Sponsor Mark Schow of Obeo Brings a Ton of Experience to #REBCDEN

Thanks for stopping back by! Have you submitted your email address so you can be notified of upcoming REBC events? You can do so on the right sidebar, just scroll down a bit.

Mark Schow doesn’t know this, because I’ve never told him, but awhile back I had a buyer-client tell me he only looks at listings with OBEO shows on them.  Of course he didn’t say OBEO he just indicated to me which logo he clicked on!  Guess that is a testimony to the quality of work Mark and his company produces.  So much for the other properties, in my client’s mind they didn’t exist!

So naturally when Mark Schow indicated a desire to sponsor REBC Denver, I was delighted to have him!  Please welcome Mark as a sponsor as we learn a little about his background…

Tell us a little bit about yourself, are you a Colorado native or what brought  you to here?

I quit my engineering job with Shell Oil Company way back in 1983, packed up all my stuff (everything I owned fit into my Ford Bronco) and move to Colorado to be a ski bum!  Bold move, but I wouldn’t change a thing and I developed much of my entrepreneurial spirit during my early days in Colorado.  Lots of character building during my five year stint as a Boulder street performer, 250 shows as the MC for a Chinese acrobatic troupe at the old Elitch Gardens, Tom Bosley’s stand-in on The Father Dowling Mysteries series and a variety of bit parts in plays, TV commercials and corporate videos.  I was happy to meet my wife 15 years ago who helped me settle down as we raise our two beautiful daughters and enjoy life in Lakewood.

Who do you work for and why do you enjoy your job?

I launched Mediamax, Inc. 8 years ago to act as the Colorado distributor for Obeo.  I started the business from the ground up and personally photographed over 3000 homes in the early years of my business.  I guess I’m a professional photographer, but I was lucky enough to surround myself with many other more skilled photographers who are the real reason for my companies success.  After working for myself for the last 8 years I honestly think I’m un-employable anywhere else.  I absolutely love the challenge & independence that comes with managing my own business.

What is your favorite tech tool for business?  Why is it your favorite?

My new iMac with iMovie09 and my Canon Vixia camcorder with lots of cool accessories.  They’re my favorite because I love the creative, storytelling, process that comes with producing videos.  Online video is absolutely booming and becoming bigger part of our service offering.

What would you like to learn more about at REBC-Denver?

I need to improve my WordPress blog design and integration into my website.  I’m hoping to learn more about that and actually find a good WordPress developer at REBC who can help.  I also want to hear Real Estate agent success stories using Social Media as a business & customer development tool . . . is anyone actually making money from their social media efforts? I’m guessing the answer is yes, but by very few agents at this point in the social media evolution.

Do you play to present a topic?  If so what would you like to talk about?  (Give us a brief outline.)

My videographer and I are planning to demonstrate the various options available for producing online video . . . from a ‘do it yourself’ Flip camcorder production to a high definition professional video, we’ll provide an abbreviated demonstration of the steps to shoot, edit, upload and distribute video on the web.

Are you involved in social media?

Yes, but not consistently and not effectively enough to see a measurable difference in my business.  That’s why I’m attending REBC-Denver.

How do you use social media to leverage your business?

I’ve been fairly active with social media, but I feel I’ve spent the last couple years learning and setting up the infrastructure for leveraging social media to drive more business . . . now it’s time to put a plan into action and measure the results!

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

We like to think high quality visual content is essential in today’s real estate industry.  Our services save the agent time, help agents win listings and ultimately captures the interest of online & offline buyers and makes the agents phone ring!

Mark Schow

Mediamax, Inc. – Colorado’s Exclusive Obeo Distributor

(303) 988 7497 Main

(303) 988-6809 Direct

(303) 884-8535 Mobile

(866) 809-0286 eFax

Larry McGee Sponsors REBC Denver 2nd Annual Event

Larry McGee is a big supporter of education in real estate, he teaches associates in his own brokerage and authors a real estate brokerage oriented blog called Brokerisms.  Larry not only sponsored this year’s Real Estate Bar Camp but he also encouraged the agents at The Berkshire Group to attending by covering half of their expenses!  Now that’s putting your faith in REBC!

Let’s welcome Larry McGee to the REBC Blog…

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

I am an (almost) lifelong resident of the Denver area, and a REALTOR® since 1978. I have owned or managed brokerages since 1985, and currently own The Berkshire Group, REALTORS® in Denver.

What is your favorite tech tool for business?  Why is it your favorite?
My favorite Tech Tool is my iPhone.  I use it to keep with my business and communicate in all of the ways necessary in today’s world.  I even use it for a phone.

What would you like to learn more about at REBC-Denver?
I want to learn more about WordPress, FaceBook for business, and meet and interact with excited and curious people.

Do you plan to present a topic?  If so what would you like to talk about?
I will be presenting a topic “ Quality Service Certified and how REALTORS® can Raise the Bar”. I will use a Power Point presentation to outline the subject and to elicit commentary from the attendees to lead the group into a discussion of measuring quality service and marketing the positive results.QSC (Quality Service Certified) is the REALTORS® best answer to service ratings.  Instead of allowing our service to be publicly rated in a random, usually unflattering way.

The fact is , REALTORS® and their services are being rated, everyday, by many rating systems and consumers. The fact is you are being rated, you just do not have any voice in the results.

QSC trains the REALTOR® to present service standards in a formal way, and independently surveys the client after closing to provide positive accountability for the REALTOR®.  By telling the consumer what to expect at the beginning of the transaction, the consumer is almost always positively impressed with the results.

Come learn the facts about the industries service standards, how you can “raise the bar”, and increase your referral and repeat business by 50%, while at the same time virtually eliminating client complaints.

Contact Information:

Larry McGee
The Berkshire Group,REALTORS®
303-513-1436

IRES Sponsors the REBC Denver Event

It wasn’t long after the date was announced for Real Estate Bar Camp Denver, when I received an email from Tammie Drake of IRES-LLC.  As an attendee from the first event, Tammie wanted to be sure to support this year’s efforts by sponsoring.  It did my heart good to have IRES this year as a sponsor.  I’m sure they have many opportunities to support their members.  Of course REBC is the perfect venue to start a conversation about some of the tools we never realize exist or don’t take the time to use.  I’m sure Tammie will help us learn more about IRES!

Let’s welcome from Tammie Drake…

Tell us a little bit about yourself, are you a Colorado native?

I am a Colorado native, raised in Broomfield now reside in Fort Collins.

Who do you work for and why do you enjoy your job?

I am employed with IRES LLC, a regional MLS, as the sales and marketing ambassador.  My primary territory consists of the entire Denver Front Range.  There are too many reasons why I am so professionally passionate about my job.  To summarize, I feel empowered as a former Realtor to have the opportunity to share such a powerful MLS resource tool to fellow Real Estate Professionals.  It’s easy to understand why IRES has been ranked the #1 MLS in the country twice.

What is your favorite tech tool for business?  Why is it your favorite?

Hard question, because it always changes.  My favorites currently:  iPhone, Youtube, Activerain, Linkedin but I always keep an eye on the new things.

What would you like to learn more about at REBC-Denver?

Everything that is new and exciting.

Do you play to present a topic?  If so what would you like to talk about?

I’m always happy to discuss any topic related to the IRES MLS system.  CloudCMA would be a fantastic subject.

Contact Tammie Drake

IRS, LLC – “Excceeding Your Expectations”

Colorado Property

IRES

800-596-4901

There’s Only One Rudy…and he’s here!

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.

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

Next Page »