I'm a fairly technology saavy agent. I have seen a more than a few less than saavy agents in many markets make the mistake of not choosing the right technology provider or making decisions in the absence of any technology education. In this post, I'll show you some examples of folks who have been burned by technology providers and others who are just begging to be made an example of. Take a look at these folks and see if you are in need of a technology strategy change.
Jonathan Rivera, who had his facebook page removed without notice. By mid-2010, Rivera had managed to build a great online presence, spent countless hours and resources building his Real Estate Agent Referral Group on Facebook. Shortly thereafter River was contacted by the National Association of Realtors and asked to rename his group, which had violated the NAR's trademark "REALTOR", by using REALTOR in the URL of his facebook page. That's a big technology and agent no-no. Anyway, Rivera's page was shut down. Can you imagine the feeling of investing hundreds of hours of time building a website asset and waking up one day to a 404 when you try to login to your web page? There was a happy ending for Rivera. After NAR got the "realtor" removed from the internet, they asked Facebook to reinstate the group and the group was given back to Rivera!
Real Estate Webmasters and several REW client sites were in 2008 when they got deindexed from Google for allegedly exchaning link among its clients. Link exchanges, and abuse of said exchanges in an attempt to manipulate search engine results, caused the banning of many folks who deserved to be deindexed from Google and caused many folks who just happened to have strange link profiles to be deindexed. I have no idea which is the case for Real Estate Webmasters from 2008, but the point is that you should be aware of what is and is not allowed when optimizing pages and in general, just running a web site.
There are many, many more examples of being burned by not staying abreast of technology, but I'll let you do some research and expand your knowledge through self exploration!
Several agents here in Austin who use a company called Realzi to create their websites. Realzi has recently obtained their corporate real estate license in Texas and is actively running a website targeted at the same customers that their clients are targeting. One would have to ask what the agents using these sites are thinking, but maybe they just don't know that the company running their websites and lead generation tools has entered the real estate business. Hard to say, but the take away is know your provider and what they are doing. The day ActiveRain decides to compete directly with me in selling real estate in my market is the day my blog comes down.
Any of the countless, completely uncustomized Z57, Top Producer, or other template based sites? As I feel that these template sites are not good and don't deserve a reference from ActiveRain, I've intentionally not linked to said website providers. Not to demonize them, but they are not as good as many open source and free services and software like Wordpress or Joomla or Drupal. These products are just as easy to use and may be easier since you'll have tons of other users and forums from which to seek help and find documentation. The key is that setting up the site is not the hard part. It is just the price of admission to the SEO game. The hard part is creating UNIQUE content and obtaining links to that content.
Check out your latest technology decisions and make sure you are not guilty of any faux paus whether they are yours or your technology providers. If you don't you may be asking Google, Bing, and Yahoo to relist you or building your web assets back from scratch!
If you allow others to post on your blog or website. Use a service like Copyscape to make sure that they are not using content that is not theirs. This service will run checks and see if your content appears in other places on the web and can keep you from posting content that belongs to others as well as detect when you content has been taken.
Use image searches like TinEye to find out if your work or your paid for work product is being taken. Here's an example of one company who either posted, or had his technology provider post, all the images from the MLS to Flicker. Kinda think it was the technology provider since it was most likely done programmatically. Who has time to post 11,000 listings worth of images to flickr?
Check out what other companies are doing on their websites and compare that to Google Webmaster Guidelines. Are they spamming the search results with computer generated blog posts that are just links intended to manipulate Google? Do they have websties with little or no original content that are soley created to rank in Google?
Send Google a Spam Reports. That's right. Let Google look at the alleged offense and determine if they should be penalized. A site with questionable tactics should be removed.
Send notes to the publishers of your content and ask that it be removed as I did in the case of the entire MLS image database being posted on flickr. You can find the email addresses of the site administrators at the bottom of their website pages most of the time.
Find a reputable search engine optimization company and technology provider. You'll be glad you did.
Submit complaints to your local board, MLS, or association when people do less than cool things.
Lastly, keep on the right side of the line yourself. :) A penalty from google is not a fun way to start the day. If you liked this post, reblog it. If you can add something to the discuss, please do!
Located on the banks of the Colorado River, Austin is the state capitol of Texas. As the fourth largest city in the state, it is also home to the largest public university in the nation - the University of Texas. Featuring three man made lakes within city limits, rolling hills and picturesque trees, Austin is the perfect place for those who desire the suburban feel with all the amenities a city an offer.
