Denver Realtor Sigrid Meier Plans to Attend & Learn

Sigrid Meier has been a Realtor for as long as I can remember.  Seldom do I attend an event where Sigrid is not present.  She is a Certified Residential Specialist and a Certified International Property Specialist who obviously believes in continuing education.

I wanted to interview Sigrid because, she admits she hasn’t gotten involved heavily in social media yet. She is coming to REBarCamp because she knows it will be worth her time.

(BTW, I was working on Sigrid’s photo for this post and went a little over-board on the PhotoShop touch-up.  I don’t have time to reverse it, so we plan to run with it.  Enjoy!)

How long have you been selling real estate?

24 years

What made you decide to get into the business?

When I bought my first home I had a very “challenged” real estate agent and figured I could do a much better job!  That was before Buyer’s Agent or Transaction Broker.  We still had Dual Agency!!!  Which nobody explained!  So a buyer always thought He/She was represented by the agent they were working with!

What were you doing before real estate?

I was Hairstylist.  That actually brought me to the USA.  I came here (legally) with the idea of working for a year, learn the language, (I did not speak a word of English) traveling through the country, make my millions, and then return to Germany.

Things do change.  I learned English, became an American Citizen,  still working on the millions… and happily living in the best place (in my opinion) in the USA (Denver).  And if you have to ask?  No I am not going back!

We first met in person at a CRS event I think, but we had known each other for a long time. I think we first met in 1992.

When did you first publish a website?

I believe it was either 1997 or 1998.  Getting a domain name at that time was the thing to do.  I did and thought having the domain of www.movetocolorado.com was pretty cool.  Thinking changed and it was “ You need to have your own name as domain”.  That changed as quickly as the weather does in Denver.  I never changed my www.movetocolorado.com and paid for the domain for many years to come.

Are you blogging yet?

I tried a few times but it always turns in to a “grouch session” on my part bemoaning the fact that people have lost their common sense and rational thinking. So I decided enough of that.  I also tried educating the public.  But guess what?  They still need to make their own mistake.  Same thing as raising kids, you’d only think that by the time the public is old enough to buy a home they can think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Social media has become so popular in the real estate industry, are you using it?

I joined Active Rain, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

If so, can you tell us what it has done for your business?

I am not active enough in any of them to have benefited from it yet.

If you could pick only one aspect of social media, what would that be.  By that I mean you must choose from Active Rain, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and any of the hundreds available, which one would you use and why?

Probably Active Rain, very diverse topics.

Are you coming to REBarCamp Denver?

YES

If so what would you like to learn?

Anything that I can cram into what’s left of my brain!!!  I believe there is some place left.

Who do you think should teach it?

I have no clue Kristal, I just do not want to go to another “Rah, Rah” session by some “Real Estate Guru” telling me “Buy my books/Tapes etc. so I too can become rich”.

LOL, I so agree Sigrid!  REBarCamp is open to all but we won’t have hired speakers.  Everyone there is generously donated their time, most aren’t in the professional speaking circuit, but they are in the trenches using the tools.  I think we are going to all learn from each other.

It’s going to be great!  Thanks for the interview!

RE Bar Camp Blog welcomes Sam Basel from Estes Park

Today’s interview comes to us from the wonderful mountain resort town of Estes Park.  Sam Basel who just recently implemented social media into his business plan has RSVP’ed to attend Real Estate BarCamp Denver to expand his growing knowledge.  Sam impressed me very much when he flew to Las Vegas to attend the REBlog World Conference last September.  At the time Sam was just learning about blogging.  His commitment to being a successful REALTOR was very obvious.

By the way, when Sam submitted his photo, he said, “That’s not a fake background!”  Yes, we know how beautiful Estes Park is, and we are envious!  Let’s talk about you now…

How long have you been selling real estate?

First of all, thank you for interviewing me, Kristal. It’s definitely an honor and I’m very much looking forward to REBarCamp Denver in May.

I am a real estate agent in Estes Park, Colorado at Estes Park Realty and have been selling real estate since 2004 in one capacity or another. I specialize in second homes and condominiums for clients who come from all over the country.

What made you decide to get into the business? What were you doing before real estate?

I usually tell people I fell into the real estate world by accident. I landed in Estes Park, Colorado straight out of college pursuing a career in Recreation and Tourism. My first job was managing vacation homes and I was encouraged to get a get a real estate license to sell the vacation homes that we managed.

Real Estate has turned out to be a great fit for me. I enjoy helping people and I enjoy real estate. The challenge and freedom that comes with running my own business is very exciting.

We first met at REBlogWorld in Las Vegas, how long had you been blogging at that point in time?

I was introduced to the world of social media at the Denver Realtor Rally in March of 2008. After lurking on many blogs and social media sites to get to know how it worked, I began to blog for myself in July of last year. Honestly, I really didn’t know what I was doing and I still have a lot to learn.

