Lest you think that I am Google’s payroll (I am not, but that’s not a bad idea!) I want to tell you about a page that Google has just for you, the Real Estate Professional.
Here’s why it pays to use Google to connect to home buyers and sellers:
Google can help generate real estate referrals and leads.
Google has more real estate searches than other search engines combined, and more unique visitors than all real estate specific web sites.
Google is the most-used search engine for researching and purchasing real estate information and services.
The Google Network reaches over 80% of U.S. Internet users.
Because I think that it is so important that you do so, I am going to keep this very short. Take the time that you normally spend reading RealtyTechBytes and go read Google Tools for Real Estate Professionals instead. You can thank me later!
About the Author: Jerry is a 23 year veteran of the real estate industry and has done it all from listing and selling, to managing single and multiple offices. He has been the IT Director for a major SF Bay Area company, and has also been the Training Director for another major SF Bay Area company. In addition to writing this blog, Jerry is the Principal of Jerry Kidd Training and Consulting, specializing in showing real estate professionals how to utilize today’s exciting social tools to create and nurture relationships with home buyers and sellers. Visit http://www.JerryKidd.com to learn more about the training and consulting services offered.
I’ll bet that you know that 90% of home buyers use the Internet at some point during their home buying process. (Source: NAR’s 2009 Survey of Home Buyers and Sellers).
But, did you know that Google can put your business on the “map” for free?
Here’s how to take advantage of this Free service from Google:
Create a Google Account if you don’t already have one
If you have an account, Log In
You will be taken to a page where you can fill in the necessary information about your business (Hint: As a real estate agent you ARE a business)
You can upload pictures and videos. (The videos have to be on YouTube first).
When you are finished, Google will want to verify that you are the owner of the business by calling you and giving you a PIN number (Or Snail mailing the PIN number). Once you enter the pin, you are good to go!
Watch this short video for a quick overview.
The video uses a restaurant as the example, but think about the ways that a real estate agent could use this. Why not put your vitual tours on YouTube and then bring them back into your Local Business Center listing?
I went to MacWorld 2010 in San Francisco on Thursday. This being the first year that Apple wasn’t going to be present, I wanted to see if the show would be better or worse that what I saw last year.
Being a relatively new convert to Macs (and an iPhone user since July 2008) I don’t have a lot of experience with the show. I did attend last year and was planning on attending in 2006 until a health issue derailed those plans. So, I really only have the one year to compare with this year’s show.
As my friend and uber Mac geek Ira Serkes puts it: “It was iPhoneWorld, not MacWorld”.
And I would have to agree.
There were tons of displays on iPhone apps and accessories. And tons of booths selling massage, chairs, luggage, clothing, bling and a myriad of things that made me go “hmmm”.
But, precious little software or hardware that was specific to either my iMac or my MacBook Pro.
There was one ray of sunshine, however. VMWare had a booth there and I stopped in to see them. I was having an issue with the VMWare upgrade that I did on my MacBook Pro and was hoping that they could shed some light on the issue. While I was waiting to speak with Amitabh Chakrabarty (The guy who knew the answer for me) I was asked about my usage of VMWare Fusion and was subsequently videotaped giving my answer (Maybe I will finally get discovered by Hollywood!).
After the taping and after the Q&A with Amitabh, I was offered a mystery coupon good for 5%, 10%, 50% or 100% off the purchase of VMWare Fusion 3. You simply go to their online store, place an order and then put the code in at checkout to see what discount you will get. Or, you can opt for a guaranteed 15% discount.
Since I already have a license for all three of my Macs, the coupon wasn’t worth anything to me. But, then I thought of you! I asked him for some coupons to give away on my blog and he gave me three.
So, here is the offer, On Monday (2-15-10) I’ll pick three people who leave a comment on this post and tell me why I should give them the coupon to receive one of the coupons. I’ll base my decision on the quality of your comment. In other words, a one line “I want one” comment is simply not going to cut it!
Since the coupons expire on February 19th, you’ll have to get on this right away! The retail price of VMWare Fusion is $79.99, so depending on the level of discount you end up with, this could be worth $3.99, $7.99, $39.99 or $79.99. Or you could take the guaranteed 15% discount, in which case the coupon is worth $11.99.
Lest you think that I am Google’s payroll (I am not, but that’s not a bad idea!) I want to tell you about a page that Google has just for you, the Real Estate Professional.
