Barb Szabo, MyClevelandRealEstateBlog.com – wanted to enhance her blog presence and export her Active Rain blog posts over to her WordPress.  We found they didn’t really come in too nicely, so Barb’s been practicing with her new blog and copying/pasting older posts that she wants in her new blog and learning it at the same time!

Have fun Barb!!

Bercu Homes  – upgraded Point2 Agent Website, Custom Facebook Fan Page (FBML) and Wall, Active Rain Header and Background, monthly SEO/maintenance services…

Next Generation Realty Group
Naples FL Real Estate
Point2 Agent Web Design
View Point2 Agent Web Design Portfolio

I was asked for a “key component” comparison between Point2 Agent and Ultra Agent – just thought I’d share…

CUSTOMIZATION –

Point2 Agent – With Point2 you really don’t have a choice of “modern” themes, they’re all outdated and you’re “forced” to customize or hire a designer if you’re unable to customize your own site.   Limitless customization is becoming “Limited” for those who use stylesheets.  We just had a client who used another designer to create a stylesheet for her website.  They also included a customized “Featured Listing” area.  However, since Point2 made changes to their platform, she could no longer see certain functions within her website to be able to change out the featured listings.  She was stuck with 2 of the same featured listings until we got in there and broke the site down to create the customization within her content instead of a stylesheet.  Keep in mind, the stylesheet “effect” is different than a stylesheet hosted elsewhere and taking over Point2′s platform for your website.

Ultra Agent – Nice modern themes, so you’re not forced to customize and can focus on SEO and site content (text and graphics) and you can send in replacement header graphics at no charge for their team to integrate for you.

LISTING DISPLAY –

Point2 Agent – Uses their network listings to display listings and for searches. For the syndication, you have to enter your listings into both your MLS and Point2 Agent – they’re 2 separate databases.

Ultra Agent – Feeds directly from your MLS listings.

BLOGGING –

Point2 Agent – Blogging platform is not very user-friendly or viewer-friendly.  There’s no automatic way to get back to the website from the actual blog.  Bringing in a graphic for a post requires a URL of the graphic location – it doesn’t let you search your desktop for the image.  It’s still in beta. 

Ultra Agent – Blogging platform on Ultra Agent coming in October 2009 – it may or may not be more user-friendly than Point2, but we’re still suggesting clients use both Active Rain and WordPress, along with whatever comes with your website.

COST –

Point2 Agent – $49.95/month for Professional level which is what you need to activate the blog and customize it beyond the template.

Ultra Agent – $24.95/month

SYNDICATION -

Great syndication for both.

The great thing about Ultra Agent is that they really provide clients with a strong foundation, modern themes with the option of changes in your header at no cost!  There are some limitations, and that’s where FirstCoastDesigns.Com comes in to play.

You may not even need our services – it’s that good.  However, if you find you still want more,  FirstCoastDesigns.Com can customize your Ultra Agent website using CSS and javascript for a nominal fee.  We suggest starting with a theme provided before contacting us as Ultra Agent has nice looking themes unlike some of those other real estate website platforms out there.

You can get started with a 15-day free trial directly through Ultra Agent and if you find you want more, contact FirstCoastDesigns.Com!

Select your website theme including the layout and colors

• Add unlimited pages, unlimited links, unlimited listings, and unlimited images.
• Enable MLS Search capability using the latest IDX technology
• Select which Lead Generation tools to include in your agent website.
• Schedule Open Houses, list past sales, add virtual tours, embed slideshows, display Google Maps, search for local schools, Printable Fliers, and much more!
• Syndicate your listings to over 200 websites!

Key components of Ultra Agent real estate website designs are built for search engine optimization.  This includes full control over your metatags, title bar, image alt and title tags, as well as all your content throughout. 

Plus, all real estate agent website designs (themes) can be customized at no extra cost!  In 3 easy steps, Ultra Agent can customize any of their real estate agent website themes with your desired photos.

How Can FirstCoastDesigns.Com help?

