Google My Business, Google+ Builds SEO

Bill Gassett

By Bill Gassett

There is no question that using Google Plus is important for a real estate agent looking to capture business from social media. What is often overlooked – and probably even more important – is using Google My Business (formerly Google Local) to tie your business in through search.

When someone does a search for a local business using Google, the search engine will often deliver what is called the “7-pack,” which includes seven local businesses based on geographic location. Google chooses seven lucky business websites that have been optimized to appear in these kind of searches. The 7-pack is grouped together, slightly separated from rest of the search results.

Hopefully bells are starting to ring in your head, telling you that this kind of search is important. In the real estate sector, you want your information to come up in a local search like, “Realtor Portland OR” or “real estate agent Miami FL.” Keep in mind that getting into the 7-pack is free, you just need to know how to do it.

Are you interested in how an agent or broker can get themselves into the Google 7-pack? I am sure you are all nodding your heads as you’re reading this.

Let’s use me as an example. I’m a real estate agent from Hopkinton, Mass., and you can see what I’m are talking about by going to Google and entering the search term “Realtors Hopkinton MA.” You are more than likely going to see my websites, massrealestatenews.com and maxrealestateexposure.com, in the 7-pack. As a real estate pro, this is a very valuable position.

Here is what you need to do to increase the odds of appearing in the 7-pack. First, you need to get a verified business page with Google. Once you have followed the steps and created your business page, then you will need to create a foot print around the Web. Local SEO is similar to traditional SEO in that there are a number of factors that will determine how high a website will rank in search results. It’s a little less difficult, however, to achieve high local SEO.

While links online are still really important in local SEO, citations are also vital. Citations are mentions of your business online. A citation is formed by having the name, address, and phone number (NAP) of your company appear on other websites. The quality of your citations is especially important. For example, you want to see your citations coming sites that everyone is familiar with, such as Facebook, Yelp, Merchant Circle, Manta, Bing, Yahoo, and others. The more quality sources where your website and NAP appear, the better.

One thing I cannot emphasize enough is that your NAP needs to be identical to what you have on your website. When I say identical, I mean identical! If the address of your business is 50 Main Street, Lubbock, Texas, when you add your business to Facebook it has to match that address exactly. The address is not identical if you’re using “50 Main St.” instead of spelling out the word “Street.” This would work against you appearing in the 7-pack. The same holds true if you use a different phone number. Your NAP must match perfectly.

You may be wondering how to find local online directories where you can add your contact information. Here is a list of some of the most important local directories to help your business appear in the 7-pack. If you add your site to these directories, not only will you have picked up 55 new links pointing to your website, you will also receive local citations from important sources.

Why would a real estate agent want to be in the Google 7-pack?

If you are a practitioner who gets their website and contact information into the 7-pack, I guarantee that more local customers will be calling you to potentially interview you for business. Sellers who are not already connected to a real estate agent will commonly search Google to find someone they think can help them. While these types of inquiries are not high volume, they are “money searches.” What I mean by money searches is that the person who is doing research is ready to do business. They are seeking out the services of a real estate agent who can help them immediately. When your information comes up in the 7-pack, your odds of being called by those motivated sellers increase. This advice works whether you are an agent, mortgage broker, lawyer, electrician, or any other business for that matter.

Why you should be use Google Plus.

What most people don’t realize is that Google Plus is not just another social channel like Facebook. Google Plus is a social site that is integrated with Google search. When you share content on Google Plus, people who follow you are more likely to see your content in search results when they are logged into Google. Keep in mind that most people stay logged into Google all the time. What this means is if you gain a large following, the content you produce is more likely to be seen.

Additionally, the posts you create and share on Google Plus can be found as standalone search results in Google. So when you share an article or post from your own website, not only is that article itself getting a boost in SEO from Google Plus, but the post you create has the potential to show up in search results as well. Like any other site, the more you use your profile, connect with other people, and share content on Google Plus, the more likely your information will appear in search results.

There is no one who explains this better than Mark Traphagen from Stone Temple Consulting in his article on why real estate agents should be using Google Plus. Mark carefully provides all the benefits a broker or agent receives when they take time to become a well-engaged authority on the Google Plus platform. If you are a real estate agent, I would highly recommend taking the time to read this article and bookmark it.

