There’s Only One Rudy…and he’s here!

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How long have you been in the real estate industry?  What did you do before?

I’ve been in the real estate business since 2003 as an agent, associate broker and broker/owner. Before that, I founded a NYC based online home improvement referral company where I matched homeowners with local home improvement companies.

Tell us about your company.

Trulia is a real estate search engine and online community where you can find homes for sale and detailed local real estate information. Trulia’s mission is to connect home sellers, buyers, agents and other real estate professionals while helping them make better informed decisions. Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen co-founded Trulia in 2005 and inspiration for Trulia came from the challenges they faced during their own home research online. Today, Trulia gets over 5 million unique visitors a month and has won numerous awards in the real estate space including their recent 2009 Webby award.

How long have you been working there?

I’ve been working passionately at Trulia since January 2008.

What services does you company offer in the real estate industry?

Quite a few actually.

The most basic yet very powerful aspect of Trulia that all agents should utilize for their benefit is the Trulia Profile – or real estate resume as I like to call it. By filling it out completely, you give yourself a great opportunity to be found for the cities, neighborhoods and keywords that you are an expert in not only on Trulia via our powerful member directory or Advice & Opinions search, but via search engines like Google as well.  Check out my Trulia profile as an example - http://www.trulia.com/profile/social_media_guru/

Then, once your real estate resume is complete, search through Trulia Voices, our real estate social networking and blogging community. See what home buyer, home seller and agent conversations and/or questions are happening in your neck of the woods. Then, engage in the one that you feel comfortable in. Ones where you can add value too. By answering questions and blogging, you are adding your footprint to each of those local markets and getting the attention of potential clients and referral partners. Plus, all of your questions, answers and blog posts appear on your Trulia profile – it creates a repository of your thoughts, opinions and expert advice  for all to see in one place. Plus, by being proactive on Trulia, you create fresh content which automatically populates to your profile every time – search engines like Google like this. Over time, it will help build your pages PR [page rank].

Trulia Pro – There’s lots of great features for our premium agent product. Here is a blog post I wrote about Trulia Pro features and Strategies. http://www.truliablog.com/2009/03/16/trulia-pro-features-and-strategies/

Are you involved in social media? (I can’t believe I actually asked this…)

Um, just a little.

As the resident Social Media Guru at Trulia.com, I am public face and voice of Trulia. I lead Trulia’s Social Media Strategy both online and offline, manage the Trulia corporate blog and other very cool behind the scenes stuff. I contribute to new initiatives that build brand awareness while improving the consumer and agent experience. As a speaker at real estate conferences and classrooms around the nation, I really enjoy educating agents on how to best utilize Trulia and the newest and best web 2.0 tools and technologies.

How do you use social media to leverage your business?

There are many ways Trulia uses social media  – both externally and internally. If I had to sum it up quickly it would be – We listen, we engage and educate. Here is a great example of how we use Twitter. http://tr.im/truliaTWITTER
I can talk about social media planning, strategy and implementation for days but it might better to do a specific blog about that. If anyone wants to pick my brain on the subject, just ask me at ReBarCamp Denver. Who knows, if there is enough interest, maybe I can lead a session on it. I’m sure we’ll have some people there who’d love to join me in that conversation……

How can your product/service benefit those in the real estate industry?

Overall, Trulia will give you, your brokerage, your brand and your clients more exposure. This, hopefully will help you achieve your goals more efficiently and cost effectively. Whether it’s finding a buyer, a seller, getting a referral, building brand awareness etc….Trulia can help you do that and more….

Are you coming to REBC Denver and would you like to present a topic? Which topic?

Why yes I am. I’d love to talk about how agents can best use Trulia for their benefit. I’d also be open to a conversation as a mentioned above about how best leverage social media – from a business perspective.

How can we contact you?

Google me.

