Well, where do I begin…or, how do I begin? This is my very first blog post ever!

If it wasn’t for my new friend, Vanessa, at HomeGain, I wouldn’t even be here right now. She called and convinced me that I’d make a good “blogger.”.

“Why?,” I ask. What exactly is a blog?

My wife is always telling me that I’m a “natural” blogger. I love to talk with people and I love to write.

Maybe it’s my journalism degree or that I use to be a radio announcer, or that I am also a DJ and emcee at wedding receptions on weekends, or a retired Navy Public Affairs Officer and speech writer for admirals and generals, or a present day Realtor with lots of contacts.

I don’t know. But I have heard that “blogging” is the thing to do in today’s world. There are many popular real estate blogs out there, and it seems readership is growing larger all the time.

It’s one thing to be a reader, though, and another to be a writer. Continue reading this post

Thanks to MyTechOpinion.com, here is a list of 10 great gift ideas for real estate agents this holiday season.

For six more ideas, go to 16 Holiday Gifts for Real Estate Techies!

1. Lenovo Think Pad Tablet PC. The tablet technology allows real estate agents to sign contracts onscreen. The Lenovo Thinkpad X61 offers Intel’s Core Duo processor, embedded EV-DO or HSDPA modem for integrated wireless broadband, long battery life and strong benchmark scores for performance.

2. Garmin Nuvi 660. This state-of-the-art navigation system provides 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. It also offers a complete “points of interest” database for local restaurants, gas, ATM’s and more. Also stop getting surprised by accidents and road conditions with an optional traffic package from XM NavTraffic® or MSN® Direct. Even use the Nuvi 660 to play MP3’s or display JPG’s of that next listing you’re visiting on a home buyer’s tour.

3.Wireless Broadband: USB727 or U727 Modem. Two pieces of technology every mobile real estate agent should have is wireless broadband internet and a flash drive. The Verizon Wireless USB727 and Sprint U727 combine the two. Get a 4BG of microSD™ memory, combined with a next generation mobile broadband on the EV-DO Rev. A network. Continue reading this post

Part 2

Due to popular demand of the top 5 “sealed deals” blog, we’re posting the next top 5 home buying cities!

These are markets that have been hot pretty consistently this year, even if the market is being recorded as slow on a national level.

In some of these cities we’re talking higher levels of median home prices than the US National. In other cities it’s simply about just selling at a higher volume.

We can all understand that more money for real estate agents and brokers also mean tougher competition.

OK, well, here are the next top five cities. Post a comment if you are an agent in one of these markets and let us what you are experiencing! Continue reading this post

Calling all real estate agents and brokers!

Are you steamed up or confused about something in your every day real estate business? So impressed with something that happened in a recent transaction? Or have an idea that would improve real estate businesses?

We know you have lots of things on your mind. Now you just have to type it out and email it to us!

When your submission gets posted, we’ll also send you HomeGain MP3 Speakers¹ (photo shown here). We’ll even try to get them to you in time for the holidays.

It’s our way of saying thanks for your contribution. The more posts we have on our blog, the more interesting our blog becomes to you and all of the HomeGain Blog readers.

Forward this along to your colleagues, friends and family, too! If they have something to say that is relevant to Continue reading this post

You would think that after running businesses for my entire adult life (25 plus years), I would have this entire marketing thing down! Actually, I thought I did until about 2 years ago.

In all my businesses I always understood lead generation was a key component of success. However, in Real Estate things seemed different. When I first got in the business, I was doing what everyone else did. I spent a lot of money on print advertising and even more money on name recognition (billboards, buses, postcard mailings, etc.).

However, once I started my Internet programs, I started realizing something different. I noticed that for the amount of money I spent on media outlets, that same money would most likely get me more leads if I spent it on the Internet.

It was just one of those things that made me go “hmmm”. Continue reading this post