PLEASE READ PART 1 BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE REMAINDER OF THIS BLOG POST.

Dealing effectively with NOISE pollution requires on thing above all else.  It's actually an obvious solution, but one which we miss in the confusion of the moment.  It's a quality called Stillness.  And, it's the most challenging element of sanity to maintain in the midst of a hullabaloo.

Stillness requires having the ability to turn OFF the most incessant elements of NOISE...the elements that are clamoring for the most attention.  It entails being able to step back, breathe, and take the time to figure out what is really important.  Noise is banking on the fact that most of us won't do this.

The reason this is difficult to achieve is because Noise thrives on creating disorientation.  It knows that if you STOP and become STILL, you're more likely to decipher the underlying issues and make a rational decision. The primary agent of Noise Making is Hype.  Hype sells stuff which needs the cover of ambiguity to make it palatable.

In dealing with Emotional Noise, the issue of withdrawal even if just for a few moments is crucial.  This is because emotions have a way of creating their own drama.  When combined with hype, this becomes a toxic conundrum.

Stillness requires discipline. Stillness requires us to quiet the Noise in our minds and our circumstances or at least step away from it long enough to be able to observe what the patterns are really intuiting.  One of the best examples of this character trait is the behavior of an experienced Mother with a screaming baby. 

When a baby is screaming bloody murder, a new Mom is likely to become increasingly agitated.  A Mother who has dealt with the screaming baby syndrome successfully in the past, is more likely to remain calm.  She will sniff the diaper, check to see if the child has gas or is in pain and make inquires regarding the last feeding. Focusing carefully on the underlying issues of discomfort for the child often results in a quicker solution and quieter baby.

The issues confronting the real estate industry are very noisy right now. Talking heads across every major network are predicting gloom and doom.  Prior to that, they were chattering about the bursting of the bubble and skyrocketing house prices. 

In all the chatter, everyone missed the huge elephant which had firmly planted itself in the middle of the living room. Loans were being made across the board which made NO sense!

The rapid demise of the sub-prime market with the accompanying domino effect which now threatens the entire economy of the entire world was not a topic for discussion at the time. 

This was because few understood it and even fewer could predict how weak the underpinnings of the economy really were.  The assumption was that the American consumers insatiable appetite for more would never dampen.

It is in times of chaos like this that economic fortunes are made and lost.  That's because opportunity does not reside within the growing cloud, but stretches around it's perimeter in what we commonly call the silver lining.  The silver lining exists at the outer edge because it must escape the noise to gain proper perspective.

For anyone investing in the real estate community today, this has many important applications and lessons.  Today, all sorts or realignments are taking place in the financial and housing sector which will create options and obstacles which have not existed before. Risky loan products have all but disappeared from most markets.  Home buyers are being required to put money down on their investment.  This reduces risk.  Government control will increase...this can be a double edged sword.

But the flip side is that in many markets, the price for housing has dropped 25%-30% in the last 12 months to levels not seen within the past 10-15 years.  New tax incentives have been created to provide even more tax breaks to buyers who are able to invest in a home.  Today, some of the best neighborhoods across Grand Rapids, Michigan and around the country are on Sale!  It is not uncommon to hear of $500,000 homes being sold for $350,000 or less.

Investors around the world are becoming more interested in American real estate as prices decline and the dollar is weak.  This cycle will not last forever...for nothing ever does.  In fact, this article about the 66 best cities in which to invest by Marilyn Lewis of MSN provides an amazing chart of the return of investment that a home owner will make by 2012 if they purchase a home correctly today.  That's only 4 short years away!

So, study the chart, study your area, contact your local real estate professional and start your research in earnest.  Some smart people are going to take the time to decipher the deeper meaning within the noise and make sense of it.  Those who do will make intelligent decisions which will prove to be very profitable in the long run.  Determine to calm down noise.  Ignore the lure of false hype. Because failing to do so increases the risk of becoming unhinged by it.