JBinFrisco Plans to Unfold the Mystery of the iPhone

@JBinFrisco checked in last night, asking to interview me!  What a switch, after all the interviews I’ve been publishing here, it was a refreshing change of pace.  We chatted about tomorrow’s event and how it all came together. Listen on JB’s Blog

Now it’s my turn to interview Jason, let’s go…

Jason how long have you been working in the mortgage industry?
I began working in the mortgage industry in 1993 shortly after graduating from college. I co-founded Sierra Funding in 1995 and helped grow that company into one of the premier mortgage planning practices in Colorado. I served as President of the Colorado Association of Mortgage Brokers (CAMB) in 2006 and participated on the BBB Trade Practices Group, Colorado Housing Council, & most recently served on the DRE’s education taskforce which designed and wrote the course curriculum and testing standards for the new licensing requirements implemented for mortgage brokers. Currently, I’m principal of The J. Berman Group, which is a mortgage and technology consultancy located in Frisco, CO. We manage a large mortgage portfolio for our clients and are also engaged in several real estate & technology oriented projects.

Did you come from a different industry before?
Nope I was fresh meat.

You are also one of the founders of REBlogWorld, so obviously you are an advocate of social media.  How long have you been involved in what we call social media?
I’m glad you asked about that.  Last year, Todd Carpenter & I founded REBlogWorld. The inaugural conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in September, 2008. It covered three days of blogging and technology seminars, networking events, & expo opportunities for real estate professionals. It was one of the largest technology gatherings for real estate professionals in 2008. Currently, planning for REBlogWorld ’09 is underway and all I can say right now is that there is an incredible team of individuals coming together to help grow this concept. REBlogWorld is scheduled for October 15-17, 2009 and promises to be 200% better than last year.

How has social media impacted your business?
Well I’m a mortgage originator and the mortgage community hasn’t embraced social media with the same fervor as those real estate agent community. It will happen but many of the surviving originators are just trying to keep up with regulatory & industry changes. That being said, social media is here to stay and it’s impact on my busines, your business, all of our businesses is going to be huge. The internet is ripping down the status quo all around us and real estate isn’t immune. We are still in the 2nd inning. Time to begin familiarizing yourself with social networking, mobile computing, open source applications, etc. is now.

If you were only allowed one aspect of social media, which one would that be?
That’s tough, cuz I’m playing around with all of it right now so I hope I’m interpreting this question correctly, but if I was limited to one, podcasting would be my choice for social expression. I really like audio programming. There is a ‘romantic’ quality about the old fashioned radio show. Podcasting provides a quick and easy way for folks to broadcast audio quickly and easily, and the potential benefits for business are still unfolding.

Are you coming to REBarCamp Denver?  Would you like to present a topic? If so what would that be?
I’ll be there and eager to discuss the iPhone. The iPhone has changed the smartphone industry. Early-Adopters are exploring the benefits of the iPhone as a device that can improve communication, organization, & productivity. But will it play a role in Real Estate? Is it an essential technology tool? I’d like to explore that question along with group ideas for use of a powerful mobile device in real estate, and if time permits, cover the cost and benefit of jail-breaking an iPhone.

Real Estate BarCamp Attracts Social Media Elite From Colorado & Beyond!

Real Estate BarCamp Denver will be in for treat on Friday, May 22, 2009.

Lorelle VanFossen, author of Lorelle on WordPress will be joining the sessions, first presenting on building blog content and community.  She discusses the ever important question of how to get the content and more importantly how to engage in conversation that leads to a conversion.

Lorelle’s work is extensive, in addition to being an accomplished author, she writes a very informative blog on WordPress, the popular open-source blogging platform.  Anyone who had ever searched for an answer to a WordPress blog issue will find Lorelle in the results!  She discusses everything from plugins, to themes and code.

Mid-day Lorelle will join Teresa Boardman and Justin Smith as they Judge in the “Blog Idol” contest, where they will dissect several blogs as an entertaining learning experience for all.

There is no doubt about it, Lorelle will be an exciting addition to the All-Star line up at Real Estate BarCamp Denver.

Social media tools expand beyond the written word.  Podcasting is an example of a medium many people are using to create community. A Denver local, Dave Moyer will be presenting to us the ins and outs of Podcasting.