Demographics
As one of the top five fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States, the Austin area is home to nearly 1.7 million people. About 750,000 of those reside within city limits. The majority of Austinites, or about 60% of residents consider themselves Caucasian, with the minorities being African Americans and Asian Americans. The majority of residents fall within the 25-44 age range, closely followed by those under age 18. The median age is 30, and only 7% of the population is 65 years of age or older.
Climate
Austin is situated in a warm and humid climate. With hot summers and mild winters, it is the perfect location for those who enjoy outdoor activities year round, without the bitter cold and piles of snow. With an annual precipitation of nearly 35” per year, spring is often wet while summers are hot and humid, reaching up to 90* on a typical day. Temperatures above the century mark are common, though there are only on average 24 days a year of below freezing weather. As such, snowfall is rare; a severe ice storm about twice a year can be expected.
Attractions
City attractions include the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum, Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin Nature and Science Center and the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. There are also tours available of the state capitol building and governor’s mansion. Austin is also home to many minor league sporting teams in baseball, soccer, ice hockey and basketball.
Outdoor attractions include Volente Beach, Natural Bridge Caverns, and the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort. The cities three man made lakes are Lake Austin, Lake Travis and Town Lake, all of which offer plenty of water fun during the hot summers. Golf is also a treasured activity in Austin, with at least six golf courses located within city limits.
For residents who love to shop, there is everything from large malls to small boutique stores available for browsing. Popular shopping locations include Central Market, Highland Mall, Boggy Creek Farm and the West End.
Annual Events
Austin is home to many exciting events that locals look forward to each year. Some of these events include the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the Swamp Romp and Crawfish Festival, the Bat Fest and Spring Pecan Street Festival.
About the Author:
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin Texas real estate and Austin real estate can be found on the net.
Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World, and for good reason: its numerous live music venues and colorful local clubs offer seasoned professionals and up-and-coming bands the chance to perform for live audiences seven days a week throughout the year. One of the most popular local performers is James McMurtry, whose roots-rock anthems gained critical acclaim and popularity due to their inclusion of topical subject matter and down-home bluesy style. McMurtry can be heard performing live on stage most Wednesday evenings at the Continental Club in Austin.
The son of famous Western novelist Larry McMurtry, James McMurtry first began playing the guitar at age seven; he did not break into the music business until 1987, eighteen years later, when he won the New Folk songwriting contest. Family connections helped McMurtry make contact with John Mellencamp, who later produced McMurtry’s first album in 1989, “Too Long in the Wasteland.” Additional albums soon followed, including “Candyland” and “Where’d You Hide the Body” in the early nineties. It was not until the release of McMurtry’s first tour album, “Live in Aught Three,” however, that McMurtry began taking a public stand in the political arena.
McMurtry had become concerned about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the attitudes of public officials, including Dick Cheney and George W. Bush. His direct and cutting criticisms of the war and the prevailing political climate struck a chord with equally frustrated listeners, and McMurtry’s first big hit, “We Can’t Make It Here,” gave voice to the repressed political anger of music-lovers all around the world. The song was made available for free download and received significant radio airtime, creating both publicity and controversy for the performer and album. “I wasn't aware of the power of the Internet at all,” McMurtry stated in a 2008 interview. The sudden success of the single helped “Childish Things” to achieve respectable sales and critical praise, and placed McMurtry squarely in the ranks of politically-active musical artists.
Further controversy came with the song “Cheney’s Toy”, which depicted George W. Bush as the puppet of his influential vice president and attracted a number of angry letters to radio stations and to McMurtry himself. The pressure brought to bear proved ineffectual, however, since McMurtry’s albums are produced by independent record labels. “Childish Things” won the prestigious Album of the Year award at the 2006 Americana Music Awards, along with “We Can’t Make It Here” as Song of the Year.
McMurtry’s most recent album, “Just Us Kids,” reached 136th on the Billboard charts, marking his first appearance in the top 200. McMurtry currently divides his time between touring, making albums, and performing live at the Continental Club on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, his adopted home. While McMurtry’s stated liberal views might seem unusual for Texas, McMurtry said of Austin’s political climate, “It’s not tough living in Austin at all. Austin’s a little blue dot in a sea of red.” Certainly Austin residents have embraced the songwriter-performer and his unique roots-rock offerings, making his performances at the Continental some of the most well-attended and popular events at the historic club. For those lucky enough to catch one of his live performances, James McMurtry offers his listeners a musical and political experience that truly is uniquely Austin.
About the Author:
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin real estate blog. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate blog and Austin Texas real estate can be found on the net.
