Finding a Voice in Real Estate and Blogging

Just a quick Blog to let you know I'm taking a class regarding Blogging! I'm a real estate agent with a "techie" background so anything I can do to reach more out-of-town buyers via the internet the more I'm interested in learning about it.

I've done simple web site development for a number of years and try to use all the (free) tricks available to make sure my web site gets decent placement in the search engines and adding a blog is one way to do that. I started this blog last winter, mostly writing about infrastructure improvements in Ironwood and about Snow Country Real Estate and the "state of real estate" right now in the Upper Peninsula. I've kept it pretty impersonal, only did one personal blog about my frozen pipes in January.

The class I'm taking (4 weeks down and 4 to go) offers a lot of helpful hints on creating a blog, making it interesting, finding your "writing voice" and gearing it towards your readers. Hopefully, by the time the course is done, I'll be starting to write more entertaining information about Ironwood, Hurley and the surrounding area. My goal is to provide as much info as possible to people looking to retire here, relocate, or buy a vacation place, but I also want my blog to be a quick resource for local people to use to get info about area activities or web links and most certainly, for real estate needs!

No "Big Bubble" in Ironwood means no "Bubble Burst"

Half of 2008 is gone already - - - Snow Country Real Estate is #2 in sales out of the 8 agencies in our area! Total sales are just under $18 million, well above the $14 million mark of 2007.

Most out of town buyers I receive calls from mention how bad the real estate market is whereever they live and assume the same up in this area. I always have to tell them that we never experienced the "big bubble" like so much of the country and so we never got hit with the "bubble burst" either. The sales numbers do support my comments.

2008 has been a good year for not only the company, but individual agents. We have 5 agents in the top 20 producers (3 in the top 10), a definite improvement over last year. I have a closing scheduled for later in July and another couple of buyers who are close to making decisions, plus a few others who are just starting to look, so I hope to improve my own standing dramatically by the end of the year!

Who Wants Grant Money to Improve your Business?

City of Ironwood community development director, Dan Peterson, says the city is trying to determine how many business owners are interested in participating in Phase III of the facade improvement program before applying for the grant. Phase I and II are still in progress, although Phase I projects must be complete by the end of 2008. Four businesses out of twenty-one original applicants have been finished so far; however, a number of businesses dropped out of the program. There has been some trouble with bids in Phase I and II because of the requirement of business owners to receive two bids.

The city held an informational meeting last week, attended by five business owners. The MHSDA grant covers half the improvement costs with the owners matching their grant. In Phase III, Peterson says the plan is to award only one area contractor all projects on a single bid and therefore, streamline the bidding and construction process.

In this phase Ironwood is eligible to apply for up to $200,000 with the required owner's match of 50%. Grant money may be used for such things as painting, awnings, windows, and lighting.