All Neighbors in Big Bear Lake, CA
Top Neighbors: The magic behind the mirrors
You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
About a month ago I took a listing on a property in Big Bear. The listing that I took was not a Short Sale or a Bank Owned property. It was a homeowner who needs to sell his home. When we discussed the value of the home, I explained to the owners that while the market analysis shows that the home is worth X amount of dollars, the true test will come from the number of showings recorded in the lock box. 
I tell all of my clients when I list their home, that the lock box is more than just a place to store the keys. In Big Bear, our lock boxes keep a record of everyone that enters the house. This is good information from a security standpoint, but it also tells us the rest of the marketing story. By keeping track of the number of showings recorded in the Big Bear lock box, we can get a feel for whether or not we priced the home correctly. For example, if the lock box shows that the cabin is getting ten showings a month, I can report back to my client with confidence that we have priced the cabin correctly and we are simply waiting for the right buyer to see the place. But after thirty days of being listed in the Big Bear Multiple Listing Service I find that I have one to two showing, something is wrong! One to two showings in a month tells me that the market feels that your home is overpriced. You see, when I list your cabin for sale, I need to sell it twice. First off, I need to sell your cabin to the other Real Estate agents in Big Bear, and second, I need to sell the cabin to a buyer. If the other agents see the value of the home at the listed price, then they're going to show it. If, however they feel that the home is overpriced, they won't show it. 