Photo of expansive relationships and bags under the eyes are courtesy of DerrickT's photostream on flickr.com

Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved

Most of us emerge on planet earth with all the stridency that our 8 to 9 pounds of flesh can muster.  So much so that the infant who emerges without a lusty yell is promptly  spanked on the rump to produce one.  After all...one has arrived.  Say so!

Sideline living is against the grain of human ego.  A newborn baby in a household quickly demands just about everyones' waking and non-waking moments. 

Babies need to be fed at regular intervals, burped, changed, bathed, soothed, entertained...in short, paid attention to at all times. 

While we relish the joy of observing the expansion of new life in a newborn, this quickly becomes old by the time the child hits the terrible twos.  Who can blame the toddler?  Relinquishing prime real estate territory at 'the center of a universe of ONE' cannot be easy.

But, I suspect that the inclinations of the toddler do not fully disappear.  In most of us, they simply retreat underground; temporarily masked by the need to adhere to social norms but always eager to assume center stage if and when the opportunity arises.  A silent witness to the most debilitating form of human suffering...the deep yearning to be given permission to live life with gusto.

Several years ago, I wrote a devotional which I shared with some staff members at a local church.  The mediation was entitled "Living in the Margins."  At the time, we were attending a church which had gone through a number of significant transitions which had left many feeling somewhat fragmented emotionally and spiritually. It was a feeling of disconnection and disorientation...a struggle to regain ones' footing; to reclaim ones' place.

It was around Easter and I was drawn to the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus from a perspective that I had never considered before.  I began to study the sideline characters in this well known narratives ...the possible stories of individuals  who garnered few eloquent sermons.  These ordinary folks whose contributions remain on the sideline of of the most important titanic drama in human history. 

It was their stories that engaged the imagination of my mind...

I started thinking about what it must have been like to be merely passing through Jerusalem and then suddenly conscripted, without the benefit of hire, to carry the cross of a man who was stumbling to His the death like an ordinary criminal. 

Then there was Pilate's wife, a well to do lady.  She had a nightmare about the man her husband was about to sentence to death.  This nighttime terror haunted her soul's dreams and forced an urgent entreaty to warn Pilate about her apprehension. 

Witness the women who were considered as little more than chattel to be owned by men...following at a distance, and watching the last gasping breath of the Son of God. 

I thought of a rich man who gave up his burial plot for a bruised body to be laid...a body which had been publicly scorned by passersby.

As my thoughts wove around the potential stories of these individuals, I was struck by the remarkable experiences that were only available outside the crowded confines of the scriptural text.  Lives whose contributions emerged within the margins and not on the central stage. 

Women whose minimal status in cultural life was elevated by God to witness this transforming moment in history after all the strong men had bolted in fear. 

A black man who was not paid for his forced labor but allowed to carry the burden of God on earth and be rewarded with eternal glory. 

A  man of immense wealth and privilege who went against the grain of society and gave up his own burial place not knowing that his body would one day occupy the space in which a Resurrection took place.  Wow!

It was their position at the sidelines which afforded them the benefit of these unique and extraordinary moments.  But, why is it that so often we yearn for the extraordinary but strive to find it within the crowded confines of the norm?  The middle place, the popular position, the cursed bane of compromise which robs us our uniqueness while promising us safety in numbers?

It is in this place of false security that we pay with hands outstretched the price required for our soul. Unaware that it is the one thing for which there is no earthly compensation is large enough to ransom. 

In this trade, the devil laughs at our naivete, knowing that we have not outgrown the proclivities of that tempestuous toddler, we have merely traded the newborns scream for a dull, blunted roar. 

A harsh return for an immortal life which entered the world unfettered, knowing that the cry which brought it here was never meant to be imprisoned within the limiting confines of mediocrity and conformity.

And inside, the scream continues unabated...unheard by human ears, reeling with staggered desperation within the human heart.  For it knows that it was sent on a unique mission; one which has now been traded for a pittance of pottage.  The scream bears silent witness to the inner desire to complete our unique mission in life with integrity, knowing that we enter into this life alone...and we we are all destined to leave it in the same fashion.

