by Linda Davis

After paying mucho dollars for  a community website for a number of years, I recently decided to create a Ning social networking site for the Town of Ledyard where I live and work.   And while I am still playing with the bells and whistles, so far I really like what I see.

For Realtors®, Ning can be used as a community  resource with a social network component; a place to post links, photos and videos but also to engage your local community.  To get started, you need to sign up for a free Ning account. The Ning program will then walk you through the design process.  I found it similar (but easier) than setting up a blog.  Your management dashboard will give you choices of how your main page can look including color schemes and themes, as well as drag and drop modules like forums, chat windows and photos.

You’ll find my new Ning site at Ledyard Online and my Ning Review at the Realty Agents product review site.

by Linda Davis

I know you probably don’t like the sound of that title but there is little debate that the ability to generate and capture leads can be what separates a successful agent from a mediocre one.  Start a discussion about paying for leads and the debate can get downright ugly.  You’re likely to hear the words ripoff and parasite used to describe lead generation companies like HomeGain.  

Home Gain Buyer’s Link is a pay per click system. I pay around seventy-eighty cents everytime someone clicks on my link for the cities I chose.  I  have a cap on the amount I can be charged each month. I can change my budget at any time and there is no long-term commitment.  For the past few years, Home Gain’s Buyer Link has been responsible for an extra 25 sales a year for my team.  

How specifically is it working for me? I’ve done a product review of Home Gain at the RealtyAgents site where I write product reviews, and I’ve also posted my experience at the HomeGain Blog.  Stop by for more details.

by Linda Davis

I’m not sure why I was born organized. I guess it was my “gift”.  While the others kids in the neighborhood were taking piano lessons and attending art school, I was making lists and multi-tasking.  It’s no wonder that I love Paperport; it is a great organizational tool and easy to use whether you were born organized or just want to be. PaperPort turns piles of paper into organized PDF files that you can quickly find and then use right on your desktop.  Although I can’t claim to be totally paperless, I can say that I no longer carry home a “paper box” full of files on the weekend. All my listing and sales files have been turned into neatly organized digital documents.

Below you’ll find what one of my typical listing file looks like.  Since it is all on my laptop, it eliminates the need to bring home a file.  It has also been very useful when I’m out of town and need to followup with a seller.

Paperport has also eliminated my paper CMA Files.  I once had a huge box of CMA’s which I called it my “future listings” box . It was complete with legal descriptions, maps, and hand written notes. That box is history.  Now I have a paperport file for each CMA. Once the home is listed, I simply move the CMA file to the file I create for that particular listing.

It appears that 2008 will be the year of the video in real estate and Wellcome Mat is quickly becoming known as the YouTube of real estate. This free resource allows any real estate professional to easily upload their own 3-5 minute video tours.  You’ll find the final results similar but of a much higher quality than YouTube. Once uploaded, your video can be embedded into any website or blog.  The site also is an excellent resource for finding a videographer in your area.

While slide shows were initially frowned on,  members are adding slide shows like those created in Real Estate Shows. There is some indication there will be a separate place for those in the near future.

by Linda Davis

Before I started this post, I had an outline in my head.  It was all about how to create a "lens" on Squidoo.  Besides pointing out all of Squidoo’s cool features, I was going to explain details like filling out your profile and using modules. Then I discovered Squidoo U.  Everything you need to know about Squidoo is there including tips for promoting your lens, setting up groups, tagging and HTML tips. There is even a user’s forum.  It seemed a bit silly to try to reinvent the wheel when there it was all nicely packaged in the Squidoo University.

If you’ve never heard of Squidoo, it is best described as an indepth look at a specific topic.  Squidoo lets you create a web page (a lens) around that topic.  Although not initially intuitive, after you get the hang of it, lenses are quick and easy to build. To give you an example of a lens, I’ve created one called Building Your Real Estate Technology Tool Kit where you can find a few of my favorite technology tools. 

Squidoo was founded by Seth Godin so it is no wonder it  is a perfect tool for niche marketing.  Whatever your niche, you can create a mini website and include links and books about your topic.  Of course, one of the best features is creating links to YOUR OWN  website or blog, enhancing your web presence. Bill Gassett’s lens on Hopkinton MA Real Estate does a nice job of offering visitors information specifically about the Hopkinton, MA area and creates links back to his website and blog. 

I’m passionate about niche marketing and Squidoo is a nice little tool to enhance your niche and create a little link love for your blog or website. An added bonus is that your Squidoo lens, done right, will do well on search engines like Google and Yahoo.

OH, and did I mention it is FREE?