Jeremy Blanton ActiveRain Corp.

Anyone who knows me well is aware of the fact that I can be a rather picky eater. I am not a fan of salads, and not the craziest about certain vegetables. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of steak, chicken, pork, and just about any other meat out there.

I think that is one of the reasons I love Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse in Myrtle Beach, SC. I have eaten there on several occasions and absolutely love it! My wife and I decided to visit Rioz yesterday for lunch and take advantage of their winter special. During the months of January & February, they are offering half price on their feast on Sundays.

When I say feast, I am by no means exagerrating. For those who have never been to a Brazilian steakhouse before, let me explain how the meal is served. You start out by enjoying the very extravagant hot/cold salad bar that features everything from fresh sushi, shrimp cocktail, & fresh mozzarella to Black Beans & Rice.

Once you finish with the salad bar you then let your Gauchos know you are ready for the main course by flipping over your card to show you are now ready for the meats to start coming. Also, you are served at this time fresh mashed potatoes, cheese bread, fried bananas, and polenta. Gauchos will then stop by your tables offering you fresh hot cuts of all types of meats that they carry on long spears. They have everything from filet mignon to Parmesan encrusted pork and more. You can see the full list of the 17 different types of meats available here. The meats will keep coming until you say stop.

While there are many delicious desserts available including my favorite creme brule, we so full yesterday, that we just finished with a nice piece of fresh toasted pineapple. The meal for two of us was just under $40.00. I believe it was an exceptional value. The service was phenomenal as well. The General Manager who was extremely busy yesterday even found time to stop by our table, ask how everything was and even took time to comment about how cute our daughter is. I guess that explains why there was a 2 hour wait yesterday for Sunday Lunch! However, if you ask either myself or my wife, the wait was well worth it.

I just finished watching the Miss America Pageant with my wife on TLC. She enjoys watching the pageant every year. You know, the big hair, cheesy questions and who could ever pass over the unforgettable evening gowns! I myself haven't been the craziest about the pageant, but it is something I can enjoy with my wife.

Last year, the Miss America foundation realized that the pageant was losing popularity annually. The committee knew they needed a major overhaul of a pageant that was over 80 years old. The things that appealed to the public back then were no longer popular. So, in 2008 the big hair, big dresses and long drawn out pageant disappeared. It was refreshed with a new hip, fast paced, sex appealed evening which would revolutionize the show. After watching the pageant this evening, I feel they hit a home run on the changes. The show moved along quickly and kept your attention from beginning to end.

As real estate agents, maybe we could learn a few things from Miss America. The ways that used to work over the past 10 years of doing real estate is not as effective now. Here are a few things I have learned over the past year to help increase my business.

• Increase your picture count! I wrote a post yesterday about how listings with more than 21 photos receive so much more attention from consumers.
• Increase online marketing while decreasing your print ads. The stats don't lie! More than 75% of all buyers search online before even contacting a real estate agent.
• Join the Real Estate 2.0 Revolution. Blogs and social networking is the way of effectively marketing towards the future. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Activerain are growing daily with the amount of members and readers. These are all great networks to increase your online exposure quickly and inexpensively.

As a buyer or seller, make sure to ask your real estate agent if they are doing these three simple things to help increase their business. If not, enjoy the big hair, puffy dresses and cheesy talent round just like Miss America of 20 years ago.

Well, on Tuesday January 20, 2009, the blizzard of the year blew into Myrtle Beach. Temperatures were down lower than normal and that funny white stuff called snow was falling from the sky. The snow continued to fall for a few hours and there was some major accumulation on the ground.

As your local Myrtle Beach Expert, I quickly grabbed my camera and grabbed a few shots.

Luckily, the blizzard only lasted a few hours and temperatures today are supposed to return back into the mid 60's! That is why I love living in Myrtle Beach, SC!

I just finished reading an article on AOL that shared the top real estate searches on their website. Myrtle Beach Real Estate was among the top 5 searched areas. Other notable cities included Miami, San Diego, and Phoenix. I was surprised to see that Myrtle Beach Real Estate was searched more times than some others cities like Atlanta, Orlando, & even Austin.

I believe there are a few reasons for this increased interest in Myrtle Beach Real Estate. First, there are many new attractions here. With attractions like Broadway at the Beach & The Market Commons, combined with so many fabulous restaurants & golf courses make Myrtle Beach very appealing.

Another reason people are considering Myrtle Beach is because the great weather we have! This year I enjoyed putting the outside decorations up in shorts! If you don't believe me, look here! The temperature that day was in the mid 60's!!!

The final and one of my favorite things about Myrtle Beach is the Beach! You can relax along the Golden Mile and enjoy watching the waves crash while listening to the seagulls nearby. The pictures speak for themself.

Here is the latest news from Chick-Fil-A in Surfside Beach, SC:

Come out on January 31st, 2009 for the 6th Annual Surfside Rotary Road Race presented by Chick-fil-A of Surfside. The race begins at 10:00 AM at the Days Hotel at Surfside Pier in Surfside. They are having both a 5K and a 10K. You can run or walk both events. Registration is available at Chick-fil-A of Surfside or online at www.surfsiderotary.com. This is a great event and a lot of fun for the entire family. Come out and join us and the Cows!

So, you are not exactly racing the cows, but it is a great way to get out and support the local community or get some great exercise. This is the last big race before the annual Myrtle Beach Marathon.