Similarly, it is important to understand how Google Plus profiles gain search authority. This is yet another excellent contribution by Mark over at Search Engine Land on how the strength of your profile influences your visibility on the Web.

As a real estate agent, mortgage broker, lawyer, or any other businessperson, you should be taking the time to learn how to gain more visibility online. We live in a world where people utilize the Internet more and more to find what they are looking for. Social media is an avenue many businesses are not utilizing to its fullest potential.

What should be made clear that there are no magic bullets in social media. There is quite a bit of misinformation being passed around on how social signals can boost your position in an online search. For example, there are some SEO pundits who will claim that having a lot of Facebook shares or likes will put your business higher in Google search results. There is no evidence that this actually occurs, but you will see all these fancy infographics along with correlating studies that cite Facebook (and others) as a driving force for SEO. Unfortunately, a couple people write about it and then the next thing you know it becomes truth on the Internet. Fortunately, there are some renowned SEO experts who will actually explain that not everything you read on the Internet is true. Eric Enge, owner of Stone Temple Consulting, is an SEO expert I trust. He took the time and did a carefully designed analysis showing that Facebook does not increase your SEO. Take a look and you be the judge. Correlation does not equal causation, my friends!

One of the amazing things about the real estate industry is that there is a low percentage of repeat business. In other words, many real estate agents will not be hired again when a past client is ready to sell their home. There are so many reasons why this happens, but the bottom line is that many of these people will use the Internet as a tool to find their next agent. Don’t be left off the train! Take the advice here and use Google My Business and Google Plus to become the next highly visible real estate agent on customers’ radar.

If you liked this article on how to use Google as a real estate business builder, then be sure to also read my piece on mastering real estate social media marketing where you will learn more tips on how to use the top social networks properly for your business. I provide guidance on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Linkedin. This is one you won’t want to miss.

Bill Gassett is a nationally-recognized real estate leader and one of the top RE/MAX salespeople in New England. See all his real estate articles at www.maxrealestateexposure.com.

Source - Realtor.org

6 Misperceptions About Home Staging

By Patti Stern, PJ & Co. Staging and Interior Decorating

Staging your home involves creating an environment that house hunters can envision themselves living in and can help to facilitate a speedy sale and for top dollar. Quite simply, if potential buyers don’t feel an emotional connection with your home, they won’t feel like they belong there and they’ll be inclined to look elsewhere.

That said, why would home owners make the selling process more difficult for themselves by choosing NOT to stage their property in order to make the best impression? The following are some misconceptions that sellers have about home staging.

1. It’s too expensive.

Staging is an investment in getting a house sold for top dollar and always less than the first price reduction on a home. According to the Association of Staging Professionals (ASP), 95 percent of staged homes sell in 11 days or less and sell for 17 percent more than homes that are not staged. When compared with the carrying costs of a home that lags on the market (monthly mortgage, utilities, landscaping/snow removal, etc.), the cost of staging is far less.

2. Our home has been professionally decorated.

Decorating and staging are completely different. Although home owners may love the way their house looks and it suits their needs perfectly, it may not appeal to the tastes and style of today’s buyers. An accredited home stager has the experience and objectivity to prepare a home for mass appeal in the current marketplace to engage as many buyers as possible — no matter what their personal style.

3. We don’t need a stager to declutter and clean.

Although these may seem like easy tasks, there is a lot of emotion that goes into depersonalizing a home after so many years of accumulating personal belongings. An accredited stager will provide a detailed action plan to neutralize and remove any items that will distract from the home’s features to get the house sold.

4. We can’t stage the house if we’re living in it.

Staging is absolutely not just for vacant homes. Every home can be staged while it’s occupied and a professional stager will provide home owners with tips for keeping the home in show-ready condition while the home is on the market — and still feel comfortable in their own home.

5. We can wait and then stage later if needed.

There is a lot of truth to the popular phrase “you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” If you don’t stage before you list, you will inevitably lose time and money.

6. Staging won’t hide all the problems.

Before beginning the staging process, sellers should address basic repairs such as leaky faucets and broken lights first so buyers won’t have a reason to turn away as soon as they walk into a home. Once this is done, a staging company will handle superficial imperfections such as repainting walls and removing outdated wallpaper to make the home aesthetically inviting and comfortable.

