I am Jeff

Apparently the “sales team” from a company called Inside Real Estate (normally I’d provide a link here, but it’s against my “no links for sleazy companies” policy) is making the rounds in Portland selling their “blogging services” to agents.

For the low price of $75 a month, plus a small $199 “creation and setup fee”, you get a… Drum roll please… WordPress blog. But wait, wait, wait, there’s more…

For an additional $10 per month they’ll set you up with your very own Twitter account, Facebook account and even an RSS feed!

You thought I was done?  Oh no my friend, oh no.

Don’t have time to write your own content?  No problem, they have a cure for what ails you! For only $27 per month (on top of the $85 you’re already spending), they will provide you with Real Estate related articles for you to publish on your blog.  Presumably the same articles they’re providing every other agent in the Nation who is foolish enough to fall for their sales pitch. Think about that for a second…

So what is it that has me so worked up about this?

Is it a bad product? Nope. WordPress is my platform of choice and what we build for our agents at M Realty (examples). It will do pretty much everything they say it will. No issues there.

Is it the price? Yes. $75 a month for a WordPress blog?  Come on…  The other fees/services are equally ridiculous. Unless you’re getting a top notch IDX home search and contact management system (like HomeQuest) along with that fancy WordPress blog, you should only be paying about $5 a month for hosting. I guess they have to pay their traveling snake oil salesmen somehow, right?

$10 a month for a Twitter/Facebook/RSS feed? Sorry to say, but if you need to pay someone to setup your social media accounts for you, you’re never going to get it. Don’t even try.

$27 for ghost writing? Same deal. This is your blog, you need to create the content that expresses your personality, your attitude, and the way you run your business. Plain and simple.

I think more than anything, I was a little perturbed by the sales tactics these guys were using on the agents. Telling them there are only a limited number of “spaces” available in a market, guaranteeing top placement on Google search results, you know all the usual bullshit sales tactics companies like this would have to use to get people to give up their credit card info and get the sale. When I heard several of the agents in the office fell for it and signed up, all I could do was shake my head.

On behalf of all the honest vendors out there, I apologize that we couldn’t get you more information in time to make a better decision.

Going through some old files yesterday I came across this video I had apparently never published… It’s behind the scenes footage of M Realty’s owner/founder Garron Selliken helping one of our agents (Kevin Levy) create a stop animation project for his Portland Relocation website.

Check out the video. It’s a short one:

Going back and watching this again, two things really jump out at me:

1: We love this stuff. Starting from the top down at M Realty, we love technology and using that technology to sell houses.

2: Working here is fun. This one is pretty much self explanatory. Our agents sell houses, and have fun doing it.

So, chew on this for a bit: What would your broker/manager have said if his/her agent wanted to do a project like this?

This post is to say thank you.

To the agent who leaves their rotting sign post, complete with contact info and busted sign rider, leaning against the dilapidated garage on a very busy street in my neighborhood for nearly 2 years now.

Thank you.

To the agent who took the listing on a vacant property, and has failed to keep the yard properly maintained (see: Mow Your Damn Lawn).

Thank you.

To the agent who never fills the flyer box.

Thank you.

To the agent who says “read the comments” and then hangs up on me before I can ask my question.

Thank you.

You see, I’m not technically a licensed agent yet. I’m working on it though. But, before I get my license, I just want to thank each of you I mention above, in advance, for motivating me to strive for more from myself.

So once again, this post is to say thank you. My clients and I will both appreciate it.

Plagiarism: “the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.”

Watch this video, it’ll blow you away… Don’t mind my shaky recording style, I hear it’s all the rage in Europe right now.

I’ve said on Twitter several times that if you’re going to steal someone else’s ideas, at least try to improve on the ideas somehow and make them your own, so that we can all learn from it.  I guess this takes that to a whole ‘nother level!

After poking around on this copycat blog a little more (which has since been taken down), I noticed that there were several posts labeled “Day 1 of 365…” in a couple different areas of Washington County. Apparently the agent is using this as a home for the content of several similar Facebook pages. That explains my confusion as to why the Beaverton/Aloha page linked to a blog with content for Banks.

Now, I know that @DaleChumbley wasn’t the one that originally came up with the idea for a “365 Things to do in…” page, but like I’ve mentioned before, I think he’s one of a few that is doing it correctly, for the right reasons, and has the commitment to keep doing it. Sure, Dale took someone else’s idea and incorporated some of his own into it, but he didn’t straight up plagiarize the original content on the other pages (and their related sites) before his like this agent did.

So, what are your thoughts on this? Does it piss you off that there are people out there that can’t even think for themselves and are willing to blatantly steal the content you’ve worked so hard on creating? Obviously it does me…

Would you ever work with someone that did something like this?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below…

I was introduced to a product called StickyBits today (thanks to Brian at 1000Watt) that I think could become a major part of Real Estate marketing plans across the globe very quickly. Of course, I thought the same thing about QR codes back when they were first introduced and they never really took off.  But, I think there’s still potential.

The thing about StickyBits that I think is game changing, is the ability to add “bits” of information to the item you’re tagging.

How do you tag an item?

It’s easy.  You just find any product with a barcode or QR code (or download and create your own barcodes on StickyBits.com) and using the free iPhone or Android app, scan it.  StickyBits then prompts you to add your bits to the scanned item.  Bits can be pictures, video, audio, and text.

So how’s this work for Real Estate?

Here’s what I’m thinking…  You create a barcode and build it into your listing flyer and stick it on your sign rider with a simple sentence instructing people to download the StickyBits app and scan the barcode for additional information. Then you scan it (to claim it as yours) and add the following bits:

• Pictures – above and beyond what you’ve got in the MLS listing. Find the little interesting things about the property, and document them.
• Video – A quick introduction video. A walkthrough of the home. Run around the backyard. Walk around out in the street. Maybe even a quick neighborhood tour?
• Floor plans – If you have access to them.  Why not? You can upload PDF’s from the website.
• Notes of interest – leave notes about the property you think people would find interesting. These can be recorded audio notes, or text based comments.

Check out the quick example I whipped up today showcasing the M Realty office in Portland.

From there, when someone else scans the barcode to get the additional information, you get a notification.  You can even see the persons profile info, unless they choose to make the scan “private”.  What a cool lead capture device!  Strike up a conversation with the person on Twitter or Facebook (StickyBits uses Facebook Connect as their primary login) and see what happens. Plus, anyone who scans your item can also leave bits of their own. Maybe pictures they took, questions about the property, or feedback on your list price. That part could get a little tricky, but if you monitor what is being added and respond appropriately, you’ll be fine.

That’s probably just the tip of the iceberg for all the cool stuff you can use this tool for. In fact, I just ordered some new business cards with a barcode that takes the scanner to “more info about me”. The applications are almost limitless!

So, what do you think? Does this one have “sticking” power?