following the sector’s worst year for new-home activity on record last year, several recent reports are suggesting a pick-up in new construction.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/11/29/new-home-sales-post-biggest-gains-in-months

Listing Data Error on MLS Gets Agent in Trouble | Realtor Magazine

Adam Small — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:51:48 +0000

A real estate agent in Boston is being held liable for providing inaccurate information on the MLS, after assuming the property he was listing was zoned as commercial even though it was in the middle of a housing subdivision.

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/11/28/listing-data-error-mls-gets-agent-in-trouble

Going The Extra Mile In Real Estate: When The Realtor Becomes The Moving Man | REALTOR.com® Blogs

Adam Small — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:06:26 +0000

http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2011/11/23/going-the-extra-mile-in-real-estate-when-the-realtor-becomes-the-moving-man/

We love great stories of people achieving the dream of homeownership. Realtor Lou Sansevero of Lakewood Ranch, Florida shares a story of how he helped a client