NRVLiving - Real Estate. Simplified.

We've Moved ...

That's right, NRVLiving Real Estate has moved to NRVLiving.com.  Same name, new site.

Check it out, and if you find anything that isn't working correctly on the new site email me and let me know.  Still tweaking widgets and gadgets and whoop-de-doo's, but I think I've gotten most of it.  Let me know if you find something, and if you read this blog through RSS or email delivery, you should not have to make any changes in order to continue delivery.  

My thanks to CWI Media for their assistance and patience!

It's All About Your Neighborhood, and It's SPAM Free!

Ever wondered how to find out what that creepy neighbor sold their house for?  I remember the neighborhood Christmas parties - seems someone always wants to talk about real estate, and inevitably someone will ask "what do you think I can get for my house?"

I'm glad to talk real estate - it's one of my passions - but what if you could stay on top of the market and be the  envy of all your friends?  Now YOU can be the neighborhood expert at cocktail parties, just email me with your New River Valley neighborhood and I'll set up an automatic search that will notify you when a new listing hits the market in your neighborhood, and if it sells.  Easy enough, and no, I will not contact you otherwise - these emails as SPAM-FREE!

If you're interested, email me at jeremy at nrvliving dot com and I'll set it up for you.  I've already had several past clients sign up for updates on their own neighborhoods, and it was so well-received I thought it might be helpful for everyone.  All of this information is online and available for public consumption, let me make it a little easier and send it directly to you, in real time! 

Thanks, cobalt123, for the image.

Speaking of Getting Web-Freaky

I noticed that Christiansburg has finally rolled out THEIR new web site, as well.  Very nice.

I haven't had a chance to go through it in great detail; has anyone had an opportunity to navigate it?  Regardless, it's nice to see - I know Brad Stipes, who championed the cause, is glad to see it finally finished. 

Well done, Christiansburg!

Coldwell Banker Townside Gets All Web-Freaky

Woke up this morning to discover that www.CBTownside.com had a new look!  It had been in the works for a while, but I didn't know when it was going to be rolled out.  Lots of new stuff, including:

• a rotating agent showcase that highlights everyone in the company,
• a Live Chat feature to connect you instantly to one of our award-winning agents (implemented soon),
• a link to our blog, Keepin' It Real Estate,
• and rotating property ads

Kudos to everyone who's worked on the site, including Margaret, Kelsey and Sam.  A lot of time and effort has gone into it already, with more to come, with the goal of making it even easier to immerse yourself in the business of real estate here in the New River Valley!    

Handshake 2.0 - No Hands Necessary

Anne Giles Clelland, of Handshake 2.0, recently drove the Bywire XGV (an unmanned Ford Escape Hybrid converted by Blacksburg firm Torc Technologies).  She captured a video of the experience, you can see it here.

Kudos to Anne for sharing the experience, and to Torc for allowing us all to check it out.  Torc Technologies is just one of the many companies here in the New River Valley that are doing some absolutely amazing things; it's really cool to see technologies like this in action.

Thanks for sharing, Anne.

Working Nine To Five

Real estate talk's around the corner, I promise - lots of stuff happening here at NRVLiving these past couple of weeks and I'm just starting to get back on my feet, so I know it's been an oft repeated phrase lately but bear with me!

January 21st 2009 was the first full day of a new administration, and everything I keep hearing is that they've got 100 day grace period before the public starts to keep a tally.  Now, I think the public's starting to keep a Pro and Con checklist sooner than that, but nevertheless one of the items on the administration's agenda has to be the economy and jobs.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has risen to 7.2%.  Job losses are on a lot of people's minds, even here in the New River Valley where the unemployment rate rose to 5.6%.

But there is good news, as well, particularly here in the New River Valley.  Have you seen the latest Fortune  Magazine?  Check it out - Blacksburg's Mailtrust, and it's parent company Rackspace, was named one of the 100 Best Companies To Work For (#43, to be exact).  Congratulations to Pat and all the rest of the crowd over at Mailtrust - they are certainly a trendsetter in our area.