Dave is no stranger to the topic, he has depth in the topic that comes from experience, in fact he hosts the web’s top WordPress and blogging podcast, WordCast. The show which is co-hosted with Kym Huynh in Australia interviews top developers, designers and coders within the WordPress community.

Dave designs and develops all the blogs for his various podcasts and sites.  Dave uses his communication skills to review on a tech news blog Ars Technica.  It’s no wonder with all his activities Dave has taken over the basement of his home to house the ever-expanding volume of tech toys and equipment necessary to fuel his business and his passion.

Of course that’s ok, his parents don’t mind.  If Dave was my 16-year old, I’d get out of the way too!

Just before hoping on a plane to do a Social Media Trip to Hawaii, Jim Turner, of One By One Media will be spending the day with us in the Mile High.  Jim is a resident of Metro Denver, when he heard about Real Estate BarCamp way back in February, he wanted to come participate.

He is no stranger to social media.  Jim began blogging in early 2004 and soon became very passionate about it.  As with most successful people, Jim decided to turn his passion into a means to support his family.  With that decision he began helping other enterprises enter the blogosphere.  As a consultant, Jim successfully helped his clients change the way they view marketing, advertising and public relations.

Jim is currently the Social Media Director and Conference Director of Blog World and New Media Expo, and on the Executive Board of The International Blogging and New Media Association (IBNMA).

If you are interested in learning more about “participatory marketing using social media,” be sure to sit in on Jim’s session.

Twitter has been around for a couple years now, but just recently has been recognized by main stream media.  In Colorado the guy to watch is Rob McNealy, who currently holds the top Twitter spot.  Rob will be joining us on Friday to share his thoughts and strategies on using Twitter and social media to gain more visibility.

Rob has been self-employed since 2004 and uses social media to expand both his low tech business and his marketing company.  As a blogger, podcaster, speaker, writer and a funny guy, Rob will be interesting and informative.

Philadelphia is famous for three things, Cheese Steak Sandwiches, the Liberty Bell and Bill Lublin.  OK, so everyone may not remember the Liberty Bell the certainly they know Bill!  He is a REALTOR® and actively involved in leadership at N.A.R., a regular at Real Estate Bar Camps across the country and a founder of the newly formed Social Media Institute.  Bill knows real estate ethics (he chaired the committee last year) and is equally comfortable discussing sports, social media or Google MLS Scraping and the C.O.E. Yes, he’s both an interesting and fun guy!

On Friday Bill will share with us the philosophy behind using the currency of Wuffie.  If you aren’t familiar with this, you are in for a treat.  Capitalizing the currency of social media comes from putting “social” into the mix. Contrary to what many believe building a business is not about broadcasting how good you are, but demonstrating how much you care.  Bill will teach us the value of Wuffie and how to accumulate it.

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The best part about REBarCamp will be the accessibility of all the speakers.  If you meet them in the hall, be sure to greet them.  They want to chat with you as much as you do them.

Let’s network!

Be there 8:30 registration begins.

Eager to Learn More Frances Wehner Sponsors REBarCamp

Frances became my lender years ago when she appealed to my sense of logic by a simple brochure that said “Think Outside of the Box.”  Her angle at the time struck me as very appropriate, because so many times we forget how important it is to turn things up-side-down and look at them from a different perspective.  Frances has never let me down.

Frances stepped up to volunteer as a sponsor early on, despite our lack of track record, she committed to us.  For that I am grateful!  Now it’s my turn to introduce Frances Wehner to the REBC community:

Frances, would you please tell us something about yourself:
My name is Frances Wehner and I am originally from England, although I have been in Denver for 20 years. I have been in the lending industry for almost 9 years, so I have seen the most liberal and now the most conservative lending practices! It’s been, and still is at times, a wild ride. Prior to lending I had my Colorado real estate license and worked in my father-in-laws firm as a REALTOR® and then support staff. So, I know some of the frustrations that REALTORS® have with our industry and try to base my business practices to alleviate such issues.