We’ll be adding the pages for you, incorporating any widgets and lead capture tools, and making all new pages search engine friendlier – completing your website at a fraction of the cost!  We can give you a complete custom theme using CSS and javascript for a nominal fee, however, we suggest starting with a theme since Ultra Agent provides modern themes, not themes  that look very outdated like some platforms out there!

We will active your website FREE (for a limited time), complete any profile information, upload agent photo and logo, choose a theme, send header photo(s) to Ultra Agent upon your approval…and then…

I’m noticing it’s referencing “Woodstock Georgia” on these 2 pages, so make sure you make it your city and state.

Just wanted to let you know to be aware of it.

If you’re new to Point2 and just generated your website, you’ll want to know that some of the images that are old stock images have been removed from Point2’s servers, so if you go to your home page or the Home Styling page, for example, and just click on edit content, the minute you get into the content boxes, the images disappear. 

Wanted to let you all know and be aware.  I can only imagine what’s going through new members’ minds when they get into the site and images just disappear!  Don’t fret…they’re old images anyway and you can choose from the Point2 image gallery or insert your own. 

If you’re a Standard member, you may not notice this after the home page.  Professional/Premium members will notice this more since there’s more pages in the site.

I’ve noticed over the last couple of months that when the stylesheet effect is in a Point2 Agent website, listings in “detailed” view, which used to be expandable to fit the page or retractable, are no longer expandable…if you have a lot of details included in the view, it just goes on and on.

I’m not noticing it happening in any Point2 Agent websites that do not have the stylesheet effect, so I’ve been able to narrow it down to the stylesheet effect.

Other things I’ve noticed…

1. Things are skewed in edit mode – meaning the content boxes seem to fall outside of the stylesheet, but in view mode, it’s fine.
2. You will probably see the logo falling way outside the stylesheet margins in edit mode, but it’s fine in view mode.

Any of you been in your Point2 Agent website and tried to change the font face or size only to find it’s just not taking?  You’ll either see it’s just not changing or it seems to change and seems fine in edit mode, but doesn’t look the same in view mode (even after the hour it takes to show up “live” in Point2)?????

I originally posted an article in A/R discusssing the new content editor and some were finding a problem back then as well.  Click here for the A/R article.

When speaking with Point2, they advised it had to do with the “stylesheet effect” snippet of code that’s in a lot of Point2 Agent websites to give it that “centered” look. 

This is the code I’m talking about:

<STYLE type=text/css>
<!–
form {
margin-top: 5px;
background-color : #ffffff;
}

.DesktopDefaultPage { background-color : #c9e4ff; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 820px; padding-left: expression(document.body.clientWidth > 820 ? (document.body.clientWidth-820)/2 + “px”:0); padding-right: expression(document.body.clientWidth > 820 ? (document.body.clientWidth-820)/2 + “px”:0); } 
 

.DesktopPortalFooterPanel {
background-color : #FFFFFF;
} –>
</STYLE>

However, it’s not just in these sites that I’m seeing the problem.  I’ve also noticed it in newly generated sites.

If any of you are noticing the same thing, please comment or contact Point2 directly via email through your website.  Let them know which page you’re working on so they can check it out.

Avoid black backgrounds – these essentially limit text color choice to white and yellow, which can look garish and hard on the eyes against black.

Don’t use yellow for web page backgrounds – it causes eyestrain 

If in doubt, use black text on white background – while not very original, this color combination ensures optimal readability. In any case, choose a text color that contrasts with your background; this is usually best achieved with dark text on a light background. 

Use contrasting elements in your pages to make text and graphics feel more dynamic and easier to read on the page. If you opt for a colored background or colored type, be sure that there’s enough contrast to keep your page easy to read. It’s best to check it out with text your unfamiliar with so that you don’t mistake familiarity with readability. 

Color works great in marketing. There are lots of theories and opinions about what works best.

Many say Blue lends a feeling of quality and trust.

Red makes people want to act, now! Green makes people want to spend money.

Yellow tends to get attention better than any other color, but is hard on the eyes.