They're not the only ones making a difference, though.  And you can be a part of the action, as well.  Opportunities to improve are available now through the Roanoke Higher Education Center open house on February 5th.  Check out this video for more information ...

You Don't Need An Energy Drink, You Just Need Gary Vaynerchuk

I'm in the middle of two trips out of town, and while I didn't get to blog much during my time in NYC at Inman Connect I wanted to make sure I reposted this video from Jay Thompson and Kelly Olexa of Gary Vaynerchuk's keynote address at the conference.

Now, I didn't know much about Gary prior to the conference.  I knew he did Wine Library, and had made some appearances on late night TV, but beyond that I was pretty clueless.  I had a lot to learn. 

Dynamic?  Check.

Loud?  Check.

Full of it?  Maybe a little, but who isn't from time to time?

Worth the price of admission?  Absolutely.

If you've got 32 minutes to spare, I highly recommend watching this video.  It's a little choppy at first, but stick with it.  You don't have to be in real estate to get something from this - you are your own company.  You are YOU.  How will you spread your message?  How will you stand out and be different?

I think there are pieces here that are important for all of us.  I sat in the back of the room - the absolute back - during this keynote and watched the number of heads doing the "Blackberry Prayer" (head down, thumbs furiously pounding away), as well as the folks who just got up and left, during his talk.  On the one hand it's disappointing to see such a dismissal of the topic, but on the other hand that's fine ... it's less competition for me and NRVLiving Real Estate.  Gary's point about the horrible Return on Investment of traditional advertising is something that Steve, Aaron and I have struggled with for years, and I know there are many other industries that read this blog who have as well.

In your industry, how can you stand out?  Even if you work for someone else, how can you brand yourself?  Interesting thoughts, enjoy the video.

News Ain't Just Broken On TV Any More

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by WDBJ7's news anchor Natasha Ryan about a story she was writing on the online social media site called Twitter.

Now, I've admitted my addictions here on the blog before, and it was interesting to see a local news outlet not only recognizing the power of the service but taking the time to investigate it further.  Below is the final result, in two parts done on last night's broadcast:





Certainly I feel the service is an invaluable tool - it helps me connect with friends, it's enabled me the opportunity to meet current and future customers, and it's even influenced the creation of a new small business startup in the New River Valley.  It's nice to see local news outlets exploring new ways of breaking news and staying in touch with their viewers.  If you're on Twitter, make sure to check out these local news and civic organizations:

• Natasha Ryan
• WDBJ7
• WSLS
• ABC13 WSET
• Roanoke Times
• Town of Blacksburg

There are many more, I'm sure, but these were some I could recall off the top of my head.  Thanks to Natasha and WDBJ7 for the story, as well as to Patsy Stewart, Ira Kaufman and Stuart Mease for their participation as well, and to Kevin Cupp for recording the video!

Hey - are we connected?

Do You Trulia?

A few days ago, I wrote a post talking about loan modifications and the problems I thought they perpetuated.  It was a post that was admittedly written with a bit of anger and cynicism at what our elected officials were doing, but also with some disappointment I can't think of a better solution. 

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Fran at Trulia, telling me the post had been selected to be featured on their Top Housing Market Stories page!  Thanks, Trulia, that's pretty cool!

Speaking of Trulia, are you familiar with their site?  Whether you're a buyer, a seller, or interested bystander, you might want to check them out.  They have great tools for everyone to follow what's happening in their neighborhood, and Steve and I are both on the site and updating our profiles now! 

E-Waste Recycling Event

Have old electronics piling up, and don't know what to do with them?  Old computers, radios ... we've all had them at some point, and you've likely wondered what to do with them.  I've got an easy solution for you - bring them to the second annual E-Waste Recycling Event, to be Saturday November 8 from 9 am to 3pm.  And it's FREE.  The event is a joint venture between Virginia Tech and Hollins University.

Click the image below to see the full list.