Necessity is the mother of invention, goes the old saw, and it's never been truer than in this day and age. With construction on new housing at a slow down, the real estate market in a slump, and - on a seemingly unrelated note - more and more people calling for a global policy of reduce, reuse and recycle, the building and architecture industry has had to take some interesting twists and turns to get to the goal of providing the housing that is greatly in demand.
While re-purposing buildings is not a new concept, its popularity had been on the slide as real estate investors opted for new construction. As prices have been spiraling out of control and developers are becoming reluctant to shell out the initial cost of new construction, they're turning to architects to redesign older buildings for new uses. Re-use on the grandest scale for everyone involved on these projects.
Take the Eastern Columbia Building for example. Built in 1930, just as the Great Depression was getting into full swing, the towering 13-story structure is a stunning example of the art deco period. It was first built for the Eastern Columbia Outfitting Company as a department store to the stars. In the 1950s, it was used for office space. The building is located in downtown Los Angeles, California, and offers 147 units of two bedroom condominiums to young professionals.
Much of the original features remain, including the gold leaf and turquoise terra cotta on the outside of the building. Inside, in the lobby, the terrazzo floors and antique elevator doors have been refinished. The rooftop boasts a brand new pool.
This concept is not lost on the Ballet Austin dance company. Previously, the dance company was scattered throughout the city in four locations, with offices here, production facilities there, meeting rooms and dance studios in yet another space. When renovation was finished in September of 2007, Ballet Austin found its home in the Butler Dance Education Center and Community School: a renovated building that had previously housed a printing company.
The building was a 34,000 square foot industrial metal monstrosity, but the Austin based Bommarito Group was excited about the project. Its original purpose - light industrial - was advantageous as the printing press area, which comprised about two thirds of the building, was already soundproofed. The rest had to be outfitted to accommodate a wide variety of activities - from administrative to technical and production staff, not to mention the dancers themselves and their visitors or parents.
The ballet company isn't the only organization to follow the re-purposing path. The old Palmer Auditorium, built in 1959, has been renovated to house the Long Center for the Performing Arts. The Arthouse contemporary arts organization took a building that had been used first as a theater in the 1920s, then a department store, then it became an art exhibit hall in the late 1990s.
Re-purposing fits right in with Austin's stated goal of becoming the most sustainable and environmentally friendly city in the nation.
The author writes articles on Austin Texas Real Estate Blog. For more information about Austin TX Real Estate, Lakeway TX Real Estate and Pflugerville TX Real Estate can be found on the net.
Tuition costs are ridiculous enough, but have you seen what it costs to feed and house your university student lately? There is a growing trend among parents and grandparents of those young people who are off to college to help out with housing in a pretty clever way: buy them a house near their chosen place of study.
Purchasing your student is house for the four years they attend their institute of higher education is an investment in the future - and not just a financial investment either. Usually, a parent or grandparent will purchase a small house with enough rooms that can be rented in order to cover the cost of the mortgage payments.
This is a great way to not only save on housing costs, but earn some equity as well. And the child learns some responsibility has he or she can be put in charge of basic maintenance on the property and also collect rents. As the child shares in the savings, he or she has a stake in keeping the property in good shape, also.
As for what one should look for in a student rental house, look for whatever you would if you were in the market for a house of your own with a few added features. A nicely maintained property is one obvious criterion, as well as a reasonably priced one. But also look for enough bedrooms for enough tenants to cover the mortgage cost plus a bit for maintenance, close proximity to campus or bus routes, and a low maintenance property such as a townhouse or condominium.
Austin would be an excellent area for this sort of investment. With its seven institutes of higher education, practically everywhere you turn, there are students seeking housing. If your son or daughter has chosen one of the Austin universities or colleges to further their studies, it would be a fine idea to check out the real estate market near your child's school.
When researching properties for your child, it's best to find a local real estate professional to assist you. He or she knows the local market well and may be able to assist you with the legalities of leasing and becoming a landlord. It's important to make sure you cross every "t" and dot every "i" when acquiring rental properties. You should be aware of local laws concerning tenants, also, should the unpleasant task of evicting one arise.
Make sure your real estate agent knows exactly what you're looking for and why and that he or she can inform you when a suitable property becomes available. Have all your ducks in a row and ready for when the property is found - financing, any requirements the local laws may call for - so that you are able to respond quickly. Once the property is acquired, you can look forward to four rent-free years until it's time to sell when you can expect to reap a decent profit for your efforts.
The author writes articles on Austin Texas Real Estate Blog. For more information about Austin TX Real Estate, Lakeway TX Real Estate and Pflugerville TX Real Estate can be found on the net.
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