Hart, MI

I have had several people ask me where they should be spending their time on the internet. This is the first in a series of blogs I am writing to help you get started in the social media world. I am skipping the background of social media, but if you want to know more about it, and how it can bring you business, see my earlier posts.

Below are ten buttons linking to ten different websites that I have built profiles on. Each one of these sites contain links back to my primary website, http://www.timwhitehomes.com. The goal here is to drive traffic to your website! You don't have to spend hours every day on these sites, just take a few minutes to create a profile on each, and you're started.

Here's a tip: Once you create a profile on one site, copy and paste it to a word document. Expand that word document to include your intro, your business history, some personal information (wife, kids, hobbies, etc.), and keep a running tally of your websites. Once you have it done it once, you can then copy and paste your information into the other sites. I do recommend going back later and switching up some stuff here and there, when you have time.

So, for today, click one of the buttons, say hello on my site, then create your own.

You don't have to add content to any of them yet, but if you have the time, do it.

Making the first one should take maybe thirty minutes, tops. After that, you should be able to add the other each in about 5 minutes by copying and pasting. So in a little over an hour, you can have ten more websites pointing back at your website.

Did someone say Search Engine Optimization?

This is designed to be a quick get in there and get some juice going post. We'll build on the other steps later, and explore what types of content will get you better search results.

Let the mushroom hunting begin!

It's official, morels have been spotted in West Michigan.

Don't bother asking where, as a good spot is worth more than gold to the avid mushroom hunter. I will tell you that Oceana County is a good place to start. Western and Northern Michigan is a great place to find these delicious little critters, and we take our mushroom hunting seriously.

A friend of mine here in the office was kind enough to rub it in my face this morning that she found some yesterday.

It's a bit early, but I suspect the big ones will be showing up soon.

You can get more information about morels at http://www.morelmushroom.info/index.html

In the spirit of mushroom hunting season, here's a recipe for the tasty little buggers I found at The Great Morel.

Sautéed Morels with Cream

This is a classic French preparation my husband learned years ago from working in a European cuisine restaurant. He is an Executive Chef trained in many styles of cooking. The ingredients are easy to find except for veal stock which must be made by roasting veal bones for hours, perhaps a good chicken stock could be used instead. Enjoy!

• 15-20 fresh morels or reconstituted dried, cut in half if large
• 1 large shallot chopped fine
• 1 large clove garlic chopped fine
• 2 TBS butter (best with unsalted)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Put olive oil in heated pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, stir and sauté until softened but not brown. Add butter until melted then add morels. Stir and cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 4 min. Add chicken stock and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cream and cook on low until reduced and thickened. Classically served on toast, but the best on grilled New York Strip steaks.

I appreciate my wife, Amy, everyday, but Thursdays, and today in particular, make me appreciate her even more.

Amy has to go out of town on Thursdays, and I inherit the duties of chauferring our three kids around to their never ending stream of after school events. It's a frenzy of non-stop running back and forth.

I would never be able to do all the things I get done in a day if I had to keep up with the kids by myself. One of the greatest reasons I have been successful in my career is because Amy is so supportive. I could never succeed as a realtor if I didn't have Amy in my corner. We're a team, and a pretty darn good one if I do say so myself.

I'm sure all wives feel unappreciated at some point. I know I don't tell Amy often enough how much she means to me, and how I would be lost without her. Well, here it is in writing!

I was working on my websites today, and came across this picture of Amy and me at the Marine Corps Ball last fall. She looked amazing, and a friend captured this shot of us, giggling and laughing like we did when we were teenagers. I love this pic, and I made it my Facebook profile pic for the day.

How much does your significant other impact your ablility to be successful? When was the last time you told him/her how much their support means to you? We have Mother's Day and Father's Day, but we really don't have a Husband/Wife Day. Maybe that's because we should be observing it everyday.

I'm out of time. There's another kid waiting to be picked up or delivered somewhere. On the way, I think I'll stop and pick up something nice to make for dinner, to show my appreciation. What can you do to show your appreciation today? I bet you'll think of something, you're obviously brilliant, as evidenced by the fact that you're reading this!

I was driving east on Ocean Dr. in Hart, Michigan today when I saw this little gem sitting alongside the road. I had my camera with me, like any good realtor should, and I just couldn't resist blogging about it.

Michigan is widely held to be a left leaning, liberal state. So much so, in fact, that Senator McCain's campaign withdrew from the state early during the election runoffs of 2008. John, I think you gave up on us too quickly.

You see, there are strong pockets of conservatism in West Michigan. The recent Tea Parties have sounded a clarion call to the formerly "Silent Majority", and I wouldn't be surprised to see more of these types of displays.

Even if you're a liberal, you have to admit this is pretty clever.

"March Housing Construction Drops 10.8 Percent"

By now you've probably seen headlines like this one. It's dramatic, it sounds like the world is ending for real estate, and it is just the kind of dramatic overstatement that makes me gag when I read the news. But have you actually READ the article? I've linked it to the headline.

Believe it or not, there's actually a lot of good news in there. The article explains that the percentage is based largely on the fact that multi-family home starts (apartments) are down, but in fact, single family home starts have stabilized. Here are two excerpts from the article which belie the headline:

"The much larger single-family sector actually stabilized in March at an annual rate of 358,000 units, the same level as February when single-family starts managed a small 0.6 percent rise."

"The bad news is that home construction is still in the tank. The good news is that single-family activity may finally be stabilizing," - Joel Naroff, an economist at Naroff Economic Advisers

So why the mixed message? No, wait, scratch that. Why the completely misleading, borderline outright lie of a headline? The answer is simple: bad news sells.

The media has adopted an attitude that no one wants good news. I am a fan of Fox News, which is where this article comes from. However, they are often just as prone to adopting this attitude as anyone else.

As a Realtor, I find it encouraging that apartment starts are down. This means that people are buying homes, and are less interested in renting. With low interest rates and low prices, the consumer is realizing that renting is not their only option.

Now, more than ever, it is extremely important that we perform as real estate educators, and not just salespersons. We have to counter this type of negativity, and make people aware that the sky is truly not falling.

Somebody get on the phone and tell Chicken Little he can come out, we're going to be OK. All we need is a healthy dose of reality. We've seen an increase in home sales in West Michigan real estate, and I'm doing my part to make sure the word gets out. You can help by reblogging and linking this blog to everyone you know.