It's important.  From their website:

Along with many other serious issues facing our environment, the world is experiencing a crisis in electronic waste. Toxic materials such as lead, mercury, chlorine and bromine are commonly used in producing computers and other electronics, and if these devices are dumped into solid waste systems after they have outlived their usefulness, the toxins can seep from landfills into groundwater or be released by incinerator emissions or ash.

Hazardous e-waste is often sent to developing countries for recycling. However, once there it is often simply discarded. Even if recycling occurs, the process used in those countries is very dangerous to workers and pollutes the general environment.

Load up the cars, and bring in that old stuff.  There are a LOT of items they'll take, but some they can't - check their website for a more comprehensive list.  It'll be held at the old Blacksburg Middle School, 501 South Main Street in Blacksburg.

Thanks to Natalie for pointing this out!

We're Connected - Whether We Know It Or Not

Anne Clelland of Handshake 2.0 has a guest writer on her blog today, talking about finding connections - online and offline - in places you never expect to find them.

Are we connected?

The Ever-Evolving Nature of the Blog

Thanks for your patience as I continue to change things around on the blog.  Several things have been added over the last couple of weeks, and the theme is obviously different as well (and hopefully make some of the additions more helpful).  If you find something that's not working correctly, let me know ... we've still got some resizing issues I'm trying to work out.  Improvements include:

1. implementation of a mobile version of the blog
2. links to Twitter, Flickr photos and my LinkedIn profile
3. Text Me link (this still needs some work)
4. Instant Chat via Meebo
5. Skype link
6. NRVLiving TV, our exclusive videos from our YouTube Channel

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Send Me A Text

Email's too slow, and you don't want to use the Plugoo chat feature because I'm not at my computer.  Well, if you'd like to chat about real estate and want a faster response, try out the Text Me feature on the right side of the screen. 

All you have to do is put in your cell phone number, type the message, and click "Send TXT Message".  Instantaneous access (Sheesh I hope this is a good idea!) and if I'm not with someone and can respond, I will! 

For now, the sizing is a little off but I'm working on it.  That'll be fixed, but the widget itself works fine so text away!

Who Knew Reading Could Be So Much Fun?

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak in four sessions at the NRV Association of REALTORS® annual trade show and education fair.  The topic was social networking and media, something that I've been covering regularly lately, it seems.

In the sessions, we talked specifically about the NRVLiving Real Estate Blog, as well as Twitter - two tools that I really find value in.  There are any number of social networking sites, however, with many related to real estate (and of interest to the session members yesterday), while most are NOT even remotely related.  Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, YouTube or Flickr might be ones you've heard of before, and there are seemingly thousands more; this blog would be considered a social media site, in fact.  

I've been writing this blog for two years this December, and I read a lot of other blogs in order to find topics I want to discuss, laugh about, etc.  On average, I'd guess I likely read five or six times more things than I ever consider writing about.  As I talked with people yesterday, I realized that there are three main benefits I've  received from writing here.  They are, in order of importance:

• Education - I've become a much better agent and student of real estate as a result of the reading I've done.
• Relationships - The relationships with clients, readers, even other agents as a result of reading and commenting on other social networking sites has been a huge benefit.  Professional relationships, personal relationships, they've all meant a lot to me.
• Impact on my business - Obviously, I need to be able to quantify my efforts, and based on the education and relationships things like this blog and Twitter have fostered, I can do that.

As I said, I read a lot.  Most are industry-focused blogs about real estate, sites like VARBuzz.com and AgentGenius.com, as well as dozens of blogs written by REALTORs® and lenders from around the country - Blown Mortgage, RealCentralVA, Real Estate Shows, and Jay Thompson all have tabs open in my browser right now, and there are another 200 unread items in my feed reader.  Most of my reading is real estate-related, but there's some golf and Hokie stuff in there, as well.

What do you like to read online?  What blogs do you check on a regular basis, or have delivered to your inbox.  Share some of them in the comments, and I'll post a follow-up post with everyone's recommendations - maybe we can all find something new and exciting to read!

Photo credits.