Tell us about your Company.  How long have you been working there? What services does your company offer in the real estate industry?
Cherry Creek Mortgage Company has been around for about 20 years I believe. The company has great integrity in the industry which I like. We have access to a great many investors, although maintain a lot of the underwriting at our corporate office in Greenwood Village which is helpful. In an industry that is seeing underwriting turn times lengthen, we are still able to close a transaction in about 30 days. However, with the new appraisal rules for conventional mortgages this may lengthen. We are able to originate conventional, FHA and jumbo mortgages and have access to commercial loans as well although that is not my forte.

Are you involved in social media?
I have just started to blog (I realize I shouldn’t be admitting this at this type of venue!) and have had social networking sites for a few years. So far I have not used this type of media in my business, but it is my goal to be very proficient with them in the next few months.

How can your product/service benefit those in the real estate industry?
In an industry where the lending guidelines are changing drastically I hope to be seen not only as a lender, but as someone who offers information (no strings attached) so we can all reach the finish line of our transactions with as few bumps along the way as possible! My goal is to always exceed expectations!

I look forward to meeting new friends and learning new ideas.

Frances Wehner can be contacted at: Cherry Creek Mortgage Comapny, Inc. 303-589-4694

Introducing Local Investor Paul Barrow

When Paul Barrow signed up for Real Estate BarCamp, I was not surprised.  Paul is one of those “always present” people who are very visible and available when you need them.  After reading more about Paul, I am sure he will be an attendee that others want to meet  in the hall and get to know better.

When it gets down to it, the more people you know, the better off you are.  Paul Barrows is an excellent man to know.  Let’s learn more about him.

I would like to introduce you to the readers of the REBarCamp Blog.  Would you please tell us a little about yourself?
Born and raised in Denver, Park Hill neighborhood.  CU Boulder grad and lived a few post college years in San Francisco.  Married for 15 years and father of two great children, Anna and Charlie. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast, including mountain biking, skiing, rafting and camping.  Technology geek, and music lover too.

How long have you been in the real estate industry?  What did you do before?
I am a professional real estate investor with 8 years experience in the Denver market.  My focus is single family and multi-family rental properties.  I work with private equity investors and real estate investors seeking fix and flip, rental and development properties.  I also organize and facilitate small mastermind group meetings with other investors and colleagues.  My previous experience includes several small entrepreneurial businesses and I was a professional lobbyist at the Colorado state Capitol for 12 years.

Tell us about your company.  How long have you been working there?  What services does you company offer in the real estate industry?
My partners and I run several real estate related companies that include the following: a HomeVestors franchise (We Buy Ugly Houses), a private equity real estate advisory firm, a construction company and crew of 40; a mortgage brokerage and a small niche real estate agent team.

Are you involved in social media?
Yes, I use many websites and programs to market and run my businesses.

How do you use social media to leverage your business?
I manage websites and blogs and drive traffic to those by using facebook, twitter, articles etc.

How can your product/service benefit those in the real estate industry?
I pay agents for referrals to investor clients whom they do not want to work with for any number of reasons.  I mentor and train agents and investors to profit in the investment and agency business in an experiential learning environment.  I am a dealer of off-market investment properties.

Are you coming to REBC Denver and would you like to present a topic? Which topic?
Not sure if these are topics of interest at this event, but my areas of expertise are the following:  Investments; Rentals; IRA investing; Private Equity; Fix and Flips

Paul Barrow can be contacted at Private Market Real Estate or by calling 303-332-4972

Other Than Ourselves, Can Anyone Truly Guarantee Top Organic Search Results?

The dynamic nature of a networked web, the constant modification of search engine ranking methods and the random competitive activity surrounding real estate in any region of North America make organic search results unpredictable. So, the answer to ‘Can Anyone Promise Top 5 Organic Search Results?’ is probably “no.”

If anyone does guarantee top organic search results we might ask what proprietary information they have about the constant adjustments made to [content] ranking search algorithms. We might also ask, what – exactly – do they know about our competitors’ day to day online activity.