Picture of baby courtesy of jessicafm's photostream on flickr.com

Mouth picture courtesy of Phineas H's photostream on flickr.com

This entry is part of a larger series entitled..."What it Means..."

The story of the Crucifixion can be found in the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke & John

Copyright 2008  Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

Are you tired of having to go out on your weekly real estate agent home tour?  Does the price of gas make this seem like a waste of time and money? If you're like many agents who work out of their homes, these questions are front and center when you're thinking about IF you will join the broker tour in any given week.

Since we have several newer agents in our office, they wanted to have this experience, so we arranged to tour some of our home listings.  It was quite an outing.  

When I started thinking about the potential outside of my traditional perspective, all sorts of new ways of Marketing came to my mind. Here are some other ways to make your Home Tour a viable marketing activity which continues to reap dividends long after you've been out for several hours in your car.

On this tour, I decided to try something new myself and took my camera along.  Take a look at what I did on Facebook. 

Post your Tour Link with tinyurl to Twitter, to tell people in your local area and beyond what you've been up to.

Upload pictures of your tour and places of interest to your LinkedIn profile.  Invite people to ask questions about the places you saw and the homes you have listed.

Share more than just listing jargon...talk about the area, sites of interest and nearby attractions.

Post pictures and/or video to Flickr.com

Post pictures and/or video to Facebook.  Share your album with Friends

Make a YouTube video about the area and the homes you see.  Start a series as the local tour expert in your area.  This can be very effective if you have a speciality such as highlighting a Foreclosure Tour of your local area.

Do a Real Estate Show on your tour and then export it all over the place.  It will also index on google for all the addresses you mention.

And then of course...blog about it!

These are just a few simple suggestions on how you can take an activity like real estate touring which seems to be loosing steam and reinvigorate it with fresh perspective and imagination. 

This type of thinking not only creates ample promotion opportunities, but is a way to create true Value to your clients in the successful marketing of their home in ways that can be effective beyond the traditional norms of showcasing an area and listing.  Today's homebuyer is shopping in a million different places.  Are you engaging your buyer where they're looking?

Pictures of homes from Audu Real Estate Home Listing Tour of June 23, 2008

Copyright 2008  Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

As real estate professionals begin to explore the world of the blogosphere, many will find that their presence online has been preceded by savvy 'webpreneuers' who understand the rugged terrain of Search Engine Positioning in a way that most Newbies to this virtual world do not.

Take for instance, an interesting experience that I had recently.  I was doing a training session for an agent and demonstrating the benefits which accrue to clients who utlize an agent who is involved in Social Networking.

We initiated a google search for our company listing by address.  It had been placed on real estate shows and exported to a number of different channels including Trulia.  We noted that Trulia was in the #1 position on the Google index.

Initially I was not concerned.  We upload our listings on Trulia, so I thought that in a fashion similar to oodle and other sites to which our listing were exported, there would be a link back to our site or the real estate show. This type of WIN WIN cross promotion ensures that clients are given the best information about the home from the Broker, who benefits from the FREE Listing AND provides Valuable data for Trulia and hence its' advertisers.

There were 4 entries on a search for the address of the listing so, we clicked on each of them. But, what was most disconcerting was that the Trulia link did NOT link back to our website from Google.  Instead, it took me to a page with some general information about the area including a street map and advertising.  There was NO EVIDENCE of the listing information or indication that this listing had been provided courtesy of a real estate broker. 

When, I stumbled upon this post, I understood WHY this is the case.  The discussion regarding 'NO FOLLOW TAGS' is highly enlightening. You may also want to read Trulia's explanation for their policy and decide for yourself if this ultimately assists or undermines real estate brokers.

As a blogger, listings which I post online do rank in the top search engine positions.  This is no small thing for a home owner who is hiring me to market their home to the largest possible audience.  With over 85% of potential buyers searching online first...this is very valuable online real estate. The entity which controls the information flow will in time become the defacto national MLS.  Today, in many markets, a home owner whose agent does not know how to position their home listing online will find that either it is non-existent for all practical purposes OR being used to sell advertising.