Public Speaking Leads To More Opportunities For All of Us To Connect

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to the Blacksburg Rotary Club on how to use social media for business.   Christy Brown of LL Brown Insurance asked me a few weeks ago to speak to their group on how I use things like this blog, or Twitter, to reach out to consumers.  This was the first public speaking event I've ever done, and true to form I waited until the last minute to prepare.  I thought it went well; I HOPE it went well, anyway, and that those who were interested found something of value to takeaway and add to their business. 

Apparently it has, because as early as last night I started receiving emails from some of the attendees, and I hope to be helping some folks start their new blogs in the very near future!  Will be sure to post them here when they do.

But one of the coolest things that happened, was when Blacksburg Town Manager Marc Verniel told me that the Town had actually started a Twitter account, and was broadcasting information out regarding happenings and important messages around Town!  Sure enough, I looked this morning and found them here ... this is unique, as the number of municipalities using things like social media to communicate with their citizens is still very small.  Blacksburg is ahead of the trend on this.

So Blacksburg folks - or if you're just interested in knowing what's happening around Town - be sure to follow the Town of Blacksburg!  Don't have a Twitter account?  Well, you can resolve that here.

90% Of What You Read on the Web Is True 50% Of The Time ... Maybe.

Have you seen this site, Homethinking.com?

According to their home page, it's designed to show consumers the "transactional histories of real estate agents and mortgage lenders.  In theory the idea is great - find out what kind of experience your REALTOR® or mortgage lender has before contacting them.  One of the great things the internet has provided is the ability to research and qualify BEFORE ever talking with a practitioner.  I'm sure what they're doing is just compiling statistics from public records and MLS statistics, I just wish the figures Homethinking gives were right ...

If you look at my bio, it says that I sell 3 bedroom homes, averaging $214000 per sale.  When I compare that to statistics from the New River Valley's MLS, I see that they got that ALMOST right.  My average sale has been $217437 over the last five years, but they also say I'm selling 35 properties right now.  I WISH I was selling 35 properties right now, but it's more like 11:

Of the homes they show on the first page, one of them I had listed but didn't sell (yes, it happens from time to time), three others I sold last year, and two that are listed as homes are actually land. 

So what's the point?   While I welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how we stand out from the crowd, how reliable IS this data, really?  If Homethinking shows we're actively selling 35 properties, does that give a potential buyer or seller the impression that we're too busy for them?  Can you even make an informed decision off of information like this?

Since we're discussing the issue of relevant information, they recommend other real estate agents in our area, as well.  I'm sure this is a rotating, revolving ad, but they're advertising a Northern Virginia agent as serving Blacksburg.  That doesn't seem very relevant.

Just another reminder that while sites like HomeThinking.com try to be a one stop shop for finding the best agents out there, sometimes you need to do a little more research.  Talk to them ... read their blogs ... get to to know them ... perhaps your perceptions will be changed, and maybe they'll be validated, but you'll know that you can rely on your findings 100% of the time.

The NRVLiving Real Estate Blog Goes Mobile

So many folks are using mobile phones that are able to browse the Interweb these days, that it seemed like the NRVLiving Real Estate Blog needed to adapt or get left behind.  Since I don't like being left behind, we've updated our look a little bit, and you're likely  not going to notice the change.  But if I point it out ...

 
If you were reading the blog on a desktop or laptop, and clicked on that button, it'd take you to a site that looked like this ... and that's not very interesting.  But, if you were reading the blog on your iPhone or web-enabled phone and went to

http://nrvliving.mofuse.mobi/

the site will look like this on your phone

Much better - if you're into mobile browsing, point your phone's browser to http://nrvliving.mofuse.mobi/ and bookmark it!

 

My Public Admission - I'm An Addict

Have I told you about Twitter?  No?  Well, allow me to introduce myself ... my name is Jeremy, and I'm a Twitteraholic.