Designers use Yellow to spice up a headline or product name, but put the rest of the ad or package in warmer colors. One study showed that the color combination with the most powerful psychological effect was yellow title, white text, on a dark blue background.

Create an identity through all your marketing and products with one or two colors you use over and over.

This is a very basic and effective way to tie all your stuff together in the minds of customers. 

Color Moods… 

Red (hot, fire, daring, error, stop, persuasive) 

Yellow (sunny, caution, construction, happy, cheerful, slowdown)

Green (jealousy, pastoral, envy, beginner, fertile, spring) 

Blue (quality, trustworthiness, success, seriousness, calmness, water, peaceful, sad, male) 

Purple (royal, comedy) 

Orange (technical, warm, Halloween, fall, seasons)

Pink (feminine, cute, candy, soft) 

Brown (warm, dirty, fall, organic, earth, environmental) 

When you don’t have to (or don’t want to) use company colors or just utterly confused by what’s been stated above, here’s a tip: 

Find a graphic that “inspires” or “moves” YOU. This graphic will become a prominent part of your website, whether it’s in the header or in the content. The colors from this graphic are what you will carry throughout the website. Sometimes it can be overwhelming when trying to choose a color palette for your website. Using this inspirational graphic will make it easier for you.

So, what kind of blog content can a real estate agent find that will get quality links?

That is the ultimate question, because the goal should not be to win over the world overnight – it should just be to slowly gain quality links one at a time and build the authority of your site.

 This will ultimately better your rankings in the search engines which is what will get you the additional business.  But what if you aren’t a Pulitzer-prize winning writer? That’s okay. Just find relevant topics for your area and the local real estate market (even if it’s just remotely related) that visitors to your site would find interesting, and even compelling.

For example…if you get one link from a local college to your blog or website because you wrote an interesting article about how the market is affecting home prices in your city and recent college grads are unable to afford homes in the area, then you have achieved your goal.  .edu sites are great sites for a link to your blog or website!  

- – - – - – - -

Below are LOTS of content ideas for blogging to get links and traffic to your site. This is certainly not a complete list – feel free to add your own fresh ideas!

Home prices in local market

Local subdivisions / farm area prices, solds, actives, pendings, etc.

New construction plans in area

New businesses coming to area

Job market in local area

Local weather and how it affects lifestyles &amp; local market (for example, in Phoenix, no natural disasters, so many companies put their data centers here because of low risk of physical destructions to computer and data equipment)

Create a helpful checklist for buyers and sellers

Create an ebook. Example: “(Your name)’s Guide to Buying Real Estate in (your area). Make it a step by step guide to let your clients know exactly what it’s going to be like to buy real estate in your state.

Mortgage rate updates

Dangers of certain types of loans (such as interest only, certain ARMS, etc.), and why they are not for everyone – be careful not to buy more house than you can afford

Advantages of going through a mortgage broker for your next loan as opposed to your local bank (i.e., more options for finding a lender to say yes, potential for better rates, competing lenders so can find the best program for your needs)

Buying your first investment property

Buying investment properties – What to “do” and “not do”

Should you rent it or flip it?

What you should know about home inspections

What to do about mold – is it really a problem?

Do I need to worry about radon?

The importance of safety around swimming pools

Simple repairs to help your home show better and sell faster

How do I choose the right real estate agent for my needs

How do I price my home right to sell without giving it away?

Landscaping can make a difference

What is curb appeal?

Is a neighborhood with an HOA for me?

Local school report cards and ratings

Organizing a neighborhood clean-up day or garage sale

Plan a neighborhood block party or kid’s parade and then write about it, send flyers out, take photos, etc to get the word out – see if the HOA or local chamber or other organization will link to your site for more info

Travel tips for visitors to your area (great for out-of-town buyers)

Weekend getaways at local resorts for residents (often in the off-season, local resorts and attractions have huge discounts – take photos and write about some of these deals and amenities and get the hotels/resorts to link to your site)

Cost of Living Comparison (for different cities or neighborhoods in your local market). Put in a side by side comparison for average price of homes, gas, utilities, etc. Provide proof to your buyers of what they get for their money in one city versus another.