REBlogWorld was extremely influential in my education about social media and how to blog. Most of it was way over my head but I learned a great deal and met a lot of great people.

Social media has become so popular in the real estate industry. Can you tell us what it has done for your business?

The biggest benefit I have gained from Social media has been the huge boost in my credibility in the eyes of my past, present and future clients. It is so easy to find a real estate agent online these days. Standing out among the competition can be difficult. My blog and my web site gave me a chance to show off my expertise and gain credibility in a non-intrusive way. I would say it complements my Sphere of Influence focused business strategy quite well.

If you could pick only one aspect of social media, what would that be.  By that I mean you must choose from Active Rain, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and any of the hundreds available, which one would you use and why?

While there are benefits each of the social media sites you mentioned, the goal is interaction with people in your market place. I think Twitter and Facebook are two of the best ways to accomplish that.

Facebook is a ton of fun to use to connect to people but I’m having a hard time finding the balance of how much real estate information I throw in front of my close friends and family.

There is a lot of value in Twitter to find what people are saying about your local area in regards to real estate. I use Tweetdeck to follow local conversations about Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. I contribute when I have something to offer as another way to interact in my community.

Are you coming to REBarCamp Denver?  What topics would you like to see presented?

REBarCamp Denver is definitely in my schedule. If I still used a paper calendar, I would put it in ink. I think it has the potential to be the most important social media and technology event in Colorado in 2009.

I am looking forward to the round table discussions and brainstorming with other real estate agents and technology wizards about how to take the endless social media avenues available online and turn them into one cohesive strategy to serve my clients and grow my business.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Sam!

For our readers, Sam’s blog is Estes Park Homes for Sale I’m sure he would love for everyone to stop by and leave a comment!

REBarCamp Denver Welcomes Bob Schenkenberger

In the first of a series of interviews, I’d like to welcome local Denver Broker, Bob Schenkenberger.  Bob was one of the first people to register for RE Bar Camp Denver less than two weeks ago when we first announced the event on Twitter.  I asked Bob if he would be interested in sharing some personal facts about himself and what he thinks of social media.

How long have you been selling real estate?

18 years

What made you decide to get into the business? What were you doing before real estate?

I got my real estate license after I bought my first house. I felt I didn’t know what I had just done, so in an effort to educate myself, I went to RE school, and got my license.  At the time I had a good job, and didn’t plan on changing.  Then, less than a year later, I got laid off.  So, while I was taking some time to figure out what I wanted to do next, I realized I truly love looking at properties.  I already had my license, and it was a great fit!

We first met in person at a TweetUp, but we had known each other from Twitter.  How long had you been blogging at that point in time?

I started my first blog in October 2007, using the blogger platform.  I grew out of it pretty quick, and and my wordpress version was kicked off in Jan. 2008.

Social media has become so popular in the real estate industry. Can you tell us what it has done for your business?

Social media has had a huge impact on my business model.  The Get Home Denver Team Blog has taken our internet presence from a do nothing website, to a lead generation tool.  My old site got less than 50 hits per month, the blog gets 50-100 hits per day.  Social networking has allowed me to connect with my database in a whole different way than before.  Rather than a monthly newsletter, or an email, I am actually able to see what many of these people are doing on a daily basis.  How their kids are, etc.  This allows me to interact on a more personal level.  In terms of actual business, I closed 3 deals last year as a direct result of my social media efforts.  I anticipate that to triple this year.

If you could pick only one aspect of social media, what would that be.  By that I mean you must choose from Active Rain, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and any of the hundreds available, which one would you use and why?

No question, for social networking it’s Facebook.  That’s where the people are!

Are you coming to REBarCamp Denver?  Would you like to present a topic? If so what would that be?

I will be in attendance, and would be willing to help present a topic.  I’m becoming more and more interested in Hyper-Local stuff, so I think that would be a great topic.

Thanks for sharing your successes with us Bob!

If you would like to visit Bob’s Blog he can be found Selling Greenwood Village and Denver Area Real Estate at GetHomeDenver.com !

If you haven’t RSVP’ed for the REBarCamp Denver please do so now! Just click on the RSVP link on the top navigation bar and reserve your seat today.

A tour of RE BarCamp Denver’s venue

Kristal, Vali and I toured out venue last week. Thanks to both Metrolist and Armbrust Real Estate Institute RE BarCamp Denver is on! Both companies have volunteered their space for out event.

7100 East Belleview Avenue, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Both companies are located in the same building. The Tech Center location will make it easier for folks coming up from Colorado Springs. this space is just off I-25 at Bellevue and Quebec. Armbrust is also equipped with WiFi. This is a dream spot.

Arbrust offers one really big classroom, plus several smaller meeting areas.

Down one floor, Metrolist has also offered both of their meeting rooms.

I hope the wether is nice. It should be. I want to hold my session on the patio.

All in all, I’m totally psyched about this space. HUGE thanks to both Metrolist and Armbrust for sponsoring the space!

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