David Stanley

Morgan Carey has just posted a very exciting announcement at the REW Blogs regarding the launch of his new IDX demographics plugin, you can read the blog post here. To celebrate the launch of his newest IDX product, he has also authorized a promotion for the first 100 subscribers which includes 25% off all common upgrades and his super popular and market exclusive LEC (limited edition custom) product or if the LEC is not in your current budget or not available - CORE IDX installations are 50% off! The URL for the blog post is http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/blogs/morgan-carey/8453/show/ - He is asking that anyone who has questions regarding this promotion please ask them in the comments section of the blog post (as opposed to telephone or email) - He is going to be super busy during this promotion and he really doesn't want to miss your question (or your order) so posting on the blog is the best place to ensure you get seen before it sells out.

The second annual Real Estate Webmasters Summit is coming to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, from July 30 to 31, 2009. This is the event for North American agents wishing to learn how to leverage their websites to their full potential and to maximize both leads and sales. CEO Morgan Carey will be personally teaching classes on search engine optimization, lead follow up, and leveraging IDX data from a search engine marketers perspective, and Eric Blackwell, owner of EricOnSearch, will be there to teach authority building and networking online.

Real Estate Webmasters are going to be giving away an LEC (Limited Edition Custom) plus one year of hosting / SAAS fees (US$10,840 value) to one lucky attendee. Last years winner was Mike Taylor - if you ask him if coming to the conference (even without winning the LEC) was worth it, he will be likely to provide a glowing review - but hey, winning a $10,000 website isn't all that bad either.

This summit is a business writeoff to come for a vacation in the most beautiful place on earth. Yes you will learn, yes you will network, and yes you should not miss the conference for all the business reasons mentioned, but c'mon people - this is Vancouver Island, the Pacific Coast of British Columbia - it is probably on most everyone's bucket list anyways. Write it off and come early, stay late, and enjoy all the pacific north west has to offer. See you there!

GoNanaimo.com announces the creation of the Nanaimo 50-Kilometer Holiday with seven self-guided tours within a 50-kilometer radius of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. As gasoline prices unpredictably rise and fall, vacationing locally becomes more attractive and Vancouver Island has so much to offer. The 50-Kilometer Holiday includes two walking tours within Nanaimo and five driving/bicycling tours to nearby mid-island destinations. Each tour is carefully crafted with a printable version and map which website users are invited to use on their trips.

Nanaimo’s waterfront and downtown are explored on walking tours which combine historic sites with scenic beauty. Lots of inviting cafes, galleries, and shops are along the way. Cyclists and motorists will visit the city’s finest public parks on the North Nanaimo Driving Tour. South Nanaimo is largely rural with some enjoyable attractions and hiking trails. The region’s finest private art gallery is in Cedar and Canada’s best bungy jumping is at Cassidy.

Further afield, Ladysmith and Chemainus offer history, hiking, kayaking, and culture. The cruise to Thetis Island from Chemainus is a highlight. Gabriola Island has some of western Canada’s most spectacular coastal scenery, plus outstanding bicycling and the region’s top artist’s colony. To the north, Parksville and Qualicum Beach have outstanding museums, gardens, parks, and galleries. The view of the Strait of Georgia from Qualicum Beach is unsurpassed. Butterflies, parrots, and wildlife are featured at world class centres in Coombs and Errington.

With so much to see and do in and around Nanaimo, it’s almost a waste to spend thousands of dollars flying halfway across the world when you could have just as much fun at home. An island holiday is a hassle-free holiday with no borders to cross, no travel insurance to buy, no bookings to make, and no money to exchange. So do your part to save the planet this summer by having a 50-Kilometer Holiday.

About the 50-Kilometer Holiday

The 50-Kilometre Holiday is roughly modeled on the 100-Mile Diet, a lifestyle revolution reconnecting Canadians with their roots. By creating the tours, GoNanaimo.com hopes to encourage Nanaimo residents to conserve energy and strengthen their community by traveling locally. The travel website’s seven self-guided tours are now freely accessible online at http://www.gonanaimo.com/tours/

Boomtown Nanaimo, British Columbia, is currently one of the hottest housing markets in Canada. Baby boomers all across the country are casting their aging eyes west in their quest for a retirement haven, and the many advantages of Nanaimo, BC, are becoming known.

First off, there's the mild climate moderated by warm Pacific currents arriving from Japan. Nanaimo only gets a couple of weeks of snow a year, quite a contrast to central and eastern Canada which can be snowed in from December to April. There's enough rain to keep the city's gardens and parks lush and green, but plenty of clear, dry days for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year.

Nanaimo isn't a big city - under 100,000 - so traffic jams are the exception, and there's still free parking downtown. As the main service center for the upper two-thirds of Vancouver Island, the City of Nanaimo has all the services you could ask for, from the big box stores of North Nanaimo to intimate boutiques and cafes downtown.

Nanaimo is well connected. BC Ferries runs large car ferries from Nanaimo to Vancouver every couple of hours, and seaplanes are constantly coming and going on their way to/from downtown Vancouver or Vancouver International Airport. Nanaimo also has a regular airport south of town and you can get a free extension to Nanaimo on many Air Canada tickets to Vancouver.

Another great attraction for snowbird retirees is the fact that Nanaimo real estate is still affordable. Housing prices have increased 50 percent in recent years, but you can still purchase real estate here for about half which comparable properties would cost in Vancouver or Victoria. Nanaimo Realty, Remax Nanaimo, and Coast Realty Nanaimo can tell you more.

However Nanaimo's greatest attraction is its friendly, outgoing people. Nanaimo still has a certain "small town" air lost in go-go places like Toronto, and it's easy for newcomers to plug into the local scene. There's always something happening in the Harbour City. It’s paradise found.

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David Stanley’s travel series “Unknown Sights of Canada” is exclusively available on http://www.gonanaimo.com