Even if there were proven techniques, the reality of the environment we compete in is… it’s never standing still. Logic would have that Google needs timely content from geographically relevant real estate experts for their search indexes. Logic would have Google wants to protect the quality of their search results by reducing the weight of signals that might be used easily to manipulate them [i.e. abusive meta data or non specific back links.] Logic would have that consistent relevant & timely content, and detectable activity stemming from that content, achieves & sustains organic search optimization.

Beyond Search, because RSS enables a blogs’ content to go wherever it is needed, Internet optimization should be the ultimate goal! Examples beyond search discovery include content that moves direct to subscribers, direct onto other sites and/ or direct into various social networks.

In an environment where our future customers leverage random resources online to research & discover, it is relevant & timely content activity that will:

1. generate more qualified search discovery;
2. generate more voluntary RSS subscription;
3. generate more links, bookmarks, forwards, recommendations;
4. differentiate as dedicated, knowledgeable, trustworthy;
5. establish unique marketplace brand and
6. generate lead opportunities!

Yes we need good blog solutions, but Google discloses good site standards for better indexing. Better blogs are a matter of site design & architecture, site maintenance and site advancement work. If you want to capture and funnel traffic into MLS Search/ lead capture based websites, blogs are still the cost effective way to do it.

Good active on-topic blogs make search results possible; they achieve them sustainably and they make it cost-effective!

Chris Frerecks
Principal, Kinetic Knowledge
chris@KineticKnowledge.com

Real Estate BarCamp (REBC) Welcomes Robert Luna of Diverse Solutions

dsSearch has been marketing to the MetroList Region for awhile now, so it is no surprise to have Robert Luna become a major sponsor to REBC Denver.  I had the pleasure of meeting Robert briefly a few weeks ago at REBC Phoenix.  In a matter of few minutes determined he would be a great person to work with.  Robert will be coming to Denver on Friday, so we can all seek him out to chat about their exciting new IDX program.  Let’s welcome Robert to the Mile High City, and when you see him, say thanks for the really cool band tags!

Q: How long have you been in the real estate industry?

A: I have been in the real estate industry working with real estate agents for over a decade the majority of that time (8 years to be exact) I have been working in the real estate software industry; and I can say with out a doubt having a front row seat the last 8 years has been really fun and exciting time.

Q: What did you do before?

A: I was in marketing and advertising working with advertising agency’s and magazines in Phoenix Arizona.

Q: Tell us about your company.  How long have you been working there?

A: I have been with Diverse Solutions for nearly 2 years working with a great group of people. Everybody bring a tremendous amount of experience from the real estate software industry to the table. We all take a lot of pride in what we create and what we do, so everybody has a voice you never know where the next great idea will come from.

Q: What services does you company offer in the real estate industry?

A: Diverse Solutions does it all from real estate website to marketing, however what we are most famous for is our mapping IDX product dsSearchAgent it has definitely become our flagship product and what most people associate with Diverse Solutions.

Q: Are you involved in social media?
A: I enjoy social media, I have met many really good friends and it has given me and the company a place to tell our story.

Q: How do you use social media to leverage your business?
A: Social media is just that social and as I am sure you can imagine the topic of real estate software and marketing are always topics that come up so just engaging and being ourselves has defiantly helped get our name out there.

Q: How can your product/service benefit those in the real estate industry?
A: I can spend all day on this subject the bottom line is we like to build the best whether it’s a custom website or the most intense mapping IDX solution on the planet! Really I encourage everybody to judge for themselves our website .

Q: Are you coming to REBC Denver and would you like to present a topic? Which topic?
A: Diverse Solutions has been involved with the REBarcamp’s form the beginning we sponsored the first one in San Francisco and many since then, we are proud sponsors of the Denver REBarcamp. I have spoken at a couple of REBarcamp’s and I really enjoy going wherever the conversations take me so there is a good chance I will speak in Denver.

Q: How can we contact you?
A: You can hit me up via email at RLuna@diversesolutions.com  or tweet me at http://twitter.com/RLuna

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