Top Ten Reasons why Babyboomers should buy their next home in [this town]

7 Reasons Why you Should Sell your Home during the holiday season (most agents would say this is a bad time to sell and the market slows down – you could be different and show them why to list with you now instead of waiting and possibly losing the business to another agent)

Every week or month, go visit a new subdivision . Prepare a write up and photos on all the details: # of lots for sale, square footage, floor plans, spec homes available, builder warranties, locations, nearby shopping, amenities, future plans, etc.

Advantages of a Home Warranty

Fire Safety Tips for your home (also discuss 2 story homes, condos/high-rises, small children, the elderly, etc.)

Research the history of your city or local area – if something significant happened, such as a major fire, plane crash, storm, etc., write about it, get photos if you can (with permission) and post all the info about it you can find on your site.

Have webcam feeds from local points of interests such as ski resorts, traffic monitors, etc.

Create a quarterly crime report – gather the data from local law enforcement offices and break it down by city, area, subdivision, etc.

Get involved in your local Community or Neighborhood Watch program – post articles about the program, how residents can get involved, what activities are going on, etc.

Volunteer to coach a local little league or sports team – be sure to post your “coach” photo with all the kids on your website, write a short blurb about how the season is going, and send the photo, article, and url to all the parents along with your business card or brochure

What’s the difference in hiring a REALTOR® versus a real estate agent? (use this one if you are a REALTOR® – show potential clients the advantages of membership, education, code of ethics, etc.)

Moving resource guide (resources for buyers moving in from out of the area, for local moves, and for sellers moving out – all are potential client bases for you)

What should I offer for earnest money and down payment when buying a home?

Need to sell your home quickly? Ask about our guarantee. (or quick-sell program, or any other marketing technique you may use in your market)

How does the close of escrow process work? (talk about the general closing process and then things that are specific to your market or state/local laws)

Three Biggest Seller Mistakes (typically, these are Price, Condition, and Marketing – they must price it right, have it in good condition, and market it well – this is where you can talk up how your marketing program beats the competition and link them to the Home Evaluation or other page in your website.)

Avoid Legal Battles when Buying or Selling a Home (a great place to talk about the importance of hiring a professional – You! – and to talk about the protections and responsibilities built in to your state/local real estate contracts)

Subdivision Reports (you could have one page for each of the popular subdivisions in your area or more specific to your farm area – title the page with the name of the subdivision and talk about the amenities, location, local shopping, attractions, home prices, architecture, HOA info if any, builders info, types of housing such as single vs. 2-story, homes with pools, etc.)

Reviews on books relevant to real estate or anything of importance to your area

Reviews on local businesses/vendors of interest to homeowners (for example, call pool vendors and get them to give you details, articles, referrals, and a link to your site, then call homeowners in the area and get reviews on their service)

Bargain Hunter’s Guide (Where to eat for under $20, How to find Furniture Bargains, etc.)

25 Things to do in (Your Town) on the Weekend for under $40

Current Events (subscribe to local business journals and expand on any articles of interest to potential clients/visitors to your site, add photos, comments, etc.) The goal is for you to Become a Reporter!

Attend local zoning commission meetings, council meetings, school board meetings, etc. and write recaps of the meetings

Conduct community surveys and post results on your site (invite readers to participate because this makes people feel important – if your survey is relevant to your community or local real estate market, others will link to your site to spread the word about your findings)

Make donations to local organizations and then put photos and a write-up about it in your blog (very effective to have a matching gift offer – such as you’ll match $1 up to $1000 for every $1 your readers donate to this organization) This can get you write-ups in local newspapers and be sure you always mention your website when talking to reporters.

Have a contest (one that involves kids is very effective because kids will typically bug mom and dad to check your website to see if they’ve won) The prize doesn’t have to break the bank; dinner for two, tickets to a local theme park, movie passes, etc. are very popular and inexpensive.