For more examples of interior decorating and home staging, visit www.pjstagingdecorating.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patti Stern, principal, interior decorator and professional stager of PJ & Company Staging and Interior Decorating, has been decorating and staging homes since 2005. She and her team provide turnkey, full service home- staging and interior decorating to clients across Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. She also developed an award winning staging program for luxury home builder, Toll Brothers. Patti has been featured in Connecticut Magazine, the Hartford Courant, Danbury News-Times and on NBC Connecticut and FOX TV. She is a regular contributor to the National Association of Realtor’s Blog, “Style, Staged and Sold.”

Source - Realtor.org

New Listing: 43978 Bonlee Sq, Ashburn, VA, 20147

New Listing! 3 bd | 3 bath | 1,829 sqft. - Priced at $329,900 Click Here for more details.

How Long Do Common Household Items Last?

*This infographic was produced by ChoiceHomeWarranty.com.

Source - Realtor.org

In Kitchens, the Design May Trump Cooking

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Home owners continue to invest in their kitchens but cooking appears to be coming in secondary to the design of the space, according to the latest American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey which focused on kitchen and bath design trends.

“The major point of emphasis in kitchen design nowadays revolves less around actual cooking activities,” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. ”Rather, home owners are looking for kitchens that are gathering spots for family and entertaining, as well as serving as a hub for electronic devices and recharging stations.”

Many of the architect respondents surveyed by AIA noted the revival of kitchen as the “hearth” of the home in the traditional sense: for family gathering, for entertaining, and for daily activities.

Indeed, the kitchen has become the “activator” – the main space in a residence and a center of operations in a home, says James Walbridge, chair of AIA’s custom residential architects network.

“The design requirements often include high functionality to accommodate multiple activities,” Walbridge says. “The aesthetics of the kitchen have also changed as the composition and material selections have elevated the space to become an essential focal point of the total design.”

The following are some of the most popular kitchen products and features identified by architects in the latest AIA survey:

• LED lighting
• Computer area/recharging station
• Larger pantry space
• Upper-end appliances
• Double island
• Adaptability/universal design
• Drinking water filtration systems

As for bathroom remodeling, accessibility requirements and energy efficiency are driving more household redesigns. The survey identified the following popular bathroom products and features:

• LED lighting
• Doorless showers
• Adaptability/universal design
• Large walk-in showers
• Stall shower without tub
• Water saving toilets
• Radiant heated floors

Source - Realtor.org

New Listing: 21336 Small Branch Pl, Broadlands, VA, 20148

New Listing! 4 bd | 3 bath | 2,958 sqft. - Priced at $639,900 Click Here for more details.

The One Minute Huggy

Anand Patel

By Anand Patel

Every night while tucking in my now six year old daughter for bed she asks me for a big hug. She says the hug has to be for exactly one minute. If I walk out of her bedroom forgetting to hug her, she is quick to remind me “Daddy, give me a one minute huggy!” During this “one minute” as I squeeze her tight, she squeezes back tighter while asking periodically throughout the embrace: “Is it one minute yet?” If I say no, she’ll yell, “Don’t let go then, it’s not one minute!” These one minute huggies really are no longer than 15 or 20 seconds but they means the world to my daughter.

It got me thinking about real estate…

As an industry, we spend a lot of time, effort, and money on generating leads. There is a small percentage of practitioners who actually focus on converting those potential customers, and even smaller number who intentionally spend time reaching out to stay top-of-mind with clients after the closing.

According to the 2015 NAR Member Profile, the typical REALTOR® earned 20 percent of their business from repeat clients and customers and 20 percent from referrals from past clients and customers. This means that the average member earns more than 40 percent of their business from their current and past database of customers. Many agents I talk to say that number for them is even higher than 40 percent.

So what does any of this have to do with hugs?

Once you leave the closing table, how do you keep in touch with (“hug”) your customer? Do you give them a call, periodically send a note or gift, send a video e-mail message, or drop by to say hello? Knowing the stats above, wouldn’t it be in our best interests to embrace those we have worked with? You’ll be surprised how many of your current and past customers would really appreciate a quick “one minute huggy” from you.

What are some creative ways you use to give your customers a “one minute huggy”? Would love for you to share them in the comments below!

