Do you own your blog?

I read with interest the other day in Inman News that ActiveRain was adopting a subscription program for members charging them $29 per month to make full use of the blogging platform.

Having implemented a subscription model in my previous life as a software industry type, I know the pain this can cause an existing group of users, especially ones that are used to paying nothing for the services. 

But it’s the BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED.

Why?

Because, FINALLY, agents will get it that it’s more benefiical:

1.  To drive their OWN traffic to their OWN sites

2.  To get their OWN advertising revenue and control which advertising runs on their site

3.  To have their OWN rules about who can post about what and where

4. To control the look and feel of their OWN site and BRAND themselves not a portal

5. To OWN the domain name

6. To run their OWN software with plug-ins of their OWN choice on the host of their choice.

Paying ANY portal, whether it’s ActiveRain, REALTOR.com, Homegain, Z57…whatever…is ludicrous.  You are paying them to create the content that makes their sites work…without content they are nothing.  It’s kind of like renting a home vs. owning one…you are paying them to pay their mortgage and they are gaining the equity.

I encourage you to take charge of your OWN domain and your develop your OWN web equity.

At REOAgentTools.com we have developed three programs to help agents who want to implement their OWN blogs this year:

1.  The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Blog for the REO Market

The guide is designed for agents who are comfortable around their keyboards and want to build their own blogs using the WordPress software package — WordPress is free and has hundreds of plug-ins and 100,000′s of users.   You will get step-by-step instructions on how to purchase the domain name and hosting accounts from Godaddy.com (the best and least expensive domain registrar);  how to install the WordPress software, and how to post right away.  You’ll also receive a list of the plug-ins that are must-haves for any REO blog, plus how to get accounts at Commission Junction and Google Adsense to monetize your blog.   You’ll be up and running in about a day.

2.  REO Agent Blog Creation Services

Designed for agents who want a turn-key blog set up for them, but in their OWN names:  everything is registered in the agent’s name and they are the contact for the web site.  You’ll be up and running a custom domain name of your choice, software and plug-ins all installed, and  basic content customized for your area and state,  and accounts created in your name for  advertising revenue.  We’ll hand you the keys to your new blog presense in about 72 hours. 

3. REO Agent Blog Content and Traffic Network

This service  is designed for REO agents who want a blog as part of their Web 2.0 strategy, but don’t have the time to create new content daily, administer the site for comments and spam, or network out and make posts of their own.  For a monthly fee, we’ll do just that.  Agents are still in charge but we populate their blog and keep it fresh with original content customized for your area and market stats, and linked in to your blogging colleagues.

So  instead of creating tons of free traffic to someone else’s site, while gaining NO brand awareness on their own, agents will FINALLY take control of their OWN domains and traffic.  Be an OWNER.

Some other blog posts about ActiveRain and other portals:

Active Rain - from the Real Estate Marketing Blog

HomeGain, ActiveRain, Trulia – The Tale of the Tape - from Notorious Rob

ActiveRain Launches (Silently) New Video Platform - from Future of Real Estate Marketing

Real Estate Social Networking Websites MUST learn from Activerain’s Announcement - Real Estate Trainer’s blog

Looking for customized WordPress Themes for Real Estate?

REOAgentTools.com is launched by someone famous

With a bottle of champagne crashing against a computer screen, company founders Jennie  Beck and Patrick Schutte launched their new web site, www.REOAgentTools.com,  to service those real estate agents who are looking to develop multiple streams of  income in the ever-growing distressed property market.  

With foreclosures likely to stay part of the real estate environment for years to come, many agents are looking to diversify their skill sets and income streams.

Those income streams include:

• Broker Price Opinions (BPOs)
• BPO Support Services
• REO Listings
• REO Support Services
• Short Sale Listings
• Short Sale Support Service
• Home Retention Consulting

Data Submission Services

Typically,  agents wanting to enter the REO/BPO markets can spend 6 months filling out forms and trying to piece together information bit by bit, going down many false avenues in pursuit of the right companies and contacts.
 
REOAgentTools.com makes it easy for agents to enter the REO
property marketplace by not only providing the educational tools that will quickly bring them up to speed, but by also providing critical time-saving and money-making services such as BPO and REO company application submission services, blog and web site creation services, and site content and traffic managment services. 

  
Educational products and databases offered by REOAgentTools.com include:
  

• BPO Agent’s Success Manual 
• BPO Companies Database
• REO Agent’s Success Manual
• REO Servicing Companies Database
• Short Sale Agent’s Success Manual
• How to Build a Successful REO Team
• Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Blog for the REO Market

What differentiates REOAgentTools are the implemention services
offered to enable agents to succeed where most fail.

Unlike other companies that can only provide you with a bunch of URLs (hopefully all verified and active), REOAgentTools.com gives you an up-to-date list AND we can complete the applications for you online and via fax saving 100s of hours of tedious and frustrating work.   Plus, we can create and manage your online presence to make you stand out from the crowd and make more money at the same time.

Services offered by REOAgentTools.com include:
  

• REO Agent Image and Resume Services
• BPO Application Submission Services
• REO Application Submission Services
• REO Agent Blog Creation Services
• REO Agent Blog Content and Traffic Network
• REO Agent Press Release Services

Network of REO Agents

Web 2.0 Strategy > Blogging

 Successful agents know they need to have a blog as part of their Web 2.0 strategy, but many don’t know where to start.   Our REO Agent Blog Creation Services fill this need:  we’ll acquire the URL for you in YOUR name, build the blog site tailored to the agent’s bio and qualifications, and populate it with relevant data from the industry and their local area.

Once an agent’s blog has been set up, agents can manage it themselvles or they can have it updated with the latest local and industry news as part of our REO Agent Blog Content and Traffic Network.  This service also includes comments from real people on your posts and pingbacks to our network of sites.  What this means to you is that your placement on the search engines rises and traffic to your site (prospects) increases.

Founders Jennie Beck and Patrick Schutte have been involved in the Phoenix area and Prescott area REO and BPO marketplaces since 2001. 

Jennie is an active REALTOR that focuses on the REO market and works at Realty Executives in Prescott.  She is a Graduate of the REALTOR Institute, an e-PRO, an Arizona Notary Public, and a trained mediator through the office of the Arizona Attorney General. 

Since 2003, Jennie has done thousands of BPOs for over 25 companies and developed the systems to earn her a top rating from FAVRR, BrokerPriceOpionion.com, and many others.  

Patrick has been involved with real estate and technology since 1990 and has built many successful real estate blogs and web sites.   As General Manager of a large Prescott real estate franchise from 2001 to 2005, Patrick was responsible for 60 agents, 3 offices, the Relocation and REO departments, and the company’s web presence.  

Patrick works at Prescott Premier Properties in Prescott, Arizona and is laser-focused on the foreclosure market.   His REO blog, http://blog.prescott-area-foreclosures.com is highly placed on Google’s organic search and successfully generates buyer and seller leads, as well as ad revenue.  Patrick is a Certified Foreclosure Specialist, e-PRO, and Certified Buyer’s Representative.

For more information about www.REOAgentTools.com, please contact Patrick Schutte at 928-710-1717 or email to patrick@reoagenttools.com