Offer a scholarship for a local community college or university student (make sure the application links to your website and just like that, you have a much sought-after .edu link)

Volunteer to give a lecture at a university or local college (be sure to have the professor/administrator put a link to your website on the school’s website – there’s that .edu link again – so that students can either sign up or get more info). Giving a lecture or seminar not only gets you a link, but also puts your name &amp; business out to all the attendees (you never know what potential buyers or sellers may be in the audience).

Offer your services for incoming students to local colleges/universities looking for housing. This can get you a .edu link and also direct access to advertise to potential clients.

Keep a camera with you at all times. Photos are great link bait. You never know what you’ll find in rush hour traffic. Once you capture the puppy dog running across the freeway on film, submit the photo to sites like Flickr and gain links from people looking at the photo in disbelief. You can also build out a story on your site to go with the photo.

Capture great photographs of a sunset or lightning storm – another great photo idea. Submit them to Flickr as well – if it’s local, you can also get links from local media and other interested parties.

Recount historical events on their anniversary date and write a blog post about it. Can be local events, national events, or international.

Write a themed article for each holiday of importance. For example, on Veteran’s Day, write an article thanking and remembering our veterans for their service to our country, find out about any local events or parades in your area, etc.

Interview three of your best local home inspectors. Come up with a common list of the 25 Most Important Things a Homebuyer should watch out for when buying a home. You could also come up with a list of the 10 Most Common Code Violations found by local inspectors.

Give your readers a space of their own to ask you questions. Post the questions and answers on your site. This allows reader interaction and avoids the one-way conversation. It can also get you links from both the reader and others who like your answers and want to reference your information.

Keep a Toolbox on your site. These are tools that your readers may want to use on a daily basis, and thus link to your site for easy access. (Some examples are a calendar, scheduler/planner, link to mapquest, local yellow pages, local &amp; national news sites, weather sites, local newspaper, reliable online dictionary/thesaurus, computer troubleshooting site, local sports teams, movie reviews/local theaters, community newsletter,…)

Cheap Gas Spots (link to sites that show where you readers can buy the cheapest gas in the area where they live or work). Some examples might be your local AAA website, local radio and news media sites, Gas Buddy, and Gas Price Watch.

Expose a scam (what fun!) Alert residents in your community about a scam that is taking place in their neighborhood. Inform them what to look for, how to avoid it, and how to report it. Examples might be a telemarketing scam, identity theft ring, etc.

How to secure your wireless internet connection (many homeowners become victims of identity theft or other crimes simply because they use an unsecured internet connection – give them the steps to take to protect themselves and possibly get some local ISPs to provide input and/or link to your site)

Compare services of local phone, internet, cable, and satellite providers. Ask your readers for feedback; ask the companies for their pricing and customer satisfaction ratings; and find out what services are offered at which prices. Do a comparison chart and allow readers to comment on their experiences.

Local directory of doctors, dentists, hospitals, chiropractors, etc. (also, get these providers to link to your site and add a blurb about their facility and the services they offer)

Publicity Stunts – Do something funny or outrageous (be careful here – this is something you’ll want to be remembered for).

Participate in and/or Post photos and a write-up about local marathons, triathalons, fundraisers, etc. (local charity fun runs, breast cancer runs, diabetes walks, fitness challenges, etc.)

Provide details about the local Christmas light shows and attractions – post directions, times, prices, &amp; features. Go to them, take photos, and write reviews on each on your site. You may soon rank for this search term and become people’s future source to find Christmas lights.

Take photos and write a short blurb about the Christmas lights and decorations in your own neighborhood or farm area. Post this on your website and incorporate it in any direct mailings or newsletters. If readers find their house or street on your site, you’ll get links and traffic.

Have a contest (complete with photos, of course) in your neighborhood for the best Halloween costume and best-decorated house.

Follow King Tut. When there is a traveling museum or exhibit that comes to your city, go see it. Take photos and write all about it. Post the hours, location, and parking tips – even where guests can eat lunch/dinner while there.

Interview local church leaders and pastors on what they have to say about the local housing market. Ask what challenges their members may face such as traffic issues or housing costs. Ask what the church does in the local community (i.e, church recently held a local clean-up and tree planting day in partnership with the city).