P.S. I originally started writing this article a few months ago and just now got to completing it, but since that time my daughter has negotiated up to a five minute huggy. She drives a hard bargain!

Anand Patel is the founder and president of residential brokerage NextHome Discovery and commercial brokerage Pangea Realty Group, both based in Tampa, Fla. Connect with Anand: @anand_tampa, facebook.com/discoveryourplace, or linkedin.com/in/anandpatel1.

Source - Realtor.org

The Most Common Remodeling Mistakes

Click the image to enlarge

Source: Fixr contractors

Source - Realtor.org

The Best Worst Sales Call I Ever Received

Charlie Allred

By Charlie Allred

Here’s the scene: I’m driving home in my car after showing houses, and my phone rings. It’s an out-of-state number, not atypical since I regularly get calls from home owners wanting to move to the Phoenix area (I have blog posts on “Moving to Phoenix,” “Move to Chandler,” and “Move to Scottsdale“). So I answer my phone and it’s a sales call. Ugh. I’m almost never rude to sales representatives calling because I’ve done my fair share of cold calls, mostly when I worked in commercial real estate.

I listened to his sales pitch. He’s trying to sell me the number one spot on Bing.com for “new homes in Chandler AZ.” I ask several questions and being polite I ask if I can call him back. He says, “No, I can’t take incoming calls,” and he’s really pushing the “I can get you the top spot on Bing for $99.” I end up hanging up after a while.

Thank goodness this sales representative called me because it gave me keywords for my next blog post. I’ve been writing more articles about Chandler, Ariz. My office is in Chandler and I’m active with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce (which is the third largest Chamber in Arizona). I often struggle to find new article ideas, so this was a great help.

Here’s what I did:

1. I Googled “new homes in chandler AZ” to see who was on page one of Google’s results. They were all big companies, mostly home builders. So my initial thought was, I can’t beat out these big websites with a blog post.
2. “No Video?!?” I noticed there were no YouTube posts that popped up. Google loves to add YouTube videos to the first page of its results. Google owns YouTube, and if there are applicable videos (they have to include the keywords), they will be front-and-center in Google’s search results.
3. I decided to make a video for the topic. First, I was a little stumped because there are tons of new homes in Chandler. How could I make a video that includes all the new homes? The list of homes for sale would be huge. Here’s the video I made: https://youtu.be/N2Iuij_z8bk

1. I looked up the keyword volume on Google Adwords. The best long-tail keywords were “new homes in Chandler AZ.” At first I thought, “new homes Chandler AZ” would have the highest search volume, but it didn’t.
2. My choice was to make a “Must-Know” video about buying a new home in Chandler, Ariz. I even inserted a big warning intro image.
3. I made the presentation in my Google Drive. I just inserted some photos and text (see right).
4. My plan was to record myself talking while I flip through the presentation. I thought about adding music, which is what I do in my Genius Home Videos. But this topic is very important, so I thought I should add a voice-over even though I don’t love my voice in videos. I tend to get a little overly excited.
5. Lastly, I wrote a blog with the same information. This way I could link to the blog post from the YouTube video, which drives more potential clients to my website. At my site, the potential client can get valuable information on homes in Chandler and learn more about me.

This is the first time I’ve ever used a sales call to push my online marketing. I am sometimes stumped by what to write about on my blog, mostly because I have tons of posts on my blog already. How many times can you talk about Scottsdale homes or Chandler homes?

My next goal is to make a video made for this topic using a whiteboard video. You know those videos that look like someone is writing on a whiteboard with amazing narration?

I hope you can use this information to propel your blogging and online efforts. For more details on this process, head to charlieallred.com. As always, I hope you are succeeding.

Charlie Allred is a Phoenix-based designated broker for Secure Real Estate and author of the book “Pinnable Real Estate: Pinterest for Real Estate Agents.” She leads the Killer Online Mastermind for real estate agents; you can learn more at charlieallred.com. She is a Pinterest expert who coaches agents on how to gain more leads, followers, and clients by using Pinterest. Learn more at her blog: www.PinnableRealEstate.com.