Several months ago there was a buzz through the online real estate community about this new online communication tool.  "Have you heard about Twitter?"  "Are you on Twitter?"  I had no idea what Twitter was, but people kept saying things like "it's microblogging", it's "text messaging over the web".  When I looked it up, I saw no immediate use for it - post what you're doing online for people to see, ask questions that people can answer ... how is this any different than anything else out there?  A friend of mine - and new Twitter user - accurately described it as a group chat, and he's partially right.  I quickly found out that Twitter was so much more.

When I created an account, I was quickly "followed" by a user here in Blacksburg with the username @TMarkiewicz (I'm sure there's a reason why we have to have the @ symbol in our names, but I don't know what it is).  @TMarkiewicz saw that I was in the same area as he was, and he followed me ... so whenever I posted something to Twitter, he saw it and could respond.  As my community of people I followed - and those that followed me - grew, the conversations expanded - if @Tmarkiewicz wasn't following the same people I was, he wouldn't see the whole conversation, just a portion.  But it also introduced him to people in my social circles, and vice versa.  You can run applications on your computer, or your phone, that tell you when people you follow post something to Twitter, and you can choose various notification options as well.  It's all very ADD-ish, and while I don't pay attention to everything everyone posts, it fits my need to multi-task.

I still wasn't seeing a business-value to Twitter though.  I was learning a lot about people around the country that I followed, though - in particular, I started to learn about them through the posts they made online.  I learned about their real estate markets, I learned about their marketing strategies, I learned about them as professionals ... and suddenly I found that it was becoming a community.  I was becoming part of a community.  And it was affecting my business in a way that I hadn't expected - I was CONSTANTLY learning something new, that I could apply to my business here, and it was making me a better professional.  All of that education, for free!  The best kind ...

Then one day, it happened.  I got a message from @TMarkiewicz that said he and his wife were going to be leaving the area, and they wanted to talk with me about possibly listing their home.  WOW ... here was this guy I'd never met who was inviting me into his home to discuss being his representative, and solely because of the relationship I'd formed with him on Twitter.  I was floored.  We talked, we negotiated, and a few weeks later we listed his home.  Suddenly, it happened again.  Another message, this time from @stuboo (don't you just love some of these names?).  This message was a little different, it said "@NRVLiving, have you ever gotten a client from Twitter?".  When I responded yes, he wrote back "would you like another one?"

Amazing.  Two clients, a buyer and a seller, both acquired through relationships formed on Twitter.  I haven't even had the chance to meet @stuboo yet, but I know a lot about him, and he about me, and we're working on crafting a search that'll help him land a home here to serve his needs for the next few years.  Awesome.

So now I'm a Twitterholic.  I don't expect that everyone will receive business-related contacts from the service, but they certainly might.  The greater value may just be in connecting us with other individuals who share similar interests, or similar geographic locations, or maybe we just like talking with each other.  We may never meet in person, but I notice when they're not online anymore.  And when I close these pieces of business, I might just send Twitter a thank you card.  Who should I address that to?

A post on customer service is forthcoming, but here's an example of  how companies are using Twitter to actually SERVE their customers better.  If you join Twitter, look me up ...

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The New Face of Real Estate

Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending the day with some of the coolest people you'd care to spend six hours on a Friday with.  Everyone had laptops, there were wires everywhere, Twitter was going strong, and we were learning new ways to distribute information via channels like blogs, wikis and more ... perfect for a techno-geek like me.

Know what we all had in common, besides our love of technology?

We were all REALTORs.  Welcome to the new face of real estate - these are the people that are changing the way business is done in our industry throughout the state, I'm honored to have had the chance to work with them.

You Never Know Who's Watching

The post below came across my Facebook account this morning ... Or maybe it was Twitter.  I don't remember.  Nevertheless, I've heard friends of mine who teach at Virginia Tech talk about some of the things they see on their students' Facebook pages, or Myspace accounts.  Sometimes shocking pictures and stories ... and definitely not something you'd want a future employer or customer to see.

Which makes this story a little sad ...

Remember, you never know who's watching.  If you'd like, you can watch NRVLiving on both Facebook AND Twitter!