Go build a house with Habitat for Humanity or similar charity. Be sure to get a photo of yourself with your hard hat on and write about your experience. Also, let readers know how they could get involved if they desire.

Write a voting guide – don’t tell them your opinion or how to vote; just provide both sides of the issue for all the propositions on the ballot. Interview local candidates and post their views on the hot issues as well.

Visit local schools and interview teachers or principals about the challenges and opportunities in their school. Get a synopsis of the school’s enrollment, future plans, budget concerns, political issues, and other matters of importance. You may even get a link from the school or district websites.

In addition to talking to local school staff, talk to the parent-teacher group (sometimes called the PTA or PTO). Ask them what projects and activities they have going on, what they do to get parents involved in school, what the local community can do to help, etc.

Comment on other blogs. Once those blog owners notice you when trolling through their referral logs, they will likely return the favor. (This, by the way, is a legitimate reciprocal link.)

Conduct an “Annual Profile of Homebuyers/Sellers” in your market. Here’s how it could work: Interview 100 folks who have recently or are currently buying or selling a home. Offer them a gift certificate or dinner for two for their time. Ask all kinds of questions such as how they ultimately found their home, how they chose their REALTOR, what other homes or areas did they consider, what was most important in selling their home, etc. Then, write a nice article about your findings and post the results (use photos, charts, graphs, etc.).

Some of you already have the light bulb going off about this last one. This is a biggie – just think about how you could use this same technique as a prospecting tool for FSBOs and Expireds. And about how many news stations or local universities may stumble across your report. Then, you’ve got interviews, links to your website, reprints or quotes from your article, and more. This is a key stealth marketing technique that could land more traffic to your website and numerous buyers and sellers lining up to do business to you.

Child Care Guide (write a resource guide for parents on locations, costs, and services of local child care, day care, preschool, and after-school facilities)

Local shopping and attractions in the area

Guide to dining out – rank all the restaurants in your area (let the restaurants know about your ranking guide and see if you can get a link from them)

Upcoming sporting events, concerts, shows, etc

Anything newsworthy in your area (fires, road construction, crime reports, job markets, etc.)

Anything controversial in your area such as upcoming elections, debate about a subway/rail system, problems at a local nightclub, road noise from new freeway, new housing development with controversial architecture, etc. (be to take a somewhat neutral stance by posing questions to the reader rather than just stating your opinion – you don’t want to offend anyone, but people do like a good debate)

Average energy prices for your subdivision / farm area / local market

What homeowners can do to save on energy costs

Remodeling ideas to instantly increase the value of your home

Resources and tips for hiring contractors and actually having a good experience (a lot of folks have bad experiences with contractors either not showing up, not finishing the job, not doing work they were already paid for, etc. – you could provide a list of tips and resources, such as your local or state contractors association, referral services, etc.)

What are the Top 5 Scams of building contractors and how to avoid them?

What you need to know about buying foreclosures

What you need to know about buying tax liens in the county of _______

Buying a second home or vacation home / condo

The pros and cons of buying and owing a timeshare

Buying a resale home versus a new construction home (or completed spec home)

How to hire a great property management company

Is it better to buy or lease commercial space for my business

The new craze in buying Office Condos

Things you must know to successfully sell your home on your own (great bait for FSBOs – overwhelm them with so much powerful info so that after reading it, they will WANT to hire you to sell their home)

Getting involved in local charities (write about what you have done, and what residents can do to get involved in local organizations)

On some of the unique and local ideas above such as the Christmas light show directory, this can help you rank immediately for some of the long tail searches because they are not as competitive. So, whenever someone searches for “Your Town Christmas Light Shows,” you now come up in the top of the search. Not only does this bring potential clients to your site, but it increases your name recognition and the authority of your site. You become a trusted source for valuable information – this is easily incorporated into your long-term strategy of becoming an authority in your marketplace (both on the web and in the neighborhoods you work). It is also very likely that various news media outlets will stumble on your website and want to quote you or interview you – another great way to get famous and get links.

Now exercise those fingers and get typing! You’ll be glad you did!