Source - Realtor.org

10 Reasons Why You Should Stage Your Next Listing

By Audra Slinkey, Home Staging Resource

Sometimes it can be a challenge convincing the home seller to use a certified staging professional so I created some visuals using the latest, 2014-2015 statistics to assist agents in getting the point across to their clients. Professional home staging is not only for homes that are a “mess” but it also makes a huge difference in the selling price for homes that are “typical”.

In fact, statistics show that it doesn’t matter whether the home is vacant, occupied, a fixer or a beauty — when a certified staging professional gets a hold of it, an average 10 percent better sales price can be expected!

Sellers can be nervous that the stager is going to tell them to make expensive improvements to the home, but the reality is that only improvements that will have a BIG IMPACT on buyers and a good return on investment will be recommended. That same home staging survey of over 3,500 homes sold showed an average 1000 percent return on investment when the seller spent a mere 1 percent of the value of their home.

OK, so maybe spending an extra $20 to wash your car before selling it is not worth the $200 more you got in price BUT the $4,000 you spent on staging your $400,000 home is probably worth the $40,000 on average return you will see over your neighbor who did nothing…especially if the $40,000 is tax free!

Staging has always had an impact on the speed of sale, but in this market, I think it’s wise to be the agent known for getting top dollar for your clients, not just a speedy sale. In fact, the savvy seller is wise to the agent who prices low and sells quickly compared to the agent who is pricing right and getting top dollar. In my neighborhood, where everyone is on a “Google group” chatting, the agent who took a bit longer to sell a home (3 weeks) but made the neighbor $85,000 over what the “quick sale” agent got another neighbor, is definitely the agent all my neighbors are going to use! Those poor agents had no idea we were commenting on their performance but I don’t think my neighborhood is all that unusual…do you?

Every agent knows that the moment their buyer is visualizing themselves in the home, the offer comes next. Why? Because people buy on emotion and being able to “see” your family living in the space is essential!

What’s the point in hiring a professional photographer if the room is not completely dialed in? The combination of staged room and professional photos really connect with potential buyers online. In fact, there are many folks “considering” a move but won’t pull the trigger till they see the right home online. Don’t you want to be the agent to get that first phone call about your listing?

The seller that thinks they can stage their home themselves has no idea of the impossibility of that process. I’ve been staging and training for more than 12 years and still brought in two certified staging professionals before I sold my home. Why? Because I know that staging my own home is like asking me to be objective about my children. Our homes are filled with the emotions of living there and the items we’ve purchased on emotion, so how can we possibly be objective about merchandising each space?

I have to admit; even this latest 2015 NAR statistic on home staging surprised me! You mean even if the home is on a busy street, backs up to the dump or has a tiny backyard almost a third of buyers will overlook those faults in favor of staging? Just kidding but you get the idea! Sometimes there are problems with the property that just can’t be fixed by staging but can be alleviated.

Did you know that “Moving” was listed as a top five most stressful event in a person’s life? In order, “Death of a Loved One”, “Divorce”, “Moving”, “Major Illness”, and “Job Loss” were the biggest, most stressful events in people’s lives. Even if you were moving up, it’s considered highly stressful!

The whole point to staging is to help the seller get packing early, organized for showing their home on the fly and helping them have the peace of mind of getting the best price.

We are really getting close to No. 1 now! With No. 2, most experts agree that staging is a critical necessity to selling successfully in the 2015 market. I know it’s frustrating for agents to convince sellers to use a professional stager. According to Zillow, staging was listed as the second most critical action item for the seller to do when selling their home, so letting them know this statistic by real estate experts is a good one!

Drum roll please…..

I love this reason because at the end of the day, staging benefits the home seller more than anyone else….not the agent…not the stager. While the agent and stager are invested in helping the seller get the most money from the sale of their home, if the seller just doesn’t want to listen, then so be it. The seller doesn’t have to do anything…but there are consequences which are usually doled out in the form of price reductions. Don’t help to see your competition when all you need to do is hire a professional home stager!

If you’re a real estate agent, feel free to share this, pin the images and send them to your sellers. I’ve also created a one-minute YouTube Video that you can share or embed on your site to get the point across to your seller.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Audra Slinkey is president of the Home Staging Resource, a RESA Accredited home staging training and certification company. Slinkey has personally trained over 3,000 stagers worldwide and is a bestselling author and international speaker. She also serves as president of the American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners. Connect with her on Facebook!

Source - Realtor.org