Home owners hire Realtors to not only position their homes online but to represent them.  When, our listing index on a major search engine is repurposed to suit advertisers AND stripped of the ability to link directly to the Broker who provides the information and knows the most about the property, I can't help but wonder who is really being served.  Is this truly in the best interest of the public and does this sort of 'misdirection' truly benefit the home purchasing experience for the consumer? 

I'm curious...Brokers & Agents, have you observed this?  Do you understand its potential implications for your business?

Related Links:

Inman News has a very intelligent discussion about various angles of this important issue.

Copyright 2008  Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

The more things change...the more things stay the same. When I started my professional career as a real estate agent almost 13 years ago, there were certain things we had to get permission to do when we listed a home.

These included: obtaining written consent to place a sign in the yard and a keybox on the door. The listing agreement also indicated that we had permission to market their property and advertise. There was no mention of advertising on electronic media. Nor were there disclosures required for the condition of the property or lead based paint. Index cards with listing data were still being delivered to real estate offices everyday.

Today, we have to get permission for a lot more than we did back then. Today, the seller agrees to allow us to advertise their property on electronic mediums including video and still media and other forms of media (not specifically designated) Today, the seller has an advanced electronic gadget on their door which allows remote programmed access to agents and special codes for contract workers; a system which is digitally monitored 24/7.

Yet, Home owners have given agents much greater latitude in the marketing of their homes even as the potential exposure for a home listing has increased exponentially. Herein lies an interesting issue. I wonder if such broad levels of permission are inherently in the best interest of all concerned.

Property Mapping:

Take for instance, the issue of property mapping. The google mapping system and others such as maps.live.com provide extremely realistic 3 Dimensional renditions of property in most localities within the United States. In some of these programs, the home can be manipulated on the screen and seen in detail from just about every conceivable angle. Here's my question. When a homeowner allows us to portray their home on any website, are they giving us implicit permission to display every angle and street view of their home to an unscreened populace which may contain those with malevolent intentions?

Social Media:

The same issues could be raised with regard to some forms of social media. Is it conceivable that the owner of a luxury executive home may not really intend that his home be purposely purveyed for the viewing pleaure of mostly teenagers and college students on Facebook who are largely unlikely to be part of the audience who will be able to afford to purchase his home listing?

There are so many new options exploding on to the market everyday, that right now the instinctive response is simply to try something and see if there are results. Some of this is fueled by an anxiety hidden underneath the cloak of the dreaded consequence of irrelevance if one misses the next new thing or important cue. But, we may be creating a potential minefield of unintended consequences if we are not careful to explain to our clients exactly how we intend to market their homes and YES...perhaps begin to consider asking for permission in a more specific manner. For their own protection as well as our own.

SECRET ENGAGMENTS:

Marketing a home for sale should not be a "Secret Engagement"...an exercise carried out apart from the informed consent of your client. Do you have a list which details what you will be using as a keybox and explain which websites you will be utilising and where pictures of their home will be viewable? Have you discussed the potential benefits and drawbacks of whatever marketing program you choose to employ? If you will be linking to a map...do they know how their home and neighborhood can be accessed and viewed?

Frankly, the reality is that this is no longer necessarily within our control as agents. Because listings are often exported by MLS systems through Broker Reciprocity to other channels which may mash-up the data in ways that are very different than the initial listing data, brokers may not even necessarily know everything which is done with the data they have collected from the homeowner.

RISK LADEN PROPOSITION:

Does this seem to be a risk laden process to you? May we be inadvertently giving our clients much more than they bargained for? Are Brokers taking listing information and assuming responsibility for a process which in all practical aspects they do not really control? I know this is a burning question being debated by MLS systems throughout the nation. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and if you are doing anything to limit risk & liability with regards to your disclosures and seller acknowledgments in these areas of potential concern.

photo courtesty of: Dave-F's photostream on flickr.com

Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved